
Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Captiva Sport Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 11/12/12
In Brief 1-19Keep the sensors on the vehicle's
rear bumper clean to ensure proper
operation.
See Ultrasonic Parking Assist on
page 9 ‑ 31 .
Power Outlets The accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
The power outlets are located inside
the center floor console, on the rear
of the center floor console, and in
the rear cargo compartment.
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
See Power Outlets on page 5 ‑ 7 .Universal Remote System
The Universal Home Remote
System allows for garage door
openers, security systems, and
home automation devices to be
programmed to work with these
buttons in the vehicle.
See Universal Remote System on
page 5 ‑ 41 .Performance and
Maintenance Traction Control
System (TCS) The TCS limits wheel spin. The
system is on when the vehicle is
started.
To turn off or on TCS, press
and release the TCS/StabiliTrak
button
g on the instrument panel.
The appropriate DIC message
displays. See Ride Control System
Messages on page 5 ‑ 32 .
This vehicle also has a Brake Pedal
Override feature that limits engine
torque when the brake pedal is
applied. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 9 ‑ 27 . 

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Captiva Sport Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 11/12/12
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls Controls Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-3
Rear Window Wiper/
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-11 Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-12
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator (United States) . . . . 5-12
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-13
Malfunction
Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Service Vehicle Soon
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Electric Parking Brake
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
All-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . 5-18
Power Steering Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
StabiliTrak ®
Indicator Light . . . 5-19
Traction Control System
(TCS) Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-19
Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Fuel Economy Light . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-21
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21 Reduced Engine Power
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-22
Low Washer Fluid Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Gate Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Information Displays Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Vehicle Messages Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-28
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-29
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Engine Cooling System
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-31
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-31
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-32
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32 

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Captiva Sport Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 11/12/12
5-16 Instruments and Controls the ignition is turned to ON/RUN
while the engine is off. See your
dealer for assistance in verifying
proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp. .
The OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics) system determines
that critical emission control
systems have not been
completely diagnosed. The
vehicle would be considered not
ready for inspection. This can
happen if the 12-volt battery has
recently been replaced or run
down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical
emission control systems during
normal driving. This can take
several days of routine driving.
If this has been done and the
vehicle still does not pass the
inspection for lack of OBD II
system readiness, your dealer
can prepare the vehicle for
inspection. Service Vehicle Soon
Light
The service vehicle soon light
comes on if a condition exists that
may require the vehicle to be taken
in for service.
If the light comes on, take the
vehicle to your dealer for service as
soon as possible.
Brake System Warning
Light The vehicle brake system consists
of two hydraulic circuits. If one
circuit is not working, the remaining
circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working Metric English
The brake indicator light should
come on briefly as the engine is
started. If it does not come on have
the vehicle serviced by your dealer.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light may also come
on when the parking brake is set.
The light stays on if the parking
brake does not fully release. If it
stays on after the parking brake is
fully released, there is a brake
problem. Have the brake system
inspected immediately. 

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Captiva Sport Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 11/12/12
Instruments and Controls 5-17
{ WARNINGThe brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
If the light comes on while driving, a
chime sounds. Pull off the road and
stop. The pedal might be harder to
push or go closer to the floor.
It might also take longer to stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle on page 10 ‑ 69 .Electric Parking Brake
Light
The parking brake status light
comes on when the brake is
applied. If the light continues
flashing after the parking brake is
released, or while driving, there is a
problem with the EPB system.
A SERVICE PARKING BRAKE
message may also display in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
See Brake System Messages on
page 5 ‑ 28 for more information.
If the light does not come on,
or remains flashing, see your dealer. The parking brake warning light
should come on briefly when ignition
is placed in ON/RUN. If it does not
come on then, have it fixed so it will
be ready to warn if there is a
problem.
If this light comes on, there is a
problem with a system on the
vehicle that is causing the EPB
system to work at a reduced level.
The vehicle can still be driven, but
should be taken to a dealer as soon
as possible. See Parking Brake on
page 9 ‑ 25 . 

Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Captiva Sport Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 11/12/12
5-28 Instruments and Controls
Vehicle Messages Messages are displayed on the DIC
to notify the driver that the status of
the vehicle has changed and that
some action may be needed by the
driver to correct the condition.
Multiple messages may appear one
after another.
Some messages may not require
immediate action, but you can press
any of the DIC buttons, or the trip
odometer reset stem on the
instrument cluster, to acknowledge
that you received the messages and
to clear them from the display.
Some messages cannot be cleared
from the DIC display because they
are more urgent. These messages
require action before they can be
cleared. Take any messages that
appear on the display seriously and
remember that clearing the
messages will only make the
messages disappear, not correct the
problem. You will find the possible messages
that can be displayed and some
information about them grouped by
subject in the following information.
Brake System Messages PARK BRAKE RELEASED For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays when the parking brake
has been released from the set
position. See Parking Brake on
page 9 ‑ 25 for more information.
PARK BRAKE SET For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays when the parking brake
has been applied to the set position.
See Parking Brake on page 9 ‑ 25 for
more information. RELEASE PARK BRAKE
SWITCH For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays if the Park Brake switch is
pulled while the vehicle is moving.
See Parking Brake on page 9 ‑ 25 for
more information.
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM This message displays along with
the brake system warning light if
there is a problem with the brake
system or when the brake fluid level
is low. See Brake System Warning
Light on page 5 ‑ 16 . Have the brake
system serviced by your dealer as
soon as possible.
SERVICE PARKING BRAKE
For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays if a problem is detected
with the electric parking brake
system. See Parking Brake on
page 9 ‑ 25 for more information. 

Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Captiva Sport Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 11/12/12
Instruments and Controls 5-29STEP ON BRAKE TO
RELEASE PARK BRAKE For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays if you try to release the
parking brake without first pressing
the brake pedal. See Parking Brake
on page 9 ‑ 25 for more information.
Compass Messages CALIBRATING COMPASS:
TURN IN CIRCLES This message displays when
calibrating the compass. Drive the
vehicle in circles at less than
8 km/h (5 mph) to complete the
calibration. See Compass on
page 5 ‑ 4 .
COMPASS CALIBRATION
COMPLETE
This message displays when the
compass calibration is complete.
See Compass on page 5 ‑ 4 .Cruise Control Messages CRUISE SET TO XXX This message will display when the
cruise control is set and it will show
the speed it was set to. See Cruise
Control on page 9 ‑ 29 for more
information.
Door Ajar Messages DRIVER DOOR OPEN This message will display when the
driver door is not closed properly.
Close the door completely.
HOOD OPEN If the vehicle has the remote start
feature, this message displays
along with a chime when the hood is
not closed properly. Make sure that
the hood is closed completely. See
Hood on page 10 ‑ 3 . This message
displays while the ignition is in ON/
RUN. Press any of the DIC buttons
to acknowledge this message and
to clear it from the screen. This message continues to display
for two seconds if it has not been
acknowledged when the engine is
turned off. The message comes
back on for two seconds if it has
been acknowledged, but the
condition still exists when the
engine is turned off. If the condition
still exists, the message reappears
when the engine is turned on.
LIFTGATE OPEN This message will display when the
liftgate is not closed properly. Close
the liftgate completely.
PASSENGER DOOR OPEN This message will display when the
passenger doors are not closed
properly. Close the door completely. 

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Captiva Sport Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 11/12/12
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating Driving Information Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Driving Environment . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Vehicle Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-14
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-16 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Engine Exhaust Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Automatic Transmission Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-20
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Fuel Economy Mode . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Brakes Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control
System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
StabiliTrak ®
System . . . . . . . . . 9-28 Cruise Control Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Object Detection Systems Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-31
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Fuel Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-35
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-36
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-36
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Towing General Towing
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45 

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Captiva Sport Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 11/12/12
Driving and Operating 9-15To shift out of P (Park), turn the
ignition to ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY and apply the regular
brake pedal.
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.
LOCK (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 ‑ 17 .
This position locks the ignition.
It also locks the steering wheel and
the transmission. The key can only
be removed in LOCK/OFF. The shift
lever must be in P (Park) to turn the
ignition switch to LOCK/OFF. 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
doesn't work, the vehicle needs
service.
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.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady
pressure. 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 ‑ 25
{ WARNINGTurning 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.