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Driving and Operating 319
See“Weight-Distributing Hitch
Adjustment” under Towing
Equipment 0322 to determine
if equalizer bars are required
to obtain the maximum trailer
weight rating.
See “Trailer Brakes” under
Towing Equipment 0322 to
determine if brakes are
required based on the trailer
weight.
The only way to be sure the
weight is not exceeding any of
these ratings is to weigh the
tow vehicle and trailer
combination, fully loaded for
the trip, getting individual
weights for each of these
items.
{Warning
You and others could be
seriously injured or killed if
the trailer is too heavy or
the trailer brakes are
inadequate for the load. The
vehicle may be damaged,
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
and the repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle
warranty.
Only tow a trailer if all the
steps in this section have
been followed. Ask your
dealer for advice and
information about towing a
trailer.
Gross Combined Weight
Rating (GCWR)
GCWR is the total allowable
weight of the completely
loaded vehicle and trailer
including any fuel, passengers,
cargo, equipment, and
accessories. Do not exceed
the GCWR for your vehicle.
The GCWR for the vehicle is
on the Tow Rating Chart
following.
Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR)
For information about the
vehicle's maximum load
capacity, see Vehicle Load
Limits0242. When calculating
the GVWR with a trailer
attached, the trailer tongue
weight must be included as
part of the weight the vehicle
is carrying.
Maximum Trailer Weight
The maximum trailer weight
rating is calculated assuming
the tow vehicle has a driver, a
front seat passenger, and all
required trailering equipment.
This value represents the
heaviest trailer the vehicle can
tow, but it may be necessary
to reduce the trailer weight to
stay within the GCW, GVWR,
maximum trailer tongue load,
or GAWR-RR for the vehicle.
Use the tow rating chart to
determine how much the
trailer can weigh, based on the
vehicle model and options.
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Driving and Operating 323
.Tires must be properly
inflated to support loads
while towing a trailer. See
Tires0364 for instructions
on proper tire inflation.
Safety Chains
Always attach chains between
the vehicle and the trailer, and
attach the chains to the holes
on the trailer hitch platform.
Instructions about safety
chains may be provided by the
hitch manufacturer or by the
trailer manufacturer.
Cross the safety chains under
the tongue of the trailer to
help prevent the tongue from
contacting the road if it
becomes separated from the
hitch. Always leave just
enough slack so the
combination can turn. Never
allow safety chains to drag on
the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Loaded trailers over 450 kg
(1,000 lb) must be equipped
with brake systems and with brakes for each axle. Trailer
braking equipment conforming
to Canadian Standards
Association (CSA) requirement
CAN3-D313, or its equivalent,
is recommended.
State or local regulations may
require trailers to have their
own braking system if the
loaded weight of the trailer
exceeds certain minimums
that can vary from state to
state. Read and follow the
instructions for the trailer
brakes so they are installed,
adjusted, and maintained
properly. Never attempt to tap
into your vehicle's hydraulic
brake system. If you do, both
the vehicle anti-lock brakes
and the trailer brakes may not
function, which could result in
a crash.
Trailer Wiring Harness
Basic Trailer Wiring
The trailer wiring harness is
located at the rear of the
vehicle and is tied to the
vehicle's frame. The harness
connector can be plugged into
a trailer connector available
through your dealer.
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.
Trailer Sway
Control (TSC)
Vehicles with StabiliTrak/
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) have a Trailer Sway
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324 Driving and Operating
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
0
267.
{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 causes, including an
improperly or overloaded
trailer, unrestrained cargo,
improper trailer hitch
configuration, or improperly
inflated or incorrect vehicle
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
or trailer tires. See Towing
Equipment0322 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
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326 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . 327
California PerchlorateMaterials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Engine Oil Life System . . . 335
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Engine Air Cleaner/ Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Engine Overheating . . . . . . 342
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 Battery - North
America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . 347
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349Headlamp Aiming
Front Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . 350
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Front Turn SignalLamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . 367
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . 369
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Tire Pressure for High-Speed
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . 383
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . 387
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
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Vehicle Care 327
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . 389
Tire Sealant andCompressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . 390
Storing the Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . 398
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . 404
Jump Starting
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Towing the Vehicle
Transporting a DisabledVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
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 Perchlorate
Materials
Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt
pretensioners, and lithium
batteries contained in
electronic keys, may contain
perchlorate materials.
