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 (11,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-11
Speedometer
The speedometer shows the vehicle
speed in both kilometers per hour
(km/h) and miles per hour (mph).
Odometer
The odometer shows how far the
vehicle has been driven in either
miles (used in the United States) or
in kilometers (used in Canada).
This vehicle has a tamper-resistant
odometer. If the odometer displays
ERROR, it probably has been
tampered with and the numbers
might not be accurate.
If the vehicle needs a new odometer
installed, it must be set to the
mileage total of the old odometer.
If that is not possible, then it will be
set at zero and a label must be put
on the driver door to show the old
mileage reading of the vehicle when
the new odometer was installed.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine
speed in revolutions per
minute (rpm).
Notice:If the engine is operated
with the tachometer in the shaded
warning area, the vehicle could
be damaged, and the damages
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Do not operate
the engine with the tachometer in
the shaded warning area.
Fuel Gauge
Metric
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-25
If your vehicle has these features,
the DIC also displays the compass
direction and the outside air
temperature when viewing the trip
and fuel information. The compass
direction appears on the top right
corner of the DIC display. The
outside air temperature
automatically appears in the bottom
right corner of the DIC display.
If there is a problem with the system
that controls the temperature
display, the numbers will be
replaced with dashes. If this occurs,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer.
The DIC also allows some features
to be customized. SeeVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑37 for
more information.DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by pressing
the DIC buttons located on the
instrument panel, to the right of the
instrument panel cluster.
DIC Buttons
The buttons are the trip/fuel, vehicle
information, customization, and set/
reset buttons. The button functions
are detailed in the following pages.
3(Trip/Fuel): Press this button
to display the odometer, trip
odometers, fuel range, average
economy, instantaneous economy,
Active Fuel Management™ indicator
on vehicles with this feature, and
average speed.
T(Vehicle Information): Press
this button to display the oil life,
units, tire pressure readings, and
compass zone and compass
calibration on vehicles with this
feature.
U(Customization): Press this
button to customize the feature
settings on your vehicle. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑37 for more information.
V(Set/Reset): Press this button to
set or reset certain functions and to
turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
5-26 Instruments and Controls
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
3(Trip/Fuel):Press this button
to scroll through the following menu
items:
Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until
ODOMETER displays. This display
shows the distance the vehicle has
been driven in either miles (mi) or
kilometers (km).
Trip A and Trip B
Press the trip/fuel button until
TRIP A or TRIP B displays. This
display shows the current distance
traveled in either miles (mi) or
kilometers (km) since the last reset
for each trip odometer. Both trip
odometers can be used at the
same time.
Each trip odometer can be reset to
zero separately by pressing the set/
reset button while the desired trip
odometer is displayed. The trip odometer has a feature
called the retro-active reset. This
can be used to set the trip odometer
to the number of miles (kilometers)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip.
To use the retro-active reset feature,
press and hold the set/reset button
for at least four seconds. The trip
odometer will display the number of
miles (mi) or kilometers (km) driven
since the ignition was last turned on
and the vehicle was moving. Once
the vehicle begins moving, the trip
odometer will accumulate mileage.
For example, if the vehicle was
driven 8 km (5 miles) before it is
started again, and then the
retro-active reset feature is
activated, the display will show 8 km
(5 miles). As the vehicle begins
moving, the display will then
increase to 8.2 km (5.1 miles),
8.4 km (5.2 miles), etc.If the retro-active reset feature is
activated after the vehicle is started,
but before it begins moving, the
display will show the number of
miles (mi) or kilometers (km) that
were driven during the last ignition
cycle.
Fuel Range
Press the trip/fuel button until
FUEL RANGE displays. This
display shows the approximate
number of remaining miles (mi) or
kilometers (km) the vehicle can be
driven without refueling.
The fuel range estimate is based on
an average of the vehicle's fuel
economy over recent driving history
and the amount of fuel remaining in
the fuel tank. This estimate will
change if driving conditions change.
Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-35
Anti-theft Alarm System
Messages
SERVICE THEFT SYSTEM
This message displays when there
is a problem with the theft-deterrent
system programmed in the key.
A fault has been detected in the
system which means that the
system is disabled and it is not
protecting the vehicle. The vehicle
usually restarts; however, you may
want to take the vehicle to your
dealer before turning off the engine.
SeeImmobilizer Operation on
page 2‑12 for more information.
THEFT ATTEMPTED
This message displays if the content
theft-deterrent system has detected
a break-in attempt while you were
away from your vehicle. See
Anti-theft Alarm System on
page 2‑11for more information.
Service Vehicle Messages
ERROR
This message displays while
viewing the odometer or trip
odometers if there is a problem with
the instrument panel cluster. See
your dealer for service.
SERVICE POWER STEERING
This message displays when a
problem is detected with the power
steering system. When this
message is displayed, you may
notice that the effort required to
steer the vehicle increases or feels
heavier, but you will still be able to
steer the vehicle. Have your vehicle
serviced by your dealer immediately.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message displays when a
non-emissions related malfunction
occurs. Have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer as soon as possible.
STARTING DISABLED
SERVICE THROTTLE
This message displays if the starting
of the engine is disabled due to the
electronic throttle control system.
Have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer immediately.
This message only appears while
the ignition is in ON/RUN, and will
not disappear until the problem is
resolved.
This message cannot be
acknowledged.
Black plate (53,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-53
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance
The tires and wheels were aligned
and balanced at the factory to
provide the longest tire life and best
overall performance. Adjustments to
wheel alignment and tire balancing
will not be necessary on a regular
basis. However, check the
alignment if there is unusual tire
wear or if the vehicle is pulling to
one side or the other. If the vehicle
vibrates when driving on a smooth
road, the tires and wheels might
need to be rebalanced. See your
dealer for proper diagnosis.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent,
cracked, or badly rusted or
corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming
loose, the wheel, wheel bolts, and
wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it.
Some aluminum wheels can be
repaired. See your dealer if any of
these conditions exist.Your dealer will know the kind of
wheel that is needed.
Each new wheel should have the
same load-carrying capacity,
diameter, width, offset, and be
mounted the same way as the one it
replaces.
Replace wheels, wheel bolts, wheel
nuts, or Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS) sensors with new
GM original equipment parts.
{WARNING
Using the wrong replacement
wheels, wheel bolts, or wheel
nuts can be dangerous. It could
affect the braking and handling of
the vehicle. Tires can lose air,
and cause loss of control, causing
a crash. Always use the correct
wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel
nuts for replacement.
Notice:
The wrong wheel can
also cause problems with bearing
life, brake cooling, speedometer
or odometer calibration,
headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance, and tire
or tire chain clearance to the
body and chassis.
See If a Tire Goes Flat on
page 10‑54 for more information.
Used Replacement Wheels
{WARNING
Replacing a wheel with a used
one is dangerous. How it has
been used or how far it has been
driven may be unknown. It could
fail suddenly and cause a crash.
When replacing wheels, use a
new GM original equipment
wheel.
Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
Service and Maintenance 11-13
Maintenance Records
After the scheduled services are performed, record the date, odometer reading, who performed the service, and the
type of services performed in the boxes provided. Retain all maintenance receipts.Date Odometer
Reading Serviced By Services Performed
Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2012
11-14 Service and Maintenance
DateOdometer
Reading Serviced By Services Performed