Black plate (66,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
10-66 Vehicle Care
A Tire and Loading Information label
shows the size of the original
equipment tires and the correct
inflation pressure for the tires when
they are cold. SeeVehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑17, for an example
of the Tire and Loading Information
label and its location. Also see Tire
Pressure on page 10‑62.
The TPMS can warn about a
low tire pressure condition but it
does not replace normal tire
maintenance. See Tire Inspection
on page 10‑68, Tire Rotation on
page 10‑69 andTires on
page 10‑54.
Notice: Tire sealant materials are
not all the same. A non-approved
tire sealant could damage the
TPMS sensors. TPMS sensor
damage caused by using an
incorrect tire sealant is not
covered by the vehicle
warranty. Always use only the
GM-approved tire sealant
available through your dealer
or included in the vehicle.TPMS Malfunction Light and
Message
The TPMS will not function properly
if one or more of the TPMS sensors
are missing or inoperable. When the
system detects a malfunction, the
low tire pressure warning light
flashes for about one minute and
then stays on for the remainder of
the ignition cycle. A DIC warning
message also displays. The
malfunction light and DIC warning
message come on at each ignition
cycle until the problem is corrected.
Some of the conditions that can
cause these to come on are:
.One of the road tires has been
replaced with the spare tire.
The spare tire does not have a
TPMS sensor. The malfunction
light and the DIC message
should go off after the road tire
is replaced and the sensor
matching process is performed
successfully. See "TPMS Sensor
Matching Process" later in this
section.
.The TPMS sensor matching
process was not done or
not completed successfully
after rotating the tires.
The malfunction light and the
DIC message should go off after
successfully completing the
sensor matching process.
See "TPMS Sensor Matching
Process" later in this section.
.One or more TPMS sensors
are missing or damaged.
The malfunction light and the
DIC message should go off
when the TPMS sensors are
installed and the sensor
matching process is performed
successfully. See your dealer
for service.
.Replacement tires or wheels do
not match the original equipment
tires or wheels. Tires and wheels
other than those recommended
could prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. See Buying
New Tires on page 10‑72.
Black plate (70,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
10-70 Vehicle Care
Use this rotation pattern when
rotating the tires if the vehicle
has polished forged aluminum
dual rear wheels. The spare
wheel can be used in any
position and can be rotated
with the rear inner wheels.
When installing dual wheels,
check that the vent holes in the
inner and outer wheels on each
side are lined up.Adjust the front and rear tires
to the recommended inflation
pressure on the Tire and
Loading Information label
after the tires have been
rotated. See
Tire Pressure on
page 10‑62 andVehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑17.
Check that all wheel nuts are
properly tightened. See “Wheel
Nut Torque” underCapacities
and Specifications on
page 12‑2.
{WARNING
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the
parts to which it is fastened, can
make wheel nuts become loose
after time. The wheel could
come off and cause an accident.
When changing a wheel, remove
any rust or dirt from places where
the wheel attaches to the vehicle.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
In an emergency, a cloth or a
paper towel can be used;
however, use a scraper or wire
brush later to remove all rust
or dirt.
Lightly coat the center of the
wheel hub with wheel bearing
grease after a wheel change or
tire rotation to prevent corrosion
or rust build-up. Do not get
grease on the flat wheel
mounting surface or on the
wheel nuts or bolts.
Reset the Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS), if the vehicle
has one. SeeTire Pressure
Monitor Operation on
page 10‑65.
Black plate (75,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-75
car tires. The Uniform Tire
Quality Grading (UTQG) system
does not apply to deep tread,
winter-type snow tires,
space-saver, or temporary use
spare tires, tires with nominal
rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on
a specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
a half (1½) times as well on the
government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices
and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
–AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based
on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not
include acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Black plate (94,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
10-94 Vehicle Care
If your vehicle has a diesel
engine, the remote negative (−)
terminal is the negative (−) post
on the auxiliary battery on the
driver side of the engine
compartment.
For more information on the
location of the remote
positive (+) and remote
negative (−) terminals,
seeEngine Compartment
Overview on page 10‑6
{WARNING
An electric fan can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{WARNING
Using an open flame near a
battery can cause battery gas to
explode. People have been hurt
doing this, and some have been
blinded. Use a flashlight if you
need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You do not need to add
water to the battery installed in
your new vehicle. But if a battery
has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low,
add water to take care of that
first. If you do not, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
{WARNING
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
6. Check that the jumper cables do not have loose or missing
insulation. If they do, you could
get a shock. The vehicles could
be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables,
here are some basic things you
should know. Positive (+) will go
to positive (+) or to a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle
has one. Negative (−) will go to a
heavy, unpainted metal engine
part or to a remote negative (−)
terminal if the vehicle has one.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . . 9-36
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-115
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-115
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-17
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Airbag
Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Light On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20 Airbag System
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-25
Airbags On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Passenger Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Alarm System Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11 AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Antenna
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-48
Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-102
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-105
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Audio System Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
i-2 INDEX
AutomaticDoor Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-38 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11, 10-14
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Auxiliary Roof Mounted Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52 Brake
Pedal and Adjustable
Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45 Center High-MountedStoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-45 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Pick-up Box Identification
and Fender Marker
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-77
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-3
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Cautions, Danger, andWarnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-23
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-38
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-60, 3-62, 3-63
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47 Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Cleaning
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-102
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-105
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1, 8-4
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . 8-1, 8-4
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1, 8-4
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Clutch, Hydraulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-15
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Connections, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . 14-4
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Engine TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44 Courtesy Transportation
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-6 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Customer Information Service Publications
Ordering Information . . . . . . 13-17
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-15
Danger, Warnings, andCautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-20
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-5
Engine OilLife System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . 9-102
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-20
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-3
F
Fan Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Features Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-5
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-79 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-108 Fluid
Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . 10-11, 10-14
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Four-Wheel Drive Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 10-32, 9-45
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . 5-28
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . 3-10
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-76 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-77
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-81 Fuel (cont'd)
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-80
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-77
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-77
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-30
Management, Active . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-76
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-77
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Fuel Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-34
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-91
Fuses Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51