steering CHEVROLET TAHOE 2003 2.G User Guide

Horn
To sound the horn, press the center pad on the steering
wheel.
Tilt Wheel
If your vehicle is equipped with a tilt wheel, it will allow
you to adjust the steering wheel before you drive.
You can raise it to the highest level to give your legs
more room when you exit and enter your vehicle.
The tilt steering wheel
lever is located on the
lower left side of the
column.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Then move the steering wheel to a comfortable
position and release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
·GTurn and Lane Change Signals
·3Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
·Flash-to-Pass Feature
·NWindshield Wipers
·LWindshield Washer
·JCruise Control (If Equipped)
For information on the exterior lamps, see
Exterior
Lamps on page 3-14earlier in this section.
3-7

The traction off light may come on for the following
reasons:
·If you turn the system off by pressing the TAS
on/off button located to the left of the steering wheel,
the light will come on and stay on. To turn the
system back on, press the button again; the light
should go off.
·If you move the shift lever to FIRST (1), the light will
come on and stay on to indicate that the traction
system is off. This is normal operation. To turn the
system back on, move the shift lever back to a
position other than FIRST (1); the light should go off.
See
Traction Assist System (TAS) on page 4-10.
·The light will come on and stay on if the TAS
automatic engagement feature has been turned off.
To turn the system on, press the TAS off/on button;
the light should go off. To turn the automatic
engagement feature back on, see
Traction Assist
System (TAS) on page 4-10.
·If the Traction Assist System is affected by an
anti-lock brake system, TAS or engine-related
problem, the system will turn off and the light will
come on. Have your vehicle serviced.
·If the vehicle is driven over an extremely rough road,
the system will turn off and the light will come on. The
light will go off a few seconds after the rough road
conditions go away or when the vehicle comes to a
complete stop. This is normal operation.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature.
It also provides an indicator of how hard your vehicle is
working. During a majority of the operation, the gage
will read 210ÉF (100ÉC) or less. If you are pulling a load
or going up hills, it is normal for the temperature to
¯uctuate and approach the 250ÉF (122ÉC) mark. If the
gage reaches the 260ÉF (125ÉC) mark, it indicates
that the cooling system is working beyond its capacity.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-33. United States
Canada
3-45

Here are some situations you may experience with your
fuel gage. None of these indicate a problem with the
fuel gage.
·At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
·It takes a little more or less fuel to ®ll up than the
fuel 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 goes back to empty when you turn off the
ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
The light next to the fuel gage will come on brie¯y when
you are starting the engine.
This light comes on when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
To turn it off, add fuel to the fuel tank. See
Fuel on
page 5-4.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located on the instrument panel
cluster above the steering wheel. The DIC can display
information such as the trip odometer, fuel economy and
personalization features.
A (Trip Information):This button will display the
odometer, personal trip odometer, business trip
odometer, hourmeter, annual log and the timer.
B (Fuel Information):This button will display the
current range, average fuel economy, instant fuel
economy and engine oil life.
3-53

C (Personalization):This button will change personal
options available on your vehicle.
D (Select):This button resets certain functions and
turns off or acknowledges messages on the DIC.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons you will not have all of the features listed
above, and you will turn off, or acknowledge DIC
messages by using the trip odometer reset stem located
on the instrument panel cluster.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After a short
delay the DIC will display the current driver and 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 any of the DIC buttons will
acknowledge any current warning or service messages.The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the four buttons on the DIC. These buttons
are trip information, fuel information, personalization and
select. The button functions are detailed in the
following.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons not all of the features listed will be
available on your vehicle.
Trip Information Button
Use the trip information button to scroll through the
ODOMETER, PERSONAL TRIP ON/OFF, BUSINESS
TRIP ON/OFF, HOURMETER, ANNUAL LOG and
TIMER. If the personal trip and/or the business trip are
set to ON, you will also be able to scroll through
more messages. See
Personal TripandBusiness Tripnext for more information.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons you can select the trip information
by pressing the trip odometer reset stem on the
instrument panel cluster.
3-54

