
Black plate (86,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
10-86 Vehicle Care
11. Try to start the vehicle thathad the dead battery. If it will
not start after a few tries, it
probably needs service.
Notice: If the jumper cables are
connected or removed in the
wrong order, electrical shorting
may occur and damage the
vehicle. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always connect and remove the
jumper cables in the correct
order, making sure that the
cables do not touch each other
or other metal.
Jumper Cable Removal
A. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine Part or Remote Negative (−)
Terminal
B. Good Battery or Remote Positive (+) and Remote
Negative (−) Terminals
C. Dead Battery or Remote Positive (+) Terminal To disconnect the jumper cables
from both vehicles do the following:
1. Disconnect the black
negative (−) cable from the
vehicle that had the bad battery.
2. Disconnect the black negative (−) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the vehicle with the
good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the other vehicle.
5. Return the remote positive (+) terminal cover, if the vehicle has
one, to its original position. 

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
13-8 Customer Information
Chevrolet and General Motors of
Canada Limited reserve the right to
limit services or payment to an
owner or driver if they decide the
claims are made too often, or the
same type of claim is made many
times.
Services Provided
.Emergency Fuel Delivery:
Delivery of enough fuel for the
vehicle to get to the nearest
service station.
.Lock‐Out Service:Service to
unlock the vehicle if you are
locked out. A remote unlock may
be available if you have OnStar.
For security reasons, the driver
must present identification
before this service is given.
.Emergency Tow From a Public
Road or Highway: Tow to the
nearest Chevrolet dealer for
warranty service, or if the vehicle
was in a crash and cannot be
driven. Assistance is also given
when the vehicle is stuck in the
sand, mud, or snow.
.Flat Tire Change: Service to
change a flat tire with the spare
tire. The spare tire, if equipped,
must be in good condition and
properly inflated. It is the owner's
responsibility for the repair or
replacement of the tire if it is not
covered by the warranty.
.Battery Jump Start: Service to
jump start a dead battery.
Services Not Included in
Roadside Assistance
.Impound towing caused by
violation of any laws.
.Legal fines.
.Mounting, dismounting,
or changing of snow tires,
chains, or other traction devices.
.Towing or services for vehicles
driven on a non-public road or
highway.
Services Specific to Canadian
Purchased Vehicles
.Fuel Delivery: Reimbursement
is approximately $5 Canadian.
Diesel fuel delivery may be
restricted. Propane and other
fuels are not provided through
this service.
.Lock-Out Service: Vehicle
registration is required.
.Trip Routing Service: Detailed
maps of North America are
provided when requested either
with the most direct route or the
most scenic route. There is a
limit of six requests per year.
Additional travel information is
also available. Allow three
weeks for delivery.
.Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: Must be over
250 kilometers from where
your trip was started to
qualify. General Motors of
Canada Limited requires
pre-authorization, original
detailed receipts, and a copy of 

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
13-20 Customer Information
GM will not access this data or
share it with others except: with the
consent of the vehicle owner or,
if the vehicle is leased, with the
consent of the lessee; in response
to an official request by police or
similar government office; as part of
GM's defense of litigation through
the discovery process; or, as
required by law. Data that GM
collects or receives may also be
used for GM research needs or may
be made available to others for
research purposes, where a need is
shown and the data is not tied to a
specific vehicle or vehicle owner.
OnStar®
If the vehicle is equipped with an
active OnStar system, that system
may also record data in crash or
near crash‐like situations. The
OnStar Terms and Conditions
provides information on data
collection and use and is available
at www.onstar.com (U.S.) or
www.onstar.ca (Canada), or by
pressing the
Qbutton andspeaking to an advisor. See
OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1 for more
information.
Navigation System
If the vehicle has a navigation
system, use of the system may
result in the storage of destinations,
addresses, telephone numbers, and
other trip information. Refer to the
navigation manual for information
on stored data and for deletion
instructions.
Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID)
RFID technology is used in some
vehicles for functions such as tire
pressure monitoring and ignition
system security, as well as in
connection with conveniences
such as key fobs for remote door
locking/unlocking and starting, and
in-vehicle transmitters for garage
door openers. RFID technology in
GM vehicles does not use or record personal information or link with
any other GM system containing
personal information.
Radio Frequency
Statement
This vehicle has systems that
operate on a radio frequency that
comply with Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and with Industry Canada
Standards RSS‐GEN/210/220/310.
Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
1. The device may not cause
harmful interference.
2. The device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause
undesired operation of the
device.
Changes or modifications to any of
these systems by other than an
authorized service facility could void
authorization to use this equipment. 

