Page 185 of 494

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-5
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Lighting Features
Entry/Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-8
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-8
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
.Headlamps
.Taillamps
.Parking Lamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
Page 186 of 494

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
6-2 Lighting
The exterior lamp control has four
positions:
P(Off):Turns off the automatic
headlamps and daytime running
lamps (DRL). Turn the headlamp
control to the off position again to
turn the automatic headlamps or
DRL back on.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
the off position will only work when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
AUTO (Automatic): Automatically
turns on the headlamps at normal
brightness, together with the
following:
.Parking Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps When the vehicle is turned off and
the headlamps are in AUTO, the
headlamps may automatically
remain on for a set time. The time of
the delay can be changed using the
DIC. See
Driver Information Center
(DIC) on page 5‑25.
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on the
parking lamps together with the
following:
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
2(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps together with the
following:
.Parking Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps When the headlamps are turned
on while the vehicle is on, the
headlamps turn off automatically
10 minutes after the ignition is
turned off. When the headlamps are
turned on while the vehicle is off,
the headlamps will stay on for
10 minutes before automatically
turning off to prevent the battery
from being drained. Turn the
headlamp control to off and then
back to the headlamp on position to
make the headlamps stay on for an
additional 10 minutes.
Push the turn signal/multifunction
lever toward the instrument panel to
change the headlamps from low
beam to high beam.
Page 187 of 494

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Lighting 6-3
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
If a door is open, a reminder chime
sounds when the headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned
on and the key is out of the ignition.
To turn off the chime, turn the
exterior lamp control to off or AUTO
and then back on, or close and
re-open the door. In the AUTO
mode, the headlamps turn off once
the ignition is in LOCK/OFF or
remains on until the headlamp delay
ends (if enabled in the DIC). See
“Exit Lighting”underVehicle
Personalization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑44.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
5 3
(Headlamp High/Low Beam
Changer): To change the
headlamps from low to high beam,
push the turn signal lever toward
the instrument panel. To return to
low-beam headlamps, pull the lever
toward you. Then release it.
When the high beams are on, this
indicator light on the instrument
cluster will also be on.
Flash-to-Pass
Use your high-beam headlamps to
signal to a driver in front that you
want to pass. It works even if the
headlamps are in the automatic
position.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever
toward you, then release it.
If the headlamps are in the
automatic position or on low beam,
the high-beam headlamps turn on.
They stay on as long as the lever is
held. The high-beam indicator on
the instrument panel cluster comes
on. Release the lever to return to
normal operation.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can
make it easier for others to see the
front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running
lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system comes on when
the following conditions are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO.
.The transmission is not in Park.
.The light sensor determines it is
daytime.
When the DRL system is on,
only the DRL lamps are on. The
taillamps, sidemarker, instrument
panel lights, and other lamps will not
be on.
When it begins to get dark, the
automatic headlamp system
switches from DRL to the
headlamps.
Page 188 of 494

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
6-4 Lighting
To turn off the DRL lamps, turn the
exterior lamp control to the OFF
position and then release. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, the
transmission must be in the P (Park)
position before the DRL lamps can
be turned off.
Automatic Headlamp
System
When it is dark enough outside and
the headlamp switch is in AUTO,
the automatic headlamp system
turns on the headlamps along with
other lamps such as the taillamps,
sidemarker, parking lamps, roof
marker lamps, and the instrument
panel lights. The radio lights will
also be dim.
To turn off the automatic headlamp
system, turn the exterior lamps
switch to the off position and then
release. For vehicles first sold in
Canada, the transmission must be
in the P (Park) position, before the
automatic headlamp system can be
turned off.
The vehicle has a light sensor
located on the top of the instrument
panel. Do not cover this sensor or
the system will come on whenever
the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage, a tunnel, or while
driving in heavy overcast weather.
This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition
between the daytime and nighttime
operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic
headlamp systems so that driving
under bridges or bright overhead
street lights does not affect the
system. The DRL and automatic
headlamp system is only affectedwhen the light sensor sees a
change in lighting lasting longer
than the delay.
If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp
system comes on immediately.
Once the vehicle leaves the garage,
it takes approximately one minute
for the automatic headlamp system
to change to DRL if it is light
outside. During that delay, the
instrument panel cluster may not be
as bright as usual. Make sure the
instrument panel brightness control
is in the full bright position. See
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑7.
Lights On with Wipers
If the windshield wipers are
activated in daylight with the engine
on, and the exterior lamp control is
in AUTO, the headlamps, parking
lamps, and other exterior lamps
come on. The transition time for the
lamps coming on varies based on
wiper speed. When the wipers are
Page 189 of 494

