Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-23
indicator that the tire pressures are
getting low and the tires need to be
inflated to the proper pressure.
The TPMS does not replace normal
monthly tire maintenance. It is the
driver’s responsibility to maintain
correct tire pressures.
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
on page 10‑43.
Tire Sealant and
Compressor Kit
This vehicle may come with a spare
tire and tire changing equipment or
a tire sealant and compressor kit.
The kit can be used to temporarily
seal small punctures in the tread
area of the tire.
See Tire Sealant and Compressor
Kit on page 10‑57 for complete
operating information.
If the vehicle came with a spare tire
and tire changing equipment, see If
a Tire Goes Flat on page 10‑55.
Engine Oil Life System
The engine oil life system calculates
engine oil life based on vehicle use
and displays the CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON message when it is time
to change the engine oil and filter.
The oil life system should be reset
to 100% only following an oil
change.
Resetting the Oil Life System
1. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN, with the engine off.
2. If the vehicle has Driver Information Center (DIC)
buttons: Press the vehicle
information button until OIL
LIFE REMAINING displays.
If the vehicle does not have
Driver Information Center (DIC)
buttons: The vehicle must be in
P (Park) to access this display.
Press the trip odometer reset
stem until OIL LIFE REMAINING
displays. 3. If the vehicle has Driver
Information Center (DIC)
buttons: Press and hold the
set/reset button until “100%”is
displayed. Three chimes sound
and the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message goes off.
If the vehicle does not have
Driver Information Center (DIC)
buttons: Press and hold the
trip odometer reset stem
until OIL LIFE REMAINING
shows “100%.” Three chimes
sound and the CHANGE
ENGINE OIL SOON message
goes off.
4. Turn the key to LOCK/OFF.
See Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑10.
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-25
DIC Buttons
The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by pressing
the DIC buttons located in the
center of the instrument panel.
The buttons are the set/reset,
customization, vehicle information,
and trip/fuel buttons. The button
functions are detailed in the
following pages.
V(Set/Reset):Press this button to
set or reset certain functions and to
turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
U(Customization): Press this
button to customize the feature
settings on your vehicle. See
Vehicle Personalization (With DIC
Buttons) on page 5‑40 for more
information.
T(Vehicle Information): Press
this button to display the oil life,
park assist on vehicles with this
feature, units, tire pressure readings
on vehicles with this feature, and
compass calibration and zone
setting on vehicles with this feature.
3(Trip/Fuel): Press this button
to display the odometer, trip
odometers, fuel range, average
economy, timer, fuel used, and
average speed.
Vehicle Information Menu
Items
T(Vehicle Information): Press
this button to scroll through the
following menu items:
OIL LIFE
Press the vehicle information
button until OIL LIFE REMAINING
displays. This display shows an
estimate of the oil's remaining useful
life. If you see 99% OIL LIFE
REMAINING on the display, that
means 99% of the current oil life
remains. The engine oil life system will alert you to change the oil on a
schedule consistent with your
driving conditions.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See
“CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON”
under Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑34. You should change the
oil as soon as you can. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑8. In addition to the
engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual. See
Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3 for more information.
Remember, you must reset the OIL
LIFE display yourself after each oil
change. It will not reset itself. Also,
be careful not to reset the OIL LIFE
display accidentally at any time
other than when the oil has just
been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
To reset the engine oil life system,
see Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑10.
Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
5-30 Instruments and Controls
8 km (5 mi) before it is started again,
and then the retroactive reset
feature is activated, the display will
show 8 km (5 mi). As the vehicle
begins moving, the display will then
increase to 8.2 km (5.1 mi), 8.4 km
(5.2 mi), etc.
If the retroactive reset feature is
activated after the vehicle is started,
but before it begins moving, the
display will show the number of
kilometers (km) or miles (mi) driven
during the last ignition cycle.
