
Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................1-10
Child Restraints
.......................................1-31
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-64
Restraint System Check
............................1-81
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-18
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-20
Mirrors
....................................................2-53
OnStar
žSystem
......................................2-62
Storage Areas
.........................................2-64
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-66
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-33
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-54
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-71
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-55Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under
the Hood
............................................... 5-8
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-54
Rear Axle
...............................................5-55
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-56
Noise Control System
...............................5-58
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-59
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-68
Tires
......................................................5-69
Appearance Care
...................................5-100
Vehicle Identi®cation
...............................5-108
Electrical System
....................................5-109
Capacities and Speci®cations
...................5-118
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
....5-121
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
Index................................................................ 1
2003 Chevrolet Silverado Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-3
Manual Seats................................................1-3
Power Seats..................................................1-4
Power Lumbar...............................................1-4
Heated Seats.................................................1-5
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-5
Head Restraints.............................................1-7
Seatback Latches...........................................1-7
Rear Seats.......................................................1-8
Rear Seat Operation (Extended Cab)................1-8
Rear Seat Operation (Crew Cab)......................1-9
Safety Belts...................................................1-10
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-10
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-15
Driver Position..............................................1-16
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-23
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-24
Center Passenger Position.............................1-24
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-26
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-29
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-31Child Restraints.............................................1-31
Older Children..............................................1-31
Infants and Young Children............................1-34
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-38
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-41
Top Strap....................................................1-42
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-44
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-47
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System.........................................1-49
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position............................................1-50
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Rear
Seat Position............................................1-52
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front
Seat Position............................................1-55
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position
(Crew Cab Models)....................................1-55
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position (Regular and Extended Cab
Models)....................................................1-58
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Q:If I'm a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you're in an
accident ± even one that isn't your fault ± you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn't protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see
Older Children on page 1-31orInfants and Young Children on page 1-34. Follow
those rules for everyone's protection.
First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We'll start with the driver position.
1-15

The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it's more
likely that the fetus won't be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger's safety
belt properly, seeDriver Position on page 1-16.
The right front passenger's safety belt works the same
way as the driver's safety beltÐexcept for one thing.
If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the belt out all the
way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature
which may turn off the passenger's frontal air bag. If this
happens unintentionally, just let the belt go back all
the way and start again.
Center Passenger Position
If your vehicle has front and rear bench seats, someone
can sit in the center positions.
When you sit in the center rear seat position of a crew
cab you have a lap-shoulder belt which is similar to
the rear outside seat positions. To learn how to wear this
belt see ªLap-Shoulder Beltº under
Rear Seat
Passengers on page 1-26.
1-24

Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt isn't long enough to fasten, your
dealer will order you an extender. It's free. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so
the extender will be long enough for you. The extender
will be just for you, and just for the seat in your
vehicle that you choose. Don't let someone else use it,
and use it only for the seat it is made to ®t. To wear
it, just attach it to the regular safety belt.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle's safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a seat that
has a lap-shoulder belt to get the additional restraint
a shoulder belt can provide.
1-31

Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt
should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt
should ®t snugly below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. It should never be worn over
the abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
1-32

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can't properly spread the impact
forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child's face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a rear outside seat position,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
See
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults on page 1-29
. If the child is
sitting in the center rear seat position of a crew
cab, move the child toward the safety belt buckle.
In either case be sure that the shoulder belt
still is on the child's shoulder, so that in a crash
the child's upper body would have the restraint that
belts provide.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child's face or neck, you might
want to place the child a seat that has a lap belt, if
your vehicle has one.
1-33

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt in
this way, in a crash the child might slide under
the belt. The belt's force would then be applied
right on the child's abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child's thighs. This applies belt force to the child's
pelvic bones in a crash.
Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
1-34