steering CHEVROLET TRAVERSE 2011 1.G Owner's Manual

Black plate (40,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
5-40 Instruments and Controls
TRANSMISSION HOT
IDLE ENGINE
Notice:If you drive the vehicle
while the transmission fluid is
overheating and the transmission
temperature warning is displayed
on the instrument panel cluster
and/or DIC, you can damage the
transmission. This could lead
to costly repairs that would not
be covered by the warranty.
Do not drive your vehicle with
overheated transmission fluid
or while the transmission
temperature warning is displayed.
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the transmission fluid in
the vehicle gets hot. Driving with the
transmission fluid temperature high
can cause damage to the vehicle.
Stop the vehicle and let it idle to
allow the transmission to cool.
This message clears when the fluid
temperature reaches a safe level.
Vehicle Reminder
Messages
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE
WITH CARE
This message displays when the
outside air temperature is cold
enough to create icy road
conditions. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
Vehicle Speed Messages
SPEED LIMITED TO
XXX MPH (KM/H)
This message displays when
your vehicle speed is limited to
128 km/h (80 mph) because the
vehicle detects a problem in the
speed variable assist steering
system. Have your vehicle serviced
by your dealer.
Washer Fluid Messages
WASHER FLUID LOW
ADD FLUID
This message displays when the
windshield washer fluid is low. Fill
the windshield washer fluid reservoir
as soon as possible. See Engine
Compartment Overview
on
page 10‑6for the location of the
windshield washer fluid reservoir.
Also, see Washer Fluid
on
page 10‑22for more information.

Black plate (47,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-47
Press the customization button until
EASY EXIT SEAT appears on the
DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF (default):No automatic seat
exit recall will occur.
ON: The driver's seat will move
back when the key is removed from
the ignition.
The automatic easy exit seat
movement will only occur one time
after the key is removed from the
ignition. If the automatic movement
has already occurred, and you put
the key back in the ignition and
remove it again, the seat and
steering column will stay in the
original exit position, unless a
memory recall took place prior to
removing the key again.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain. To select a setting, press the
set/reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
MEMORY SEAT RECALL
If your vehicle has this feature, it
allows you to select your preference
for the remote memory seat recall
feature. See
Delayed Locking
on
page 2‑8for more information.
Press the customization button until
MEMORY SEAT RECALL appears
on the DIC display. Press the
set/reset button once to access
the settings for this feature. Then
press the customization button to
scroll through the following settings:
OFF (default): No remote memory
seat recall will occur.
ON: The driver's seat and outside
mirrors will automatically move to
the stored driving position when the
unlock button on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is
pressed. See “Relearn Remote Key”
under Driver Information Center
(DIC) (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑24
or
Driver Information
Center (DIC) (Without DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑29for more information
on matching transmitters to driver ID
numbers.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the
set/reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
FACTORY SETTINGS
This feature allows you to set all of
the customization features back to
their factory default settings.
Press the customization button until
FACTORY SETTINGS appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
RESTORE ALL (default): The
customization features will be set to
their factory default settings.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Headlamp High/Low-BeamChanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/Automatic Headlamp
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Delayed Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-3
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel IlluminationControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Delayed Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . 6-6
Delayed Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Parade Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-6
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-7Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
.Headlamps
.Taillamps
.Parking Lamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
6-4 Lighting
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
An arrow on the instrument panel
cluster flashes in the direction of the
turn or lane change.
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is completed. If the lever is
briefly pressed and released, the
turn signal flashes three times.
The lever returns to its starting
position whenever it is released.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
might be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse.
See
Fuses and Circuit Breakerson
page 10‑32.
Turn Signal On Chime
If either one of the turn signals are
left on and the vehicle has been
driven more than 1.2 km (3/4 mile), a
chime will sound.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
D
(Instrument Panel
Brightness): The knob with this
symbol on it is next to the exterior
lamps control to the left of the
steering wheel. Push the knob in
all the way until it extends out and
then turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or
dim the lights. Push the knob back
in when finished.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-7
©SEEK¨:Press to go to the
previous or to the next station and
stay there.
