2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO ESP

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe ± whether you're wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you're upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so you
canunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work
with
safety belts ± not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the
use of safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that
has air bags, you still have to buckle up to get
the most protection. That's true not only in frontal
collisions, but especially in side and other
collisions.
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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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Crew Cab
When you secure a child restraint in the center rear
seat position of a crew cab, you'll be using a
lap-shoulder belt that works the same way as the safety
belts in the rear outside seat positions. For instructions
on how to secure a child restraint using a lap-shoulder
belt see
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position on page 1-50.
Extended Cab
There is limited space in the rear seating area of an
extended cab model. If you want to secure a child
restraint in a rear seat position of an extended cab
model, especially in the rear center seat position,
be sure to study the instructions that came with your
child restraint to see if there is enough room to secure
your child restraint 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 belt to secure a child restraint
in the center rear seat position of an extended cab. 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. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate and pulling it along the belt.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
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When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?
An air bag is designed to in¯ate in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash. The air bag will in¯ate
only if the impact speed is above the system's designed
ªthreshold level.º
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have in¯ated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
In¯ation is determined by the angle of the impact
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. See
Off-Road
Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle on
page 4-22
for more tips on off-road driving.
Single Stage vs. Dual Stage Air Bags
Depending on the weight of your vehicle you will
have either ªSingle Stage Air Bagsº or ªDual Stage Air
Bagsº. Vehicles that have a passenger sensing
system also have dual stage air bags. If the rearview
mirror in your vehicle has a passenger air bag
status indicator printed on it, your vehicle has the
passenger sensing system and therefore, it has dual
stage air bags. If the rearview mirror in your vehicle does
not have a passenger air bag status indicator printedon it, then your vehicle does not have the passenger
sensing system and it has single stage air bags.
See
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator on page 3-40orPassenger Sensing System on page 1-76.
Dual Stage Air Bags
If your vehicle has frontal air bags with dual stage
deployment, the amount of restraint will adjust according
to crash severity. For moderate frontal impacts, these
air bags in¯ate at a level less than full deployment. For
more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that
does not move or deform, the threshold level for the
reduced deployment is about 10 to 16 mph
(16 to 25 km/h), and the threshold level for a full
deployment is about 20 to 25 mph (32 to 40 km/h). The
threshold level can vary, however, with speci®c
vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above or
below this range.
If your vehicle strikes something that will move or
deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will be
higher. The air bag is not designed to in¯ate in
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts because
in¯ation would not help the occupant.
1-68

Resynchronization
Resynchronization may be necessary due to the
security method used by this system. The transmitter
does not send the same signal twice to the receiver. The
receiver will not respond to a signal that has been
sent previously. This prevents anyone from recording
and playing back the signal from the transmitter.
To resynchronize your transmitter, stand close to your
vehicle and press and hold the LOCK and UNLOCK
buttons on the transmitter at the same time for 15
seconds. The door locks should cycle to con®rm
synchronization. If the locks do not cycle, see your
dealer for service.
Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
·Passengers Ð especially children Ð can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the
handle will not open it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash if the doors are not locked. So,
wear safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
·Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.
·Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent this from happening.
2-7

Windows
{CAUTION:
Leaving children in a vehicle with the windows
closed is dangerous. A child can be overcome
by the extreme heat and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from heat stroke. Never
leave a child alone in a vehicle, especially with
the windows closed in warm or hot weather.
Manual Windows
Turn the hand crank on each door to manually raise or
lower the manual windows.
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Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you
can help.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle may be equipped with a content
theft-deterrent alarm system.
With this system, the
security light will ¯ash as
you open the door (if your
ignition is off), to let you
know that you are
activating the system.
This message reminds you to activate the theft-deterrent
system. Here's how to do it:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door with the power door lock switch or the
remote keyless entry transmitter. The security light
should come on and ¯ash. If using the remote
keyless entry transmitter, the door does not need to
be open.If the delayed locking feature is active, the alarm
will not be activated until all doors are closed
and the security light goes off.
3. Close all doors. The security light will stop ¯ashing
and stay solid. The light should go off after
approximately 30 seconds. The alarm is not armed
until the security light goes off.
If a door is opened without the key or the remote
keyless entry transmitter, the alarm will go off. Your
vehicle's headlamps will ¯ash and the horn will sound for
about two minutes, then will turn off to save the
battery power.
Remember, the theft-deterrent system won't activate if
you lock the doors with a key or use the manual
door lock. It activates only if you use a power door lock
switch with the door open, or with the remote keyless
entry transmitter. You should also remember that
you can start your vehicle with the correct ignition key if
the alarm has been set off.
Here's how to avoid setting off the alarm by accident:
·If you don't want to activate the theft-deterrent
system, the vehicle should be locked with the door
key
afterthe doors are closed.
·Always unlock a door with a key, or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter. Unlocking a door any
other way will set off the alarm if the system
has been armed.
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Shifting into NEUTRAL
To shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL do the following:
1. Make sure the vehicle is parked so that it will
not roll.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Start the vehicle or turn the ignition to RUN.
4. Connect the vehicle to the towing vehicle.
5. Put the transmission in NEUTRAL (N).
6. Shift the transfer case to 2HI.
7. Simultaneously press and hold the 2HI and 4LO
buttons for 10 seconds. The red NEUTRAL light
will come on when the transfer case shift to
NEUTRAL is complete.
8. Shift the transmission to REVERSE (R) for one
second, then shift the transmission to DRIVE (D)
for one second.
9. Turn the ignition to OFF.
10. Place the transmission shift lever in PARK (P).
11. Release the parking brake prior to towing.
Shifting Out of NEUTRAL
To shift out of NEUTRAL:
1. Set the parking brake and apply the regular brake
pedal.
2. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N) and turn the
ignition to RUN with the engine off.
3. Press the button for the desired transfer case shift
position (2HI, 4HI, AUTO 4WD or 4LO).
4. After the transfer case has shifted out of NEUTRAL
the red light will go out.
5. Release the parking brake.
6. You may start the engine and shift the transmission
to the desired position.
Excessively shifting the transfer case into or out of the
different modes may cause the transfer case to
enter the shift protection mode. This will protect the
transfer case from possible damage and will only allow
the transfer case to respond to one shift per 10
seconds. The transfer case may stay in this mode for
up to three minutes.
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