
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
5-6 Instruments and Controls
Release the button when enough
fluid has been sprayed on the
window. The rear wiper will run a
few more cycles after it is released.
If the rear wiper function was
already on prior to pressing the
wash button, it stays on until the
wiper button is pressed again.
The rear window washer uses the
same fluid that is in the windshield
washer reservoir. SeeWasher Fluid
on page 10‑20.
Compass
Your vehicle may have a compass
in the Driver Information Center
(DIC). See Driver Information
Center (DIC) (With DIC Buttons) on
page 5‑24 orDriver Information
Center (DIC) (Without DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑29 for more information
about the DIC.
Compass Zone
The zone is set to zone eight upon
leaving the factory. Your dealer will
set the correct zone for your
location. Under certain circumstances,
such as during a long distance
cross-country trip or moving to a
new state or province, it will be
necessary to compensate for
compass variance by resetting the
zone through the DIC if the zone is
not set correctly.
Compass variance is the difference
between the earth's magnetic north
and true geographic north. If the
compass is not set to the zone
where you live, the compass may
give false readings. The compass
must be set to the variance zone in
which the vehicle is traveling.
To adjust for compass variance, use
the following procedure:
Compass Variance (Zone)
Procedure
1. Do not set the compass zone
when the vehicle is moving. Only
set it when the vehicle is in
P (Park). Press the vehicle information
button until PRESS
VTO
CHANGE COMPASS ZONE
displays.
2. Find the vehicle's current location and variance zone
number on the map.
Zones 1 through 15 are
available.
3. Press the set/reset button to scroll through and select the
appropriate variance zone.

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Instruments and Controls 5-7
4. Press the trip/fuel button untilthe vehicle heading, for
example, N for North, is
displayed in the DIC.
5. If calibration is necessary, calibrate the compass. See
“Compass Calibration
Procedure” following.
Compass Calibration
The compass can be manually
calibrated. Only calibrate the
compass in a magnetically clean
and safe location, such as an open
parking lot, where driving the
vehicle in circles is not a danger.
It is suggested to calibrate away
from tall buildings, utility wires,
manhole covers, or other industrial
structures, if possible.
If CAL should ever appear in the
DIC display, the compass should be
calibrated. If the DIC display does not show a
heading, for example, N for North,
or the heading does not change
after making turns, there may be a
strong magnetic field interfering with
the compass. Such interference
may be caused by a magnetic CB
or cell phone antenna mount, a
magnetic emergency light, magnetic
note pad holder, or any other
magnetic item. Turn off the vehicle,
move the magnetic item, then turn
on the vehicle and calibrate the
compass.
To calibrate the compass, use the
following procedure:
Compass Calibration Procedure
1. Before calibrating the compass,
make sure the compass zone is
set to the variance zone in which
the vehicle is located. See
“Compass Variance (Zone)
Procedure” earlier in this
section. Do not operate any switches
such as window, sunroof,
climate controls, seats, etc.
during the calibration procedure.
2. Press the vehicle information button until PRESS
VTO
CALIBRATE COMPASS
displays.
3. Press the set/reset button to start the compass calibration.
4. The DIC will display CALIBRATING: DRIVE IN
CIRCLES. Drive the vehicle in
tight circles at less than 8 km/h
(5 mph) to complete the
calibration. The DIC will display
CALIBRATION COMPLETE
for a few seconds when the
calibration is complete. The DIC
display will then return to the
previous menu.

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Instruments and Controls 5-9
Notice:Leaving electrical
equipment plugged in for an
extended period of time while
the vehicle is off will drain the
battery. Always unplug electrical
equipment when not in use and
do not plug in equipment that
exceeds the maximum 20 ampere
rating.
Certain accessory plugs may not be
compatible with the accessory
power outlet and could overload
vehicle and adapter fuses. If a
problem is experienced, see your
dealer.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the proper
installation instructions included
with the equipment. See Add-On
Electrical Equipment on page 9‑51.
Notice: Hanging heavy
equipment from the power outlet
can cause damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for
accessory power plugs only, such
as cell phone charge cords.Power Outlet 110 Volt
Alternative Current
The vehicle may have a power
outlet that can be used to plug in
electrical equipment that uses a
maximum limit of 150 watts.
The power outlet is located on the
rear of the center console. An indicator light on the outlet turns
on to show it is in use. The light
comes on when the ignition is in
ON/RUN and equipment requiring
less than 150 watts is plugged into
the outlet, and no system fault is
detected.
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 Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) off and
then back on. See
Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑19. The power restarts when
equipment using 150 watts or less is
plugged into the outlet and a system
fault is not detected.