To scan stations, press and hold
©
or¨until a beep sounds. The radio
goes to a station, plays for a few
seconds, then goes to the next
station. Press either arrow again to
stop scanning.
The radio only seeks and scans
stations with a strong signal that are
in the selected band.
Storing a Radio Station as a
Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up
their radio station favorites while the
vehicle is in P (Park). Tune to
favorite stations using the presets,
favorites button, and steering wheel
controls. See Steering Wheel
Controls on page 5‑2. FAV (Favorites):
A maximum of
36 stations can be programmed as
favorites using the six softkeys
below the radio station frequency
tabs and by using the radio favorites
page button (FAV button). Press to
go through up to six pages of
favorites, each having six favorite
stations available per page. Each
page of favorites can contain any
combination of AM, FM, or
XM stations.
The balance/fade and tone settings
that were previously adjusted, are
stored with the favorite stations.
To store a station as a favorite:
1. Tune to the desired radio station.
2. Press FAV to display the page to store the station.
3. Press and hold one of the six softkeys until a beep sounds.
When that softkey is pressed
and released, the station that
was set, returns.
4. Repeat the steps for each radio station to be stored as a favorite. To setup the number of favorites
pages:
1. Press MENU to display the radio
setup menu.
2. Press the softkey below the FAV 1-6 tab.
3. Select the desired number of favorites pages by pressing the
softkey below the displayed
page numbers.
4. Press FAV, or let the menu time out, to return to the original
main radio screen showing the
radio station frequency tabs
and to begin the process of
programming favorites for the
chosen amount of numbered
pages.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-9
Undesired XM categories can be
removed through the setup menu.
To remove an undesired category,
perform the following:
1. Press MENU to display the radiosetup menu.
2. Press the softkey below the XM CAT tab.
3. Turn
fto display the category to
be removed.
4. Press the softkey under the Remove tab until the category
name along with the word
Removed displays.
5. Repeat the steps to remove more categories.
Removed categories can be
restored by pressing the softkey
under the Add tab when a removed
category is displayed or by pressing
the softkey under the Restore
All tab.
Categories cannot be removed or
added while the vehicle is moving
faster than 8 km/h (5 mph).
Storing a Radio Station as a
Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up
their radio station favorites while the
vehicle is in P (Park). Tune to
favorite stations using the presets,
favorites button, and steering wheel
controls. See Steering Wheel
Controls on page 5‑2.
FAV (Favorites): A maximum of
36 stations can be programmed as
favorites using the six softkeys
below the radio station frequency
tabs and by using the radio favorites
page button (FAV button). Press to
go through up to six pages of
favorites, each having six favorite
stations available per page. Each
page of favorites can contain any
combination of AM, FM, or
XM stations.
The balance/fade and tone settings
that were previously adjusted, are
stored with the favorite stations. To store a station as a favorite:
1. Tune to the desired radio station.
2. Press FAV to display the page to
store the station.
3. Press and hold one of the six softkeys until a beep sounds.
When that softkey is pressed
and released, the station that
was set, returns.
4. Repeat the steps for each radio station to be stored as a favorite.
To setup the number of favorites
pages:
1. Press MENU to display the radio setup menu.
2. Press the softkey below the FAV 1-6 tab.
3. Select the desired number of favorites pages by pressing the
softkey below the displayed
page numbers.

Black plate (47,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-47
Bluetooth Controls
Use the buttons located on the
steering wheel to operate the
in‐vehicle Bluetooth system.
SeeSteering Wheel Controls
on
page 5‑2for more information.
b g(Push To Talk): Press to
answer incoming calls, confirm
system information, and start
speech recognition.
c x(Phone On Hook): Press to
end a call, reject a call, or cancel an
operation.
