
Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234744) - 2016 - CRC - 3/9/16
154 Lighting
The vehicle has a light sensor on
top of the instrument panel. Make
sure it is not covered, or the
headlamps will be on when they are
not needed.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel. If the
vehicle is started in a dark garage,
the automatic headlamp system
comes on immediately. If it is light
outside when the vehicle leaves thegarage, there is a slight delay
before the automatic headlamp
system changes to the DRL. During
that delay, the instrument cluster
may not be as bright as usual. Make
sure the instrument panel
illumination control is in the full
bright position. See
Instrument
Panel Illumination Control 0156.
Lights On with Wipers
This feature only works on vehicles
with automatic light control.
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
not operating, these lamps turn off.
Move the exterior lamp control to
O
or;to disable this feature.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|:Press to make the front and
rear turn signal lamps flash on and
off. This warns others that you are
having trouble. Press again to turn
the flashers off.

Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Infotainment System 183
Trademarks and
License Agreements
FCC Information
SeeRadio Frequency
Statement 0352.
Bluetooth
®
The Bluetooth word mark and logos
are owned by the Bluetooth®SIG,
Inc. and any use of such marks by
General Motors is under license.
Other trademarks and trade names
are those of their respective owners.
DivX Certified®to play DivX®video,
including premium content.
Covered by one or more of the
following U.S. patents: 7,295,673;
7,460,668; 7,515,710; 7,519,274. DivX
®, DivX Certified®and
associated logos are trademarks of
Rovi Corporation or its subsidiaries
and are used under license.
“Made for iPod” and“Made for
iPhone” mean that an electronic
accessory has been designed to
connect specifically to iPod or
iPhone and has been certified by
the developer to meet Apple
performance standards.
iPod and iPhone are trademarks of
Apple Computer, Inc., registered in
the U.S. and other countries.
Fees and Taxes: Subscription fee,
taxes, one time activation fee, and
other fees may apply. Subscription
fee is consumer only. All fees
and programming subject to
change. Subscriptions subject to
Customer Agreement available
at www.siriusxm.com or
www.siriusxm.ca. SiriusXM
®service
only available in the 48 contiguous
United States and Canada.
In Canada: Some deterioration of
service may occur in extreme
northern latitudes. This is beyond
the control of SiriusXM
®Satellite
Radio.
It is prohibited to copy, decompile,
disassemble, reverse engineer,
hack, manipulate, or otherwise
make available any technology or
software incorporated in receivers
compatible with the SiriusXM
Satellite Radio System or that
support the SiriusXM website, the
Online Service or any of its content.
Furthermore, the AMBER voice
compression software included in

Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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190 Climate Controls
Press AUTO to return to automatic
operation and the air conditioner
runs automatically as needed. With
Stop/Start vehicles, the A/C will
return to the last selected a/c mode.
For comfort a/c, press A/C. The
indicator will turn amber. This
setting limits Auto Stops to ensure
cabin comfort is maintained and
reduces the likelihood of window
fogging.
For eco a/c, press A/C again. The
indicator will turn green. This setting
balances fuel economy and air
conditioning comfort. In warm
weather conditions, Auto Stops may
occur more frequently and the
vehicle interior may be warmer as
compared to the comfort air
conditioning setting. This setting
allows higher humidity inside the
vehicle and window fogging before
the engine restarts. Pressing
0
during an Auto Stop will restart the
engine to prevent window fogging.
L:Press to turn on
recirculation. An indicator light
comes on. Air is recirculated to quickly cool the inside of the vehicle
and reduce the entry of outside air
and odors.
Automatic Air Recirculation :
When the AUTO indicator light is
on, the air is automatically
recirculated as needed to help
quickly cool the inside of the
vehicle.
Auto Defog :
The climate control
system may have a sensor to
automatically detect high humidity
inside the vehicle. When high
humidity is detected, the climate
control system may adjust to
outside air supply and turn on the
air conditioner. If the climate control
system does not detect possible
window fogging, it returns to normal
operation. To turn Auto Defog off or
on, see “Climate and Air Quality”
under Vehicle
Personalization 0143.
Rear Window Defogger
=:Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. An indicator light
on the button comes on to show that
the rear window defogger is on. The defogger only works when the
ignition is in ON/RUN. The defogger
turns off if the ignition is in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF
position.
The rear window defogger can be
set to automatic operation. See
“Climate and Air Quality”
under
Vehicle Personalization 0143.
When Auto Rear Defog is selected,
the rear window defogger turns on
automatically when the interior
temperature is cold and the outside
temperature is about 5 °C (40 °F)
and below. The auto rear defogger
turns off automatically. At higher
speeds, the rear window defogger
may stay on continuously.
If equipped with heated outside
mirrors, they turn on when the rear
window defogger button is on and
help to clear fog or frost from the
surface of the mirrors. See Heated
Mirrors 050.

