Black plate (36,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
9-36 Driving and Operating
There is a message on the rear
vision camera screen that states
“Check Surroundings for Safety.”
Adjusting the Brightness and
Contrast of the Screen
To adjust the brightness and
contrast of the screen, press the
MENU button while the rear vision
camera image is on the display. Any
adjustments made will only affect
the rear vision camera screen.
](Brightness):Touch the + (plus)
or –(minus) screen buttons to
increase or decrease the brightness
of the screen.
_(Contrast): Touch the + (plus)
or –(minus) screen buttons to
increase or decrease the contrast of
the screen. Symbols
The navigation system may have a
feature that lets the driver view
symbols on the navigation screen
while using the rear vision camera.
The Ultrasonic Rear Park Assist
(URPA) system must not be
disabled to use the caution symbols.
If URPA has been disabled and the
symbols have been turned on, the
Rear Parking Assist Symbols
Unavailable error message may
display. See
Ultrasonic Parking
Assist on page 9‑33.
The symbols appear when an object
has been detected by the URPA
system. The symbol may cover the
object when viewing the navigation
screen.
To turn the symbols on or off:
1. Make sure that URPA has not been disabled.
2. Shift into P (Park). 3. Press the MENU hard key to
enter the configure menu
options, then press the MENU
hard key repeatedly until Display
is selected or touch the Display
screen button.
4. Select the Rear Camera Options screen button. The Rear Camera
Options screen will display.
5. Touch the Symbols screen button. The screen button will be
highlighted when on.
Rear Vision Camera Error
Messages
Service Rear Vision Camera
System: This message can display
when the system is not receiving
information it requires from other
vehicle systems.
If any other problem occurs or if a
problem persists, see your dealer.
Black plate (45,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-45
.Improve control of vehicle speed
while requiring less throttle pedal
activity.
.Increase the charging system
voltage to assist in recharging a
battery installed in a trailer.
Press this button located on the
console to turn on and turn off the
Tow/Haul mode. SeeTow/Haul
Mode on page 9‑25.
The Tow/Haul light on the
instrument panel comes on to
indicate that Tow/Haul mode has
been selected.
Tow/Haul may be turned off by
pressing the button again, at which
time the indicator light on the
instrument panel will turn off. The
vehicle will automatically turn off
Tow/Haul every time it is started. Tow/Haul is designed to be most
effective when the vehicle and
trailer combined weight is at least
75 percent of the vehicle's Gross
Combined Weight Rating (GCWR).
See
Trailer Towing on page 9‑47.
Tow/Haul is most useful when
pulling a heavy trailer or a large or
heavy load under the following
driving conditions:
.Traveling through rolling terrain.
.Traveling in stop and go traffic.
.Traveling in busy parking lots
where improved low speed
control of the vehicle is desired.
Operating the vehicle in Tow/Haul
when lightly loaded or with no trailer
will not cause damage but there is
no benefit. Such a selection when
unloaded may result in unpleasant
engine and transmission driving
characteristics and reduced fuel
economy.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving the vehicle without a trailer.
This can help to avoid situations
that require heavy braking and
sudden turns.
Passing
More passing distance is needed
when towing a trailer. Because the
rig is longer, it is necessary to go
farther beyond the passed vehicle
before returning to the lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. To move the
trailer to the left, move that hand to
the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right.
Always back up slowly and,
if possible, have someone
guide you.
Black plate (56,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
10-56 Vehicle Care
Turn on the hazard warning
flashers. SeeHazard Warning
Flashers on page 6‑4.
{WARNING
Changing a tire can be
dangerous. The vehicle can slip
off the jack and roll over or fall
causing injury or death. Find a
level place to change the tire. To
help prevent the vehicle from
moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission in P (Park) or a
manual transmission in
1 (First) or R (Reverse).
3. Turn off the engine and do not restart while the vehicle
is raised.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
4. Do not allow passengers toremain in the vehicle.
5. Place wheel blocks on both sides of the tire at the
opposite corner of the tire
being changed.
This vehicle may come with a jack
and spare tire or a tire sealant and
compressor kit. To use the jacking
equipment to change a spare tire
safely, follow the instructions below.
Then see Tire Changing on
page 10‑65. To use the tire sealant
and compressor kit, see Tire
Sealant and Compressor Kit on
page 10‑57. When the vehicle has a flat tire (B),
use the following example as a
guide to assist you in the placement
of wheel blocks (A).
A. Wheel Block
B. Flat Tire
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
OnStar 14-7
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.
Warranty
OnStar equipment may be
warranted as part of the new-vehicle
limited warranty. The manufacturer
of the vehicle furnishes detailed
warranty information.
Languages
The vehicle can be programmed to
respond in French or Spanish.
Push
Qand ask an Advisor.
Advisors can speak French or
Spanish.
Potential Issues
Some OnStar services are disabled
after five days. OnStar cannot
perform Remote Door Unlock or
Stolen Vehicle Assistance after the
vehicle has been off continuously
for five days. After five days, OnStar
can contact Roadside Assistance
and a locksmith to help gain access
to the vehicle.
Global Positioning
System (GPS)
.Obstruction of the GPS can
occur in a large city with tall
buildings; in parking garages;
around airports; in tunnels,
underpasses, or parking
garages; or in an area with very
dense trees. If GPS signals are
not available, the OnStar system
should still operate to call
OnStar. However, OnStar could
have difficulty identifying the
exact location.
.In emergency situations, OnStar
can use the last stored GPS
location to send to emergency
responders.
.A temporary loss of GPS can
cause loss of the ability to send
a Turn-by-Turn Navigation route.
The Advisor may give a verbal
route or may ask for a call back
after the vehicle is driven into an
open area.
Cellular and GPS Antennas
Avoid placing items over or near the
antenna to prevent blocking cellular
and GPS signal reception. Cellular
reception is required for OnStar to
send remote signals to the vehicle.
Unable to Connect to OnStar
Message
If there is limited cellular coverage
or the cellular network has reached
maximum capacity, this message
may come on. Push
Qto try the
call again or try again after driving a
few miles into another cellular area.
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-25
Blind Spot Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-14 Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-28
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, and
Stoplamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7 Cargo
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Management System . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-17
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-25
Child Restraints
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54, 3-56
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
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
Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-9
R
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . . 13-20
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Radios AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Rear Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9, 8-10
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45
Rear Seat Entertainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) . . . . . . . 7-45
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . 9-34
Rear Window Washer/Wiper . . . . 5-5
Rearview Mirror Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39 Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
Records Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-14
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-79
Reimbursement Program,
GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Replacement Parts
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-13
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . 3-38
Replacing LATCH System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts after a Crash . . . 3-23
Reporting Safety Defects
Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Restraints
Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Ride Control Systems Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Roads Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Roadside Assistance
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Roof Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . 12-3
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . 3-23
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 3-21
Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
i-10 INDEX
Safety Defects ReportingCanadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-12
Sealant Kit, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Seats Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated and Ventilated Front . . . 3-8
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-4
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-4
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Third Row Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54, 3-56
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Security, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2 Service
Accessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-14
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-16
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-12
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Sidemarker and Stoplamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Spare Tire
Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73 Specifications and
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
StabiliTrak Indicator Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Storage Areas Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Cargo Management System . . . 4-4
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Floor Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Storing the Tire Sealant
and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . 10-64