Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
164 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 168
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 169
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 171
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 175
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 179
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 183
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 194
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 199
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
176 Driving and Operating
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 0189.
{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.
Caution
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. 1 (ACC/ACCESSORY) :
This is the
position in which you can operate
things like the radio and the
windshield wipers when the engine
is off.
2 (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.
3 (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.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 177
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.
Caution
If you add electrical parts or
accessories, you could change
the way the engine operates. Any
resulting damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
SeeAdd-On Electrical Equipment
0 212.
Caution
Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving. If you do, you
could damage the transmission.
Shift to P (Park) only when the
vehicle is stopped.
Caution
If the steering wheel is turned
until it reaches the end of its
travel, and is held in that position
while starting the vehicle, damage
may occur to the hydraulic power
steering system and there may be
loss of power steering assist.
Starting Procedure 1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START. When
the engine starts, let go of the
key. The idle speed will go
down as your engine gets
warm. Do not race the engine
immediately after starting it. Operate the engine and
transmission gently to allow the
oil to warm up and lubricate all
moving parts.
When the Low Fuel warning
lamp is on and the FUEL
LEVEL LOW message is
displayed in the Driver
Information Center (DIC), the
Computer-Controlled Cranking
System is disabled to prevent
possible vehicle component
damage. When this happens,
hold the ignition switch in the
START position to continue
engine cranking.
Caution
Cranking the engine for long
periods of time, by returning the
ignition to the START position
immediately after cranking has
ended, can overheat and damage
the cranking motor, and drain the
battery. Wait at least 15 seconds
between each try, to let the
cranking motor cool down.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
194 Driving and Operating
.Vehicles with a 6-speed
automatic transmission have
Cruise Grade Braking to help
maintain driver selected speed.
Cruise Grade Braking is enabled
when the vehicle is started and
cruise control is active. It is not
enabled in Range Selection Mode.
It assists in maintaining driver
selected speed when driving on
downhill grades by using the engine
and transmission to slow the
vehicle.
To disable and enable Cruise Grade
Braking for the current ignition key
cycle, press and hold the Tow/Haul
button for three seconds. A DIC
message displays. See
Transmission Messages 0118.
When the brakes are applied the
cruise control is disengaged. Ending Cruise Control
There are four ways to end cruise
control:
.
Step lightly on the brake pedal.
. Press
[.
. Shift the transmission to
N (Neutral).
. To turn off cruise control,
press
I.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed is
erased from memory if
Iis
pressed or if the vehicle is
turned off.
Driver Assistance
Systems
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC)
If equipped, the RVC system is
designed to help the driver when
backing up by displaying a view of
the area behind the vehicle.
{Warning
The camera(s) do not display
children, pedestrians, bicyclists,
crossing traffic, animals, or any
other object outside of the
cameras’ field of view, below the
bumper, or under the vehicle.
Shown distances may be different
from actual distances. Do not
drive or park the vehicle using
only these camera(s). Always
check behind and around the
vehicle before driving. Failure to
use proper care may result in
injury, death, or vehicle damage.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
Driving and Operating 195
Vehicles without Navigation
System
When the vehicle is on and shifted
into R (Reverse), the video image
appears on the inside rearview
mirror. The video image disappears
after the vehicle is shifted out of
R (Reverse).
Vehicles with Navigation
System
When the vehicle is shifted into
R (Reverse), the video image
appears on the navigation screen.
After a delay, the navigation screen
displays the previous screen after
the vehicle is shifted out of
R (Reverse).
The delay that is received after
shifting out of R (Reverse) is
approximately 10 seconds. Return to
the previous screen sooner by
performing one of the following:
.Press a hard key on the
navigation system.
. Shift into P (Park).
. Reach a vehicle speed of
8 km/h (5 mph). Symbols and Guidelines
The navigation system may have a
feature that allows for viewing
parking assist symbols and/or
guidelines on the navigation screen
while using the RVC. The Rear
Parking Assist (RPA) system must
not be disabled to use the caution
symbols. If RPA has been disabled
and the symbols have been turned
on, the Rear Parking Assist
Symbols Unavailable error message
may display. See
Parking Assist
0 197.
The symbols appear near objects
detected by the RPA system. The
symbol may cover the object when
viewing the navigation screen. The
guideline overlay can help the driver
align the vehicle when backing into
a parking spot.
To turn the symbols or guidelines on
or off:
1. Shift into P (Park).
2. Press MENU to enter the configure menu options. Turn
the Multifunction knob until the
Display feature is highlighted and press the Multifunction
knob; or press the Display
screen button.
3. Select the Rear Camera Options screen button. The
Rear Camera Options screen
displays.
4. Touch the Symbols or Guidelines screen button. The
screen button will be
highlighted when the feature
is on.
RVC Location
The camera is next to the license
plate.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 197
During any of these fault conditions,
the display will be blank and the
indicator will flash while the vehicle
is in R (Reverse) or until the
conditions return to normal.
Parking Assist
If equipped, the Rear Parking Assist
(RPA) system uses sensors on the
rear bumper to assist with parking
and avoiding objects while in
R (Reverse).
{Warning
The parking assist system does
not detect children, pedestrians,
bicyclists, animals, or objects
below the bumper or that are too
close or too far from the vehicle.
