warning CHEVROLET COLORADO 2004 1.G User Guide

Operation Tips

Clear away any ice, snow or leaves from the air
inlets at the base of the windshield that may
block the ow of air into your vehicle.
Use of non-GM approved hood deectors may
adversely affect the performance of the system.
Keep the path under the front seats clear of objects
to help circulate the air inside of your vehicle
more effectively.
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briey when you start the
engine just to let you know they are working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there is a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly — and even
dangerous. So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They are a big help.
Your vehicle may also have a DIC that works along with
the warning lights and gages. SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-30for more information.
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Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Notice:If you operate the engine with the
tachometer in the shaded warning area, your vehicle
could be damaged, and the damages would not be
covered by your warranty. Do not operate the engine
with the tachometer in the shaded warning area.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to ON or START, a chime will
come on for several seconds to remind people to fasten
their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for several seconds,
then it will ash until the
driver’s safety belt
is buckled.
If the driver’s belt is already buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come on.
3-18

{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the air bag, it means
that something may be wrong with the air bag
system. The right front passenger’s frontal air
bag could inate even though the switch is off.
If this ever happens, do not let anyone whom
the national government has identied as a
member of a passenger air bag risk group sit
in the right front passenger’s position (for
example, do not secure a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front passenger’s seat)
until you have your vehicle serviced.
Battery Warning Light
This light will come on
briey when you start the
vehicle, as a check to
show you it is working;
then it should go out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the electrical charging system.
Have it checked right away. Driving while this light is
on could drain your battery and result in a vehicle that
may stall.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and climate control system.
3-21

Up-Shift Light (Manual
Transmission)
This light appears when
you need to shift to the
next higher gear on
a manual transmission
vehicle.
Shifting when the indicator light is on will help you get
the best fuel economy. See “Up-Shift Light” under
Manual Transmission Operation on page 2-25for
more information.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part is not working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.This light should come on briey when you turn the
ignition key to ON. If it does not come on then, have
it xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is
a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
SeeParking Brake on page 2-31for more information.
The light will stay on if your parking brake does not
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push, or the pedal may go closer to the
oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-44.
United StatesCanada
3-22

{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you have pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on briey when you
start your engine to show it
is working. Then it will
turn off. This is normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake
system warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but
you don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock
brakes and there’s a problem with your regular
brakes. SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-22.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briey when you turn the ignition key to ON. If
the light doesn’t come on then, have it xed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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This can happen if you have recently replaced your
battery or if your battery has run down. The diagnostic
system is designed to evaluate critical emission
control systems during normal driving. This may take
several days of routine driving. If you have done this and
your vehicle still does not pass the inspection for lack
of OBD system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare
the vehicle for inspection.
Oil Pressure Light
{CAUTION:
Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Lack of proper engine oil maintenance may
damage the engine. The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Always follow the
maintenance schedule in this manual for changing
engine oil.This light tells you if there
could be a problem with
your engine oil pressure.
The light goes on when you turn your key to ON or
START. It goes off once you start your engine. That’s a
check to be sure the light works. If it doesn’t come
on, be sure to have it xed so it will be there to warn
you if something goes wrong.
When the light comes on and stays on, it means that oil
isn’t owing through your engine properly. You could
be low on oil and you might have some other system
problem. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-13and “OIL” under
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-32for
more information.
3-27

Daytime Running Lamps
Indicator Light
This light turns on
whenever the Daytime
Running Lamps are on.
See “Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)” underExterior
Lamps on page 3-6for more information.
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on,
the fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have remaining in the
fuel tank.Here are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these indicate a problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to
ll the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage does not go back to empty when you turn
off the ignition.
When the fuel in the fuel tank is low, you will see a
LOW FUEL message on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) display. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-32for more information.
3-29

