2013 CHEVROLET IMPALA automatic transmission

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/27/12
2013 Chevrolet Impala Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-2
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-33
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-39
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-13
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-20
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-25
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-41
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/27/12
5-22 Instruments and Controls
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
Your vehicle has a Driver
Information Center (DIC).
All messages will appear in the DIC
display located below the
speedometer in the instrument
panel cluster. The DIC buttons are
located on the instrument panel, to
the right of the instrument panel
cluster.
The DIC comes on when the ignition
is on. After a short delay, the DIC
will display the information that was
last displayed before the engine
was turned off.
The DIC displays trip, fuel, and
vehicle system information, and
warning messages if a system
problem is detected. The bottom line
of the DIC shows the shift lever
position indicator. SeeAutomatic
Transmission on page 9‑20 for more
information. If your vehicle has these features,
the DIC also displays the compass
direction and the outside air
temperature when viewing the trip
and fuel information. The compass
direction appears on the top right
corner of the DIC display. The
outside air temperature
automatically appears in the bottom
right corner of the DIC display.
If there is a problem with the system
that controls the temperature
display, the numbers will be
replaced with dashes. If this occurs,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer.
The DIC also allows some features
to be customized. See
Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑33 for
more information.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by pressing
the DIC buttons located on the
instrument panel, to the right of the
instrument panel cluster. DIC Buttons
The buttons are the trip/fuel, vehicle
information, customization, and set/
reset buttons. The button functions
are detailed in the following pages.
3(Trip/Fuel):
Press this button
to display the odometer, trip
odometers, fuel range, average
economy, instantaneous economy,
Active Fuel Management™ indicator
on vehicles with this feature, and
average speed.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/27/12
Instruments and Controls 5-33
Loading Information label. SeeTires
on page 10‑31, Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9‑9, and Tire Pressure on
page 10‑38. The DIC also shows
the tire pressure values. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑22.
Transmission Messages
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays when there
is a problem with the transmission.
See your dealer for service.
TRANSMISSION HOT IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays when the
transmission fluid in your vehicle is
too hot. Stop the vehicle and allow it
to idle until it cools down. If the
warning message continues to
display, have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer as soon as possible.
Vehicle Reminder
Messages
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE
WITH CARE
This message displays when the
outside air temperature is cold
enough to create icy road
conditions. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
Washer Fluid Messages
WASHER FLUID LOW ADD
FLUID
This message displays when the
windshield washer fluid is low. Fill
the windshield washer reservoir as
soon as possible. See Engine
Compartment Overview on
page 10‑5 for the location of the
windshield washer reservoir. Also,
see Washer Fluid on page 10‑16 for
more information.
Vehicle
Personalization
Your vehicle has customization
capabilities that allow you to
program certain features to one
preferred setting. Customization
features can only be programmed to
one setting on the vehicle and
cannot be programmed to a
preferred setting for two different
drivers.
All of the customization options may
not be available on your vehicle.
Only the options available will be
displayed on the DIC.
The default settings for the
customization features were set
when your vehicle left the factory,
but may have been changed from
their default state since then.
The customization preferences are
automatically recalled.
To change customization
preferences, use the following
procedure.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/27/12
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-6
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-13
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16Retained 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 WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-20
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-31
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-31
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-33
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/27/12
9-14 Driving and Operating
To shift out of P (Park), the ignition
must be in ON/RUN and the brake
pedal must be applied.
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.
A (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 and
steering wheel. It also locks the
transmission. This is the only
position in which the ignition key
can be inserted or removed.
The steering can bind with the
wheels turned off center. If this
happens, move the steering wheel from left to right while turning the
key to ACC/ACCESSORY. If this
doesn't work, then 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 9‑24
{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.
B (ACC/ACCESSORY): This is the
position in which you can operate
the radio and windshield wipers
while the engine is off. To use ACC/
ACCESSORY, turn the key
clockwise.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/27/12
9-18 Driving and Operating
Leaving the Vehicle With the
Engine Running
{WARNING
It can be dangerous to leave the
vehicle with the engine running.
It could overheat and catch fire.
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
SeeShifting Into Park on
page 9‑17. If you are towing a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑36. If you have to leave the vehicle with
the engine running, be sure your
vehicle is in P (Park) and the
parking brake is firmly set before
you leave it. See
Parking Brake on
page 9‑24 for more information.
Torque Lock
Torque lock is when the weight of
the vehicle puts too much force on
the parking pawl in the
transmission. This happens when
parking on a hill and shifting the
transmission into P (Park) is not
done properly and then it is difficult
to shift out of P (Park). To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake
and then shift into P (Park). To find
out how, see “Shifting Into Park” in
this section.
If torque lock does occur, your
vehicle may need to be pushed
uphill by another vehicle to relieve
the parking pawl pressure, so you
can shift out of P (Park).
Shifting out of Park
Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock
The vehicle has an electronic shift
lock release system. The shift lock
release is designed to:
.Prevent ignition key removal
unless the shift lever is in
P (Park).
.Prevent movement of the shift
lever out of P (Park), unless the
ignition is in ON/RUN and the
regular brake pedal is applied.
The shift lock is always functional
except in the case of a an
uncharged or low voltage (less than
9 volt) battery.
If the vehicle has an uncharged
battery or a battery with low voltage,
try charging or jump starting the
battery. See Jump Starting on
page 10‑61.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/27/12
9-20 Driving and Operating
WARNING (Continued)
.There are holes or openings
in the vehicle body from
damage or aftermarket
modifications that are not
completely sealed.
If unusual fumes are detected or
if it is suspected that exhaust is
coming into the vehicle:
.Drive it only with the windows
completely down.
.Have the vehicle repaired
immediately.
Never park the vehicle with the
engine running in an enclosed
area such as a garage or a
building that has no fresh air
ventilation.
Running the Vehicle
While Parked
It is better not to park with the
engine running.
If the vehicle is left with the engine
running, follow the proper steps to
be sure the vehicle will not move.
See Shifting Into Park on page 9‑17
and Engine Exhaust on page 9‑19.
If parking on a hill and pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑36.
Automatic
Transmission
The automatic transmission has a
shift lever located on the console
between the seats, or on the
steering column. Gear positions are
indicated on the instrument cluster.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/27/12
Driving and Operating 9-21
P (Park):This position locks the
front wheels. It is the best position
to use when starting the engine
because the vehicle cannot move
easily.
{WARNING
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
SeeShifting Into Park on
page 9‑17 andDriving
Characteristics and Towing Tips
on page 9‑36.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in
P (Park) before starting the engine.
The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control
system. You must fully apply the
regular brake before shifting from
P (Park) when the ignition key is in
ON/RUN. If you cannot shift out of
P (Park), ease pressure on the shift
lever, then push the shift lever all
the way into P (Park) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into another
gear. See
Shifting out of Park on
page 9‑18.
R (Reverse): Use this gear to
back up.
Notice: Shifting to R (Reverse)
while the vehicle is moving
forward could damage the
transmission. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only
after the vehicle is stopped.
To rock the vehicle back and forth to
get out of snow, ice, or sand without
damaging the transmission, see If
the Vehicle Is Stuck on page 9‑8.
N (Neutral): In this position, the
engine does not connect with the
wheels. To restart the engine when
the vehicle is already moving, use
N (Neutral) only. Also, use
N (Neutral) when the vehicle is
being towed.