Perchlorate Material –special
handling may apply. See
www.dtsc.ca.gov/
hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non-dealer accessories
or making modifications to the
vehicle can affect vehicle
performance and safety,
including such things as
airbags, braking, stability, ride
and handling, emissions
systems, aerodynamics,
durability, Driver Assistance
Systems, and electronic
systems like antilock brakes,
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344 Vehicle Care
Caution (Continued)
damage the washer fluid
tank and other parts of
the washer system.
.When using concentrated
washer fluid, follow the
manufacturer instructions
for adding water.
.Fill the washer fluid tank
only three-quarters full
when it is very cold. This
allows for fluid expansion
if freezing occurs, which
could damage the tank if it
is completely full.
Brakes
Disc brake linings have built-in
wear indicators that make a
high-pitched warning sound
when the brake linings are
worn and new linings are
needed. The sound can come
and go or can be heard all the
time when the vehicle is
moving, except when applying
the brake pedal firmly.
{Warning
The brake wear warning
sound means that soon the
brakes will not work well.
That could lead to a crash.
When the brake wear
warning sound is heard,
have the vehicle serviced.
Caution
Continuing to drive with
worn-out brake linings could
result in costly brake repairs.
Some driving conditions or
climates can cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are
first applied, clearing up
following several applications.
This does not mean something
is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts
are necessary to help prevent
brake pulsation. When tires
are rotated, inspect brake
linings for wear and evenly
tighten wheel nuts in the proper sequence to torque
specifications. See Capacities
and Specifications
0433.
Brake pads should be replaced
as complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake
pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a
rapid increase in pedal travel.
This could be a sign that brake
service may be required.
Replacing Brake System
Parts
Always replace brake system
parts with new, approved
replacement parts. If this is
not done, the brakes may not
work properly. The braking
performance can change in
many ways if the wrong brake
parts are installed or if parts
are improperly installed.
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Vehicle Care 345
Brake Fluid
The brake master cylinder
reservoir is filled with GM
approved DOT 4 brake fluid as
indicated on the reservoir cap.
See Engine Compartment
Overview0331 for the
location of the reservoir.
Checking Brake Fluid
With the vehicle in P (Park) on
a level surface, the brake fluid
level should be between the
minimum and maximum marks
on the brake fluid reservoir.
There are only two reasons
why the brake fluid level in the
reservoir may go down:
.Normal brake lining wear.
When new linings are
installed, the fluid level goes
back up.
.A fluid leak in the brake
hydraulic system. Have the
brake hydraulic system fixed.
With a leak, the brakes will
not work well.
Always clean the brake fluid
reservoir cap and the area
around the cap before
removing it.
Do not top off the brake fluid.
Adding fluid does not correct a
leak. If fluid is added when the
linings are worn, there will be
too much fluid when new
brake linings are installed. Add
or remove fluid, as necessary,
only when work is done on the
brake hydraulic system.
{Warning
If too much brake fluid is
added, it can spill on the
engine and burn, if the
engine is hot enough. You or
others could be burned, and
the vehicle could be (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
damaged. Add brake fluid
only when work is done on
the brake hydraulic system.
When the brake fluid falls to a
low level, the brake warning
light comes on. See Brake
System Warning Light 0128.
Brake fluid absorbs water over
time which degrades the
effectiveness of the brake
fluid. Replace brake fluid at the
specified intervals to prevent
increased stopping distance.
See Maintenance Schedule
0 425.
What to Add
Use only GM approved DOT 4
brake fluid from a clean, sealed
container. See Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants 0429.
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Vehicle Care 385
range, speed rating, and
construction (radial) as the
original tires.
The Tire and Loading
Information label indicates
the original equipment tires
on the vehicle. See Vehicle
Load Limits0242.
Different Size Tires
and Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed
that are a different size than
the original equipment wheels
and tires, vehicle performance,
including its braking, ride and
handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to
rollover may be affected. If the
vehicle has electronic systems
such as antilock brakes,
rollover airbags, traction
control, electronic stability
control, or All-Wheel Drive, the
performance of these systems
can also be affected.
{Warning
If different sized wheels are
used, there may not be an
acceptable level of
performance and safety if
tires not recommended for
those wheels are selected.
This increases the chance of
a crash and serious injury.
Only use GM specific wheel
and tire systems developed
for the vehicle, and have
them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires 0383
and Accessories and
Modifications 0327.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
The following information
relates to the system
developed by the United
States National Highway
Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance.
This applies only to
vehicles sold in the United
States. The grades are
molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires.
The Uniform Tire Quality
Grading (UTQG) system
does not apply to deep
tread, winter tires, compact
spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may
vary with respect to these
grades, they must also
conform to federal safety
requirements and
additional General Motors
Tire Performance Criteria
(TPC) standards.