airbag CHEVROLET IMPALA 2011 9.G Owner's Guide

Black plate (58,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
3-58 Seats and Restraints
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat
Position)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint.
SeeWhere to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑48.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑34 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑16 for more information,
including important safety
information.
A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.” This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates.
This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑34 for additional
information.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑50 for how and
where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is
secured using a safety belt and it
uses a top tether, see for top tether
anchor locations.

Black plate (59,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-59
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder
belt to secure the child restraint in
this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as itwill go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag,
the off indicator on the
passenger airbag status
indicator should light and stay
lit when the vehicle is started.
See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑16. 2. Put the child restraint on
the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of
the vehicle's safety belt through
or around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.

Black plate (60,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
3-60 Seats and Restraints
6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint,
it may be helpful to use your
knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt
to move it side‐to‐side and
back‐and‐forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
If the airbag is off, the off indicator
in the passenger airbag status
indicator will come on and stay on
when the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit, see
“If the On Indicator is Lit for a Child
Restraint” underPassenger Sensing
System on page 3‑34 for more
information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12 Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-14
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-15
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-16
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Indicator Light . . . . . . . 5-21
Traction Control System (TCS) Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-21
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-23
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
High-Beam on Light . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-24
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-29
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-31
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-31
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-32
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-32
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-33
Anti-Theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-34
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-35
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-36

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-14 Instruments and Controls
Safety Belt Reminders
Driver Safety Belt Reminder
Light
When the engine is started, a
chime sounds for several seconds
to remind a driver to fasten the
safety belt, unless the driver safety
belt is already buckled.
The safety belt light comes on and
stays on for several seconds, then
flashes for several more.
This chime and light are repeated if
the driver remains unbuckled and
the vehicle is in motion. If the driver
safety belt is already buckled,
neither the chime nor the light
comes on.
Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
Several seconds after the engine is
started, a chime sounds for several
seconds to remind the front
passenger to buckle their safety
belt. This only occurs if the
passenger airbag is enabled.
SeePassenger Sensing System on
page 3‑34 for more information. The
passenger safety belt reminder light,
located on the instrument panel,
comes on and stays on for several
seconds and then flashes for
several more.
This chime and light are repeated if
the passenger remains unbuckled
and the vehicle is in motion.
If the passenger safety belt is
buckled, neither the chime nor the
light comes on.
The front passenger safety belt
reminder light and chime may turn
on if an object is put on the seat
such as a briefcase, handbag,
grocery bag, laptop or other
electronic device. To turn off the
reminder light and/or chime, remove
the object from the seat or buckle
the safety belt.