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Driving and Operating 193
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 197
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 198
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 199
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 204
Ignition Positions (KeyAccess) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 214
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 217
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 225 Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 226
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 231
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 233
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 236
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 195
{Warning
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount of alcohol. You
can have a serious—or even
fatal —collision if you drive after
drinking.
Do not drink and drive or ride with
a driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or if you are
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time. Average driver reaction time is
about three-quarters of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.
Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
. Avoid needless heavy braking.
. Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
The vehicle has electric power
steering, it does not have power
steering fluid. Regular maintenance
is not required.
If power steering assist is lost due
to a system malfunction, the vehicle
can be steered, but may require
increased effort. See your dealer if
there is a problem.
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel, and is
held in that position for an extended
period of time, power steering assist
may be reduced.
If the steering assist is used for an
extended period of time, power
assist may be reduced.
Normal use of the power steering
assist should return when the
system cools down.
See specific vehicle steering
messages under Vehicle
Messages 0136.

Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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198 Driving and Operating
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
. Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
. Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{Warning
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.
. Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, accident).
. Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
. Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0221.
. The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) improves vehicle stability
during hard stops, but the
brakes should be applied sooner
than when on dry pavement.
See Antilock Brake System
(ABS) 0219.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise

Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 199
clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and
signal for help. Stay with the vehicle
unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside
Assistance Program 0346. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe:
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{Warning
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO), which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle is stuck in snow:
. Clear snow from the base of
the vehicle, especially any
blocking the exhaust pipe.
. Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the vehicle side
that is away from the wind,
to bring in fresh air.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See“Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0213.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running the engine, push the
accelerator pedal slightly so the
engine runs faster than the idle
speed. This keeps the battery
charged to restart the vehicle and to
signal for help with the headlamps.
Do this as little as possible, to
save fuel.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.

Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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200 Driving and Operating
If stuck too severely for the traction
system to free the vehicle, turn the
traction system off and use the
rocking method. SeeTraction
Control/Electronic Stability
Control 0221.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other
damage. Spin the wheels as little
as possible and avoid going
above 56 km/h (35 mph).
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Turn off any traction
system. Shift back and forth
between R (Reverse) and a low
forward gear, spinning the wheels
as little as possible. To prevent
transmission wear, wait until the
wheels stop spinning before shifting gears. Release the accelerator
pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
Slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. If the
vehicle does need to be towed out,
see
Towing the Vehicle 0312.
Vehicle Load Limits
It is very important to know how
much weight the vehicle can
carry. This weight is called the
vehicle capacity weight and
includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
Two labels on the vehicle may
show how much weight it may
properly carry: the Tire and
Loading Information label and
the Certification label.
{Warning
Do not load the vehicle any
heavier than the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR), or either the
maximum front or rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
This can cause systems to
break and change the way the
vehicle handles. This could
cause loss of control and a
crash. Overloading can also
reduce stopping distance,
damage the tires, and shorten
the life of the vehicle.