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
14-4 OnStar
Connections
OnStar Hands-Free Calling allows
calls to be made and received from
the vehicle. The vehicle can also
be controlled from a cell phone
through the OnStar mobile app. See
www.onstar.com for coverage maps.
Hands-Free Calling
1. PushX. System responds:
“OnStar ready.”
2. Say “Dial.”System responds:
“Please say the name or number
to call.”
3. Say the entire number without pausing, including a “1”and the
area code. System responds:
“OK calling.”
Retrieve My Number
1. PushX. System responds:
“OnStar ready.”
2. Say “My Number.” System
responds: “Your OnStar
Hands-Free Calling number is.”
End a Call
PushX. System responds: “Call
ended.”
Store a Name Tag for Speed
Dialing
1. PushX. System responds:
“OnStar ready.”
2. Say “Store.” System responds:
“Please say the number you
would like to store.”
3. Say the entire number without pausing. System responds:
“Please say the name tag.”
4. Pick a name tag. “System
responds: ”About to store 
5. Say “Yes”or“No” to try again.
System responds: “OK, storing
Place a Call Using a Stored
Number
1. PushX. System responds:
“OnStar ready.”
2. Say “Call 
responds: “OK, calling
Verify Minutes and Expiration
PushXand say “minutes” then
“verify” to check how many minutes
remain and their expiration date.
OnStar Mobile App
With an iPhone®or
Android™-based mobile device,
an OnStar mobile app can be
downloaded. The vehicle can be
remote started, if equipped, or the doors can be unlocked from
anywhere there is cell phone
service. It can also check the fuel
level, tire pressure, and oil life.
It can connect to an OnStar Advisor
anytime. For OnStar mobile app
compatibility or further information,
see www.onstar.com. 

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
i-6 INDEX
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility ReimbursementProgram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-5
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Heated Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18 Heater
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Heating and Air Conditioning . . . 8-1
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Ignition Transmission Lock
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . 1-2
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-39
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-45
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Lamps Auxiliary RoofMounted Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-3
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8 

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
i-10 INDEX
Rear Climate ControlSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10, 8-11
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45
Rear Seat Entertainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) . . . . . . . 7-45
Rear Seats Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Rear Side Window Antenna . . . 7-13
Rear Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . 9-55
Rear Window Washer/Wiper . . . . 5-5
Rearview Mirror Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Recommended
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12 Records
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Reimbursement Program, GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2, 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Replacement Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Replacement Parts Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-14
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . 3-44
Replacing LATCH System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 3-60
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts after a Crash . . . 3-29 Reporting Safety Defects
Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Restraints Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Ride Control Systems Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Roads
Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Roof Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . 12-4
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30 

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
i-12 INDEX
Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Steps Power Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Storage Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Storage Areas Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22 Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Roof Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
TaillampsBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-14 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Third-Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Throttle, Adjustable . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Tires
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Full-Size Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-65 Tires (cont'd)
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-54
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-53
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Secondary Latch System . . . 10-78
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-63
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 9-66
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-75
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-65 

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-13
Towing (cont'd)Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-87
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 9-84
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Trailer
Sway Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . 9-84
Tow Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36, 9-41
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Transportation Program,
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Turn Signal
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-51
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Universal Remote System . . . . . 5-53 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-58
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
V
Vehicle Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Vehicle Care
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52 Vehicle Identification
Service Parts Identification
Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
W
Warning Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . . . 5-45
Wheels Alignment and TireBalance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58