2003 CHEVROLET EXPRESS CARGO VAN Owners Manual

Unless your vehicle has an air bag off switch and you
have used it to turn the passenger's air bag off,
never put a rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger's seat. Here's why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag in¯ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the in¯ating air bag. If
your vehicle is a passenger van, always secure
a rear-facing child restraint in a rear seat. If
your vehicle is a cargo van with a right front
passenger air bag and an air bag off switch, be
sure to turn off the air bag before using a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front seat
position. If your vehicle is a cargo van with a
right front passenger air bag but does not
have an air bag off switch, do not use a
rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle. If a
forward-facing child restraint is suitable for
your child, always move the passenger seat as
far back as it will go.
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Although a rear seat is a safer place, you can secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the air bag, it means
that something may be wrong with the air bag
system. The right front passenger's air bag
could in¯ate even though the switch is off. If
this ever happens, don't let anyone whom the
national government has identi®ed as a
member of a passenger air bag risk group sit
in the right front passenger's position (for
example, don't secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle) until you have your
vehicle serviced. See ªAir Bag Off Switchº in
the Index.You'll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See
Top Strap on
page 1-48if the child restraint has one. Be sure to
follow the instructions that came with the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint when and as
the instructions say.
1. If your vehicle has a passenger air bag and an air
bag off switch, and you are using a rear-facing child
restraint in this seat, make sure the air bag is
turned off. See
Air Bag Off Switch on page 1-70.If
your child restraint is forward-facing, always
move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing it in this seat. See
Power Seat on page 1-4orManual Seats on page 1-3.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle's safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
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4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.
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6. To tighten the belt, feed the lap belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the child restraint.
You may ®nd it helpful to use your knee to push
down on the child restraint as you tighten the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
If you were using a rear-facing child restraint in a
vehicle with an air bag off switch, turn on the right front
passenger's air bag when you remove the rear-facing
child restraint from the vehicle unless the person
who will be sitting there is a member of a passenger air
bag risk group. See
Air Bag Off Switch on page 1-70.
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{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger's air bag is turned
off for a person who isn't in a risk group
identi®ed by the national government, that
person won't have the extra protection of an
air bag. In a crash, the air bag wouldn't be able
to in¯ate and help protect the person sitting
there. Don't turn off the passenger's air bag
unless the person sitting there is in a risk
group. See ªAir Bag Off Switchº in the Index
for more on this, including important safety
information.
Air Bag System
This part explains the air bag system.
If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel and AIR BAG on the instrument panel in front of
the right front passenger's seat, your vehicle has
two air bags Ð one air bag for the driver and another
air bag for the right front passenger.
If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel but it doesn't say AIR BAG on the instrument
panel in front of the right front passenger's seat, your
vehicle has an air bag for the driver only.
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If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel, but there is no right front passenger seat,
your vehicle has an air bag for the driver only.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an in¯ating air bag. But these
air bags must in¯ate very quickly to do their job
and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you aren't wearing your safety belt Ð even if
you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Air bags are designed to work
with safety belts, but don't replace them. Air
bags are designed to deploy only in moderate
to severe frontal and near frontal crashes.
They aren't designed to in¯ate at all in rollover,
rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, air bags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more
forceful air bags have provided in the past.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly Ð whether or not there's an air
bag for that person.
{CAUTION:
Air bags in¯ate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you're too close to an
in¯ating air bag, as you would be if you were
leaning forward, it could seriously injure you.
Safety belts help keep you in position before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with air bags. The driver should sit
as far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
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If your vehicle has an air bag for the right front
passenger read this.
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it in¯ates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle's safety belt system nor its air bag
system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly in your vehicle. To read how,
see
Older Children on page 1-34 and Infants
and Young Children on page 1-36.
There is a air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the air bag symbol.The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See
Air Bag Readiness Light on page 3-27for more information.
Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver's air bag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
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If your vehicle has one, the right front passenger's air
bag is in the instrument panel on the passenger's side.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not in¯ate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
in¯ating air bag must be kept clear. Don't put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don't attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
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