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286 DRIVING AND OPERATING
The trailer tongue weight (1) should
be 10–15% of the loaded trailer
weight (2). Some specific trailer types,
such as boat trailers, fall outside of
this range. Always refer to the trailer
owner’s manual for the recommended
trailer tongue weight for each trailer.
Never exceed the maximum loads for
your vehicle, hitch and trailer.
After loading the trailer, separately
weigh the trailer and then the trailer
tongue and calculate the trailer load
balance percentage to see if the
weights and distribution are
appropriate for your vehicle. If the
trailer weight is too high, it may be
possible to transfer some of the cargointo your vehicle. If the trailer tongue
weight is too high or too low, it may
be possible to rearrange some of the
cargo inside of the trailer.
Do not exceed the maximum
allowable tongue weight for your
vehicle. Use the shortest hitch
extension available to position the
hitch ball closer to your vehicle. This
will help reduce the effect of the
trailer tongue weight on the trailer
hitch and rear axle.
If a cargo carrier is used in the trailer
hitch receiver, choose a carrier that
positions the load as close to the
vehicle as possible. Make sure the
total weight, including the carrier, is
no more than half of the maximum
allowable tongue weight for the
vehicle or 227 kg (500 lb), whichever
is less.
Ask your dealer for trailering
information or assistance.
Towing Equipment
Hitches
Always use the correct hitch
equipment for your vehicle.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by, and
rough roads can affect the trailer and
the hitch.
Never attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches. Only use
frame-mounted hitches that do not
attach to the bumper.
Always seal any holes in your vehicle
if the trailer hitch is removed. If not
sealed, dirt, water, and carbon
monoxide (CO) from the exhaust may
enter your vehicle. See
Engine Exhaust
0 231.
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DRIVING AND OPERATING 289
Electric Trailer
BrakesBlue
Battery Feed Red/Green or
Red/Blue
Brake Apply
Signal White/Blue
Ground Black
Refer to the aftermarket electric trailer
brake controller owner's manual to
determine wire color coding of the
electric trailer brake controller. The
wire colors on the brake controller
may be different from the vehicle. The
electric trailer brake controller should
be installed by your dealer or a
qualified service center.
If equipped, there are four blunt cut
wires inside the front driver side
instrument panel. It will be necessary
to have a technician connect the
12-volt power to the engine
compartment fuse block.
Trailer Lamps
Always check all trailer lamps are
working at the beginning of each trip,
and periodically on longer trips.
Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
When properly connected, the trailer
turn signals will illuminate to indicate
the vehicle is turning, changing lanes,
or stopping. When towing a trailer,
the arrows on the instrument cluster
will illuminate even if the trailer is not
properly connected or the bulbs are
burned out.
Always check all trailer lamps are
working at the beginning of each trip,
and periodically on longer trips.
Trailer Sway Control (TSC)
Vehicles with StabiliTrak/Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) have a Trailer
Sway Control (TSC) feature. Trailer
sway is unintended side-to-side
motion of a trailer while towing. If the
vehicle is towing a trailer and the TSC
detects that sway is increasing, the
vehicle brakes are selectively applied
at each wheel, to help reduce
excessive trailer sway. If equipped with
the Integrated Trailer Brake Control
(ITBC) system, and the trailer has an
electric brake system, StabiliTrak/ESC
may also apply the trailer brakes.
If TSC is enabled, the Traction Control
System (TCS)/StabiliTrak/ESC warning
light will flash on the instrument
cluster. Reduce vehicle speed by
gradually removing your foot from the
accelerator. If trailer sway continues,
StabiliTrak/ESC can reduce engine
torque to help slow the vehicle. TSC
will not function if StabiliTrak/ESC is
turned off. See Traction Control/
Electronic Stability Control 0240.
{Warning
Trailer sway can result in a crash
and in serious injury or death, even
if the vehicle is equipped with TSC.
If the trailer begins to sway, reduce
vehicle speed by gradually removing
your foot from the accelerator. Then
pull over to check the trailer and
vehicle to help correct possible
(Continued)
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290 DRIVING AND OPERATING
Warning (Continued)
causes, including an improperly or
overloaded trailer, unrestrained
cargo, improper trailer hitch
configuration, or improperly
inflated or incorrect vehicle or
trailer tires. SeeTowing Equipment
0 286 for trailer ratings and hitch
setup recommendations.