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Instruments and Controls 5-21
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
The ABS warning light comes on
briefly when the ignition key is
turned to ON/RUN. This is normal.
If the light does not come on then,
have it fixed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF. If the light comes on
while driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off.
Then start the engine again to reset
the system. If the light still stays on,
or comes on again while driving, thevehicle needs service. If the regular
brake system warning light is not
on, there are still brakes, but no
antilock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also on,
there are no antilock brakes and
there is a problem with the regular
brakes. See
Brake System Warning
Light on page 5‑20.Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light comes on when the Tow/
Haul mode has been activated.
For more information, see Tow/Haul
Mode on page 9‑25.
StabiliTrak®Indicator
Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If the system is working
normally, the indicator light goes off.
If it stays on, or comes on while
driving, there could be a problem
with the StabiliTrak system and the
vehicle might need service. When
this warning light is on, the system
is off and will not limit wheel spin.
This light flashes when the
StabiliTrak system is active.
See StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑28 for more information.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
5-24 Instruments and Controls
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on whenever the
cruise control is set.
The light goes out when the cruise
control is turned off. SeeCruise
Control on page 9‑31 for more
information.
Information Displays
Driver Information Center
(DIC) (With DIC Buttons)
If your vehicle has DIC buttons, the
information below explains the
operation of this system.
The DIC displays information about
your vehicle. It also displays
warning messages if a system
problem is detected.
All messages will appear in the DIC
display located at the top of the
instrument panel cluster.
The DIC comes on when the ignition
is on. After a short delay, the DIC
will display the information that was
last displayed before the engine
was turned off.
The DIC also displays a shift lever
position indicator on the bottom line
of the display. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑22 for more
information. The outside air temperature and
compass, if equipped, also display
on the DIC when viewing the trip
and fuel information. The outside air
temperature automatically appears
in the top right corner of the DIC
display. If there is a problem with
the system that controls the
temperature display, the numbers
will be replaced with dashes. If this
occurs, have the vehicle serviced.
The compass will be shown in the
bottom right corner of the DIC
display. See
Compass on page 5‑6
for more information.
The DIC also allows some features
to be customized. See Vehicle
Personalization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑40 for more information.
If your vehicle has DIC buttons, you
can also use the trip odometer reset
stem to view the odometer and trip
odometers.

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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 (26,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
5-26 Instruments and Controls
PARK ASSIST
If your vehicle has the Ultrasonic
Rear Parking Assist (URPA) system,
press the vehicle information button
until PARK ASSIST displays. This
display allows the system to be
turned on or off. Once in this
display, press the set/reset button 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 5‑36andUltrasonic
Parking Assist on page 9‑33 for
more information. UNITS
Press the vehicle information button
until UNITS displays. This display
allows you to select between metric
or English units of measurement.
Once in this display, press the set/
reset button to select between
METRIC or ENGLISH units. All
of the vehicle information will
then be displayed in the unit of
measurement selected.
FRONT TIRES or REAR TIRES
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), the
pressure for each tire can be viewed
in the DIC. The tire pressure will be
shown in either kilopascals (kPa)
or pounds per square inch (psi).
Press the vehicle information button
until the DIC displays FRONT
TIRES kPa (PSI) LEFT ##
RIGHT ##. Press the vehicle
information button again until the
DIC displays REAR TIRES kPa
(PSI) LEFT ## RIGHT ##.If a low tire pressure condition is
detected by the system while
driving, a message advising you to
add air to a specific tire will appear
in the display. See
Tire Pressure on
page 10‑42 andTire Messages on
page 5‑38 for more information.
If the tire pressure display shows
dashes instead of a value, there
may be a problem with your vehicle.
If this consistently occurs, see your
dealer for service.
COMPASS ZONE SETTING
This display will be available if the
vehicle has a compass. See
Compass on page 5‑6 for more
information.
COMPASS RECALIBRATION
This display will be available if the
vehicle has a compass. See
Compass on page 5‑6 for more
information.
Blank Display
This display shows no information.

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Instruments and Controls 5-27
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
3(Trip/Fuel):Press this button
to scroll through the following menu
items:
ODOMETER
Press the trip/fuel button until
ODOMETER displays. This display
shows the distance the vehicle has
been driven in either kilometers (km)
or miles (mi). Pressing the trip
odometer reset stem will also
display the odometer.
To switch between English and
metric measurements, see “UNITS”
earlier in this section.
TRIP A and TRIP B
Press the trip/fuel button until
TRIP A or TRIP B displays. This
display shows the current distance
traveled in either kilometers (km)
or miles (mi) since the last reset
for each trip odometer. Both trip
odometers can be used at the same
time. Pressing the trip odometer
reset stem will also display the trip
odometers. Each trip odometer can be reset to
zero separately by pressing the set/
reset button or the trip odometer
reset stem while the desired trip
odometer is displayed.
The trip odometer has a feature
called retroactive reset. This can
be used to set the trip odometer to
the number of kilometers (miles)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip.
To use the retroactive reset feature,
press and hold the set/reset button
for at least four seconds. The trip
odometer will display the number of
kilometers (km) or miles (mi) driven
since the ignition was last turned on
and the vehicle was moving. Once
the vehicle begins moving, the trip
odometer will accumulate mileage.
For example, if the vehicle was
driven 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.
RANGE
Press the trip/fuel button until
RANGE displays. This display
shows the approximate number
of remaining kilometers (km) or
miles (mi) the vehicle can be driven
without refueling. The display will
show LOW if the fuel level is low.
The fuel range estimate is based on
an average of the vehicle's fuel
economy over recent driving history
and the amount of fuel remaining
in the fuel tank. This estimate will
change if driving conditions change.
For example, if driving in traffic and
making frequent stops, this display
may read one number, but if the
vehicle is driven on a freeway, the