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Lighting 6-5
not operating, these lamps turn off.
Move the exterior lamp control
to
Por;to disable this feature.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|(Hazard Warning Flashers):
Press this button to make the front
and rear turn signal lamps flash on
and off. Press again to turn the
flashers off.
When the hazard warning flashers
are on, the vehicle's turn signals will
not work.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
An arrow on the instrument cluster
flashes in the direction of the turn or
lane change.
Move the turn signal lever all the
way up or down to signal a turn.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal
a lane change. The turn signals
automatically flash three times.
It will flash six times if the
tow-haul mode is active. Holding
the turn signal lever for more than
one second causes the turn signals
to flash until the lever is released.
The lever returns to its starting
position when it is released. If after signaling a turn or a lane
change the arrows flash rapidly or
do not come on, a signal bulb may
be burned out.
Have any burned out bulbs
replaced. If the bulb is not burned
out, check the fuse. See
Instrument
Panel Fuse Block on page 10‑39
and Engine Compartment Fuse
Block on page 10‑34.
Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (0.75 mi), a chime
sounds at each flash of the turn
signal and the message TURN
SIGNAL ON also appears in the
DIC. See Lamp Messages on
page 5‑38. To turn the chime and
message off, move the turn signal
lever to the off position.
Page 190 of 494

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
6-6 Lighting
Fog Lamps
If the vehicle has fog lamps, they
provide better vision in foggy or
misty conditions. The parking lamps
and/or low-beam headlamps must
be on for the fog lamps to work.
The fog lamp button is on the left
side of the instrument panel.
#(Fog Lamps):Press the button
to turn the fog lamps on. An
indicator light will glow near the
button when the fog lamps are on.
Press the button again to turn
them off. Remember, fog lamps alone will not
give off as much light as the
headlamps. Never use the fog
lamps in the dark without turning on
the headlamps.
The fog lamps will go off whenever
the high-beam headlamps come on.
When the high beams go off, the fog
lamps will come on again.
The fog lamps will be canceled after
the ignition is turned off. In order to
use the fog lamps after the vehicle
is restarted, press the fog lamp
button again.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Exterior Cargo Lamps
The cargo lamp can be used if more
light is needed in the cargo area of
the vehicle or in the top-box storage
units. Some vehicles will only have
a cargo lamp in the driver side
top box.
The cargo lamps come on by
turning on the interior dome lamps.
Page 191 of 494

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Lighting 6-7
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
D(Instrument Panel
Brightness): This feature controls
the brightness of the instrument
panel lights and is located next to
the exterior lamps control.
Push the knob to extend out and
then it can be turned. Turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or dim
the instrument panel lights. Turning
the knob to the farthest clockwise
position turns on the dome lamps.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps are located in the
overhead console.
They come on when any door is
opened and turn off after all the
doors are closed.
Turn the instrument panel
brightness knob located below the
dome lamp override button,
clockwise to the farthest position to
manually turn on the dome lamps.
The dome lamps remain on until the
knob is turned counterclockwise.
Dome Lamp Override
The dome lamp override button is
located next to the exterior lamps
control.
k(Dome Off):
Press the button
in and the dome lamps remain off
when a door is opened. Press the
button again to return it to the
extended position so that the dome
lamps come on when a door is
opened.
Reading Lamps
For vehicles with front reading
lamps in the overhead console,
press the button located next to the
lamp to turn it on or off.
The vehicle may also have reading
lamps in other locations. The lamps
cannot be adjusted.
Page 192 of 494

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
6-8 Lighting
Lighting Features
Entry/Exit Lighting
The vehicle has an illuminated
entry/exit feature.
The dome lamps come on if
the
EDOME OFF button is in the
extended position, when a door is
opened, or the key is removed from
the ignition.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all the
power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information
Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as BATTERY LOW
START VEHICLE. If this message
displays, it is recommended that the
driver reduce the electrical loads as
much as possible and restart the
vehicle. See
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages on page 5‑34.
Battery Power Protection
This feature shuts off the dome
lamps if they are left on for more
than 10 minutes when the ignition is
in LOCK/OFF. This helps to prevent
the battery from running down.