
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-3
A.Air Vents on page 8‑13.
B. Turn and Lane‐Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑5.
Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑5.
Rear Window Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑5.
C. Instrument Cluster on
page 5‑11.
D. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑5 (Out of View).
E. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑31.
F. Manual Mode on page 9‑34
(If Equipped).
Tow/Haul Mode on page 9‑35
(If Equipped).
G. Driver Information Center (DIC) Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑26.
H. Infotainment on page 7‑1.
I. Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1. J.
Dome Lamps on page 6‑7.
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑7.
Fog Lamps on page 6‑6
(If Equipped).
K. Hood Release. See Hood on
page 10‑5.
L. Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (If Equipped). See
Towing Equipment on
page 9‑75.
M. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑18.
N. Automatic Transfer Case Control (If Equipped). See
Four-Wheel Drive (Two Speed
Automatic Transfer Case) on
page 9‑36 orFour-Wheel Drive
(Single Speed Automatic
Transfer Case) on page 9‑41.
O. Cruise Control on page 9‑49.
P. Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2. Q.
Horn on page 5‑4.
R. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2.
S. Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1 (If Equipped).
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑4
(If Equipped).
T. Power Outlets on page 5‑8.
U. StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑45 (If Equipped).
Pedal Adjust Button
(If Equipped). See Adjustable
Throttle and Brake Pedal on
page 9‑22.
Ultrasonic Parking Assist on
page 9‑51 (If Equipped).
Power Assist Steps on
page 2‑13 (If Equipped).

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-5
Remote Vehicle Start
With this feature the engine can be
started from outside of the vehicle.
Starting the Vehicle
1. Aim the RKE transmitter at thevehicle.
2. Press and release
Q.
3. Immediately after completing Step 2, press and hold
/until
the turn signal lamps flash.
When the vehicle starts, the parking
lamps will turn on and remain on as
long as the engine is running. The
doors will be locked and the climate
control system may come on. The engine will continue to run for
10 minutes. Repeat the steps for a
10-minute time extension. Remote
start can be extended only once.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter
at the vehicle and press and
hold
/until the parking lamps
turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition on and then
back off.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5.
Door Locks
There are several ways to lock and
unlock the vehicle.
From outside, use the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter or
the key in the driver door.
From inside, use the power door
locks or the manual door locks. To
lock or unlock the door with the
manual locks, push down or pull up
on the manual lock knob.
Power Door Locks
If available, the switches are on the
front doors.
K: Press to unlock the doors.
Q:Press to lock the doors.
See Door Locks on page 2‑7.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-3
If there is a decrease in the RKE
operating range:
.Check the distance. The
transmitter may be too far from
the vehicle.
.Check the location. Other
vehicles or objects may be
blocking the signal.
.Check the transmitter's battery.
See“Battery Replacement” later
in this section.
.If the transmitter is still not
working correctly, see your
dealer or a qualified technician
for service.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation
The Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter functions work up to
60 m (195 ft) away from the vehicle.
There are other conditions which
can affect the performance of the
transmitter. See Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 2‑2.
With Remote Start and Liftglass
With Remote Start and Power
Liftgate and Liftglass The following functions may be
available if your vehicle has the
RKE system:
/(Remote Vehicle Start):
For
vehicles with this feature, press to
start the engine from outside the
vehicle using the RKE transmitter.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5 for additional information.
Q(Lock):Press to lock all the
doors.
If enabled through the Driver
Information Center (DIC), the turn
signal lamps flash once to indicate
locking has occurred. If enabled
through the DIC, the horn chirps
when the lock button is pressed
again within three seconds. See
Vehicle Personalization (With DIC
Buttons) on page 5‑45 for additional
information.
Pressing
Qarms the content
theft‐deterrent system. See
Anti-theft Alarm System on
page 2‑13.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
2-4 Keys, Doors, and Windows
K(Unlock):Press once to unlock
only the driver door. If
Kis pressed
again within three seconds, all
remaining doors unlock. The interior
lamps may come on and stay on for
20 seconds or until the ignition is
turned on.
If enabled through the DIC, the turn
signal lamps flash twice to indicate
unlocking has occurred. See Vehicle
Personalization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑45. If enabled through
the DIC, the exterior lights turn on
briefly if it is dark enough outside.
See “Approach Lighting” under
Vehicle Personalization (With DIC
Buttons) on page 5‑45.
Pressing
Kon the RKE transmitter
disarms the content theft‐deterrent
system. See Anti-theft Alarm
System on page 2‑13.
m(Liftglass): Press and hold to
unlock the liftglass.
8(Power Liftgate): Press and
hold to open and close the liftgate.
The taillamps flash and a chime
sounds to indicate when the liftgate
is opening and closing.
L(Vehicle Locator/Panic
Alarm): Press and release to
locate the vehicle. The turn signal
lamps flash and the horn sounds
three times.
Press and hold
Lfor more than
two seconds to activate the panic
alarm. The turn signal lamps flash
and the horn sounds repeatedly for
30 seconds. The alarm turns off
when the ignition is moved to
ON/RUN or
Lis pressed again.
The ignition must be in LOCK/OFF
for the panic alarm to work.
Programming Transmitters to
the Vehicle
Only RKE transmitters programmed
to this vehicle will work. If a
transmitter is lost or stolen, a
replacement can be purchased and
programmed through your dealer. When the replacement transmitter
is programmed to this vehicle, all
remaining transmitters must also
be reprogrammed. Any lost or
stolen transmitters will no longer
work once the new transmitter is
programmed. The vehicle can have
a maximum of eight transmitters
programmed to it. See your dealer
to program transmitters to the
vehicle.
Battery Replacement
Replace the battery if the
REPLACE BATTERY IN REMOTE
KEY message displays in the DIC.
