2012 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE airbag off

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-15
Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
When the vehicle is started, this
light flashes and a chime may come
on to remind front passengers to
fasten their safety belt. Then the
light stays on solid until the belt is
buckled.
This cycle continues several times
if the front passenger remains or
becomes unbuckled while the
vehicle is moving.
If the front passenger safety belt is
buckled, neither the chime nor the
light comes on.The front passenger safety belt
reminder light and chime may turn
on if an object is put on the seat
such as a briefcase, handbag,
grocery bag, laptop, or other
electronic device. To turn off the
reminder light and/or chime, remove
the object from the seat or buckle
the safety belt.Airbag Readiness Light
This light shows if there is an
electrical problem. The system
check includes the airbag sensor(s),
passenger sensing system, the
pretensioners, the airbag modules,
the wiring, and the crash sensing
and diagnostic module. For more
information on the airbag system,
see
Airbag System on page 3‑23.
The airbag readiness light comes on
and stays on for several seconds
when the vehicle is started. Then
the light goes out.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
5-16 Instruments and Controls
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑31 for
important safety information. The
instrument panel has a passenger
airbag status indicator.
United States
Canada and Mexico
When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off, for several seconds
as a system check. If you use
remote start, if equipped, to start the
vehicle, you may not see the system
check. Then, after several more
seconds, the status indicator will
light either ON or OFF, or either the
on or off symbol to let you know
the status of the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag is
allowed to inflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag.
If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer for service.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑15 for more
information, including important
safety information.

Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-37
drive, however, you do not have the
benefit of StabiliTrak, so reduce
your speed and drive accordingly.
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
This message displays when there
is a problem with the Traction
Control System (TCS). When this
message is displayed, the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly. See your dealer
for service. SeeStabiliTrak
®System
on page 9‑28 for more information.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
This message displays when the
Traction Control System (TCS) is
turned off. Adjust your driving
accordingly. See StabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑28 for more
information. This message clears
itself after 10 seconds.
TRACTION CONTROL ON
This message displays when the
Traction Control System (TCS) is
turned on. See StabiliTrak
®Systemon page 9‑28
for more information.
This message clears itself after
10 seconds.
Airbag System Messages
SERVICE AIR BAG
This message displays if there is a
problem with the airbag system.
Have your dealer inspect the
system for problems. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑15 and
Airbag System on page 3‑23 for
more information.
Anti-theft Alarm System
Messages
SERVICE THEFT DETERRENT
SYSTEM
This message displays when there
is a problem with the theft-deterrent
system. The vehicle may or may not
restart so you may want to take the
vehicle to your dealer before turning
off the engine. See Immobilizer
Operation on page 2‑14 for more
information.
THEFT ATTEMPTED
This message displays if the content
theft-deterrent system has detected
a break-in attempt while you were
away from your vehicle. See
Anti-theft Alarm System on
page 2‑13 for more information.
Service Vehicle Messages
SERVICE A/C (Air
Conditioning) SYSTEM
This message displays when the
electronic sensors that control the
air conditioning and heating
systems are no longer working.
Have the climate control system
serviced by your dealer if you notice
a drop in heating and air
conditioning efficiency.
SERVICE POWER STEERING
This message displays when a
problem is detected with the power
steering system. When this
message is displayed, you may
notice that the effort required to
steer the vehicle increases or feels

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-15
breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake
linings.
.Do not tow a trailer during
break-in. SeeDriving
Characteristics and Towing
Tips on page 9‑43 for the
trailer towing capabilities of
your vehicle and more
information.
Following break‐in, engine speed
and load can be gradually
increased.
Ignition Positions
The ignition switch has four different
positions.
In order to shift out of P (Park), the
ignition must be in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY and the brake pedal
must be applied. Notice:
Using a tool to force the
key to turn in the ignition could
cause damage to the switch or
break the key. Use the correct
key, make sure it is all the way in,
and turn it only with your hand.
If the key cannot be turned by
hand, see your dealer.
((STOPPING THE ENGINE/
LOCK/OFF): When the vehicle is
stopped, turn the ignition switch to
LOCK/OFF to turn the engine off.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
will remain active. See Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑19.
This position locks the ignition and
transmission. The key can be
removed in LOCK/OFF.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
9-16 Driving and Operating
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steadypressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to a
safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop, shift to P (Park), and turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF. On vehicles with
an automatic transmission, the
shift lever must be in P (Park) to
turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK/OFF position.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9‑27.{WARNING
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
turn the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY.
The steering can bind with the
wheels turned off center. If this
happens, move the steering wheel
from right to left while turning the
key to ACC/ACCESSORY. If this
does not work, then the vehicle
needs service.
ACC (ACC/ACCESSORY): This
is the position in which you can
operate the electrical accessories or
items plugged into the accessory
power outlets. This position unlocks the ignition and steering wheel. Use
this position if the vehicle must be
pushed or towed.R(ON/RUN):
This position can be
used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument panel warning and
indicator lights. This position can
also be used for service and
diagnostics, and to verify the proper
operation of the malfunction
indicator lamp as may be required
for emission inspection purposes.
The switch stays in this position
when the engine is running. The
transmission is also unlocked in this
position. If you leave the key in the
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN
position with the engine off, the
battery could be drained. You may
not be able to start the vehicle if the
battery is allowed to drain for an
extended period of time.
/(START): This is the position
that starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The
ignition switch will return to ON/RUN
for driving.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
10-4 Vehicle Care
Damage to vehicle components
resulting from modifications or the
installation or use of non‐GM
certified parts, including control
module or software modifications, is
not covered under the terms of the
vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.
GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. See your
dealer to accessorize the vehicle
using genuine GM Accessories
installed by a dealer technician.
Also, seeAdding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑36.Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own
Service Work
{WARNING
You can be injured and the
vehicle could be damaged if you
try to do service work on a vehicle
without knowing enough about it.
.Be sure you have sufficient
knowledge, experience,
the proper replacement
parts, and tools before
attempting any vehicle
maintenance task.
.Be sure to use the proper
nuts, bolts, and other
fasteners. Metric and English
fasteners can be easily
confused. If the wrong
fasteners are used, parts can
later break or fall off. You
could be hurt. If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, see
Service
Publications Ordering Information
on page 13‑16.
This vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to do your own
service work, see Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑36.
Keep a record with all parts receipts
and list the mileage and the date of
any service work performed. See
Maintenance Records on
page 11‑14.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
i-8 INDEX
O
Object Detection SystemMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Oil
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-38
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
OnStar
®
Additional Information . . . . . . . . 14-5
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar
®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Operation, Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Ordering
Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-16 Outlets
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Overview, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
P
Parade Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Park Shifting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Shifting out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Park Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Parking Assist, Ultrasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-25
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-21
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Passenger Compartment Air
Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-31 Perchlorate Materials
Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Personalization Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Power
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-19
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Pregnancy, Using Safety
Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Privacy Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-20
Program
Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-13
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3