2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA warning light

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-33
Key and Lock Messages
REPLACE BATTERY IN
REMOTE KEY
This message displays when the
battery in the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter needs to be
replaced. To replace the battery, see
“Battery Replacement”under
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
Lamp Messages
AUTOMATIC LIGHT
CONTROL OFF
This message displays when the
automatic headlamps are turned off.
See Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1 for more information.
AUTOMATIC LIGHT
CONTROL ON
This message displays when the
automatic headlamps are turned on.
SeeExterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1 for more information.
TURN SIGNAL ON
This message displays as a
reminder to turn off the turn signal
if you drive your vehicle for more
than about 1.2 km (0.75 mile) with a
turn signal on. See Turn and
Lane-Change Signals on page 6‑4.
This message displays and a chime
sounds only when the ignition is in
ON/RUN. The message will not
disappear until the turn signal is
manually turned off, or a turn is
completed.
Ride Control System
Messages
SERVICE STABILITRAK
If your vehicle has Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), this
message displays if there has been
a problem detected with ESC. The
ESC/TCS light also appears on the
instrument panel cluster. See
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on
page 9‑32 andElectronic Stability
Control (ESC)/Traction Control
System (TCS) Indicator/Warning
Light on page 5‑21 for more
information.
If this message turns on while you
are driving, pull off the road as soon
as possible and stop carefully. Try
resetting the system by turning the
ignition off and then back on. If this
message still stays on or turns back
on again while you are driving, your
vehicle needs service. Have the
system inspected by your dealer as
soon as possible.

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
5-34 Instruments and Controls
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
If your vehicle has the Traction
Control System (TCS), this message
displays when the system is not
functioning properly. The ESC/TCS
light also appears on the instrument
panel cluster. SeeElectronic
Stability Control (ESC)/Traction
Control System (TCS) Indicator/
Warning Light on page 5‑21. See
Traction Control System (TCS) on
page 9‑30 for more information.
Have the TCS serviced by your
dealer as soon as possible.
STABILITRAK INITIALIZING
If your vehicle has Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), this
message may display and the ESC/
TCS light on the instrument panel
cluster may be on after first driving
the vehicle and exceeding 30 km/h
(19 mph) for 30 seconds. The ESC
system is not functional until the
light has turned off. See Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) on
page 9‑32 for more information.
STABILITRAK OFF
If your vehicle has Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), this
message displays when the ESC is
turned off manually. See Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) on
page 9‑32 for more information.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
If your vehicle has the Traction
Control System (TCS), this
message displays when the TCS
turns off. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 9‑30 for
more information.
This message may display when the
ignition is in ON/RUN and
disappears after 10 seconds, unless
it is acknowledged or an urgent
warning appears. Any of the following conditions may
cause the TCS to turn off:
.The TCS is turned off by
pressing the traction control
button. See
Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 9‑30 for
more information.
.The battery is low.
TRACTION CONTROL ON
If your vehicle has the Traction
Control System (TCS), this message
displays when the TCS is turned on.
See Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑30 for more information.
Airbag System Messages
SERVICE AIR BAG
This message displays when there
is a problem with the airbag system.
Have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer immediately. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑14 for
more information.

Black plate (36,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
5-36 Instruments and Controls
Tire Messages
SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
SYSTEM
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays if a part on the
TPMS is not working properly. The
tire pressure light also flashes and
then remains on during the same
ignition cycle. SeeTire Pressure
Light on page 5‑22. Several
conditions may cause this message
to appear. See Tire Pressure
Monitor Operation on page 10‑44 for
more information. If the warning
comes on and stays on, there may
be a problem with the TPMS. See
your dealer.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays when the TPMS
is re-learning the tire positions on
your vehicle. The tire positions must
be re-learned after rotating the tires
or after replacing a tire or sensor.
See Tire Inspection on page 10‑47,
Tire Rotation on page 10‑47, Tire
Pressure Monitor System on
page 10‑43, and Tire Pressure on
page 10‑41 for more information.
TIRE LOW ADD AIR TO TIRE
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays when the
pressure in one or more of the
vehicle's tires is low. This message
also displays LEFT FRT (left front),
RIGHT FRT (right front), LEFT RR
(left rear), or RIGHT RR (right rear)
to indicate the location of the low
tire. The low tire pressure warning light will also come on. See
Tire
Pressure Light on page 5‑22. You
can receive more than one tire
pressure message at a time. To
read the other messages that may
have been sent at the same time,
press the set/reset button. If a tire
pressure message appears on the
DIC, stop as soon as you can. Have
the tire pressures checked and set
to those shown on the Tire and
Loading Information label. See Tires
on page 10‑35, Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9‑11, and Tire Pressure on
page 10‑41. The DIC also shows
the tire pressure values. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑24.
Transmission Messages
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays when there
is a problem with the transmission.
See your dealer for service.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Headlamp High/Low-BeamChanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/Automatic Headlamp
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-4
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Delayed Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . 6-7
Delayed Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Parade Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-8
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-8
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
.Headlamps
.Taillamps
.Parking Lamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Fog Lamps (If Equipped)

