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168 Driving and Operating
Tires
.Do not tow a trailer while using a
compact spare tire on the vehicle.
.Tires must be properly inflated to support
loads while towing a trailer. SeeTires
0 203 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 675 kg (1,500 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 the
trailer to have its own braking system if the
loaded weight of the trailer exceeds certain
minimums. These requirements 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
If the vehicle is not equipped with a trailer
connector on the rear bumper, a seven-wire
trailering harness is tied to the vehicle’s
frame. The harness requires the installation
of a trailer connector, which is available
through your dealer.
Use only a round, seven-wire connector with
flat blade terminals meeting SAE J2863
specifications for proper electrical
connectivity.The seven-wire harness connector contains
the following trailer circuits:
.Yellow: Stop/Turn Signal Left*
.Dark Green: Stop/Turn Signal Right*
.Brown: Tail/Parking Lamps**
.Light Green: Reverse Lamps**
.Red/Black: Battery Feed
.White: Ground
.Dark Blue: Electric Trailer Brake
* If the vehicle is a cutaway with trailer
provisions, each stop/turn signal has a
15 amp fuse. However, the cutaway lighting
connector will have a 10 amp fuse for each
signal.
**If the vehicle is a cutaway with trailer
provisions, there is a 15 amp fuse for the
trailer park lamps and a 15 amp fuse for the
cutaway rear lighting connector park lamps.
Also, a 10 amp fuse will be shared for trailer
back-up lamps and cutaway rear lighting
connector back-up lamps.
Heavy-Duty Trailer Wiring Harness Package
lf equipped, the trailer wiring harness, with
a seven-pin connector is mounted on the
trailer hitch.
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Driving and Operating 169
1. Ground
2. Left Turn/Brake
3. Reverse Lamps
4. Taillamps
5. Battery Feed
6. Right Turn/Brake
7. Electric Brakes
Electric Brake Control Wiring Provisions
If the vehicle is not equipped with an
integrated trailer brake controller, and the
trailer has electric brakes, a trailer brake
controller needs to be installed on the
vehicle. The brake controller should be
installed by your dealer or a qualified
service center.If equipped, wiring provisions for an
aftermarket electric trailer brake controller
are included with the vehicle as part of the
trailer wiring package. The harness contains
the following circuits:
.Dark Blue: Electric Trailer Brakes
.Red/White: Battery Feed
.Lt Blue/White: Brake Apply Signal
.Black: Ground
There are four blunt cut wires under the
floor carpeting in front of the brake pedal.
It will be necessary to have a technician
connect the 12-volt power to the engine
compartment fuse block.
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.
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.
Tow/Haul Mode
Tow/Haul assists when pulling a heavy
trailer or a large or heavy load. For
instructions on how to enter Tow/Haul
mode, see Tow/Haul Mode 0140.
Tow/Haul Mode is designed to be most
effective when the vehicle and trailer
combined weight is at least 75% of the
vehicle's Gross Combined Weight Rating
(GCWR). See “Trailer Weight” underTrailer
Towing 0159.
Tow/Haul Mode is most useful when towing
a heavy trailer or carrying a large or
heavy load:
.Through rolling terrain
.In stop-and-go traffic
.In busy parking lots
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172 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
California Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . 173
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . 173
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . 176
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . 181
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Battery - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Noise Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . 193 Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Headlamp Aiming
Front Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . 198
Floor Console Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . 206
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . 209
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . 210
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . 214
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . 216
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . 216
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . 217
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Jump Starting
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . 228
Towing the Vehicle
Transporting a Disabled Vehicle . . . . . . . . 231
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
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192 Vehicle Care
the time it left General Motors LLC’s control
with all applicable U.S. EPA Noise Control
Regulations. This warranty covers this
vehicle as designed, built and equipped by
General Motors LLC, and is not limited to
any particular part, component or system of
the vehicle manufactured by General Motors
LLC. Defects in design, assembly or in any
part, component or system of the vehicle as
manufactured by General Motors LLC, which,
at the time it left General Motors LLC’s
control, caused noise emissions to exceed
Federal standards, are covered by this
warranty for the life of the vehicle.
TAMPERING WITH NOISE CONTROL
SYSTEM PROHIBITED
Federal law prohibits the following acts or
the causing thereof:1. The removal or rendering inoperative by any person, other than for purposes of
maintenance, repair, or replacement, of
any device or element of design
incorporated into any new vehicle for
the purpose of noise control prior to its
sale or delivery to the ultimate purchaser
or while it is in use; or 2. the use of the vehicle after such device
or element of design has been removed
or rendered inoperative by any person.