Personal Trip
If the PERSONAL TRIP is on (turn it on or off by
pressing the select button) you will also be able to scroll
through the following:
·PERSONAL: XX MI Ð This shows the current
distance traveled since the last reset for the
personal trip odometer in either miles or kilometers.
·PERSONAL: XX.X GAL Ð This shows the amount
of fuel used for the personal trip.
·PERSONAL: XX.X MPG Ð This shows the amount
of fuel used for the personal trip.
·PERSONAL: AVG MPH Ð This shows the vehicle's
average speed for the personal trip.
·PERSONAL: % ANNUAL Ð This shows the ratio of
personal trip miles to annual miles as a percent.
You can reset the personal trip odometer by pressing
and holding the trip odometer reset stem.
Business Trip
If the BUSINESS TRIP is on (turn it on or off by
pressing the select button) you will also be able to scroll
through the following:
·BUSINESS: XX MI Ð This shows the current
distance traveled since the last reset for the
business trip odometer in either miles or kilometers.
·BUSINESS: XX.X MPG Ð This shows the amount
of fuel used for the business trip.
·BUSINESS: XX.X GAL Ð This shows the amount
of fuel used for the business trip.
·BUSINESS: AVG MPH Ð This shows the vehicle's
average speed for the business trip.
·BUSINESS: % ANNUAL Ð This shows the ratio of
business trip miles to annual miles as a percent.
To reset the personal or business trip information, do
the following: press and hold select button for two
seconds while in one of the personal or business trip
modes. This will reset all of the information for the
personal or business trip, or if your vehicle does not
have the DIC steering wheel control buttons, press the
reset stem on the instrument panel cluster.
You can also reset the PERSONAL: XX MI, or
BUSINESS: XX MI, while they are displayed by pressing
the reset stem on the cluster. If you press and hold
the reset stem or select button for four seconds,
the display will show the distance traveled since the last
ignition cycle for the personal or business trip.
3-55

Fuel Information Button
Use the fuel information button to scroll through the
range, average fuel economy, instant fuel economy and
the GM Oil Life SystemŸ.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel control buttons you will not be able to display the
fuel information.
Fuel Range
Press the fuel information button until RANGE appears
to display the remaining distance you can drive
without refueling. It's based on fuel economy and the
fuel remaining in the tank. The display will show LOW if
the fuel level is low.
The fuel economy data used to determine fuel range is
an average of recent driving conditions. As your
driving conditions change, this data is gradually updated.
Fuel range cannot be reset.
Average Fuel Economy
Press the fuel information button until AVG appears in
the display. Average fuel economy is how many
miles per gallon your vehicle is getting based on current
and past driving conditions.Press and hold the select button while AVG.ECON is
displayed to reset the average fuel economy. Average
fuel economy will then be calculated starting from
that point. If the average fuel economy is not reset, it
will be continually updated each time you drive.
Instant Fuel Economy
Press the fuel information button until INST appears in
the display. Instant fuel economy is how many miles
per gallon your vehicle is at the particular moment
in time. The instant fuel economy cannot be reset.
GM Oil Life SystemŸ
Press the fuel information button until ENGINE OIL LIFE
appears in the display. The GM Oil Life SystemŸ
shows an estimate of the oil's remaining useful life.
It will show 100% 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.
Always reset the engine oil life after and oil change.
To reset the Oil Life System press and hold the select
button while ENGINE OIL LIFE is displayed. OIL
LIFE RESET will appear on the display for 10 seconds
to let you know the system is reset.
3-57

The DIC does not replace the need to maintain your
vehicle as recommended in the Maintenance Schedule
in this manual. Also, the oil change reminder does
not measure how much oil you have in your engine.
So, be sure to check your oil level often. See
Engine Oil
on page 5-18.
Personalization Button
You can program certain features to a preferred setting
for up to two people. Press the personalization button
to scroll through the following personalization features.
All of the personalization options may not be available
on your vehicle. only the options available will be
displayed on your DIC.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons you will not have any of these
personalization options except for DISPLAY
LANGUAGE. See DISPLAY LANGUAGE later in this
section for more information.
·AUTOMATIC LOCKING
·AUTOMATIC UNLOCKING
·REMOTE LOCK FEEDBACK
·ALARM WARNING TYPE
·REMOTE UNLOCK FEEDBACK
·HEADLAMPS ON AT EXIT
·PERIMETER LIGHTING
·SEAT POSITION RECALL
·EASY EXIT DRIVER SEAT
·CURB VIEW ASSIST
·DISPLAY LANGUAGE
·DISPLAY UNITS (ENG/MET)
The default options for the above features were set
when your vehicle left the factory. The default options
are noted in the text following, but may have been
changed from their default state since then. The driver's
preferences are recalled by pressing the unlock
button on the remote keyless entry transmitter or by
pressing the appropriate memory button 1 or 2 located
on the driver's door.
Alarm Warning Type
Press the personalization button until ALARM
WARNING TYPE appears in the display. To select your
personalization for alarm warning type, press the
select button while ALARM WARNING TYPE is
displayed on the DIC. Pressing the select button will
scroll through the following choices:
ALARM WARNING: BOTH (default):The headlamps
will ¯ash and the horn will chirp when the alarm is
active.
ALARM WARNING: OFF:There will be no alarm
warning on activation.
3-58

