2001 CHEVROLET ASTRO Owners Manual

1-4 Reclining Seatbacks
There is a lever located on the inside of the seat to adjust
the seatback.
You can adjust the seatback
by lifting the lever and
leaning back. Release the
lever to lock the seatback
where you want it. Pull up
on the lever, lean forward
and the seat will go to an
upright position.
But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.

1-5
CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job because it
won't be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can't do its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slide an adjustable head restraint up or down
so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of
your ears. This position reduces the chance of a neck
injury in a crash.

1-6 Seatback Latches
The seatback lever is
located on the right rear
of your seat.
To fold your bench seatback
forward, pull up on the latch
release lever while pulling
the seatback toward the rear
of the vehicle.After the latch has been released, push the seatback
toward the front of the vehicle until it locks into place.
To raise the seatback, unlock the seatback latch by
pushing up on the lever while pushing down on the
upper edge of the seatback. Move the seatback into the
upright position. Make sure the seatback is locked when
it is back in the upright position.
CAUTION:
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there.
Always press rearward on the seatback to be
sure it is locked.

1-7 Rear Seats
Bucket Seats (If Equipped)
You may have rear bucket seats with an adjustment
release bar located at the front of the seats. These seats
can be adjusted forward or rearward with the release bar.
Pull the release bar up to release the seat bottom and
slide the seat where you want it. Then let go of the
release bar and try to move the seat with your body, to
make sure the seat is locked into place.Bench Seats
Each bench seat can carry up to three passengers.
They can also be removed to increase storage space.
The center bench and rear bench seats can be adjusted
forward or rearward using the lever at the front of
the seat.
Move the seat adjustment
lever located at the front
of the seat toward the
passenger's side to unlock
it. Slide the seat to where
you want it. Then release
the lever and try to move
the seat with your body, to
make sure the seat is locked
into place.
The center bench seat has a pivoting right armrest.
The optional bench seats come with moveable armrests,
individual reclining seatbacks, adjustable headrests and
a fold
-down center armrest console.

1-8
To adjust your seatback, pull up on the lever located on
the outboard side of the seat cushion.
To raise or lower the center
console, press the button
located between the
beverage holders. Sit in the
center seating position only
when the console is in an
upright and locked position.
For details about headrests, see ªHead Restraintsº in
this section.

1-9
Removing the Rear Seats
To remove the rear seats, do the following:
1. If you are removing the
center seat, remove the
right lap
-shoulder belt.
To do this, press the tip
of a key into the release
hole of the safety belt
attachment while pulling
up on the safety belt.
2. If you have a safety belt
guide on your seat, pull
the safety belt all the
way out through
the guide.
3. To store the safety belt while the second row bench
seat is removed, pull the belt out and put both
buckles in the passenger's side rear storage bin.
Route the belt out of the forward edge of the storage
bin. Close the cover to retain the belt.
4. Pull up on the seatback latch on the right rear of the
seat. Push the seatback down until it locks into place.

1-10
5. Lift up on the left and the right seat release levers at
the same time. The latches are near the floor on the
rear legs of the seat.6. Lift up on the rear of the seat to remove the seat
assembly from the rear latch pins. Then, pull back
and lift the seat out of the vehicle.
Your seat release latch lever is operated with a
two
-stage mechanism. To fully release the latch,
two levels of lift effort will be required. First, a low
effort to overcome the first stage and then a
moderate effort to fully release the latch.

1-11
Replacing the Rear Seats
1. Lower the seat into position. Make sure the front
retainers are hooked onto the anchor pins.
2. Pull the seat down to latch the rear retainers. Make
sure the seat is locked in by pulling up and down on
the seat.
CAUTION:
A seat that isn't locked into place properly can
move around in a collision or sudden stop. People
in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure to lock
the seat into place properly when installing it.