Among those acts presumed to constitute
tampering are the acts listed below.
Insulation:
Removal of the noise shields or any
undercab insulation.
Engine:
Removal or rendering engine speed
governor, if so equipped, inoperative so as
to allow engine speed to exceed
manufacturer specifications.
Modification of the engine control system or
calibration.
Fan and Drive:
.Removal of fan clutch or rendering clutch
inoperative.
.Removal of the fan shroud.
Air Intake:
.Removal of air cleaner silencer.
.Reversing air cleaner cover.
Exhaust:
.Removal of muffler, catalytic converter,
and/or resonator.
.Removal of exhaust pipes and exhaust
pipe clamps.
Starter Switch Check
{Warning
When you are doing this inspection, the
vehicle could move suddenly. If the
vehicle moves, you or others could be
injured.
1. Before starting this check, be sure there is enough room around the vehicle.
2. Apply both the parking brake and the regular brake.
Do not use the accelerator pedal, and be
ready to turn off the engine immediately
if it starts.
3. Try to start the engine in each gear. The vehicle should start only in P (Park) or
N (Neutral). If the vehicle starts in any
other position, contact your dealer for
service.
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Vehicle Care 193
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock
Control Function Check
{Warning
When you are doing this inspection, the
vehicle could move suddenly. If the
vehicle moves, you or others could be
injured.
1. Before starting this check, be sure there is enough room around the vehicle.
It should be parked on a level surface.
2. Apply the parking brake. Be ready to apply the regular brake immediately if
the vehicle begins to move.
3. With the engine off, turn the ignition on, but do not start the engine. Without
applying the regular brake, try to move
the shift lever out of P (Park) with
normal effort. If the shift lever moves
out of P (Park), contact your dealer for
service.
Ignition Transmission Lock Check
While parked, and with the parking brake
set, try to turn the ignition off in each shift
lever position.
.The ignition should turn to off only when
the shift lever is in P (Park).
.The ignition key should come out only
when the ignition is off.
Contact your dealer if service is required.
Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check
{Warning
When you are doing this check, the
vehicle could begin to move. You or
others could be injured and property
could be damaged. Make sure there is
room in front of the vehicle in case it
begins to roll. Be ready to apply the
regular brake at once should the vehicle
begin to move.
Park on a fairly steep hill, with the vehicle
facing downhill. Keeping your foot on the
regular brake, set the parking brake.
.To check the parking brake's holding
ability: With the engine running and the
transmission in N (Neutral), slowly remove
foot pressure from the regular brake
pedal. Do this until the vehicle is held by
the parking brake only.
.To check the P (Park) mechanism's holding
ability: With the engine running, shift to
P (Park). Then release the parking brake
followed by the regular brake.
Contact your dealer if service is required.
Wiper Blade Replacement
Windshield wiper blades should be inspected
for wear and cracking. See Maintenance
Schedule 0242.
Replacement blades come in different types
and are removed in different ways. For
proper type and length, see Maintenance
Replacement Parts 0247.
Caution
Allowing the wiper arm to touch the
windshield when no wiper blade is
installed could damage the windshield.
Any damage that occurs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty. Do not
allow the wiper arm to touch the
windshield.
1. Lift the wiper arm away from the windshield.
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Vehicle Care 211
Caution (Continued)
warranty. Always use only the GM
approved tire sealant available through
your dealer or included in the vehicle.
TPMS Malfunction Light and Message
The TPMS will not function properly if one
or more of the TPMS sensors are missing or
inoperable. When the system detects a
malfunction, the low tire pressure warning
light flashes for about one minute and then
stays on for the remainder of the ignition
cycle. A DIC warning message also displays.
The malfunction light and DIC warning
message come on at each ignition cycle
until the problem is corrected. Some of the
conditions that can cause these to come
on are:
.One of the road tires has been replaced
with the spare tire. The spare tire does
not have a TPMS sensor. The malfunction
light and the DIC message should go off
after the road tire is replaced and the
sensor matching process is performed
successfully. See "TPMS Sensor Matching
Process" later in this section.
.The TPMS sensor matching process was
not done or not completed successfully
after rotating the tires. The malfunction
light and the DIC message should go off
after successfully completing the sensor
matching process. See "TPMS Sensor
Matching Process" later in this section.
.One or more TPMS sensors are missing or
damaged. The malfunction light and the
DIC message should go off when the
TPMS sensors are installed and the sensor
matching process is performed
successfully. See your dealer for service.
.Replacement tires or wheels do not match
the original equipment tires or wheels.
