Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
%:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
J: Brake System
Warning Light
": Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
.:Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
i: Top Tether Anchors for
Child Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_: Tow/Haul Mode
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
1-20 In Brief
Performance and
Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System
The vehicle may have a traction
control system that limits wheel spin
and the StabiliTrak system that
assists with directional control of the
vehicle in difficult driving conditions.
Both systems turn on automatically
every time the vehicle is started.
.To turn off traction control, press
and release the StabiliTrak
button
g. The appropriate DIC
message will display. See Ride
Control System Messages on
page 5‑38.
.To turn off both traction control
and StabiliTrak, press and hold
the StabiliTrak button
guntil
the StabiliTrak Off light
Y
illuminates and the appropriate
DIC messages display. See Ride
Control System Messages on
page 5‑38.
.Press and release the
StabiliTrak button again to turn
on both systems.
For more information, see
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑35.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-5
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16 Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-17
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-18
Airbag On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-20
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-25
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-25
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-26
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-27
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-34
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-37
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-37
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-38
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-38
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-40
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-40
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-42
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 5-42
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-25
Tow/Haul Mode Light
For vehicles with the Tow/Haul
Mode feature, this light comes on
when the Tow/Haul Mode has been
activated.
For more information, seeTow/Haul
Mode on page 9‑32.
StabiliTrak®OFF Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally, the
indicator light then goes off.
Press and release the Traction
Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
button to turn off TCS, and a
message displays in the DIC. Press and briefly hold the TCS/
StabiliTrak button to turn off the
StabiliTrak system; the StabiliTrak
Off light comes on and a message
appears in the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
If the StabiliTrak/TCS system is off,
the system does not assist in
controlling the vehicle. Turn on the
StabiliTrak/TCS system and the
indicator light turns off.
See
StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑35, and Ride Control System
Messages on page 5‑38 for more
information.
Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
5-26 Instruments and Controls
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak®Light
The Traction Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak light comes on briefly
when the engine is started.
If the light does not come on or
stays on, have the vehicle serviced
by the dealer. If the system is
working normally, the indicator light
turns off.
If the light comes on and stays on
while driving, and a message
displays in the Driver Information
Center (DIC), have the vehicle
serviced by the dealer. SeeRide
Control System Messages on
page 5‑38 for more information. If the light flashes while driving, this
means that the StabiliTrak or the
TCS is assisting in controlling the
vehicle. See
StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑35 for more information.
Four chimes sound if the light
turns on.
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this light
comes on briefly when the engine is
started. It provides information
about tire pressures and the TPMS. When the Light Is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of
the tires are significantly
underinflated.
A Driver Information Center (DIC)
tire pressure message may also
display. See
Vehicle Messages on
page 5‑34 for more information.
Stop as soon as possible, and
inflate the tires to the pressure value
shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label. See Tire Pressure
on page 10‑56 for more information.
When the Light Flashes First and
Then Is On Steady
If the light flashes for about a minute
and then stays on, there may be a
problem with the TPMS. If the
problem is not corrected, the light
will come on at every ignition cycle.
See Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation on page 10‑59 for
more information.
Black plate (39,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-39
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak, this
message displays when there is a
problem with the Traction Control
System (TCS). When this message
displays, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly. See your dealer for
service. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑35 for more information.
STABILITRAK INITIALIZING
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak, this
message may display and the
Traction Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak light on the instrument
panel cluster may be on after first
driving the vehicle and exceeding
32 km/h (20 mph) for 30 seconds.
The StabiliTrak system is not
functional until the light has turned
off. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑35 for more information.
TRACTION XX
STABILITRAK XX
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak, this
message displays when the traction
control and/or StabiliTrak systems
have been turned on or off. Adjust
your driving accordingly. To limit
wheel spin and realize the full
benefits of the stability
enhancement system, you should
normally leave StabiliTrak on.
However, you should turn
StabiliTrak off if the vehicle gets
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow
and you want to rock the vehicle to
attempt to free it, or if you are
driving in extreme off-road
conditions and require more wheel
spin. SeeIf the Vehicle Is Stuck on
page 9‑10. To turn the StabiliTrak
system on or off, see StabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑35.
STABILITRAK OFF may also
display when the stability control
has been automatically disabled. There are several conditions that
can cause this message to appear.
.One condition is overheating,
which could occur if StabiliTrak
activates continuously for an
extended period of time.
.The message also displays if the
brake system warning light is on.
See
Brake System Warning
Light on page 5‑23.
.The message could display if the
stability system takes longer
than usual to complete its
diagnostic checks due to driving
conditions.
.The message displays if an
engine or vehicle related
problem has been detected and
the vehicle needs service.
See your dealer.
The message turns off as soon as
the conditions that caused the
message to be displayed are no
longer present.
Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
7-24 Infotainment System
Phone
Bluetooth
For vehicles equipped with
Bluetooth capability, the system can
interact with many cell phones,
allowing:
.Placement and receipt of calls in
a hands-free mode.
.Sharing of the cell phone’s
address book or contact list with
the vehicle.
To minimize driver distraction,
before driving, and with the vehicle
parked:
.Become familiar with the
features of the cell phone.
Organize the phone book and
contact lists clearly and delete
duplicate or rarely used entries.
If possible, program speed dial
or other shortcuts.
.Review the controls and
operation of the infotainment
system.
.Pair cell phone(s) to the vehicle.
The system may not work with
all cell phones. See “Pairing”in
this section for more information.
.If the cell phone has voice
dialing capability, learn to use
that feature to access the
address book or contact list. See
“Voice Pass-Thru” in this section
for more information.
.See “Storing and Deleting Phone
Numbers” in this section for
more information.
{WARNING
When using a cell phone, it can
be distracting to look too long or
too often at the screen of the
phone or the infotainment
(navigation) system. Taking your
eyes off the road too long or too
often could cause a crash
resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving. A Bluetooth system can use a
Bluetooth‐capable cell phone with a
Hands‐Free Profile to make and
receive phone calls. The system
can be used while the key is in the
ON/RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY
position. The range of the Bluetooth
system can be up to 9.1 m (30 ft).
Not all phones support all functions,
and not all phones work with the
in-vehicle Bluetooth system. See
www.gm.com/bluetooth for more
information on compatible phones.
Voice Recognition
The Bluetooth system uses voice
recognition to interpret voice
commands to dial phone numbers
and name tags.
For additional information, say
“Help”
while you are in a voice
recognition menu.
Noise: Keep interior noise levels to
a minimum. The system may not
recognize voice commands if there
is too much background noise.
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
9-2 Driving and Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention
away from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, always
keep your eyes on the road, hands
on the wheel, and mind on the drive.
.Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
.Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices.
.Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions.
.Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
.Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
.Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children.
.Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint.
.Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.
{WARNING
Taking your eyes off the road too
long or too often could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving.
Refer to the infotainment section for
more information on using that
system, including pairing and using
a cell phone.
If equipped, refer to the navigation
manual for information on that
system, including pairing and using
a cell phone.