wheel CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6 2012 User Guide

Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-23
Z06, Z16, and ZR1
Features
Checking Engine Oil
Z06, ZR1, and manual transmission
Z16 (Grand Sport) coupe models
have a high performance dry sump
lubrication system. This system
operates differently than a
standard engine lubrication system.
SeeEngine Oil on page 10‑14.
You should check the oil level
only after the engine has been
thoroughly warmed up and then
shut off for at least five minutes.
This ensures that the oil level
reading obtained will be accurate. Jump Starting the Battery
The battery of Z06, ZR1, and
manual transmission Z16 (Grand
Sport) coupe models is in the rear
of the vehicle. You do not need to
access the battery for jump starting.
There are remote positive (+) and
negative (−) terminals under the
hood for this purpose. See
Battery
on page 10‑40 andJump Starting
on page 10‑78.
Brake Noise
Under certain weather or operating
conditions, occasional brake noise
might be heard with the vehicle's
performance braking system.
This brake system is designed for
superior fade resistance and
consistent operation using high
performance brake pads. Brake
noise is normal and does not affect
system performance. See Braking
on page 9‑4. Car Wash Guidelines
Automatic car washes are not
recommended for this vehicle.
Some car washes cause damage to
the vehicle, the wheels, and the
convertible top, if the vehicle is so
equipped.
If you drive the vehicle through an
automatic car wash that does not
have enough clearance for the
undercarriage and/or wide rear tires
and wheels, you could damage the
vehicle. Verify with the manager of
the car wash that the vehicle will fit
before entering the car wash or use
a touchless car wash. See
“Washing
Your Vehicle” underExterior Care
on page 10‑82.

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-15
After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies that
were used during any crash may
have been stressed or damaged.
See your dealer to have the safety
belt assemblies inspected or
replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the vehicle
or while you are driving. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑17.Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the front
outboard passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the front outboard
passenger.
All vehicle airbags have the word
AIRBAG on the trim or on a label
near the deployment opening. For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the center of the
steering wheel for the driver and on
the instrument panel for the front
outboard passenger.
For seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the
side of the seatback closest to
the door.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-17
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑17
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
center of the steering wheel.
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
3-18 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown,
Passenger Side Similar
The driver and front outboard
passenger seat-mounted side
impact airbags are in the side of
the seatbacks closest to the door.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or
front outboard passenger's head
and chest. However, they are only
designed to inflate if the impact
exceeds a predetermined
deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds are used to predict how
severe a crash is likely to be in time
for the airbags to inflate and help
restrain the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based primarily
on how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends on what is hit, the
direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
3-20 Seats and Restraints
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel.
In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants
can contact the inside of the
vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts by
distributing the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's body.
But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑18 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal and seat-mounted
side impact airbags inflate, they
quickly deflate, so quickly that some
people may not even realize the
airbags inflated. Some components
of the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? on page 3‑17.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
the interior lamps on, turn on the
hazard warning flashers, and shut

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-27
WARNING (Continued)
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end or side sheet
metal, may keep the airbag
system from working properly.
The operation of the airbag system
can also be affected by changing or
moving any parts of the front seats,
safety belts, the airbag sensing and
diagnostic module, steering wheel,
instrument panel, inside rearview
mirror, front sensors, or airbag
wiring.Your dealer and the service manual
have information about the location
of the airbag sensors, sensing and
diagnostic module, and airbag
wiring.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
front outboard passenger position,
which includes sensors that are
part of the passenger seat.
The passenger sensing system may
not operate properly if the original
seat trim is replaced with non-GM
covers, upholstery or trim, or with
GM covers, upholstery or trim
designed for a different vehicle.
Any object, such as an aftermarket
seat heater or a comfort enhancing
pad or device, installed under or on
top of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of the
passenger sensing system.
This could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger
sensing system from properly
turning off the passenger airbag(s).
See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑22.
If you have to modify your vehicle
because you have a disability and
have questions about whether
the modifications will affect the
vehicle's airbag system, or if you
have questions about whether the
airbag system will be affected if the
vehicle is modified for any other
reason, call Customer Assistance.
See Customer Assistance Offices
(U.S. and Canada) on page 13‑5
or Customer Assistance Offices
(Mexico) on page 13‑6.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12 Boost Gauge (ZR1) . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Engine Oil Pressure
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-17
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-17
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
One-to-Four Shift Light (Manual Transmission) . . . . . 5-22
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
StabiliTrak®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-23
Active Handling System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-25
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Battery Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . 5-35
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-36
Convertible Top Messages . . . 5-37
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-38
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-40
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-41
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-41
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-42
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Safety Belt Messages . . . . . . . 5-48
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-49