See
“REPLACE BATTERY IN
REMOTE KEY” underKey and
Lock Messages on page 5‑39 for
additional information.
Notice: When replacing the
battery, do not touch any of the
circuitry on the transmitter. Static
from your body could damage the
transmitter.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
2-6 Keys, Doors, and Windows
If the vehicle has the remote
start feature, the RKE transmitter
functions will have an increased
range of operation. However, the
range may be less while the vehicle
is running.
There are other conditions which
can affect the performance of the
transmitter. SeeRemote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 2‑2 for
additional information.
/(Remote Start): This button will
be on the RKE transmitter if the
vehicle has remote start.
To start the vehicle using the remote
start feature:
1. Aim the RKE transmitter at the
vehicle.
2. Press and release
Q.
3. Immediately press and hold
/until the turn signal
lamps flash. If you cannot see
the vehicle's lamps, press and
hold
/for two to four seconds. When the vehicle starts, the
parking lamps will turn on and
remain on while the vehicle
is running. The doors will be
locked and the climate control
system may come on.
The engine will continue to run
for 10 minutes. Repeat the steps
for a 10-minute time extension.
Remote start can be extended
only once.
After entering the vehicle during a
remote start, insert and turn the key
to ON/RUN to drive the vehicle.
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at
the vehicle and press and
hold
/until the parking lamps
turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition on and then
back off. The vehicle can be remote started
two separate times between driving
sequences. The engine will run for
10 minutes after each remote start.
Or, you can extend the engine run
time by another 10 minutes within
the first 10 minute remote start time
frame, and before the engine stops.
For example, if
Qand then/are
pressed again after the vehicle
has been running for 5 minutes,
10 minutes are added, allowing the
engine to run for 15 minutes.
The additional 10 minutes are
considered a second remote vehicle
start.
Once two remote starts, or a single
remote start with one time extension
has been done, the vehicle must be
started with the key. After the key
is removed from the ignition, the
vehicle can be remote started again.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-17
Trailer-Tow Mirrors
If the vehicle has towing mirrors,
they can be adjusted for a clearer
view of the objects behind you.
Manually pull out the mirror head to
extend it for better visibility when
towing a trailer.
The lower portion of the mirror is
convex. A convex mirror's surface is
curved to see more from the driver
seat. The convex mirror can be
adjusted manually to the driver
preferred position for better vision.
The mirror may have a turn signal
arrow that flashes in the direction of
the turn or lane change.
Power Mirrors
Vehicles with outside power mirrors
have the controls on the driver door
armrest.
To adjust each mirror:
1. Press (A) or (B) to select thedriver or passenger side mirror.
2. Press the arrows on the control pad to move the mirror up,
down, right, or left. 3. Adjust each outside mirror so
that a little of the vehicle and the
area behind it can be seen.
4. Press either (A) or (B) again to deselect the mirror.
The mirrors may also include a
memory function that works with the
memory seats. See Memory Seats
on page 3‑7 for more information.
Folding Mirrors
Vehicles with outside power
foldaway mirrors have the controls
located on the driver door armrest.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
2-18 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Power Foldaway
1. Press (A) to fold the mirrors outto the driving position.
2. Press (B) to fold the mirrors in to the folded position.
Resetting the Power Foldaway
Mirrors
Reset the power foldaway mirrors if:
.The mirrors are accidentally
obstructed while folding.
.They are accidentally manually
folded/unfolded.
.The mirrors will not stay in the
unfolded position.
.The mirrors shake and flutter at
normal driving speeds.
Fold and unfold them one time
using the mirror controls to reset
them to their normal position.
Manual Foldaway
Manually fold the mirrors inward
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash. To
fold, push the mirrors toward the
vehicle. Push the mirrors outward,
to return to its original position.
Turn Signal Indicator
The vehicle may have a turn signal
indicator on the mirror. An arrow on
the mirror flashes in the direction of
the turn or lane change.
Ground Illumination Lamps
The mirrors may also include
ground illumination lamps in the
base of the mirror. These lamps
help to see the area near the
base of the front doors when it is
dark out.
Heated Mirrors
For vehicles with heated mirrors:
1(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to heat the mirrors.
See “Rear Window Defogger” under
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑4 orClimate
Control Systems on page 8‑1 for
more information.
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
If your vehicle has the Side Blind
Zone Alert (SBZA) system, see Side
Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) on
page 9‑53.
Automatic Dimming
Mirror
Vehicles with the dimming feature
have a driver outside mirror that
adjusts for the glare of headlamps
behind you. See Manual Rearview
Mirror on page 2‑19 for more
information.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2012
5-10 Instruments and Controls
If equipment is connected using
more than 150 watts or a system
fault is detected, a protection circuit
shuts off the power supply and the
indicator light turns off. To reset the
circuit, unplug the item and plug
it back in or turn the Remote
Accessory Power (RAP) off and
then back on. SeeRetained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑26
The power outlet is not designed for
and may not work properly, if the
following are plugged in:
.Equipment with high initial
peak wattage such as:
compressor-driven refrigerators
and electric power tools.
.Other equipment requiring
an extremely stable
power supply such as:
microcomputer-controlled
electric blankets, touch sensor
lamps, etc.
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges can
signal that something is wrong
before it becomes serious enough
to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to the
warning lights and gauges could
prevent injury.
Warning lights come on when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Some warning lights come
on briefly when the engine is started
to indicate they are working. Gauges can indicate when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Often gauges and warning
lights work together to indicate a
problem with the vehicle.
When one of the warning lights
comes on and stays on while
driving, or when one of the gauges
shows there may be a problem,
check the section that explains what
to do. Follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
and even dangerous.