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
6-4 Lighting
Hazard Warning Flashers
The hazard warning flashers let you
warn others that you have a
problem.
The hazard warning flasher button
is located on top of the steering
column.
|:Press to make the front and
rear turn signal lamps flash on and
off. Press the button again to turn
the flashers off. When the hazard warning flashers
are on, the turn signals will
not work.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
An arrow on the instrument panel
cluster will flash in the direction of
the turn or lane change.
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is completed. If the lever is
briefly pressed and released, the
turn signal flashes three times.
The lever returns to its starting
position whenever it is released.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
might be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse.
See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 10‑30.
Turn Signal On Chime
If either one of the turn signals are
left on and the vehicle has been
driven more than 1.2 km (0.75 mile),
a chime will sound.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
9-6 Driving and Operating
Driving on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce
vehicle traction and affect your
ability to stop and accelerate.
Always drive slower in these types
of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and
deep‐standing or flowing water.
{WARNING
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a
quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
flowing water could cause the
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under the vehicle's
tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is
wet enough and you are going fast
enough. When the vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.Allow extra following distance.
.Pass with caution.
.Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
.Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
.Have good tires with proper
tread depth. SeeTires on
page 10‑35.
.Turn off cruise control.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-9
WARNING (Continued)
If the vehicle is stuck in the snow:
.Clear away snow from around
the base of your vehicle,
especially any that is blocking
the exhaust pipe.
.Check again from time to
time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
.Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the side of the
vehicle that is away from the
wind to bring in fresh air.
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
circulates the air inside the
vehicle and set the fan speed
to the highest setting. See
Climate Control System in the
Index.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑24.
Snow can trap exhaust gases
under your vehicle. This can
cause deadly CO (Carbon
Monoxide) gas to get inside. CO
could overcome you and kill you.
You cannot see it or smell it, so
you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle,
especially any that is blocking the
exhaust.
Run the engine for short periods
only as needed to keep warm, but
be careful. To save fuel, run the engine for only
short periods as needed to warm
the vehicle and then shut the engine
off and close the window most of
the way to save heat. Repeat this
until help arrives but only when you
feel really uncomfortable from the
cold. Moving about to keep warm
also helps.
If it takes some time for help to
arrive, now and then when you run
the engine, push the accelerator
pedal slightly so the engine runs
faster than the idle speed. This
keeps the battery charged to restart
the vehicle and to signal for help
with the headlamps. Do this as little
as possible to save fuel.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
9-10 Driving and Operating
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
If the vehicle has a traction system,
it can often help to free a stuck
vehicle. Refer to the vehicle's
traction system in the Index. If stuck
too severely for the traction system
to free the vehicle, turn the traction
system off and use the rocking
method.{WARNING
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other
damage. Spin the wheels as little
as possible and avoid going
above 55 km/h (35 mph).
For information about using tire
chains on the vehicle, see Tire
Chains on page 10‑54.
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Turn off any traction or
stability system. Shift back and forth
between R (Reverse) and a forward
gear, spinning the wheels as little as
possible. To prevent transmission
wear, wait until the wheels stop
spinning before shifting gears.
Release the accelerator pedal while
shifting, and press lightly on the
accelerator pedal when the
transmission is in gear. Slowly
spinning the wheels in the forward
and reverse directions causes a
rocking motion that could free the
vehicle. If that does not get the
vehicle out after a few tries, it might
need to be towed out. If the vehicle
does need to be towed out, see
Towing the Vehicle on page 10‑67.