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-2 Instruments and Controls
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-49
Starting the VehicleMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-49
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-49
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-52
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-53
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 5-54
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . 5-62
Universal Remote System Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-63
Universal Remote System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-68
Controls
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
The lever is located on the left side
of the steering column.
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever toward you.
2. Move the steering wheel up
or down.
3. Release the lever to lock the steering wheel in place.
Telescopic Steering Column
For vehicles with this feature, the
telescopic steering column control
is located on the right side of the
steering column.
To adjust the telescopic steering
column:
1. Push the switch forward to movethe wheel away from you.
2. Pull the switch toward you to move the wheel closer to you.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-3
The telescopic steering column
position can be stored with your
memory settings. See“Memory
Seat, Mirrors, and Steering Wheel”
under Power Seat Adjustment on
page 3‑2 for more information.
Steering Wheel Controls
For vehicles with steering wheel
controls, some audio controls can
be adjusted at the steering wheel.
b/g(Mute/Push to Talk):
Press to silence the vehicle
speakers only. Press again to turn
the sound on.
For vehicles with Bluetooth or
OnStar
®systems press and
hold
b/gfor longer than
two seconds to interact with those
systems. See Bluetooth on
page 7‑16 orOnStar Overview on
page 14‑1 for more information.
c(Phone On Hook): Press to
reject an incoming call, or end a
current call.
w x(Next/Previous): Press to
change radio stations or select
tracks on a CD. To change radio stations:
.Pressworxto go to the
next or to the previous radio
station and stay there.
The radio only seeks stations
with a strong signal that are in
the selected band.
.Press and holdworxfor
two seconds until SCAN displays
and a beep sounds to scan
stations. The radio goes to a
station, plays for a few seconds,
then goes to the next station.
Press again to stop scanning.
.Press and holdworxfor
four seconds until PRESET
SCAN displays and a beep
sounds to scan presets.
The radio goes to a station,
plays for a few seconds, then
goes to the next station.
Press again to stop scanning.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-4 Instruments and Controls
To select tracks on a CD:
.Pressworxto go to the next
or to the previous track when a
CD is playing.
.Press and holdworxfor
more than two seconds to scan
the current CD. The CD goes to
the next track, plays the first
10 seconds, then goes to the
next track. Press again to stop
scanning.
.Press and holdworxfor
more than four seconds to scan
all of the CDs loaded. The CD
goes to the next CD, plays the
first 10 seconds of each track,
then goes to the next CD.
Press again to stop scanning.
+
e−e(Volume): Press to
increase or to decrease the radio
volume.
1 to 6 (Preset Pushbuttons):
Press to play stations that are
programmed on the radio preset
pushbuttons.
Horn
Press near or on the horn symbols
on the steering wheel pad to sound
the horn.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer lever
is located on the right side of the
steering column.
Move the lever to the following
positions:
1(High Speed): Use for fast
wipes.
6(Low Speed): Use for
slow wipes.
3(Delay): Use to set a delay
between wipes.
x(Delay Adjustment): Use for
a delayed wiping cycle. Turn the
intermittent adjust band down for a
longer delay or up for a shorter
delay. The wiper speed can only be
manually adjusted when the lever is
in this position.
9(Off): Use to turn off the
windshield wipers.
8(Mist): Move all the way down
to mist and release for a single
wiping cycle. The windshield wipers
will stop after one wipe. Hold the
band on mist longer for more wipes.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wipers. If this occurs, a circuit
breaker will stop the wipers until the
motor cools. Clear all ice and snow
from the wiper blades before using
them. If frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen them or thaw them.
Damaged wiper blades should be
replaced. See Wiper Blade
Replacement on page 10‑43.