2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO ECU

Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors, therefore, recommends that child
restraints be secured in a rear seat including an infant
riding in a rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat and an older child riding in a
booster seat. Never put a child in a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front passenger seat unless
your vehicle has the passenger sensing system and/or
an AIR BAG OFF switch and the air bag status
indicator shows off. Never put a rear facing child
restraint in the right front passenger seat unless the air
bag is off. 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. Be sure the air
bag is off before using a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Even though the Passenger Sensing System
and/or AIR BAG OFF switch are designed to
turn off the passenger's frontal air bag under
certain conditions, no system is fail-safe, and
no one can guarantee that an air bag will not
deploy under some unusual circumstance,
even though it is turned off. General Motors
therefore recommends that rear-facing child
restraints be transported in vehicles with a
rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
If you secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.
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There is limited space in the rear seating area of an
extended cab model. If you need to secure a child
restraint in a rear seating position of an extended cab
model, especially in the rear center position, be sure to
study the instructions that came with your child restraint
to see if there is enough room to secure your seat
properly.
If your vehicle has the passenger sensing system
and/or the AIR BAG OFF switch and you need to secure
a rear-facing child restraint in the right front passenger's
seat, the passenger's frontal air bag must be off.
See
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-76,Securing
a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position
(Crew Cab Models) on page 1-55
orSecuring a Child
Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position (Regular
and Extended Cab Models) on page 1-58
, andAir Bag
Off Switch on page 1-71for more on this including
important safety information.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can move
around in a collision or sudden stop and injure people in
the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any child restraint
in your vehicle ± even when no child is in it.
Top Strap
Some child restraints have a top strap or ©top tether©. It
can help restrain the child restraint during a collision.
For it to work, a top strap much be properly anchored to
the vehicle. Some top strap-equipped child restraints
are designed for use with or without the top strap being
anchored. Others require the top strap always to be
anchored. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for
your child restraint. If yours requires that the top strap
be anchored, don't use the restraint unless it is anchored
properly.
If the child restraint does not have a top strap, one can
be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints.
Ask the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.
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In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top strap, and that the strap be
anchored. In the United States, some child restraints
also have a top strap. If your child restraint has a
top strap, it should be anchored.
Anchor the top strap to one of the following anchor
points. Be sure to use an anchor point located on the
same side of the vehicle as the seating position
where the child restraint will be placed. Raise the head
restraint and route the top strap under it.
Once you have the top strap anchored, you'll be ready
to secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the top
strap when and as the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions say.
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Top Strap Anchor Location
Right Front Passenger Position Top
Strap Anchor (All Models)
You'll ®nd the top strap anchor for the right front
passenger seat behind the seat, near the ¯oor.If your vehicle is a regular cab model, there is also a
top strap anchor for the right front passenger position
located on the back panel of your vehicle, behind
the right front passenger seat. In order to get to the
anchor, you'll have to remove the trim plug covering it.
Once you have the top strap anchored, you'll be
ready to secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the top
strap when and as the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions say.
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When using a child restraint with a top strap in the
center rear position, route the top strap through
the fabric loop on the seatback. Then, raise the head
restraint and attach the top strap to the anchor
point located at the closest outboard position.
Once you have the top strap anchored, you'll be ready
to secure the child restrain itself. Tighten the top
strap when and as the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions say.
Rear Seat Top Strap Anchors
(Crew Cab Models)
If your vehicle is a Crew Cab model, you'll ®nd top strap
anchors for the rear seating positions located on the
back panel of your vehicle, behind the rear seat.
In order to get to the brackets, you'll have to remove the
trim plugs covering them.
There are also anchorage points at the rear base of the
front passenger's seat.
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Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)Your vehicle has the LATCH system. You will ®nd
anchors (A) for the front passenger and the center rear
seating positions.
This system, designed to make installation of child
restraints easier, does not use the vehicle's safety belts.
Instead, it uses vehicle anchors (A, B) and child
restraint attachments to secure the restraints. Some
restraints also use another vehicle anchor to secure a
top tether strap (C).
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{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint isn't attached to
its anchorage points, the restraint won't be
able to protect the child correctly. In a crash,
the child could be seriously injured or killed.
Make sure that a LATCH-type child restraint is
properly installed using the anchorage points,
or use the vehicle's safety belts to secure the
restraint. See ªSecuring a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH Systemº, ªSecuring a
Child Restraint in the Center Front Seat
Positionº, ªSecuring a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Positionº or ªSecuring a Child
Restraint in a Center Rear Seat Positionº in the
Index for information on how to secure a child
restraint in your vehicle.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System
1. Find the anchors for the seating position you want
to use, where the bottom of the seatback meets the
back of the seat cushion.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Attach the anchor points on the child restraint to the
anchors in the vehicle. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.
4. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach the top
strap to the top strap anchor. See
Top Strap on
page 1-42. Tighten the top strap according to
the child restraint instructions.
5. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top
strap from the top tether anchor and then disconnect the
anchor points.
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Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
Extended Cab and Crew Cab
There is limited space in the rear seating of an extended
cab model. If you want to secure a child restraint in a
rear outside seating position, be sure to study the
instructions that came with your child restraint to see if
there is enough room to secure your seat properly.If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, see
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-47. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-42if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you'll be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the child
restraint in this position. 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. Put the restraint on the seat.
2. 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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