2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO light

Black plate (60,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
9-60 Driving and Operating
Parking Brake
For vehicles with a release handle,
set the parking brake by holding the
regular brake pedal down, then
pushing down the parking brake
pedal.
If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 5‑26. A chime sounds and the warning
light flashes when the parking brake
is applied and the vehicle is moving
at least 8 km/h (5 mph).
To release the parking brake, hold
the regular brake pedal down.
Then pull the bottom edge of the
lever with the parking brake symbol,
located above the parking brake
pedal.
If the ignition is on when the parking
brake is released, the brake system
warning light goes off.
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 are
parking on any hill, see
Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips on
page 9‑82.
For vehicles without a release
handle, set the parking brake by
holding the regular brake pedal
down, then pushing down the
parking brake pedal.

Black plate (61,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-61
If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 5‑26.
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.
To release the parking brake, hold
the regular brake pedal down, then
push down momentarily on the
parking brake pedal until you feel
the pedal release. Slowly pull your
foot up off the park brake pedal.
If the parking brake is not released
when you begin to drive, the brake
system warning light will flash and a
chime will sound warning you that
the parking brake is still on. If you are towing a trailer and are
parking on a hill, see
Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips on
page 9‑82.
Brake Assist
If this vehicle has StabiliTrak®,
it also has a Brake Assist feature
designed to assist the driver in
stopping or decreasing vehicle
speed in emergency driving
conditions. This feature uses the
stability system hydraulic brake
control module to supplement the
power brake system under
conditions where the driver has
quickly and forcefully applied the
brake pedal in an attempt to quickly
stop or slow down the vehicle. The stability system hydraulic brake
control module increases brake
pressure at each corner of the
vehicle until the ABS activates.
Minor brake pedal pulsation or
pedal movement during this time
is normal and the driver should
continue to apply the brake pedal
as the driving situation dictates.
The Brake Assist feature will
automatically disengage when the
brake pedal is released or brake
pedal pressure is quickly
decreased.

Black plate (63,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-63
StabiliTrak is on automatically
whenever the vehicle is started.
To assist with directional control of
the vehicle, the system should
always be left on. Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) is also on
automatically when the vehicle is
started. SeeTrailer Sway Control
(TSC) on page 9‑114 for more
information.
When the vehicle is started and
begins to move, the system
performs several diagnostic checks
to insure there are no problems.
The system may be heard or felt
while it is working. This is normal
and does not mean there is a
problem with the vehicle. The
system should initialize before the
vehicle reaches 32 km/h (20 mph).
In some cases, it may take
approximately 3.2 km (2 mi) of
driving before the system initializes. If cruise control is being used when
StabiliTrak activates, the cruise
control automatically disengages.
The cruise control can be
re-engaged when road conditions
allow. See
Cruise Control on
page 9‑66.
If the system fails to turn on or
activate, the StabiliTrak light along
with a message will be displayed on
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
If a DIC message appears, make
sure the StabiliTrak system has not
been turned off using the Traction
Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
button. Then turn the vehicle off,
wait 15 seconds, and then turn it
back on again to reset the system.
If any of the messages still appear
on the DIC, the vehicle should be
taken in for service. For more
information on the DIC messages,
see Ride Control System Messages
on page 5‑47.
The StabiliTrak light will flash on the
instrument panel cluster when the
system or the TSC feature is both
on and activated.
The system may be heard or felt
while it is working; this is normal.
The TCS/StabiliTrak button is
located on the instrument panel.

