Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
2012 Chevrolet Impala Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-2
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-37
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-43
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-26
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-30
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-49
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Trunk Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-7
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-8
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 1-9
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-10
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-15
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-15
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control
System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-17
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-18
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-18
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
1-8 In Brief
Passenger Sensing
System
The passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags,
seat‐side impact airbags, and
roof‐rail airbags are not affected
by this.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will be visible on the
instrument panel when the vehicle is
started.
United States
Canada
See Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑28 for important information.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
Controls for the outside power
mirrors are on the driver door
armrest.
Press the left or right side of the
selector located above the control
pad to adjust the driver or
passenger mirror. Then press the
control pad to move the mirror in the
desired direction.
SeePower Mirrors on page 2‑14.
Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-9
Interior Mirror
Vehicles with a manual rearview
mirror can be adjusted by holding
the mirror in the center to move it for
a clearer view behind the vehicle.
Adjust the mirror to avoid glare from
the headlamps behind. Pull the
lever, located at the bottom of the
mirror for nighttime use. Return the
lever to its original position for the
day position.
SeeManual Rearview Mirror on
page 2‑15.
On vehicles with an automatic
dimming rearview mirror, the mirror
will automatically adjust to reduce
the glare of lights from behind the
vehicle. See Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror on page 2‑15.
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
The tilt wheel lever is located on the
left side of the steering column.
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Hold the wheel and pull the lever toward you.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Release the lever to lock the steering wheel in place. Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Interior Lighting
Dome Lamp
The center mounted dome lamp
overhead comes on when a door is
opened. This lamp can also be
turned on by turning the instrument
panel brightness control clockwise.
Reading Lamps
The vehicle has reading lamps that
also act as the dome lamp. Press
the button near each lamp to turn
them on and off.
Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
1-10 In Brief
Map Lamps
The vehicle has map lamps on the
rearview mirror. Push the button
near each lamp to turn the map
lamps on and off.
For more information on interior
lighting, see:
.Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑5.
.Courtesy Lamps on page 6‑6.
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
P:Briefly turn to this position to
manually turn the automatic lamp
control and Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) off or on. For vehicles
first sold in Canada, the off position
only works when the vehicle is
shifted into the P (Park) position.
AUTO: Automatically operates the
headlamps and other exterior lamps
at normal brightness.
;: Turns on the parking lamps,
taillamps, and license plate lamps.
2: Turns on the headlamps and
other exterior lamps.
#: (If Equipped) Turns on the fog
lamps.
For more information, see:
.Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
.Fog Lamps on page 6‑5.
.Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/
Automatic Headlamp System on
page 6‑3.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The lever is located on the left side
of the steering column.
8: Single wipe, turn to8, then
release. Several wipes, hold the
band on
8longer.
9: Turns the windshield
wipers off.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-1
Keys, Doors, and
Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Doors
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Vehicle Security
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . 2-11
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Immobilizer Operation . . . . . . . 2-12
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Power Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror . . . . . . 2-15
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Windows
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Power Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Roof
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
2-14 Keys, Doors, and Windows
4. Insert the new key to beprogrammed and turn it to the
ON/RUN position within
five seconds of turning the
ignition to the LOCK/OFF
position in Step 3.
The security light will turn off
once the key has been
programmed.
5. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 if additional keys are to be
programmed.
If you lose or damage your
PASS-Key III+ key, see your dealer
or a locksmith who can service
PASS-Key III+ to have a new
key made.
Do not leave the key or device
that disarms or deactivates the
theft-deterrent system in the vehicle.Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors
{WARNING
A convex mirror can make things,
like other vehicles, look farther
away than they really are. If you
cut too sharply into the right lane,
you could hit a vehicle on the
right. Check the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex
shaped. A convex mirror's surface is
curved so more can be seen from
the driver seat.
Power Mirrors
Controls for the outside power
mirrors are located on the driver
door armrest.
1. Press the left or right side of the selector switch located above
the control pad, to select the
driver or passenger mirror.
Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-15
2. Press one of the four buttonslocated on the control pad to
move the mirror to the desired
direction.
3. Adjust each outside mirror so that a little of the vehicle and the
area behind it can be seen.
Keep the selector switch in the
center position when not adjusting
either outside mirror.
Heated Mirrors
For vehicles with heated mirrors:
=(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to heat the outside rearview
mirrors. See “Rear Window
Defogger” underClimate Control
Systems on page 8‑1 for more
information.
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
Adjust the inside rearview mirror for
a clear view of the area behind your
vehicle. To avoid glare of the
headlamps from behind, push the
tab forward for daytime and pull it
for nighttime use.
Vehicles with OnStar
®have three
control buttons at the bottom of the
mirror. See your dealer for more
information about OnStar and how
to subscribe to it. See OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1.
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
The vehicle may have an automatic
dimming inside rearview mirror.
Automatic dimming reduces the
glare from the headlamps of the
vehicle behind you. The dimming
feature comes on and the indicator
light illuminates each time the
ignition is turned to start.
O(On/Off): Press to turn the
dimming feature on or off.
Vehicles with OnStar have three
additional control buttons for the
OnStar system. See your dealer for
more information about OnStar and
how to subscribe to it. See OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.