Pairing
A Bluetooth cell phone must be
paired to the Bluetooth system and
then connected to the vehicle before
it can be used. See your cell phone
manufacturer's user guide for
Bluetooth functions before pairing
the cell phone. If a Bluetooth phone
is not connected, calls will be made
using OnStar Hands‐Free Calling,
if available. Refer to the OnStar
Owner's Guide for more information. Pairing Information
.Up to five cell phones can be
paired to the Bluetooth system.
.The pairing process is disabled
when the vehicle is moving.
.Pairing only needs to be
completed once, unless the
pairing information on the cell
phone changes or the cell phone
is deleted from the system.
.Only one paired cell phone can
be connected to the Bluetooth
system at a time.
.If multiple paired cell phones are
within range of the system, the
system connects to the first
available paired cell phone in the
order that they were first paired
to the system. To connect to a
different paired phone, see
“Connecting to a Different
Phone”
later in this section.
Pairing a Phone
1. Press and hold
b gfor
two seconds. 2. Say
“Bluetooth.”
3. Say “Pair.”The system responds
with instructions and a four‐digit
Personal Identification Number
(PIN). The PIN is used in Step 5.
4. Start the pairing process on the cell phone that you want to pair.
For help with this process, see
your cell phone manufacturer's
user guide.
5. Locate the device named “Your
Vehicle” in the list on the cell
phone. Follow the instructions
on the cell phone to enter the
PIN number that was provided
in Step 3. After the PIN is
successfully entered, the system
prompts you to provide a name
for the paired cell phone. This
name will be used to indicate
which phones are paired and
connected to the vehicle. See
“Listing All Paired and
Connected Phones” later in this
section for more information.
6. Repeat Steps 1 through 5 to pair additional phones.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Climate Controls 8-9
Sensors
The solar sensor, located in the
defrost grille in the middle of the
instrument panel, monitors the solar
heat. Do not cover the solar sensor
or the system will not work properly.
The interior temperature sensor
located on the instrument panel to
the right of the steering column,
measures the temperature of the
air inside the vehicle.There is also an exterior
temperature sensor located
behind the front grille. This sensor
reads the outside air temperature
and helps maintain the temperature
inside the vehicle. Any cover on the
front of the vehicle could cause a
false reading in the displayed
temperature.
The climate control system uses the
information from these sensors to
maintain comfort settings by
adjusting the temperature, fan
speed, and the air delivery mode.
The system may also supply cooler
air to the side of the vehicle facing
the sun. The recirculation mode will
also be used as needed to maintain
cool outlet temperatures.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-11
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-16
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Parking Over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-24
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Ride Control Systems
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-34
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-41
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-42
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-3
Medical research shows that alcohol
in a person's system can make
crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord,
or heart. This means that
when anyone who has been
drinking—driver or passenger —is
in a crash, that person's chance of
being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not
been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems
help to control the vehicle while
driving —brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when
driving on snow or ice, it is easy to
ask more of those control systems
than the tires and road can provide.
Meaning, you can lose control of the
vehicle. See StabiliTrak
®Systemon
page 9‑30.
Adding non‐dealer accessories can
affect vehicle performance. See
Accessories and Modifications
on
page 10‑3.
Braking
See Brake System Warning Lighton page 5‑19.
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
three‐fourths of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as
two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and
eyesight all play a part. So do
alcohol, drugs, and frustration.
But even in three‐fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels
20 m (66 ft). That could be a lot
of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between
the vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the
surface of the road, whether it is
pavement or gravel; the condition of
the road, whether it is wet, dry,
or icy; tire tread; the condition of the
brakes; the weight of the vehicle;
and the amount of brake force
applied.
Avoid needless heavy
braking. Some people drive in
spurts
—heavy acceleration
followed by heavy braking —rather
than keeping pace with traffic. This
is a mistake. The brakes might not
have time to cool between hard
stops. The brakes will wear out
much faster with a lot of heavy
braking. Keeping pace with the
traffic and allowing realistic following
distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.