2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO Owners Manual

In addition to the AIR BAG OFF switch, your vehicle
may have the passenger sensing system. The
passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the
right front passenger's frontal air bag when a rear facing
child restraint is in the right front seat. In addition to
the passenger sensing system, you may use the
AIR BAG OFF switch located on the instrument panel to
turn the air bag off. See
Air Bag Off Switch on
page 1-71andPassenger Sensing System on
page 1-76.Never put a rear facing child restraint in the right front
passenger's seat unless the air bag is off. Here is 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 to turn off the air bag before using a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front seat
position. 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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A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward facing
child restraint. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint on
page 1-41. If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position, move the
seat as far back as it will go before securing a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Manual Seats on
page 1-3orPower Seats on page 1-4.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster 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, have the vehicle serviced promptly.
Until you have the vehicle serviced, do not let
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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, do not secure a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger's seat). See²Air Bag Off Switch²in
the Index.
In addition to the AIR BAG OFF switch, your vehicle
may have the passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-76for more on
this, including important safety information.
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 your child restraint has one.
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If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will 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. Your vehicle has a right front passenger's frontal air
bag. If you need to use a rear-facing child restraint
in this seat, make sure the air bag is off once
the child restraint has been installed. See
Air Bag
Off Switch on page 1-71andPassenger Sensing
System on page 1-76. If your child restraint is
forward-facing, move the seat as far back as it will
go before securing the restraint in this seat.
See
Manual Seats on page 1-3orPower Seats on
page 1-4.
When the passenger sensing system or the AIR
BAG OFF switch has turned off the right front
passenger's frontal air bag, the off indicator in the
passenger air bag status indicator should light
and stay lit when you turn the ignition to RUN or
START. See
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator on
page 3-40.
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.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.
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5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. If you are using a forward-facing child
restraint, you may ®nd it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt. You should not be able to pull more of
the belt out of the retractor once the lock has
been set.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
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8. If your vehicle has the passenger sensing system
and you are using a rear-facing child restraint in
this seat, check to be sure the right front
passenger's frontal air bag is off before you begin
to drive. If the air bag is off, the off indicator
will be lit and stay lit in the inside rearview mirror
when the key is turned to RUN or START.
If the on indicator is lit, the passenger's frontal air bag
has not been turned off by the passenger sensing
system. If this ever happens, turn the vehicle off,
unbuckle the safety belt and perform the steps to install
the rear-facing restraint again. If the air bag still does
not turn off, check to make sure the AIR BAG OFF
switch has been turned to the off position or install the
infant restraint in a rear seat position if one is
available. See
Air Bag Off Switch on page 1-71for more
on this, including important safety information.
For heavy duty pickups without the passenger sensing
system, use the AIR BAG OFF switch to turn the air
bag off or install the infant restraint in a rear seat
position.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag ON indicator comes on when you
have a rear-facing child restraint installed in
the right front passenger's seat, it means that
the passenger sensing system has not turned
off the passenger's frontal air bag. 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. Don't use a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger's seat unless the air bag is off.
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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, and you
had turned the air bag off with the switch, remember to be
sure to use the air bag off switch to 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 1-71.
{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. See²Air
Bag Off Switch²in the Index for more on this,
including important safety information.
Air Bag Systems
This part explains the air bag system.
Your vehicle has air bags ± one air bag for the driver
and another air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an in¯ating frontal 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 systems:
{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
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
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
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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{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
thevehicle'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 1-31andInfants
and Young Children on page 1-34
.
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
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 3-36for more information.
Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver's air bag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
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