2003 CHEVROLET ASTRO CARGO VAN child seat

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................1-13
Child Restraints
.......................................1-35
Air Bag System
.......................................1-62
Restraint System Check
............................1-71
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-16
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-18
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-19
Mirrors
....................................................2-32
HomeLink
žTransmitter
.............................2-34
Storage Areas
.........................................2-38
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
......................................3-18
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-23
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-38
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2Towing
....................................................4-29
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-11
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-52
Rear Axle
...............................................5-53
Front Axle
...............................................5-54
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-55
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-62
Tires
......................................................5-63
Appearance Care
.....................................5-83
Vehicle Identi®cation
.................................5-91
Electrical System
......................................5-92
Capacities and Speci®cations
.....................5-99
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
....5-101
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index.................................................................1
2003 Chevrolet Astro Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Power Seat...................................................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-3
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-5
Seatback Latches...........................................1-6
Rear Seats.......................................................1-7
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-7
Bench Seat..................................................1-11
Bucket Seats...............................................1-12
Safety Belts...................................................1-13
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-13
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-17
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-18
Driver Position..............................................1-18
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-26
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-27
Center Passenger Position.............................1-27
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-29
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-32
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-34
Child Restraints.............................................1-35
Older Children..............................................1-35
Infants and Young Children............................1-38Child Restraint Systems.................................1-44
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-47
Top Strap....................................................1-48
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-50
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)......................1-52
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System...............................1-54
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position.........................1-54
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Seat Position..................................1-57
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position............................1-59
Air Bag System..............................................1-62
Where Are the Air Bags?...............................1-64
When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?....................1-66
What Makes an Air Bag In¯ate?.....................1-67
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?.....................1-67
What Will You See After an Air Bag In¯ates? . . .1-68
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle.........1-69
Adding Equipment to Your
Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle...........................1-70
Restraint System Check..................................1-71
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-71
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-71
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Q:If I'm a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you're in an
accident ± even one that isn't your fault ± you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn't protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see
Older Children on page 1-35orInfants and Young Children on page 1-38. Follow
those rules for everyone's protection.
First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We'll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver's restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see ªSeatsº in the Index.
1-18

The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it's more
likely that the fetus won't be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger's safety
belt properly, seeDriver Position on page 1-18.
The right front passenger's safety belt works the same
way as the driver's safety belt Ð except for one
thing. If you ever pull the lap portion of the belt out all
the way, you will engage the child restraint locking
feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the
way and start again.
Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has rear bench seats, someone can sit in
the center positions.
1-27

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
Your vehicle may have this feature already. If it doesn't,
you can get it from any GM dealer.
This feature will provide added safety belt comfort for
older children who have outgrown booster seats and for
small adults. When installed on a shoulder belt, the
comfort guide better positions the belt away from
the neck and head.
To provide added safety belt comfort for children who
have outgrown child restraints and booster seats and for
smaller adults, the comfort guides may be installed on
the shoulder belts. Here's how to install a comfort guide
and use the safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its storage clip on the side
of the seatback.
1-32

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle's safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to a
window so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt
should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt
should ®t snugly below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. It should never be worn over
the abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
1-35

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can't properly spread the impact
forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child's face or neck?
A:Move the child toward the center of the vehicle,
but be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the
child's shoulder, so that in a crash the child's upper
body would have the restraint that belts provides.
If the child is sitting in a rear seat outside position,
see
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults on page 1-32
.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child's face or neck, you might
want to place the child in a seat that has a lap belt,
if your vehicle has one.
1-36

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt in
this way, in a crash the child might slide under
the belt. The belt's force would then be applied
right on the child's abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child's thighs. This applies belt force to the child's
pelvic bones in a crash.
1-37