2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA parking brake

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
9-30 Driving and Operating
Parking Brake
The parking brake is located to the
left of the brake pedal, near the
driver door.
To set the parking brake, hold the
brake pedal down, then push down
the parking brake pedal.
To release the parking brake, hold
the brake pedal down and push the
parking brake pedal. When you lift
your foot off the parking brake
pedal, the pedal will follow it to the
released position.A warning chime will sound and a
brake warning light located on the
instrument panel cluster will come
on, if the parking brake is set, the
ignition is on, and the vehicle speed
is greater than 8 km/h (5 mph).
Notice:
Driving with the parking
brake on can overheat the brake
system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system
parts. Make sure that the parking
brake is fully released and the
brake warning light is off before
driving.
If you are towing a trailer and
parking on any hill, see Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips on
page 9‑43.
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control
System (TCS)
The vehicle may have a Traction
Control System (TCS) that limits
wheel spin. This is especially useful
in slippery road conditions. The
system operates only if it senses
that one or both of the front wheels
are spinning or beginning to lose
traction. When this happens, the
system reduces engine power and
may also upshift the transmission
and apply the front brakes to limit
wheel spin.

Black plate (45,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-45
Driving on Grades
Notice:Do not tow on steep
continuous grades exceeding
9.6 km (6 miles). Extended,
higher than normal engine and
transmission temperatures may
result and damage the vehicle.
Frequent stops are very important
to allow the engine and
transmission to cool.
Reduce speed and shift to a
lower gear beforestarting down a
long or steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down, the
brakes might have to be used so
much that they would get hot and no
longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce the vehicle's speed to
around 70 km/h (45 mph) to reduce
the possibility of the engine and the
transmission overheating. If the
engine does overheat, see Engine
Overheating on page 10‑16.
Parking on Hills
{WARNING
Parking the vehicle on a hill with
the trailer attached can be
dangerous. If something goes
wrong, the rig could start to move.
People can be injured, and both
the vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged. When possible, always
park the rig on a flat surface.
If parking the rig on a hill:
1. Press the brake pedal, but do not shift into P (Park) yet. Turn
the wheels into the curb if facing
downhill or into traffic if facing
uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the brake pedal
until the chocks absorb the load. 4. Reapply the brake pedal. Then
apply the parking brake and shift
the transmission into P (Park).
5. Release the brake pedal.Leaving After Parking on a Hill
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal while you:
.start the engine,
.shift into a gear, and
.release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-10
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-11
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-16
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17 Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-17
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-22
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-23
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25 Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, Stoplamps,
and Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . 10-28
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-29
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-36
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-5
If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, seeService
Publications Ordering Information
on page 13‑12.
This vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to do your own
service work, see Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑33.
Keep a record with all parts receipts
and list the mileage and the date of
any service work performed. See
Maintenance Records on
page 11‑13.Hood
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the interior hood release handle with this symbol on it.
It is located to the left of the
parking brake pedal.
2. Then go to the front of thevehicle and release the
secondary hood latch, located
near the center of the hood front,
by pushing the latch to the right.
3. Lift the hood.
Before closing the hood, be sure all
the filler caps are on properly. Then
pull the hood down and close it
firmly.

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
10-22 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Storage
{WARNING
Batteries have acid that can burn
you and gas that can explode.
You can be badly hurt if you are
not careful. SeeJump Starting on
page 10‑64 for tips on working
around a battery without
getting hurt.
Infrequent Usage: Remove the
black, negative (−) cable from the
battery to keep the battery from
running down.
Extended Storage: Remove the
black, negative (−) cable from the
battery or use a battery trickle
charger.
Starter Switch Check
{WARNING
When you are doing this
inspection, the vehicle could
move suddenly. If the vehicle
moves, you or others could be
injured.
1. Before starting this check, be sure there is enough room
around the vehicle.
2. Firmly apply both the parking brake and the regular brake.
See Parking Brake on
page 9‑30.
Do not use the accelerator
pedal, and be ready to turn off
the engine immediately if it
starts. 3. Try to start the engine in each
gear. The vehicle should start
only in P (Park) or N (Neutral).
If the vehicle starts in any other
position, contact your dealer for
service.
Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control
Function Check
{WARNING
When you are doing this
inspection, the vehicle could
move suddenly. If the vehicle
moves, you or others could be
injured.
1. Before starting this check, be sure there is enough room
around the vehicle. It should be
parked on a level surface.

Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-23
2. Firmly apply the parking brake.See Parking Brake on
page 9‑30.
Be ready to apply the regular
brake immediately if the vehicle
begins to move.
3. With the engine off, turn the ignition on, but do not start the
engine. Without applying the
regular brake, try to move the
shift lever out of P (Park) with
normal effort. If the shift lever
moves out of P (Park), contact
your dealer for service.Ignition Transmission
Lock Check
While parked, and with the parking
brake set, try to turn the ignition to
LOCK/OFF in each shift lever
position.
.The ignition should turn to
LOCK/OFF only when the shift
lever is in P (Park).
.The ignition key should come
out only in LOCK/OFF.
Contact your dealer if service is
required.
Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check
{WARNING
When you are doing this check,
the vehicle could begin to move.
You or others could be injured
and property could be damaged.
Make sure there is room in front
of the vehicle in case it begins to
roll. Be ready to apply the regular
brake at once should the vehicle
begin to move.
Park on a fairly steep hill, with the
vehicle facing downhill. Keeping
your foot on the regular brake, set
the parking brake.
.To check the parking brake's
holding ability: With the engine
running and the transmission in
N (Neutral), slowly remove foot
pressure from the regular brake
pedal. Do this until the vehicle is
held by the parking brake only.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
10-24 Vehicle Care
.To check the P (Park)
mechanism's holding ability:
With the engine running, shift to
P (Park). Then release the
parking brake followed by the
regular brake.
Contact your dealer if service is
required.
Wiper Blade Replacement
Windshield wiper blades should be
inspected for wear or cracking. See
Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3 for more information.
Replacement blades come in
different types and are removed
in different ways. For proper
windshield wiper blade length and
type, see Maintenance
Replacement Parts on page 11‑12.
Notice: Allowing the wiper blade
arm to touch the windshield when
no wiper blade is installed could
damage the windshield. Any
damage that occurs would not be covered by your warranty. Do not
allow the wiper blade arm to
touch the windshield.
To replace the windshield wiper
blade:
1. Pull the wiper assembly away
from the windshield.
2. Lift up on the plastic latch in themiddle of the wiper blade where
the wiper arm attaches. 3. With the latch open, pull the
wiper blade down toward the
windshield far enough to release
it from the J-hooked end of the
wiper arm.
4. Remove the wiper blade.
Allowing the wiper blade arm to
touch the windshield when no
wiper blade is installed could
damage the windshield. Any
damage that occurs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not allow the wiper
blade to touch the windshield.
5. Reverse Steps 1 through 3 for wiper blade replacement.

Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
10-46 Vehicle Care
TPMS Sensor Matching
Process
Each TPMS sensor has a unique
identification code. The identification
code needs to be matched to a new
tire/wheel position after rotating the
vehicle’s tires or replacing one or
more of the TPMS sensors. Also,
the TPMS sensor matching process
should be performed after replacing
a spare tire with a road tire
containing the TPMS sensor. The
malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off at the next
ignition cycle. The sensors are
matched to the tire/wheel positions,
using a TPMS relearn tool, in the
following order: driver side front tire,
passenger side front tire, passenger
side rear tire, and driver side rear.
See your dealer for service or to
purchase a relearn tool.
There are two minutes to match the
first tire/wheel position, and
five minutes overall to match all four
tire/wheel positions. If it takes
longer, the matching process stops
and must be restarted.The TPMS sensor matching
process is:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN with
the engine off.
3. Press the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter's Qand "
buttons at the same time for
approximately five seconds. The
horn sounds twice to signal the
receiver is in relearn mode and
the TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
message displays on the DIC
screen.
4. Start with the driver side front tire.
5. Place the relearn tool against the tire sidewall, near the valve
stem. Then press the button to
activate the TPMS sensor.
A horn chirp confirms that the
sensor identification code has
been matched to this tire and
wheel position. 6. Proceed to the passenger side
front tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5.
7. Proceed to the passenger side rear tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5.
8. Proceed to the driver side rear tire, and repeat the procedure in
Step 5. The horn sounds two
times to indicate the sensor
identification code has been
matched to the driver side rear
tire, and the TPMS sensor
matching process is no longer
active. The TIRE LEARNING
ACTIVE message on the DIC
display screen goes off.
9. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
10. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure
level as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information label.