Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14430421) - 2021 - CRC - 2/10/20
Driving and Operating 169
Driving and Operating
Driving Information
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 170
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Impaired Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Truck-Camper Loading Information . . . . 184
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . 188
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . 190
Active Fuel Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . 191
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic StabilityControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Locking Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Assistance Systems for Parking or
Backing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . 214
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . 216
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . 219
Trailer Towing
General Towing Information . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14430421) - 2021 - CRC - 2/10/20
Driving and Operating 217
Recommended Fuel
For diesel engine vehicles, see“Fuel for
Diesel Engines” in the Duramax diesel
supplement.
Use regular unleaded gasoline meeting
ASTM specification D4814 with a posted
octane rating of 87 —(R+M)/2 —or higher.
Do not use gasoline with a posted octane
rating of less than 87, as this may cause
engine knock and will lower fuel economy. Do not use any fuel labeled E85 or FlexFuel.
Do not use gasoline with ethanol levels
greater than 15% by volume.
Prohibited Fuels
Caution
Do not use fuels with any of the
following conditions; doing so may
damage the vehicle and void its
warranty:
.For vehicles that are not FlexFuel, fuel
labeled greater than 15% ethanol by
volume, such as mid-level ethanol
blends (16–50% ethanol), E85,
or FlexFuel.
.Fuel with any amount of methanol,
methylal, ferrocene, and aniline. These
fuels can corrode metal fuel system
parts or damage plastic and rubber
parts.
.Fuel containing metals such as
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT), which can damage
the emissions control system and
spark plugs.
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
.Fuel with a posted octane rating of
less than the recommended fuel. Using
this fuel will lower fuel economy and
performance, and may decrease the
life of the emissions catalyst.
Fuels in Foreign Countries
The U.S., Canada, and Mexico post fuel
octane ratings in anti-knock index (AKI). For
fuel not to use in a foreign country, see
Prohibited Fuels
0217.
Fuel Additives
TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is highly
recommended for use with your vehicle.
If your country does not have TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, add ACDelco Fuel
System Treatment Plus−Gasoline to the
vehicle’s gasoline fuel tank at every oil
change or 15 000 km (9,000 mi), whichever
occurs first. TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline and
ACDelco Fuel System Treatment Plus
−Gasoline will help keep your vehicle’s
engine fuel deposit free and performing
optimally.
Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14430421) - 2021 - CRC - 2/10/20
350 Index
Electrical SystemEngine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . 262
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Check Light (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . . 86
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . 107
F
Fan
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Four-Wheel Drive Transfer Case . . . . . . . . 195
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . 213
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195, 254
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Frequency Statement
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Front Axle (cont'd)
Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Economy, Driving for Better . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . 219
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Management, Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Top Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Fuses Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . 262
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . 266
G
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257