Black plate (64,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
9-64 Driving and Operating
The traction control part of
StabiliTrak can be turned off by
pressing and releasing the
TCS/StabiliTrak button if both
systems (traction control and
StabiliTrak) were previously on.
To disable both TCS and
StabiliTrak, press and hold the
TCS/StabiliTrak button until the
StabiliTrak OFF light illuminates
and the appropriate DIC message
displays. This will also disable the
TSC feature.
Traction control and StabiliTrak can
be turned on by pressing and
releasing the TCS/StabiliTrak button
if they are not automatically shut off
for any other reason. This will also
enable the TSC feature.When the TCS or StabiliTrak system
is turned off, the StabiliTrak light
and the appropriate message will be
displayed on the DIC to warn the
driver. The vehicle will still have
brake-traction control when traction
control is off, but will not be able to
use the engine speed management
system. See
“Traction Control
Operation” next for more
information.
When the TCS has been turned off,
system noises may still be heard as
a result of the brake-traction control
coming on.
It is recommended to leave the
system on for normal driving
conditions, but it may be necessary
to turn the system off if the vehicle
is stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow,
and you want to “rock”the vehicle to
attempt to free it. It may also be
necessary to turn off the system
when driving in extreme off-road
conditions where high wheel spin is
required. See If the Vehicle Is Stuck
on page 9‑16. When the transfer case is in 4LO,
the stability system is automatically
disabled, the StabiliTrak light comes
on, and the appropriate message
will appear on the DIC. Both traction
control and StabiliTrak are
automatically disabled in this
condition.
Traction Control Operation
The TCS is part of the StabiliTrak
system. Traction control limits wheel
spin by reducing engine power to
the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying
brakes to each individual wheel
(brake-traction control) as
necessary.
The TCS is enabled automatically
when the vehicle is started. It will
activate and the StabiliTrak light
will flash if it senses that any of the
wheels are spinning or beginning
to lose traction while driving.

Black plate (65,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-65
If traction control is turned off,
only the brake-traction control
portion of traction control will work.
The engine speed management will
be disabled. In this mode, engine
power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin
more freely. This can cause the
brake-traction control to activate
constantly.
Notice:If the wheel(s) of one axle
is allowed to spin excessively
while the StabiliTrak
®, ABS, brake
warning lights, and any relevant
DIC messages are displayed, the
transfer case could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Reduce
engine power and do not spin the
wheel(s) excessively while these
lights and messages are
displayed.
The TCS may activate on dry or
rough roads or under conditions
such as heavy acceleration while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts
of the transmission. When this
happens, a reduction in acceleration
may be noticed, or a noise or
vibration may be heard. This is
normal.
If cruise control is being used when
the system activates, the StabiliTrak
light will flash and cruise control
will automatically disengage.
Cruise control may be reengaged
when road conditions allow.
See
Cruise Control on page 9‑66.
StabiliTrak may also turn off
automatically if it determines that a
problem exists with the system.
If the problem does not clear itself
after restarting the vehicle, see your
dealer for service.
Non-hybrid vehicles with StabiliTrak
have a Trailer Sway Control (TSC)
feature. See Trailer Sway Control
(TSC) on page 9‑114. Non-hybrid vehicles with StabiliTrak
have a Hill Start Assist (HSA)
feature. See
Hill Start Assist (HSA)
on page 9‑62.
Adding non‐dealer accessories can
affect the vehicle's performance.
See Accessories and Modifications
on page 10‑3.
Locking Rear Axle
Vehicles with a locking rear axle can
give more traction on snow, mud,
ice, sand, or gravel. It works like a
standard axle most of the time, but
when traction is low, this feature will
allow the rear wheel with the most
traction to move the vehicle.