It is not available at speeds
greater than 8 km/h (5 mph). To
prevent injury, death, or vehicle
damage, even with parking assist,
always check the area around the
vehicle and check all mirrors
before backing.
How the System Works
RPA comes on automatically when
the shift lever is moved into
R (Reverse). A single beep sounds
to indicate the system is working.
RPA operates only at speeds less
than 8 km/h (5 mph).
An obstacle detection is indicated
by beeps. The time between beeps
gets shorter as the vehicle
approaches the obstacle. Repeated
beeps are heard when the distance
is less than 30 cm (12 in).
To be detected, objects must be at
least 25 cm (10 in) off the ground
and below rear door level. Objects
must also be within 2.5 m (8 ft) from
the rear bumper. This distance may
be less during warmer or humid
weather.
Turning the System On and Off
The system can be disabled through
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
See“Park Assist” underDriver
Information Center (DIC) 0108. RPA defaults to the on setting each
time the vehicle is started.
Turn RPA off when towing a trailer.
When the System Does Not
Seem to Work Properly
The following messages may be
displayed on the DIC:
SERVICE PARK ASSIST :
If this
message occurs, take the vehicle to
your dealer for repair.
PARK ASSIST OFF : This message
occurs if the driver disables the
system or if the vehicle is driven
above 8 km/h (5 mph) in
R (Reverse).
PARK ASST BLOCKED SEE
OWNERS MANUAL : This
message can occur under the
following conditions:
. The sensors are not clean. Keep
the rear bumper free of mud,
dirt, snow, ice, slush, and frost.
The message may not clear until
frost or ice has melted all around
and inside the sensor.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 203
.The trailer must be equipped
with brakes adequate for the
intended use. A loaded trailer
weighing more than 680 kg
(1,500 lb) must be equipped with
its own brake system, with
brakes working on all axles.
Trailer braking equipment
conforming to Canadian
Standards Association (CSA)
requirement CAN3-D313, or its
equivalent, is recommended.
. Do not tow a trailer during the
first 800 km (500 mi) to prevent
damage to the engine, axle,
or other parts.
. Then during the first 800 km
(500 mi) of trailer towing, do not
drive over 80 km/h (50 mph) and
do not make starts at full throttle.
. Vehicles can tow in D (Drive).
The Tow/Haul Mode may be
used if the transmission shifts
too often. See Tow/Haul Mode
0 187.
. Turn off Park Assist when
towing.{Warning
When towing a trailer, exhaust
gases may collect at the rear of
the vehicle and enter if the
liftgate, trunk/hatch, or rear-most
window is open.
When towing a trailer:
. Do not drive with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch,
or rear-most window open.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Also adjust the climate
control system to a setting
that brings in only outside
air. See “Climate Control
Systems” in the Index.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust 0182.
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. The
combination you are driving is
longer and not as responsive as the vehicle itself. Get acquainted with
the handling and braking of the rig
before setting out for the open road.
The structure, tires, and brakes of
the trailer must be rated to carry the
load. Inadequate trailer equipment
can cause the combination to
operate in an unexpected or unsafe
manner.
Before starting, check all trailer hitch
parts and attachments, safety
chains, electrical connectors, lamps,
tires, and mirrors. Get familiar with
the handling and braking of the rig.
If the trailer has electric brakes, start
the combination moving and then
apply the trailer brake controller by
hand to be sure the brakes work.
During the trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure
and the lamps and any trailer
brakes still work.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving the vehicle without a trailer.
This can help to avoid heavy
braking and sudden turns.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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212 Driving and Operating
Tow/Haul Mode
This button is on the instrument
panel, to the right of the steering
wheel.
Pressing this button turns on and off
the Tow/Haul Mode.
This indicator light on the instrument
cluster comes on when the Tow/
Haul Mode is on.
Tow/Haul is a feature that assists
when pulling a heavy trailer or a
large or heavy load. SeeTow/Haul
Mode 0187.
Tow/Haul is designed to be most
effective when the vehicle and
trailer combined weight is at least
75 percent of the vehicle Gross
Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). See
“Weight of the Trailer” inTrailer
Towing 0205. Tow/Haul is most
useful under the following driving
conditions:
. When pulling a heavy trailer or a
large or heavy load through
rolling terrain.
. When pulling a heavy trailer or a
large or heavy load in
stop-and-go traffic.
. When pulling a heavy trailer or a
large or heavy load in busy
parking lots where improved low
speed control of the vehicle is
desired.
Operating the vehicle in Tow/Haul
Mode when lightly loaded or with no
trailer at all will not cause damage.
However, there is no benefit to the
selection of Tow/Haul when the
vehicle is unloaded. Such a
selection when unloaded may result
in unpleasant engine and
transmission driving characteristics
and reduced fuel economy. Tow/
Haul is recommended only when
pulling a heavy trailer or a large or
heavy load.
Conversions and
Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment
{Warning
The Data Link Connector
(DLC) is used for vehicle service
and Emission Inspection/
Maintenance testing. See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) 0102.
A device connected to the DLC —
such as an aftermarket fleet or
driver-behavior tracking device —
may interfere with vehicle
systems. This could affect vehicle
operation and cause a crash.
Such devices may also access
information stored in the vehicle’s
systems.