Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2013 - 1stPrintReady - 6/19/12
Instruments and Controls 5-17
as a system check. If you are using
remote start, if equipped, to start the
vehicle from a distance, 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 right front passenger frontal
airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the right
front passenger frontal airbag is
enabled, and may inflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the airbag status indicator, it
means that the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front
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. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑14 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
This light comes on briefly when the
ignition key is turned to START, but
the engine is not running, as a
check to show it is working. If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
The light should go out once the
engine starts. If it stays on,
or comes on while driving, there
could be a problem with the
charging system. A charging system
message in the Driver Information
Center (DIC) can also appear. See
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages on page 5‑30
for more
information. This light could indicate
that there are problems with a
generator drive belt, or that there is
an electrical problem. Have it
checked right away. If the vehicle
must be driven a short distance with
the light on, turn off accessories,
such as the radio and air
conditioner.
Malfunction
Indicator Lamp
A computer system called OBD II
(On-Board Diagnostics-Second
Generation) monitors the operation
of the vehicle to ensure emissions
Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2013 - 1stPrintReady - 6/19/12
Instruments and Controls 5-35
However, you should turn
StabiliTrak off if the vehicle gets
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow
and you want to rock the vehicle to
attempt to free it, or if you are
driving in extreme off-road
conditions and require more wheel
spin. SeeIf the Vehicle Is Stuck on
page 9‑9. To turn the StabiliTrak
system on or off, see StabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑32.
STABILITRAK OFF may also
display when the stability control
has been automatically disabled.
There are several conditions that
can cause this message to appear.
.One condition is overheating,
which could occur if StabiliTrak
activates continuously for an
extended period of time.
.The message also displays if the
brake system warning light is on.
SeeBrake System Warning
Light on page 5‑20.
.The message could display if the
stability system takes longer
than usual to complete its
diagnostic checks due to driving
conditions.
.The message displays if an
engine or vehicle related
problem has been detected and
the vehicle needs service. See
your dealer.
The message turns off as soon as
the conditions that caused the
message to be displayed are no
longer present.
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 5‑14 and
Airbag System on page 3‑16 for
more information.
Security 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 2‑11 for more
information.
WAIT TO START
This message displays briefly when
the theft-deterrent system has
initially found incorrect conditions
within the vehicle and is making a
double check. If your vehicle does
not start soon after, try to start it
again. If it still does not start, have
your vehicle serviced by your
dealer.
Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2013 - 1stPrintReady - 6/19/12
Driving and Operating 9-15
breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake
linings.
.Do not tow a trailer during
break-in. SeeTrailer Towing
on page 9‑49 for the trailer
towing capabilities of the
vehicle and more
information.
Following break‐in, engine speed
and load can be gradually
increased.
Ignition Positions
The ignition switch has four different
positions.
To shift out of P (Park), the ignition
must be in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY and the regular brake
pedal applied.
1 (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.
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 9‑31.
Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2013 - 1stPrintReady - 6/19/12
9-16 Driving and Operating
{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.
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.
2 (ACC/ACCESSORY): This is the
position in which you can operate
things like the radio and the
windshield wipers when the engine
is off. 3 (ON/RUN):
This position can be
used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument cluster 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.
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.
4 (START): This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving. A warning tone will sound when the
driver door is opened, the ignition is
in ACC/ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF
and the key is in the ignition.
Starting the Engine
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax diesel
supplement.
To place the transmission in the
proper gear:
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already
moving, use N (Neutral) only.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2013 - 1stPrintReady - 6/19/12
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Additional Information
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-15
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-18 Airbags
Adding Equipment to the
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Light On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-16
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-27, 9-30
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8 Assistance Program,
Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-11
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Audio System Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22, 9-26
TransmissionFluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10, 10-12
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2013 - 1stPrintReady - 6/19/12
i-6 INDEX
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-33
Keyless EntryRemote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-2
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-46
Lamps Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-2
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35 Lamps, Bulb Replacement . . . . 10-34
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
LATCH System
Replacing Parts after aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Lighting Entry/Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lights Airbag On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-20
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23 Lights (cont'd)
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-14
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Locks
Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-23
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2013 - 1stPrintReady - 6/19/12
INDEX i-7
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-17
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-31
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-33
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35 Messages (cont'd)
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Mirrors Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Trailer Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Monitor System, Tire
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
N
NavigationOnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Vehicle Data Recording
and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-19
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Noise Control System . . . . . . . . 10-29
O
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil PressureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-33
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
OnStar
®
System, In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
OnStar®Additional
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
OnStar
®Connections . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
OnStar®Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
OnStar®Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar®Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar®Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar®Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2013 - 1stPrintReady - 6/19/12
i-10 INDEX
Service (cont'd)Publications Ordering
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-16
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-12
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Side Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Sidemarker Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Sliding Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Specifications and
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16 Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Storage Areas Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Swing-out Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Switches Airbag On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Noise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
T
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-11Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Tires Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68 Tires (cont'd)
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Dual Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Full-Size Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-55
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-54
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Secondary Latch System . . . 10-75
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-65
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-21