Driver Information Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located on the instrument panel
cluster. The DIC can display information such as the trip
odometer, and personalization features.
DIC Controls and Displays
The Driver Information Center (DIC) comes on when the
ignition is on. After a short delay the DIC will display
the information that was last displayed before the engine
was turned off.
If a problem is detected, a warning message will appear
on the display. Pressing and releasing the trip odometer
reset stem on the DIC will acknowledge some current
warnings or service messages. Some message will only
clear once the required action has been taken.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the trip odometer reset stem on the DIC.
These modes are explained following. The DIC trip
odometer reset stem is located on the instrument panel
cluster next to the DIC display. To scroll through the
available functions, press and release the reset stem.
Trip Information
Odometer
The odometer is automatically displayed on the DIC
when you start the vehicle. The odometer shows
the total distance the vehicle has been driven in either
miles or kilometers.
Trip Odometer
Press and release the reset stem until TRIP appears on
the DIC display. This shows the current distance
traveled since the last reset of the trip odometer in either
miles or kilometers.
Press and hold the reset stem for approximately four
seconds to reset the trip odometer.
GM Oil Life System™
Press the reset stem until OIL LIFE appears (ashing)
on the display. The GM Oil Life System™ shows
an estimate of the oil’s remaining useful life. It will show
OIL LIFE on the display when the system is reset
after an oil change. It will alert you to change your oil on
a schedule consistent with your driving conditions.
3-30

Remote Keyless Entry Feedback
With the vehicle’s engine off, and the ignition in the
LOCK position, press and hold the lock and unlock
buttons on the remote keyless entry transmitter at the
same time. Hold both buttons until the DIC displays the
current remote feedback mode, then press and hold
the trip odometer reset stem for approximately two
seconds to switch between modes. The following are
the mode choices:
RFA 1 (default):The parking lamps will ash when you
press the lock and unlock buttons on the remote
keyless entry transmitter.
RFA 2:The parking lamps will ash when you press
the lock and unlock buttons on the remote keyless entry
transmitter, and the horn will chirp when the lock
button is pressed.
RFA 3:The parking lamps will ash and the horn will
chirp when you press the lock and unlock buttons on the
remote keyless entry transmitter.
RFA 4:There is no feedback when you press the
lock and unlock buttons on the remote keyless
entry transmitter.
Language
You can choose the language in which the DIC
information is displayed. With the ignition off, and the
key in the ON position, press the reset stem until
LANGUAGE is displayed. While LANGUAGE is on the
display, press and hold the reset stem for approximately
two seconds until the language changes from
ENGLISH to the language you desire. You can choose
from English, Spanish, or French (Canada Only).
DIC Warnings and Messages
Warning messages are displayed on the DIC to notify
the driver that the status of the vehicle has changed and
that some action may be needed by the driver to
correct the condition. More than one message may
appear at one time. They will appear one after the other.
The messages are displayed for three seconds each.
Some messages may not require immediate action
but you should press and release the trip odometer reset
stem to acknowledge that you received the message
and clear it from the display. Each message must
be acknowledged individually. Some messages cannot
be cleared from the display because they are more
urgent. These messages require action before they can
be removed from the DIC display. The following are
the possible messages that can be displayed and some
information about them.
3-32

AC (Air Conditioning) OFF
This message will be displayed when the engine coolant
temperature is too high and the air conditioning in
your vehicle needs to be turned off. See andEngine
Overheating on page 5-28andClimate Control System
on page 3-12for more information. It will be displayed
along with the ENG HOT message.
ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System)
This message will be displayed on the DIC if there is a
problem with your antilock brake system. Check
your antilock brake system as soon as possible and
have your vehicle serviced by your GM dealer.
SeeBrakes on page 5-39andAnti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light on page 3-23for more information.
Pressing the reset stem to acknowledge this message
and clear it from the DIC display.
BATTERY
This message will be displayed when there is a problem
with your vehicle’s battery. SeeBattery on page 5-42
andBattery Warning Light on page 3-21for
more information.
BRAKES
This message will be displayed on the DIC if there is a
problem with your brakes. Check your brakes as
soon as possible and have your vehicle serviced by
your GM dealer. SeeBrakes on page 5-39andBrake
System Warning Light on page 3-22for more
information. Press and release the reset stem to
acknowledge the message and clear it from the
DIC display.
CHANGE OIL
This message will be displayed on your DIC when the
oil needs to be changed. Check the oil in your vehicle as
soon as possible and have your vehicle serviced by
your GM dealer. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-13and
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4for more
information. Press the reset stem to acknowledge the
message and clear it from the display.
DOORS
This message will be displayed on your DIC when one
of your doors is ajar. You should check all the doors
on your vehicle to make sure they are closed. The
message will clear from the display after all of the doors
are closed.
3-33