Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
In Brief 7
1.Air Vents 0163.
2. Driver Information Center (DIC) Buttons (Out of View). See
Driver Information Center (DIC)
0108.
3. Turn Signal Lever. See Turn
and Lane-Change Signals
0 128.
Windshield Wiper/Washer 089.
4. Horn 089.
5. Hazard Warning Flashers
0128.
6. Instrument Cluster 095.
7. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission 0183.
Manual Mode 0186
(If Equipped).
8. Climate Control Systems
0158.
9. Infotainment 0132.
10. Power Outlets 092.
11. USB Port (If Equipped). See Auxiliary Devices 0146. 12. Power Outlet 110 Volt
Alternating Current. See Power
Outlets 092.
13. Rear Heating System 0160
(If Equipped).
14. Passenger Airbag On-Off Switch (If Equipped). See
Airbag On-Off Switch 062.
15. Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0190
(If Equipped).
16. Tow/Haul Mode Button (If Equipped). See Tow/Haul
Mode 0187.
17. Steering Wheel Controls 088
(If Equipped).
18. Steering Wheel Adjustment
088 (Out of View),
(If Equipped).
19. Hood Release. See Hood
0 217.
20. Cruise Control 0192
(If Equipped).
Fast Idle System 0178
(If Equipped).
21. Parking Brake 0189. 22. Data Link Connector (DLC)
(Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp (Check Engine
Light) 0102.
23. Instrument Panel Illumination
Control 0129.
Dome Lamp Override. See
Dome Lamps 0129.
24. Exterior Lamp Controls 0125.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
104 Instruments and Controls
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.
If the warning light comes on, there
could be a brake problem. Have the
brake system inspected right away.
MetricEnglish
This light should come on briefly
when the engine is started. If it does
not come on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there is
a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light also comes on
when the parking brake is set. See
Parking Brake 0189 for more information. The light stays on if the
parking brake does not fully release.
If it stays on after the parking brake
is fully released, it means the
vehicle has a brake problem.
If the light comes on while driving,
pull off the road and stop carefully.
The pedal might be harder to push,
or the pedal might go closer to the
floor. It could take longer to stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle
0286.
{Warning
The 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.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
For vehicles with the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally the
indicator light then goes off.
If the ABS light stays on, turn the
ignition off. If the light comes on
while driving, stop as soon as it is
safely possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to
reset the system. If the ABS light
stays on, or comes on again while
driving, the vehicle needs service.
If the regular brake system warning
light is not on, the vehicle still has
brakes, but not antilock brakes.
If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, the vehicle does not
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
116 Instruments and Controls
SERVICE PARK ASSIST
This message displays if there is a
problem with the Rear Parking
Assist (RPA) system. Do not use
this system to help you park. See
Parking Assist0197. See your
dealer for service.
Ride Control System
Messages
SERVICE STABILITRAK
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak®and
this message displays, it means
there may be a problem with the
StabiliTrak system. If you see this
message, try to reset the system.
Stop; turn off the engine for at least
15 seconds; then start the engine
again. If this message still comes
on, it means there is a problem. You
should see your dealer for service.
The vehicle is safe to drive,
however, you do not have the
benefit of StabiliTrak, so reduce
your speed and drive accordingly.
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak, this
message displays when there is a
problem with the Traction Control
System (TCS). When this message
displays, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly. See your dealer for
service. See Traction Control/
Electronic Stability Control 0190.
STABILITRAK INITIALIZING
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak, this
message may display until first
driving the vehicle and exceeding
40 km/h (25 mph) for two minutes.
The StabiliTrak system is not
functional until this message has
turned off. See Traction Control/
Electronic Stability Control 0190.
TRACTION XX
STABILITRAK XX
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak, this
message displays when the traction
control and/or StabiliTrak systems
have been turned on or off. Adjust
your driving accordingly. To limit
wheel spin and realize the full benefits of the stability
enhancement system, you should
normally leave StabiliTrak on.
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. See
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
0 171. To turn the StabiliTrak
system on or off, see Traction
Control/Electronic Stability Control
0 190.
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.
See Brake System Warning
Light 0104.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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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-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
178 Driving and Operating
2. If the engine does not startafter 5-10 seconds, especially
in very cold weather (below
−18 °C or 0 °F), it could be
flooded with too much
gasoline. Try pushing the
accelerator pedal all the way to
the floor and holding it there as
you hold the key in START for
up to 15 seconds. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try,
to allow the cranking motor to
cool down. When the engine
starts, let go of the key and
accelerator. If the vehicle starts
briefly but then stops again, do
the same thing. This clears the
extra gasoline from the engine.