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-15
Airbag Readiness Light
The system checks the airbag's
electrical system for possible
malfunctions. If the light stays on
it indicates there is an electrical
problem. The system check
includes the airbag sensor, the
pretensioners, the airbag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing
and diagnostic module. For more
information on the airbag system,
seeAirbag System on page 3‑26.
The airbag readiness light flashes
for a few seconds when the engine
is started. If the light does not come
on then, have it fixed immediately.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
If there is a problem with the airbag
system, an airbag Driver Information
Center (DIC) message can also
come on. See Airbag System
Messages on page 5‑33 for more
information.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-16 Instruments and Controls
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has the passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑34 for
important safety information. The
instrument panel has a passenger
airbag status indicator.
United States
Canada
When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF, or the symbol
for on and off, for several seconds as a system check. If you are using
remote start, if equipped, to start the
vehicle from a distance, you may
not see the system check. Then,
after several more seconds, the
status indicator will light either
ON or OFF, or either the on or off
symbol to let you know the status of
the right front passenger frontal
airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the right
front passenger frontal airbag is
enabled (may inflate).
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the airbag status indicator, it
means that the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag.
If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system.
See your dealer for service.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑15 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
This light comes on briefly when the
ignition key is turned to START, but
the engine is not running, as a
check to show it is working.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-33
If this message still stays on or
turns back on again while you are
driving, your vehicle needs service.
Have the system inspected by your
dealer as soon as possible.
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
If your vehicle has the Traction
Control System (TCS), this message
displays when the system is not
functioning properly. A warning light
also appears on the instrument
panel cluster. SeeTraction Control
System (TCS) Warning Light on
page 5‑21. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 9‑29 for
more information. Have the TCS
serviced by your dealer as soon
as possible.
STABILITRAK NOT READY
If your vehicle has Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), this
message may display and the
ESC/TCS light on the instrument
panel cluster may be on after first driving the vehicle and exceeding
30 km/h (19 mph) for 30 seconds.
The ESC system is not functional
until the light has turned off. See
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on
page 9‑31
for more information.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
If your vehicle has the Traction
Control System (TCS), this
message displays when the
TCS turns off. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 9‑29 for
more information.
This message may display when
the ignition is in ON/RUN and
disappears after 10 seconds, unless
it is acknowledged or an urgent
warning appears.
Any of the following conditions may
cause the TCS to turn off:
.The TCS is turned off by
pressing the traction control
button. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 9‑29 for
more information.
.The battery is low.
.There is a TCS failure. See your
dealer for service.
TRACTION CONTROL ON
If your vehicle has the Traction
Control System (TCS), this message
displays when the TCS is turned on.
See Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑29 for more information.
Airbag System Messages
SERVICE AIR BAG
This message displays when there
is a problem with the airbag system.
Have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer immediately. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑15 for
more information.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-17
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
In an emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steadypressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to neutral. This can be done while the vehicle is
moving. After shifting to neutral,
firmly apply the brakes and steer
the vehicle to a safe location. 3. Come to a complete stop, shift
to P (Park), and turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF. On vehicles with
an automatic transmission, the
shift lever must be in P (Park) to
turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK/OFF position.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9‑29
The steering can bind with the
wheels turned off center. If this
happens, move the steering wheel
from left to right while turning the
key to ACC/ACCESSORY. If this
doesn't work, then the vehicle
needs service.
B (ACC/ACCESSORY): This is the
position in which you can operate
the radio and windshield wipers
while the engine is off. To use
ACC/ACCESSORY, turn the key
clockwise. C (ON/RUN):
This position can
be used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument panel cluster warning
and indicator lights. The switch
stays in this position when the
engine is running.
If you leave the key in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position
with the engine off, the battery could
be drained. You may not be able to
start the vehicle if the battery is
allowed to drain for an extended
period of time.
D (START): This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving.
A warning chime will sound and the
Driver Information Center (DIC) will
display DRIVER DOOR OPEN
when the driver door is opened, the
ignition is in ACC/ACCESSORY or
LOCK/OFF, and the key is in the
ignition. See Door Ajar Messages
on page 5‑29 for more information.

Black plate (47,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-47
Safety Chains
Always attach chains between the
vehicle and the trailer. 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.
Instructions about safety chains
may be provided by the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer
manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer's recommendation for
attaching safety chains and do not
attach them to the bumper. Always
leave just enough slack so the rig
can turn. Never allow safety chains
to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Because the vehicle has antilock
brakes, do not try to tap into the
vehicle's hydraulic brake system.
If you do, both brake systems will
not work well, or at all.
Does your trailer have its own
brakes? Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for the trailer brakes
so you will be able to install, adjust
and maintain them properly.
Conversions and
Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment
Notice:Do not add anything
electrical to the vehicle unless
you check with your dealer first.
Some electrical equipment can
damage the vehicle and the
damage would not be covered by
the vehicle's warranty. Some
add-on electrical equipment can
keep other components from
working as they should.
Add-on equipment can drain the
vehicle's 12‐volt battery, even if
the vehicle is not operating.
The vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to add anything
electrical to the vehicle, see
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 3‑38 andAdding
Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 3‑39.