Black plate (66,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
9-66 Driving and Operating
Cruise Control
{WARNING
Cruise control can be dangerous
where you cannot drive safely at
a steady speed. So, do not use
the cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes in tire traction can
cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use
cruise control on slippery roads.
For vehicles with cruise control, a
speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph) or
more can be maintained without
keeping your foot on the
accelerator. Cruise control does not
work at speeds below about 40 km/h
(25 mph). When the brakes are applied, cruise
control is turned off.
For vehicles with an Allison or
Hydra‐Matic 6‐speed automatic
transmission, see
“Grade Braking”
under Tow/Haul Mode on page 9‑43
for an explanation of how cruise
control interacts with the Range
Selection Mode, tow/haul and grade
braking systems.
For vehicles with the StabiliTrak
system that begins to limit wheel
spin while you are using cruise
control, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. See
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑62.
When road conditions allow the
cruise control to be safely used
again, it can be turned back on.
I(On/Off): Press to turn the
system on or off. The indicator light
is on when cruise control is on and
turns off when cruise control is off.
+ RES (Resume/Accelerate):
Press briefly to resume to a
previously set speed, or press and
hold to accelerate.
SET −(Set/Coast): Press to set
the speed and activate cruise
control or make the vehicle
decelerate.
[(Cancel): Press to disengage
cruise control without erasing the
set speed from memory.

Black plate (67,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-67
Setting Cruise Control
If the cruise button is on when not in
use, it could get bumped and go into
cruise when not desired. Keep the
cruise control switch off when cruise
is not being used.
The cruise control light on the
instrument panel cluster will come
on after the cruise control has been
set to the desired speed.
1. Press
I.
2. Get up to the desired speed.
3. Press the SET− button located
on the steering wheel and
release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator. Resuming a Set Speed
If the cruise control is set at a
desired speed and then the brakes
are applied, the cruise control is
disengaged without erasing the set
speed from memory.
Once the vehicle speed reaches
about 40 km/h (25 mph) or more,
press the +RES button on the
steering wheel. The vehicle returns
to the previous set speed and stays
there.
Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated,
.Press and hold the +RES button
on the steering wheel until the
desired speed is reached, then
release it.
.To increase vehicle speed in
small amounts, press the +RES
button. Each time this is done,
the vehicle goes about 1.6 km/h
(1 mph) faster.Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated,
.Press and hold the SET–
button
on the steering wheel until the
desired lower speed is reached,
then release it.
.To slow down in small amounts,
press the SET– button on the
steering wheel briefly. Each time
this is done, the vehicle goes
about 1.6 km/h (1 mph) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While
Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to
increase the vehicle speed.
When you take your foot off the
pedal, the vehicle will slow down
to the previous set cruise speed.

Black plate (68,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
9-68 Driving and Operating
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control works
on hills depends on the vehicle
speed, the load, and the steepness
of the hills. When going up steep
hills, pressing the accelerator pedal
may be necessary to maintain
vehicle speed.
While going downhill:
.Vehicles with a four speed
automatic transmission may
need to have the brakes applied
or the transmission shifted to
a lower gear to keep the
speed down.
.Vehicles with a six speed
automatic transmission have a
Cruise Grade Braking feature
that may automatically shift to a
lower gear to keep the speed
down. It may be necessary to
apply the brake or manually shift
the transmission to a lower
gear. The vehicle may shift to a
higher gear when grade braking
assistance is no longer required.Cruise Grade Braking is not
available while in Range
Selection Mode. This feature is
active when the exhaust brake
is enabled (if equipped). See
"Range Selection Mode" under
Manual Mode on page 9‑42.
When the brakes are manually
applied the cruise control is
disengaged.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to end cruise
control:
.To disengage cruise control;
step lightly on the brake pedal.
.Press[on the steering wheel.
.To turn off the cruise control,
press
Ion the steering wheel.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed is
erased from memory by pressing
Ior if the ignition is turned off.
Object Detection
Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist
If available, the Ultrasonic Rear
Parking Assist (URPA) system
assists the driver with parking
and avoiding objects while in
R (Reverse). URPA operates at
speeds less than 8 km/h (5 mph).
The sensors on the rear bumper
detect objects up to 2.5 m (8 ft)
behind the vehicle, and at least
25 cm (10 in) off the ground.
{WARNING
The URPA system does not
detect pedestrians, bicyclists,
animals, or any other objects
located below the bumper or that
are too close or too far from the
vehicle. To prevent injury, death, (Continued)