Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11349743) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
Driving and Operating 197
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 206
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 207
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 209
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Truck-Camper LoadingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 216
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 224
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 229
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 240
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . 243
Driver Mode Control
(ZR2 Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . 245
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Locking Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 250
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 256
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11349743) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
218 Driving and Operating
The switch stays in this position
when the engine is running. The
transmission is also unlocked in this
position on automatic transmission
vehicles.
If the key is left in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position
with the engine off, the battery could
be drained. The vehicle may not
start 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.
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.
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.
See Add-On Electrical Equipment
0 272.
Place the transmission in the
proper gear.
Automatic Transmission
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
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.
Manual Transmission
The shift lever should be in Neutral
and the parking brake engaged.
Hold the clutch pedal down to the
floor and start the engine. The
vehicle will not start if the clutch
pedal is not all the way down.
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 the 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.
Caution
Cranking the engine for long
periods of time, by returning the
ignition to the START position
(Continued)
Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11349743) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
Index 411
Door (cont'd)Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . 381
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129, 131
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 26
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 207
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 209
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
E
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Electrical System Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Electrical System (cont'd)
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 305
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Check Light (Malfunction
Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 278
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 223
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 394 Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 142
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 143
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
F
FanEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 145
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Fluid
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 285
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Four-Wheel DriveTransfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . 231, 296
Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11349743) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
Index 417
Spare TireCompact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Special Application Services . . . . 370
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Start Assist, Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Storage Areas Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Sunglasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Underseat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . . 103
Struts Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Sunglass Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
System
Forward CollisionAlert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 395
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Taillamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Text Messaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . . 385
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . . . 38
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 All-Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
All-Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Full-Size Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 Tires (cont'd)
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Pressure Monitor Operation . . 322
Pressure Monitor System . . . . . 321
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Terminology and Definitions . . 317
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 331
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 259
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 259
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 348
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 271
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348