2012 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE Owners Manual

Black plate (69,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-69
{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
wheel attaches to the vehicle. In
an emergency, a cloth or a paper
towel can be used; however, use
a scraper or wire brush later to
remove all rust or dirt.
{WARNING
Never use oil or grease on bolts
or nuts because the nuts might
come loose. The vehicle's wheel
could fall off, causing a crash.
10. Remove any rust or dirt from the wheel bolts, mounting
surfaces, and spare wheel.
11. Place the spare tire on the wheel mounting surface.
12. Put the nuts on by hand by turning them clockwise until the
wheel is held against the
mounting surface. Make sure
the rounded end is toward the
wheel. 13. Lower the vehicle by attaching
the wrench to the jack
and turning the wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the
jack completely.
{WARNING
Wheel nuts that are improperly or
incorrectly tightened can cause
the wheels to become loose or
come off. The wheel nuts should
be tightened with a torque wrench
to the proper torque specification
after replacing. Follow the torque
specification supplied by the
aftermarket manufacturer when
using accessory locking wheel
nuts. See Capacities and
Specifications on page 12‑2 for
original equipment wheel nut
torque specifications.

Black plate (70,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
10-70 Vehicle Care
Notice:Improperly tightened
wheel nuts can lead to brake
pulsation and rotor damage. To
avoid expensive brake repairs,
evenly tighten the wheel nuts in
the proper sequence and to the
proper torque specification. See
Capacities and Specifications on
page 12‑2 for the wheel nut
torque specification.
14. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly in a crisscross sequence, as
shown. Notice:
Wheel covers will not fit
on the vehicle's compact spare.
If you try to put a wheel cover on
the compact spare, the cover or
the spare could be damaged.
Storing the Spare Tire
{WARNING
The underbody-mounted spare
tire needs to be stored with the
valve stem pointing down. If the
spare tire is stored with the valve
stem pointing upwards, the
secondary latch will not work
properly and the spare tire could
loosen and suddenly fall from the
vehicle. If this happened when
the vehicle was being driven, the
tire might contact a person or
another vehicle, causing injury
and damage to itself. Be sure the
underbody-mounted spare tire is
stored with the valve stem
pointing down.
{WARNING
Storing a jack, a tire, or other
equipment in the passenger
compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or
collision, loose equipment could
strike someone. Store all these in
the proper place.
To store the spare tire:
1. Lay the compact spare tire near the rear of the vehicle with the
valve stem down.
2. Reinstall the plastic spare tire heat shield on the compact
spare tire.

Black plate (71,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-71
3. Slide the cable retainer throughthe center of the wheel and start
to raise the compact spare tire.
Make sure the retainer is fully
seated across the underside of
the wheel.
4. When the compact spare tire is almost in the stored position,
turn the tire so the valve is
toward the rear of the vehicle.
This position helps when
checking the air pressure in the
compact spare tire.
5. Raise the tire fully against the underside of the vehicle.
Continue turning the wrench until
you feel more than two clicks.
This indicates that the compact
spare tire is secure and the
cable is tight. The spare tire
hoist cannot be overtightened.
6. Make sure the tire is storedsecurely. Push, pull (A), and then
try to turn (B) the tire. If the tire
moves, use the wrench to
tighten the cable.
Storing the Flat Tire
1. Remove the cable package fromthe jack storage area.
2. Remove the small center cap by tapping the back of the cap with
the extension of the shaft, if the
vehicle has aluminum wheels.
3. Put the flat tire in the rear storage area with the valve stem
pointing toward the rear of the
vehicle.

Black plate (72,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
10-72 Vehicle Care
A. Cable
B. Liftgate Hinges
C. Spare Tire Heat Shield
D. Center of the Wheel
E. Door Striker
4. Pull the cable (A) through the door striker (E), the center of the
wheel (D), and the plastic spare
tire heat shield (C), as shown.5. Hook the cable onto the outsideportion of the liftgate hinges (B).
6. Hook the other end of the cable onto the outside portion of the
liftgate hinge on the other side of
the vehicle.
7. Pull on the cable to make sure it is secure.8. Make sure the metal tube iscentered at the striker. Push the
tube toward the front of the
vehicle.
9. Close the liftgate and make sure it is latched properly.

