
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

Keys...............................................................2-2
Remote Keyless Entry System.........................2-4
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation...........2-5
Doors and Locks.............................................2-7
Door Locks....................................................2-7
Front Doors...................................................2-8
Power Door Locks..........................................2-8
Programmable Automatic Door Locks................2-9
Leaving Your Vehicle....................................2-10
Sliding Side Door..........................................2-10
Rear Doors..................................................2-13
Windows........................................................2-16
Manual Windows..........................................2-16
Power Windows............................................2-17
Sun Visors...................................................2-17
Theft-Deterrent Systems..................................2-18
Passlock
ž....................................................2-18
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle................2-19
New Vehicle Break-In....................................2-19
Ignition Positions..........................................2-19
Starting Your Engine.....................................2-21Engine Coolant Heater..................................2-22
Automatic Transmission Operation...................2-23
All-Wheel Drive............................................2-26
Parking Brake..............................................2-26
Shifting Into Park (P).....................................2-27
Shifting Out of Park (P).................................2-29
Parking Over Things That Burn.......................2-30
Engine Exhaust............................................2-30
Running Your Engine While You Are Parked. . . .2-31
Mirrors...........................................................2-32
Manual Rearview Mirror.................................2-32
Outside Manual Mirror...................................2-32
Outside Power Mirrors...................................2-32
Outside Convex Mirror...................................2-33
HomeLink
žTransmitter...................................2-34
Programming the HomeLinkžTransmitter.........2-35
Storage Areas................................................2-38
Overhead Console........................................2-39
Luggage Carrier...........................................2-44
Convenience Net..........................................2-45
Section 2 Features and Controls
2-1

Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
You can adjust the mirror for day or night driving. Press
the tab forward (away from you) for day driving. Pull
the tab back (toward you) for night driving.
Outside Manual Mirror
Adjust your outside rearview mirrors so you can see a
little of the side of your vehicle and the area beside and
behind your vehicle, from a comfortable driving
position.
You can fold the mirrors inward before entering a car
wash. Pull the mirrors toward the vehicle. Push the
mirrors back out when ®nished. After pushing the mirror
out, the adjustment will be maintained.
Outside Power Mirrors
Your vehicle may have this feature.
2-32

To adjust the outside rearview mirror, move the selector
switch in the middle of the control to L for the driver's
side mirror or to R for the passenger's side mirror. Then
use the arrows located on the four-way control pad to
move the mirror in the desired direction. To make
sure you do not accidentally move a mirror, return the
selector switch to the middle position (off) after adjusting
the mirrors.Outside Convex Mirror
Your passenger's side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror's surface is curved so you can see more from the
driver's seat.
{CAUTION:
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder
before changing lanes.
2-33

Here are some tips on night driving.
·Drive defensively.
·Don't drink and drive.
·Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
·Since you can't see as well, you may need to slow
down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
·Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.
·In remote areas, watch for animals.
·If you're tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your
night vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses.Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if
you're driving, don't wear sunglasses at night. They
may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also
make a lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver
who doesn't lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean Ð inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a ®lm caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and ¯ash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep
your eyes moving; that way, it's easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from
night blindness Ð the inability to see in dim light Ð and
aren't even aware of it.
4-15

Maintenance Schedule (cont.)
Fuel System Inspection................................6-30
How This Section is Organized....................... 6-3
Introduction.................................................. 6-2
Long Trip/Highway Scheduled Maintenance.....6-18
Maintenance Requirements............................. 6-2
Part A - Scheduled Maintenance Services......... 6-4
Part B - Owner Checks and Services.............6-26
Part C - Periodic MaintenanceInspections......6-30
Part D - Recommended Fluids and Lubricants....6-32
Part E - Maintenance Record........................6-34
Selecting the Right Schedule.......................... 6-5
Short Trip/City Scheduled Maintenance............. 6-7
Steering, Suspension and Front Drive Axle
Boot and Seal Inspection..........................6-30
Throttle System Inspection............................6-31
Transfer Case and Front Axle
(All-Wheel Drive) Inspection.......................6-31
Using Your................................................... 6-4
Your Vehicle and the Environment................... 6-2
Maintenance When Trailer Towing.....................4-40
Making Turns.................................................4-38
Malfunction Indicator Light................................3-30
Manual Lumbar Controls.................................... 1-3
Manual Seats................................................... 1-2
Manual Windows............................................2-16
Matching Transmitter(s) to Your Vehicle............... 2-5Mexico, Central America and Caribbean
Islands/Countries (Except Puerto Rico and
U.S. Virgin Islands) ± Customer Assistance....... 7-5
Mirrors..........................................................2-32
Manual Rearview Mirror................................2-32
Outside Convex Mirror.................................2-33
Outside Manual Mirror..................................2-32
Outside Power Mirrors..................................2-32
Model Reference................................................ vi
MyGMLink.com................................................ 7-4
N
New Vehicle Break-In......................................2-19
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts...........5-101
O
Odometer......................................................3-25
Off-Road Recovery..........................................4-11
Oil ................................................................5-15
Engine.......................................................5-15
Pressure Gage............................................3-34
Older Children, Restraints................................1-35
Online Owner Center........................................ 7-4
9

R
Radiator Pressure Cap....................................5-30
Radios..........................................................3-38
AM-FM Radio.............................................3-39
Care of Your CD Player...............................3-50
Care of Your CDs........................................3-50
Radio with CD............................................3-41
Rear Seat Audio..........................................3-46
Setting the Time for Radios with
HR and MN Buttons.................................3-38
Setting the Time for Radios with
the Set Button.........................................3-38
Theft-Deterrent............................................3-47
Understanding Reception..............................3-50
Reading Lamps..............................................2-40
Rear Air Conditioning System...........................3-20
Rear Axle......................................................5-53
Locking........................................................ 4-9
Rear Climate Control System............................3-21
Rear Doors....................................................2-13
Rear Heating System......................................3-19
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides......................1-32
Rear Seat Audio (RSA)....................................3-46
Rear Seat Operation......................................... 1-7
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions.............1-29
Rear Seat Passengers, Safety Belts..................1-29
Rear Window Defogger....................................3-21Rearview Mirrors.............................................2-32
Reclining Seatbacks.......................................... 1-4
Recreational Vehicle Towing.............................4-29
Reinstalling the Engine Cover...........................5-23
Remote Keyless Entry System, Operation............ 2-5
Remote Keyless Entry System............................ 2-4
Removing the Engine Cover.............................5-20
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire.............................................5-76
Removing the Rear Seats.................................. 1-7
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools...................5-72
Removing the Wheel Covers............................5-75
Replacement Bulbs.........................................5-61
Replacing Brake System Parts..........................5-46
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash.....1-71
Replacing the Rear Seats.................................. 1-9
Reporting Safety Defects.................................7-11
Canadian Government..................................7-11
General Motors...........................................7-11
United States Government............................7-10
Reprogramming a Single HomeLink
žButton.......2-37
Resetting Defaults...........................................2-37
Restraint System Check...................................6-26
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-71
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash..........................................1-71
11