2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA warning

Black plate (48,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
3-48 Seats and Restraints
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint is
not attached to anchors, the child
restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured or
killed. Install a LATCH-type child
restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle safety
belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and
the instructions in this manual.
{WARNING
Do not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries
during a crash, attach only one
child restraint per anchor.
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to
tighten. Buckle any unused safety
belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull
the shoulder belt all the way out
of the retractor to set the lock,
if the vehicle has one, after the
child restraint has been installed. Notice:
Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’ s safety belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled safety belts to
avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments.
Do not fold the empty rear seat
with a safety belt buckled. This
could damage the safety belt or
the seat. Unbuckle and return the
safety belt to its stowed position,
before folding the seat.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the safety belts. Refer to your
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions
in this manual.

Black plate (51,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-51
Replacing LATCH System
Parts After a Crash
{WARNING
A crash can damage the LATCH
system in the vehicle. A damaged
LATCH system may not properly
secure the child restraint,
resulting in serious injury or even
death in a crash. To help make
sure the LATCH system is
working properly after a crash,
see your dealer to have the
system inspected and any
necessary replacements made as
soon as possible.
If the vehicle has the LATCH system
and it was being used during a
crash, new LATCH system parts
may be needed.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the LATCH
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Securing Child Restraints
(Rear Seat Position)
When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with the child
restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑45 for how and
where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is
secured in the vehicle using a
safety belt and it uses a top tether,
see Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑45 for top tether anchor
locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored. In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
If the child restraint does not have
the LATCH system, you will be
using the safety belt to secure the
child restraint in this position.
Be sure to follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint
when and as the instructions say.
If more than one child restraint
needs to be installed in the rear
seat, be sure to read
Where to Put
the Restraint on page 3‑43.
1. Put the child restraint on the seat.
2. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of
the vehicle safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions will show
you how.

Black plate (53,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-53
6. If the child restraint has a toptether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑45 for more
information.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt to
move it side‐to‐side and
back‐and‐forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.Securing Child Restraints
(Center Front Seat
Position)
{WARNING
A child in a child restraint in the
center front seat can be badly
injured or killed by the frontal
airbags if they inflate. Never
secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. It is always
better to secure a child restraint in
a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the
center front seat position.
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat
Position)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑43.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑28 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑15 for more information,
including important safety
information.

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
3-54 Seats and Restraints
A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.”This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child
restraints in a rear seat, even if
the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑28 for additional
information. If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, see
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑45 for how and
where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is
secured using a safety belt and it
uses a top tether, see for top tether
anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-13
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-14 Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-16
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)/Traction Control
System (TCS) Indicator/
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-22
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-24
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-29
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-31
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-32
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-32
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-33
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-34
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-35
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-36
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-37

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
5-4 Instruments and Controls
Windshield Wiper/Washer
Turn the band with the wiper symbol
to control the windshield wipers.
8(Mist):Single wipe, turn to8,
then release. Several wipes, hold
the band on
8longer.
9(Off): Turns the windshield
wipers off.
6(Adjustable Interval Wipes):
Turn the band up for more frequent
wipes or down for less frequent
wipes.
6(Low Speed): Slow
wipes.
?(High Speed): Fast wipes.
Clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them. If frozen
to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged wiper blades
should be replaced. See Wiper
Blade Replacement on page 10‑24.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wiper motor. A circuit breaker will
stop the motor until it cools down.
Windshield Washer
Push the paddleLat the top of the
lever to spray washer fluid on the
windshield. The wipers run for
several sweeps and then either stop
or return to the preset speed. The
ignition key must be in ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN for this to
work. See Washer Fluid on
page 10‑18.
{WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use
the washer until the windshield is
warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.
When the vehicle is low on washer
fluid, the WASHER FLUID LOW
ADD FLUID displays in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) for
60 seconds. When the ignition is
turned off, this message displays
again for three seconds to remind
you that the fluid level is low.
Until the fluid reservoir is refilled,
every time the vehicle is started, the
WASHER FLUID LOW ADD FLUID
message displays in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) for
60 seconds. See Washer Fluid
Messages on page 5‑37.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
5-8 Instruments and Controls
2. Press the pushbutton locatedunder the desired option.
3. Press the
Hor MENU button
again to apply the selected
default, or let the screen
time out.
Power Outlets
The vehicle has three 12‐volt outlets
which can be used to plug in
electrical equipment, such as a cell
phone or MP3 player.
On vehicles with a center console,
one outlet is located inside the
center floor console and two outlets
are located at the front of the
console bin under the instrument
panel.
On vehicles without a center
console, two are located under the
climate controls and another outlet
for the rear seat passengers is at
the rear of the center front seat. Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
{WARNING
Power is always supplied to the
outlets. Do not leave electrical
equipment plugged in when the
vehicle is not in use because the
vehicle could catch fire and cause
injury or death.
Notice: Leaving electrical
equipment plugged in for an
extended period of time while the
vehicle is off will drain the
battery. Always unplug electrical
equipment when not in use and
do not plug in equipment that
exceeds the maximum 20 ampere
rating. Certain accessory plugs may not be
compatible with the accessory
power outlet and could overload
vehicle and adapter fuses. If a
problem is experienced, see your
dealer.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the proper
installation instructions included with
the equipment. See
Add-On
Electrical Equipment on page 9‑49.
Notice: Hanging heavy
equipment from the power outlet
can cause damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for
accessory power plugs only, such
as cell phone charge cords.
Cigarette Lighter
The vehicle may have a cigarette
lighter. The cigarette lighter may be
located in the console, if the vehicle
has one; otherwise, it may be
located in the center armrest of the
front seat.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-9
Notice:Holding a cigarette lighter
in while it is heating does not let
the lighter back away from the
heating element when it is hot.
Damage from overheating can
occur to the lighter or heating
element, or a fuse could be
blown. Do not hold a cigarette
lighter in while it is heating.
To use the lighter, just push it in all
the way and let go. When it is ready,
it will pop back out by itself.
Ashtrays
The vehicle may have an ashtray.
The ashtray may be located in the
console, if the vehicle has one;
otherwise, it may be located in the
center armrest of the front seat.
Notice: If papers, pins, or other
flammable items are put in the
ashtray, hot cigarettes or other
smoking materials could ignite
them and possibly damage the
vehicle. Never put flammable
items in the ashtray.
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges can
signal that something is wrong
before it becomes serious enough
to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to the
warning lights and gauges could
prevent injury.
Warning lights come on when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Some warning lights come
on briefly when the engine is started
to indicate they are working. Gauges can indicate when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Often gauges and warning
lights work together to indicate a
problem with the vehicle.
When one of the warning lights
comes on and stays on while
driving, or when one of the gauges
shows there may be a problem,
check the section that explains what
to do. Follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
and even dangerous.