OIL LIFE
To access this display, the vehicle
must be in P (Park). Press the trip
odometer reset stem until OIL LIFE
REMAINING displays. This display
shows an estimate of the oil's
remaining useful life. If you see
99% OIL LIFE REMAINING on the
display, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains. The engine
oil life system will alert you to
change the oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving
conditions.When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See
“CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON”
under Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑34. You should change the
oil as soon as you can. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑8. In addition to the
engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual. See
Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3 for more information.
Remember, you must reset the OIL
LIFE display yourself after each oil
change. It will not reset itself. Also,
be careful not to reset the OIL LIFE
display accidentally at any time
other than when the oil has just
been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
To reset the engine oil life system,
see Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑10. PARK ASSIST
To access this display, the vehicle
must be in P (Park). If your vehicle
has the Ultrasonic Rear Parking
Assist (URPA) system, press the trip
odometer reset stem until PARK
ASSIST displays. This display
allows the system to be turned on or
off. Once in this display, press and
hold the trip odometer reset stem to
select between ON or OFF. If you
choose ON, the system will be
turned on. If you choose OFF, the
system will be turned off. The URPA
system automatically turns back on
after each vehicle start. When the
URPA system is turned off and the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park), the
DIC will display the PARK ASSIST
OFF message as a reminder that
the system has been turned off. See
Object Detection System Messages
on page 5‑36
andUltrasonic
Parking Assist on page 9‑33 for
more information.
Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
5-34 Instruments and Controls
ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE
ENGINE
Notice:If you drive the vehicle
while the engine is overheating,
severe engine damage may
occur. If an overheat warning
appears on the instrument panel
cluster and/or DIC, stop the
vehicle as soon as possible. Do
not increase the engine speed
above normal idling speed.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑17 for more information.
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
hot. Stop and allow the vehicle to
idle until it cools down. See Engine
Coolant Temperature Gauge on
page 5‑13.
See Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode on page 10‑19 for
information on driving to a safe
place in an emergency.
ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP
ENGINE
Notice: If you drive the vehicle
while the engine is overheating,
severe engine damage may
occur. If an overheat warning
appears on the instrument panel
cluster and/or DIC, stop the
vehicle as soon as possible. Do
not increase the engine speed
above normal idling speed.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑17 for more information.
This message displays and a
continuous chime sounds if the
engine cooling system reaches
unsafe temperatures for operation.
Stop and turn off the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so to avoid
severe damage. This message
clears when the engine has cooled
to a safe operating temperature.
Engine Oil Messages
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when the
engine oil needs to be changed.
When you change the engine oil, be
sure to reset the CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON message. See Engine
Oil Life System on page 10‑10 for
information on how to reset the
message. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑8 andMaintenance
Schedule on page 11‑3 for more
information.
Black plate (38,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
9-38 Driving and Operating
.There are extreme temperature
changes.
The rear vision camera system
display in the rearview mirror may
turn off or not appear as expected
due to one of the following
conditions. If this occurs the left
indicator light on the mirror will
flash.
.A slow flash may indicate a loss
of video signal, or no video
signal present during the reverse
cycle.
.A fast flash may indicate that the
display has been on for the
maximum allowable time during
a reverse cycle, or the display
has reached an Over
Temperature limit. The fast flash conditions are
used to protect the video
device from high temperature
conditions. Once conditions
return to normal the device will
reset and the green indicator will
stop flashing.
During any of these fault conditions,
the display will be blank and the
indicator will continue to flash as
long as the vehicle is in R (Reverse)
or until the conditions return to
normal.
Pressing and holdingzwhen the
left indicator light is flashing will turn
off the video display along with the
left indicator light.
Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is
an important part of the proper
maintenance of this vehicle. To help
keep the engine clean and maintain
optimum vehicle performance, we
recommend the use of gasoline
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline.
Look for the TOP TIER label on the
fuel pump to ensure gasoline meets
enhanced detergency standards
developed by auto companies. A list
of marketers providing TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline can be found at
www.toptiergas.com.
Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-11
3. Turn the key to LOCK/OFF.If the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message comes back on
when the vehicle is started, the
engine oil life system has not
been reset. Repeat the
procedure.
If the vehicle has Driver Information
Center (DIC) buttons:
1. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN, with the engine off.
2. Press the vehicle information button until OIL LIFE
REMAINING displays.
3. Press and hold the set/reset button until “100%”is displayed.
Three chimes sound and the
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message goes off.
4. Turn the key to LOCK/OFF.
If the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message comes back on when the
vehicle is started, the engine oil life
system has not been reset. Repeat
the procedure.Automatic Transmission
Fluid
It is not necessary to check
the transmission fluid level.
A transmission fluid leak is the
only reason for fluid loss. If a leak
occurs, take the vehicle to the
dealer and have it repaired as soon
as possible.
Change the fluid at the intervals
listed in Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3, and be sure to use
the transmission fluid listed in
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑12.
Notice: Use of the incorrect
automatic transmission fluid may
damage the vehicle, and the
damages may not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Always use
the automatic transmission fluid
listed in Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 11‑12.
The transmission fluid will not reach
the end of the dipstick unless the
transmission is at operating temperature. If you need to check
the transmission fluid level, please
take the vehicle to your dealer.
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
When to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
Inspect the air cleaner/filter at the
scheduled maintenance intervals
and replace it at the first oil change
after each 80 000 km (50,000 mile)
interval. See
Maintenance Schedule
on page 11‑3 for more information.
If you are driving in dusty/dirty
conditions, inspect the filter at each
engine oil change.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6 for the location of the
engine air cleaner/filter.
How to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
To inspect the air cleaner/filter,
remove the filter from the vehicle
and lightly shake the filter (away
Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
10-26 Vehicle Care
3. Install the new wiper blade andmake sure the wiper blade locks
into place.
For the proper size and type see
Maintenance Replacement Parts on
page 11‑13.
Backglass Wiper Blade
To replace the backglass wiper
blade:
1. Pull the wiper blade assembly away from the backglass.
The backglass wiper blade will
not lock in a vertical position so
care should be used when
pulling it away from the vehicle.
2. Rotate the wiper blade assembly, hold the wiper arm in
position, and push the blade
away from the wiper arm.
3. Replace the wiper blade.
4. Return the wiper arm and blade assembly to the rest position on
the glass.
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp aim has been preset at
the factory and should need no
further adjustment.
However, if your vehicle is damaged
in a crash, the headlamp aim may
be affected. Aim adjustment to the
low-beam headlamps may be
necessary if oncoming drivers flash
their high-beam headlamps at you
(for vertical aim).
If the headlamps need to be
re-aimed, it is recommended that
you take the vehicle to your dealer
for service.
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, see Replacement Bulbs on
page 10‑28.
For any bulb‐changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer.
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, and
Stoplamps
A. Sidemarker Lamp
B. Taillamp
Black plate (48,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
10-48 Vehicle Care
.The tread or sidewall is
cracked, cut, or snagged
deep enough to show cord or
fabric.
.The tire has a bump, bulge,
or split.
.The tire has a puncture, cut,
or other damage that cannot
be repaired well because of
the size or location of the
damage.
Tire Rotation
Tires should be rotated every
12 000 km (7,500 mi). See
Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3.
Tires are rotated to achieve a
uniform wear for all tires. The
first rotation is the most
important.
Any time unusual wear is
noticed, rotate the tires as soon
as possible and check the wheelalignment. Also check for
damaged tires or wheels. See
When It Is Time for New Tires
on page 10‑49
andWheel
Replacement on page 10‑53.
Use this rotation pattern when
rotating the tires.
If the vehicle has a compact
spare tire, do not include it in the
tire rotation.
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 10‑42 andVehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑10.
Reset the Tire Pressure Monitor
System. See Tire Pressure
Monitor Operation on
page 10‑44.
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
(Continued)