Tires and wheels other than those
recommended could prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. SeeBuying
New Tires 0215.
.Operating electronic devices or being near
facilities using radio wave frequencies
similar to the TPMS could cause the TPMS
sensors to malfunction.
If the TPMS is not functioning properly, it
cannot detect or signal a low tire pressure
condition. See your dealer for service if the
TPMS malfunction light and DIC message
come on and stay on.
TPMS Sensor Matching Process
Each TPMS sensor has a unique
identification code. The identification code
needs to be matched to a new tire/wheel
position after rotating the vehicle’s tires or
replacing one or more of the TPMS sensors.
Also, the TPMS sensor matching process
should be performed after replacing a spare
tire with a road tire containing the TPMS
sensor. The malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off at the next ignition
cycle. The sensors are matched to the tire/
wheel positions, using a TPMS relearn tool,
in the following order: driver side front tire,
passenger side front tire, passenger side rear
tire, and driver side rear. See your dealer for
service or to purchase a relearn tool.
A TPMS relearn tool can also be purchased.
See Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor Activation
Tool at www.gmtoolsandequipment.com or
call 1-800-GM TOOLS (1-800-468-6657).
There are two minutes to match the first
tire/wheel position, and five minutes overall
to match all four tire/wheel positions. If it
takes longer, the matching process stops
and must be restarted.
The TPMS sensor matching process is: 1. Set the parking brake.
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Vehicle Care 215
aging. This area should be free of grease,
gasoline, or other substances that can
deteriorate rubber.
Parking for an extended period can cause
flat spots on the tires that may result in
vibrations while driving. When storing a
vehicle for at least a month, remove the
tires or raise the vehicle to reduce the
weight from the tires.
Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched specific
tires for the vehicle. The original
equipment tires installed were designed
to meet General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria Specification (TPC
Spec) system rating. When replacement
tires are needed, GM strongly
recommends buying tires with the same
TPC Spec rating.
GM's exclusive TPC Spec system
considers over a dozen critical
specifications that impact the overall
performance of the vehicle, including
brake system performance, ride and
handling, traction control, and tire
pressure monitoring performance. GM'sTPC Spec number is molded onto the
tire's sidewall near the tire size. If the
tires have an all-season tread design,
the TPC Spec number will be followed
by MS for mud and snow. See
Tire
Sidewall Labeling 0205 for additional
information.
GM recommends replacing worn tires in
complete sets of four (six for dual rear
wheels). Uniform tread depth on all
tires will help to maintain the
performance of the vehicle. Braking and
handling performance may be adversely
affected if all the tires are not replaced
at the same time. If proper rotation and
maintenance have been done, all four
tires (six for dual rear wheels) should
wear out at about the same time.
However, if it is necessary to replace
only one axle set of worn tires, place
the new tires on the rear axle (two for
single rear wheels, four for dual rear
wheels). See Tire Rotation 0212.
{Warning
Tires could explode during improper
service. Attempting to mount or
dismount a tire could cause injury or
death. Only your dealer or authorized
tire service center should mount or
dismount the tires.
{Warning
Mixing tires of different sizes (other
than those originally installed on the
vehicle), brands, tread patterns,
or types may cause loss of vehicle
control, resulting in a crash or other
vehicle damage. Use the correct size,
brand, and type of tire on all wheels.
{Warning
Using bias-ply tires on the vehicle
may cause the wheel rim flanges to
develop cracks after many miles of
driving. A tire and/or wheel could fail
(Continued)
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220 Vehicle Care
etc.). Removal of some weight may improve
the ability to fit the jack under the vehicle
at the correct jacking location.
{Warning
Changing a tire can be dangerous. The
vehicle can slip off the jack and roll over
or fall causing injury or death. Find a
level place to change the tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the vehicle in P (Park).
3. Turn the vehicle off and do not restart the vehicle while it is raised.
4. Do not allow passengers to remain in the vehicle.
5. Place wheel blocks, if equipped, on both sides of the tire at the opposite
corner of the tire being changed.
When the vehicle has a flat tire (2), use the
following example as a guide to assist in the
placement of the wheel blocks (1),
if equipped.
1. Wheel Block (If Equipped)
2. Flat Tire
The following information explains how to
repair or change a tire.
Tire Changing
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
Equipment needed for a cargo van or a
passenger van is in the passenger side rear
corner of the vehicle.
Remove the retaining wing bolt and lift it
off of the mounting bracket.
Equipment needed for a 15-passenger seating
arrangement is secured on the rear floor on
the passenger side of the vehicle.