Black plate (73,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-73
Storing the Tools
A. Tool Bag
B. Wing Bolt
C. Jack
Put back all tools as they were
stored in the jack storage
compartment and put the
compartment cover back on.
1. Ensure that the bottom of thejack is facing toward you.
2. Replace the tool bag (A). 3. Turn the jack (C) on its side and
place down on the holding
bracket.
4. Reinstall the wing bolt (B) by turning clockwise.
5. To replace the cover, line up the tab at the front of the cover with
the notch in the cover opening.
Push the cover in place and
make sure that the rear clips are
in the slots and push the cover
closed.
Store the center cap or the plastic
bolt‐on wheel covers until a full size
tire is put back on the vehicle. When
you replace the compact spare with
a full‐size tire, reinstall the bolt‐on
wheel covers or the center cap.
Hand‐tighten them over the wheel
nuts, using the wrench.
Compact Spare Tire
{WARNING
Driving with more than one
compact spare tire at a time could
result in loss of braking and
handling. This could lead to a
crash and you or others could be
injured. Use only one compact
spare tire at a time.
The compact spare tire, if the
vehicle has one, was fully inflated
when the vehicle was new, however,
it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly.
It should be 420 kPa (60 psi).

Black plate (74,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
10-74 Vehicle Care
After installing the compact spare
on the vehicle, stop as soon as
possible and make sure the spare
tire is correctly inflated. The
compact spare is made to perform
well at speeds up to 105 km/h
(65 mph) for distances up to
5 000 km (3,000 mi), so you can
finish your trip and have the full-size
tire repaired or replaced at your
convenience. Of course, it is best to
replace the spare with a full-size tire
as soon as possible. The spare tire
will last longer and be in good
shape in case it is needed again.
Notice:When the compact spare
is installed, do not take the
vehicle through an automatic
car wash with guide rails. The
compact spare can get caught on
the rails which can damage the
tire, wheel, and other parts of the
vehicle. Do not use the compact spare on
other vehicles.
And do not mix the compact spare
tire or wheel with other wheels or
tires. They will not fit. Keep the
spare tire and its wheel together.
The All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system
will be automatically disabled when
you use the compact spare. To
restore the AWD and prevent
excessive wear on the clutch in your
AWD, replace the compact spare
tire with a full-size tire as soon as
possible.
Notice:
Tire chains will not fit
the compact spare. Using them
can damage the vehicle and can
damage the chains too. Do not
use tire chains on the compact
spare.Jump Starting
For more information about the
vehicle battery, see Battery on
page 10‑23.
If the vehicle's battery has run
down, you may want to use another
vehicle and some jumper cables to
start your vehicle. Be sure to use
the following steps to do it safely.
{WARNING
Batteries can hurt you. They can
be dangerous because:
.They contain acid that can
burn you.
.They contain gas that can
explode or ignite.
.They contain enough
electricity to burn you.
If you do not follow these steps
exactly, some or all of these
things can hurt you.

Black plate (75,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-75
Notice:Ignoring these steps
could result in costly damage to
the vehicle that would not be
covered by the warranty.
Trying to start the vehicle by
pushing or pulling it will not
work, and it could damage the
vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must
have a 12‐volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice: Only use a vehicle that
has a 12-volt system with a
negative ground for jump
starting. If the other vehicle does
not have a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles
can be damaged. 2. Get the vehicles close enough
so the jumper cables can reach,
but be sure the vehicles are
not touching each other. If they
are, it could cause a ground
connection you do not want. You
would not be able to start your
vehicle, and the bad grounding
could damage the electrical
systems.
To avoid the possibility of the
vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start
procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in P (Park) or a
manual transmission in Neutral
before setting the parking brake.
If one of the vehicles is a
four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure
the transfer case is not in
Neutral. Notice:
If the radio or other
accessories are left on during the
jump starting procedure, they
could be damaged. The repairs
would not be covered by the
warranty. Always turn off the
radio and other accessories when
jump starting the vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Unplug unnecessary
accessories plugged into the
cigarette lighter or the accessory
power outlets. Turn off the radio
and all lamps that are not
needed. This will avoid sparks
and help save both batteries.
And it could save the radio!

Black plate (76,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2012
10-76 Vehicle Care
4. Open the hoods and locate thepositive (+) and negative (−)
terminal locations on the other
vehicle. Your vehicle has a
remote positive (+) and a
remote negative (−) jump
starting terminal. See Engine
Compartment Overview on
page 10‑6 for more information
on the terminal locations.
{WARNING
Using a match near a battery can
cause battery gas to explode.
People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded.
Use a flashlight if you need more
light.
Be sure the batteries have
enough water. You do not need
to add water to the ACDelco
®
battery (or batteries) installed in
your new vehicle. But if a battery
has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low,
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
add water to take care of that
first. If you do not, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
{WARNING
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
5. Check that the jumper cables do not have loose or missing
insulation. If they do, you could
get a shock. The vehicles could
be damaged too. Before you connect the cables,
here are some basic things you
should know. Positive (+) will go
to positive (+) or to a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle
has one. Negative (−) will go to a
heavy, unpainted metal engine
part or to a remote negative (−)
terminal if the vehicle has one.
Do not connect positive (+) to
negative (−) or you will get a
short that would damage the
battery and maybe other parts
too. And do not connect the
negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal on the dead
battery because this can cause
sparks.