2011 Chevrolet Impala Owner's Manual - Page 331

Vehicle Care 10-75 Jump Starting For more information about the vehicle battery, see Battery on page 10‑29. If your vehicle's battery has run down, you may want to use another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your vehicle. Be sure to use the following steps to do it safely. Notice: Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage to the vehicle that would not be covered by the warranty. Trying to start the vehicle by pushing or pulling it will not work, and it could damage the vehicle. 1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12‐volt battery with a negative ground system. Notice: Only use a vehicle that has a 12-volt system with a negative ground for jump starting. If the other vehicle does not have a 12-volt system with a negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged. 2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables can reach, but be sure the vehicles are not touching each other. If they are, it could cause a ground connection you do not want. You would not be able to start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could damage the electrical systems. To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in the jump start procedure. Put an automatic transmission in P (Park) or a manual transmission in N (Neutral) before setting the parking brake. { WARNING Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous because: . They contain acid that can burn you. They contain gas that can explode or ignite. They contain enough electricity to burn you. . . If you do not follow these steps exactly, some or all of these things can hurt you.