STABILITY SYS ACTIVE
You may see the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message on
the DIC. It means that an advanced computer-controlled
system has come on to help your vehicle continue to go
in the direction in which you're steering.
Stabilitrak
žactivates when the computer senses that
your vehicle is just starting to spin, as it might if you hit a
patch of ice or other slippery spot on the road. When the
system activates, you may hear a noise or feel a vibration
in the brake pedal. This is normal. When the STABILITY
SYS ACTIVE message is on, you should continue to
steer in the direction you want to go. The system is
designed to help you in bad weather or other difficult
driving situations by making the most of whatever road
conditions will permit.
STABILITY SYS DISABLED
The STABILITY SYS DISABLED message will turn on
when you press the Stabilitrakžbutton, or when the
stability control has been automatically disabled. To limit
wheel spin and realize the full bene®ts of the stability
enhancement system, you should normally leave
Stabilitrak
žon. However, you should turn Stabilitrakžoff
if your vehicle gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow and
you want to ªrockº your vehicle to attempt to free it, or if
you are driving in extreme off-road conditions and require
more wheel spin. See
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow on page 4-56. To turn the Stabilitrakžsystem
back on press the Stabilitrakžbutton again. There arefour conditions that can cause this message to appear.
One condition is overheating, which could occur if
Stabilitrak
žactivates continuously for an extended period
of time. The message will also be displayed if the brake
system warning light is on. See
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-42. The message could be displayed if
the stability system takes longer than usual to complete
its diagnostic checks due to driving conditions. Also, if an
engine or vehicle related problem has been detected, and
the vehicle needs service, the message will appear.
The message will turn off as soon as the conditions that
caused the message to be displayed are no longer
present.
STABILITY SYS READY
Text under development.
TIGHTEN FUEL CAP
If the vehicle's fuel cap is not tightened properly this
message may appear along with the check engine light
on the instrument panel. Reinstall the fuel cap,
making sure to fully install the cap. See
Filling Your
Tank on page 5-9. The diganostic system can determine
if the fuel cap has been left off or improperly installed.
A loose or missing fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate
into the atmosphere. A few driving trips with the cap
properly installed should turn the light and message off.
3-70

Audio Steering Wheel Controls
You can control certain radio functions using the buttons
on your steering wheel.
g(OnStar/Voice Recognition):If your vehicle has
OnStarž, you can press this button to interact with
the OnStaržsystem. See the OnStaržmanual provided
with your vehicle for more information.
IF your vehicle does not have OnStar
ž, pressing this
button will mute the audio system.
PROG (Program):Press this button to play a station
you have programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons
on the selected band. If a cassette tape is playing, press
this button to play the other side of the tape. If a CD is
playing, press this button to go to the next available CD.
QSOURCER:Press this button to select AM, FM1,
FM2, or XM1 or XM2, (USA only, if equipped), or a
cassette tape or CD. The cassette or CD must be loaded
to play. Available loaded sources are shown on the
display as a tape or a CD symbol.
QSEEKR:Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next or to the previous radio station and stay
there.
QVOLR:Press the up or the down arrow to increase
or to decrease volume.
DVD Distortion
You may experience audio distortion in the
IR headphones when operating cellular phones,
scanners, CB radios, Global Positioning Systems
(GPS)*, two-way radios, mobile fax, or walkie talkies.
It may be necessary to turn off the DVD player
when operating one of these devices in or near the
vehicle.
* Excludes the OnStar
žSystem.
3-126

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-6
Braking.........................................................4-6
Traction Assist System (TAS).........................4-10
Locking Rear Axle........................................4-12
Stabilitrak
žSystem.......................................4-12
Steering......................................................4-15
QUADRASTEERŸ........................................4-17
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-20
Passing.......................................................4-20
Loss of Control.............................................4-21
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-Wheel
Drive Vehicle............................................4-23
Driving at Night............................................4-40
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-42City Driving..................................................4-45
Freeway Driving...........................................4-46
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-47
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-48
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-49
Winter Driving..............................................4-51
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow........4-56
Towing..........................................................4-59
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-59
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-59
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-62
Level Control...............................................4-64
AutorideŸ...................................................4-64
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-65
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-65
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1