
Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
13-12 Customer Information
.Cost of towing a trailer when
choosing a Chevrolet dealer
that is nearest to the temporary
storage facility for the disabled
vehicle.
.Cost of all maneuvers required
to access the vehicle when it is
not available to be towed.
.Cost of fuel provided.
Routine vehicle repair costs are
not covered by the Roadside
Assistance program. For more
information, see your new vehicle
warranty.
Contacting Roadside Assistance
Roadside Assistance services are
of no cost to you and available
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Costs are only incurred in situations
that exceed the limits of the
program, some of which are listed
previously in this section. To contact Roadside Assistance by
phone, use the following numbers:
Mexico
01-800-466-0800
United States
1-866-466-8901
Canada
1-800-268-6800
E-mail
[email protected]
Chevrolet reserves the right to make
any changes or discontinue the
Roadside Assistance program at
any time without notification.
Scheduling Service
Appointments (U.S. and
Canada)
When the vehicle requires warranty
service, contact your dealer and
request an appointment. By
scheduling a service appointment
and advising the service consultant
of your transportation needs, your
dealer can help minimize your
inconvenience.
If the vehicle cannot be scheduled
into the service department
immediately, keep driving it until
it can be scheduled for service,
unless, of course, the problem is
safety related. If it is, please call
your dealership, let them know this,
and ask for instructions.
If your dealer requests you to bring
the vehicle for service, you are
urged to do so as early in the work
day as possible to allow for same
day-repair.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
13-16 Customer Information
Gather the following information:
.Driver name, address, and
telephone number.
.Driver license number.
.Owner name, address, and
telephone number.
.Vehicle license plate number.
.Vehicle make, model, and
model year.
.Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN).
.Insurance company and policy
number.
.General description of the
damage to the other vehicle.
Choose a reputable repair facility
that uses quality replacement parts.
See “Collision Parts” earlier in this
section.
If the airbag has inflated, see What
Will You See after an Airbag
Inflates? on page 3‑36.
Managing the Vehicle Damage
Repair Process
In the event that the vehicle requires
damage repairs, GM recommends
that you take an active role in its
repair. If you have a pre-determined
repair facility of choice, take the
vehicle there, or have it towed there.
Specify to the facility that any
required replacement collision parts
be original equipment parts, either
new Genuine GM parts or recycled
original GM parts. Remember,
recycled parts will not be covered by
the GM vehicle warranty.
Insurance pays the bill for the repair,
but you must live with the repair.
Depending on your policy limits,
your insurance company may
initially value the repair using
aftermarket parts. Discuss this with
the repair professional, and insist on
Genuine GM parts. Remember,
if the vehicle is leased, you may
be obligated to have the vehicle
repaired with Genuine GM parts,
even if your insurance coverage
does not pay the full cost. If another party's insurance
company is paying for the repairs,
you are not obligated to accept a
repair valuation based on that
insurance company's collision
policy repair limits, as you have no
contractual limits with that company.
In such cases, you can have control
of the repair and parts choices as
long as the cost stays within
reasonable limits.
Service Publications
Ordering Information
Service Manuals
Service Manuals have the diagnosis
and repair information on the
engines, transmission, axle,
suspension, brakes, electrical,
steering, body, etc.
Service Bulletins
Service Bulletins give additional
technical service information
needed to knowledgeably service
General Motors cars and trucks.

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
14-6 OnStar
OnStar service cannot work unless
your vehicle is in a place where
OnStar has an agreement with a
wireless service provider for service
in that area, and the wireless
service provider has coverage,
network capacity, reception, and
technology compatible with OnStar’s
service. Service involving location
information about the vehicle cannot
work unless GPS signals are
available, unobstructed, and
compatible with the OnStar
hardware. OnStar service may not
work if the OnStar equipment is not
properly installed or it has not been
properly maintained. If equipment
or software is added, connected,
or modified, OnStar service may
not work. Other problems beyond
OnStar ’s control may prevent
service such as hills, tall buildings,
tunnels, weather, electrical system
design and architecture of the
vehicle, damage to the vehicle in a
crash, or wireless phone network
congestion or jamming. See
Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑20 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
Services for People with
Disabilities
Advisors provide services to help
subscribers with physical disabilities
and medical conditions.
Push
Qfor help with:
.Locating a gas station with an
attendant to pump gas.
.Finding a hotel, restaurant, etc.,
that meets accessibility needs.
.Providing directions to the
closest hospital or pharmacy
in urgent situations.
TTY Users
OnStar has the ability to
communicate to the deaf,
hard‐of‐hearing, or speech‐impaired
customers while in the vehicle. The available dealer‐installed TTY
system can provide in-vehicle
access to all of the OnStar services,
except Virtual Advisor and OnStar
Turn‐by‐Turn Navigation.
Onstar.com
The website provides access to
account information, manages the
OnStar subscription, and allows
viewing of videos of each service.
Get subscription plan pricing
and sign up for OnStar Vehicle
Diagnostics. Click on the
“My
Account” tab on the home page.
OnStar Personal Identification
Number (PIN)
A PIN is needed to access some of
the OnStar services, like Remote
Door Unlock and Stolen Vehicle
Assistance. You will be prompted
to change the PIN the first time
when speaking with an Advisor. To
change the OnStar PIN, call OnStar
and provide the Advisor with the
current number.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-3
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
CleaningExterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-93
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10, 8-11
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-14
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Connections, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . 14-4
Continuous Damping Control (CDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37 Courtesy Transportation
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Cover Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . 13-16
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-14
Danger, Warnings, and
Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-19
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3 Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Devices, Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Diagnostics, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . 12-4
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . 1-27
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-12
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-9
Operation, InfotainmentSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-16
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Overview, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
P
Park Shifting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Shifting out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Park Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Parking Assist, Ultrasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-30
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-28 Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-37
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Personalization Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-26
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Power Assist Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27 Privacy
Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-20
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-13
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
R
Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) . . . . . . . . 13-20
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Radios
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48

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