winter tires CHEVROLET CRUZE 2011 1.G Owners Manual

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-9
{WARNING
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. The brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down
and they could get so hot that
they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
could crash. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle in
gear when going downhill.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
.Top of hills: Be
alert—something could
be in your lane (stalled car,
accident).
.Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the
condition. Accelerate gently so
traction is not lost. Accelerating too
quickly causes the wheels to spin
and makes the surface under the
tires slick, so there is even less
traction. Try not to break the fragile traction.
If you accelerate too fast, the drive
wheels will spin and polish the
surface under the tires even more.
The
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 9‑31 improves vehicle
stability during hard stops on
slippery roads, but apply the brakes
sooner than when on dry pavement.
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road and watch for
slippery spots. Icy patches can
occur on otherwise clear roads in
shaded areas. The surface of a
curve or an overpass can remain icy
when the surrounding roads are
clear. Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
Turn off cruise control on slippery
surfaces.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-12
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-15
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-20 Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-22
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-26
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-28
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Windshield Replacement . . . 10-29
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30 Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, Stoplamps,
and Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . 10-32
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-35
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-44
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53

Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-43
{WARNING
.Poorly maintained and
improperly used tires are
dangerous.
.Overloading the tires can
cause overheating as a result
of too much flexing. You
could have a blowout and a
serious accident. SeeVehicle
Load Limits on page 9‑12.
.Under inflated tires pose the
same danger as overloaded
tires. The resulting crash
could cause serious injury.
Check all tires frequently to
maintain the recommended
pressure. Tire pressure
should be checked when the
tires are cold.
.Over inflated tires are more
likely to be cut, punctured,
or broken by a sudden
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
impact—such as when you
hit a pothole. Keep tires at
the recommended pressure.
.Worn or old tires can cause a
crash. If the tread is badly
worn, replace them.
.Replace any tires that have
been damaged by impacts
with potholes, curbs, etc.
.Improperly repaired tires can
cause a crash. Only the
dealer or an authorized tire
service center should repair,
replace, dismount, and mount
the tires.
.Do not spin the tires in
excess of 55 km/h (35 mph)
on slippery surfaces such as
snow, mud, ice, etc.
Excessive spinning may
cause the tires to explode.
Winter Tires
If you expect to drive on snow or ice
covered roads often, you may want
to get winter tires for the vehicle. All
season tires provide good overall
performance on most surfaces but
they may not offer the traction you
would like or the same level of
performance as winter tires on snow
or ice covered roads.
Winter tires, in general, are
designed for increased traction on
snow and ice covered roads. With
winter tires, there may be decreased
dry road traction, increased road
noise, and shorter tread life. After
switching to winter tires, be alert for
changes in vehicle handling and
braking.
See your dealer for details
regarding winter tire availability and
proper tire selection. Also, see
Buying New Tires on page 10‑59.

Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
10-44 Vehicle Care
If you choose to use winter tires:
.Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.
.Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as the original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W, Y,
and ZR speed rated tires. If you
choose winter tires with a lower
speed rating, never exceed the tire's
maximum speed capability.
Low-Profile Tires
If this vehicle has P225/45R18
size tires, they are classified as
low‐profile tires. These tires are
designed for very responsive
driving on wet or dry pavement.
You may also notice more
road noise with low‐profile
performance tires and that they
tend to wear faster.
Notice: If the vehicle has
low‐profile tires, they are more
susceptible to damage from
road hazards or curb impact
than standard profile tires.
Tire and/or wheel assembly
damage can occur when
coming into contact with road
hazards like, potholes, or sharp edged objects,
or when sliding into a curb.
The vehicle warranty does not
cover this type of damage.
Keep tires set to the correct
inflation pressure and, when
possible avoid contact with
curbs, potholes, and other
road hazards.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is
molded into its sidewall. The
examples below show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a
compact spare tire sidewall.

Black plate (62,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
10-62 Vehicle Care
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
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-type snow
tires, space-saver, or temporaryuse 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.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
a half (1½) times as well on the
government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . 7-23, 7-24, 7-28
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-16
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36 Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-35
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps,
and Backup Lamps . . . . . . . . 10-32
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Cargo Tie Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13 Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Ignition
Transmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-28
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56, 3-58
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-94
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-3
Clutch, Hydraulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-10
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Compressor Kit, TireSealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Engine Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Courtesy Transportation
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-8
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1 Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-4
Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-3
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . 13-12
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-10
Danger, Warnings, andCautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-15
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps
(DRL) Indicator Light . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Devices, Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5 Door
Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Driving Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-8
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . 9-7

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-11
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
SystemInfotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
TaillampsBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-4
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-10 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Tires Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-53
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Low Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33 Tires (cont.)
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-52
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Sealant and
Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Sealant and Compressor Kit, Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-64
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 9-46
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-45 Towing (cont.)
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-87
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50, 9-51
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . 9-33
Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50, 9-51
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Fluid, Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-8
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-32

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
i-12 INDEX
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-38
Ultrasonic Parking SensorLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Using this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
V
Vehicle
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27, 5-28
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Service Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . 2-9 Vehicle Care
Storing the Tire Sealant
and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . 10-75
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Vehicle Identification Service Parts IdentificationLabel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16W
Warning Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Wheels Alignment and TireBalance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64 When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . 3-47
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 10-29