Trailer Tires
Special Trailer (ST) tires differ from
vehicle tires. Trailer tires are designed
with stiff sidewalls to help prevent
sway and to support heavy loads.
These features can make it difficult to
determine if the trailer tire pressures
are low only based on a visual
inspection.
Always check all trailer tire pressures
before each trip when the tires are
cool. Low trailer tire pressure is a
leading cause of trailer tire blow-outs. Trailer tires deteriorate over time. The
trailer tire sidewall will show the week
and year the tire was manufactured.
Many trailer tire manufacturers
recommend replacing tires more than
six years old.
Overloading is another leading cause
of trailer tire blow-outs. Never load
your trailer with more weight than the
tires are designed to support. The load
rating is located on the trailer tire
sidewall.
Always know the maximum speed
rating for the trailer tires before
driving. This may be significantly
lower than the vehicle tire speed
rating. The speed rating may be on
the trailer tire sidewall. If the speed
rating is not shown, the default trailer
tire speed rating is 105 km/h
(65 mph).
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) 0108.
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.
Caution
Some electrical equipment can
damage the vehicle or cause
components to not work and would (Continued)
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292 VEHICLE CARE
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . 302
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . 303
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Battery - North America . . . . . . . . . 312
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . 313
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . 314
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Headlamp Aiming
Front Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . 315
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . 316
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . 316
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . 320
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Tire Pressure for High-Speed
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . 334
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . 342
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Storing the Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Jump Starting
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
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Towing the Vehicle
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . 362
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
General Information
For service and parts needs, visit your
dealer. You will receive genuine GM
parts and GM-trained and supported
service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of these
marks:
California Proposition
65 Warning
{Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this
one, as well as many of its service
parts and fluids, contain and/or
emit chemicals known to the State
of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive
harm. Engine exhaust, many parts
and systems, many fluids, and
some component wear by-products
contain and/or emit these
chemicals. For more information go
to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/
passenger-vehicle.
See Battery - North America 0312 and
Jump Starting - North America 0359
and the back cover.
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag initiators,
seat belt pretensioners, and lithium
batteries contained in electronic keys,
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VEHICLE CARE 295
Hood
{Warning
For vehicles with auto engine stop/
start, turn the vehicle off before
opening the hood. If the vehicle is
on, the engine will start when the
hood is opened. You or others could
be injured.
{Warning
Components under the hood can
get hot from running the engine. To
help avoid the risk of burning
unprotected skin, never touch these
components until they have cooled,
and always use a glove or towel to
avoid direct skin contact.
Clear any snow from the hood before
opening.
To open the hood: 1. Pull the hood release handle with the
isymbol. It is on the lower
left side of the instrument panel.
2. Go to the front of the vehicle and locate the secondary release lever
under the front center of the hood.
Push the secondary hood release
lever to the right to release.
3. After you have partially lifted the hood, the gas strut system will
automatically lift the hood and
hold it in the fully open position.
To close the hood: 1. Before closing the hood, be sure all filler caps are on properly, and all
tools are removed.
2. Pull the hood down until the strut system is no longer holding up
the hood. 3. Allow the hood to fall. Check to
make sure the hood is latched
completely. Repeat this process
with additional force if necessary.
{Warning
Do not drive the vehicle if the hood
is not latched completely. The hood
could open fully, block your vision,
and cause a crash. You or others
could be injured. Always close the
hood completely before driving.
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296 VEHICLE CARE
Engine Compartment Overview
2.0L L4 Engine
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1.Engine Air Cleaner/Filter 0303.
2. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See Engine Oil
0 299.
3. Engine Oil Dipstick. See Engine Oil
0 299.
4. Engine Cooling Fan (Out of View). See Cooling System 0304.
5. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See Brake
Fluid 0311.
6. Battery - North America 0312.
7. Engine Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap. See Cooling System
0 304.
8. Positive (+) Battery Terminal (Under Cover). See Jump Starting -
North America 0359.
9. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See Washer Fluid 0309.
10. Engine Compartment Fuse Block
0317.
11. Remote Negative (-) Battery Terminal. See Jump Starting - North
America 0359.