Do not race the engine
immediately after starting it.
Operate the engine and
transmission gently until the oil
warms up and lubricates all
moving parts.Fast Idle System
If equipped, this feature is available
only with cruise control. The manual
fast idle switch is operated using the
cruise control buttons on the left
side of the steering wheel.
This system can be used to
increase engine idle speed
whenever the following conditions
are met:
.The parking brake is set.
. The brake pedal is not pressed.
. The vehicle must not be moving
and the accelerator must not be
pressed.
To control the fast idle:
. To enable the Fast Idle System,
press and release the cruise
control on/off button and ensure
that the switch indicator light
is lit.
. Press and release the cruise
control SET- button. Engine
speed will be held at
approximately 1200 rpm. When the fast idle is active, the
Driver Information Center (DIC) will
display FAST IDLE ON.
One of the following actions will turn
off the fast idle:
.
Pressing the brake.
. Selecting the cruise control
cancel button.
. Releasing the parking brake.
. Moving the transmission shift
lever out of P (Park) or
N (Neutral).
. Selecting the cruise control on/
off button when it was
previously on.
. Pressing the cruise control SET-
button a second time.
. Pressing the accelerator more
than one-quarter of the
way down.
. Turning the ignition switch to the
LOCK/OFF position.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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180 Driving and Operating
Warning (Continued)
function. An ungrounded
outlet could cause an
electric shock.
. Use a weatherproof,
heavy-duty, 15 amp-rated
extension cord if needed.
Failure to use the
recommended extension
cord in good operating
condition, or using a
damaged heater or
extension cord, could make
it overheat and cause a fire,
property damage, electric
shock, and injury.
. Do not operate the vehicle
with the heater cord
permanently attached to the
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
vehicle. Possible heater
cord and thermostat
damage could occur.
. While in use, do not let the
heater cord touch vehicle
parts or sharp edges. Never
close the hood on the
heater cord.
. Before starting the vehicle,
unplug the cord, reattach
the cover to the plug, and
securely fasten the cord.
Keep the cord away from
any moving parts.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store the
cord as it was before to keep it
away from moving engine parts
and prevent damage.
The length of time the heater should
remain plugged in depends on
several factors. Ask a dealer in the
area where you will be parking the
vehicle for the best advice on this.
Shifting Into Park
1. Hold the brake pedal down, then set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into the P (Park) position by pulling the
shift lever toward you and
moving it up as far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can leave the
vehicle with the ignition key in
your hand, the vehicle is
in P (Park).
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.
(Continued)
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9967827) - 2017 - crc - 9/26/16
Driving and Operating 181
Warning (Continued)
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 0180.
If you are towing a trailer, see
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips 0202.
If you have to leave the vehicle with
the engine running, be sure the
vehicle is in P (Park) and the
parking brake is firmly set. After the
shift lever is moved into P (Park),
hold the regular brake pedal down.
Then, see if you can move the shift
lever away from P (Park) without first pulling it toward you. If you can,
it means that the shift lever was not
fully locked into P (Park).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you
do not shift the transmission into
P (Park) properly, the weight of the
vehicle can put too much force on
the parking pawl in the
transmission. It might be difficult to
pull the shift lever out of P (Park).
This is called torque lock. To
prevent torque lock, set the parking
brake and then shift into P (Park)
properly before you leave the driver
seat. To find out how, see
Shifting
Into Park 0180.
When you are ready to drive, move
the shift lever out of P (Park) before
releasing the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you might
need to have another vehicle push
yours a little uphill to take some of
the pressure from the parking pawl
in the transmission. Then you
should be able to pull the shift lever
out of P (Park).
Shifting out of Park
The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control
system. You have to fully apply the
brakes before you can shift from
P (Park) when the ignition is in ON/
RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY. See
Automatic Transmission 0183.
The shift lock control system is
designed to:
. Prevent the ignition key from
being removed 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 or ACC/
ACCESSORY and the regular
brake pedal is applied.
The shift lock control system is
always functional except in the case
of a dead battery or low voltage
(less than 9 V) battery.
If the vehicle has an uncharged
battery or a battery with low voltage,
try charging or jump starting the
battery. See Jump Starting - North
America 0282.