Page 1 of 374

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-6
Child Restraints
.......................................1-20
Airbag Systems
........................................1-40
Restraint System Check
............................1-52
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-10
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-12
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-14
Mirrors
....................................................2-24
HomeLink
®Transmitter
.............................2-26
Storage Areas
.........................................2-31
Convertible Top
.......................................2-37
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-44
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
......................................3-18
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-22
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-41
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-58Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-30
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Rear Axle
...............................................5-42
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-42
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-43
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-48
Tires
......................................................5-51
Appearance Care
.....................................5-72
Vehicle Identi cation
.................................5-80
Electrical System
......................................5-81
Capacities and Speci cations
.....................5-90
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......5-91
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 SSR Owner ManualM
Page 7 of 374

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Power Seats..................................................1-2
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Seatback Latches...........................................1-6
Safety Belts.....................................................1-6
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-6
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-11
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-12
Driver Position..............................................1-12
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-18
Passenger Position.......................................1-19
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-19
Child Restraints.............................................1-20
Older Children..............................................1-20
Infants and Young Children............................1-22
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-25
Top Strap....................................................1-29
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-31Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-31
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System.........................................1-33
Securing a Child Restraint in the Passenger
Seat Position............................................1-36
Airbag Systems..............................................1-40
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-42
When Should an Airbag In ate?.....................1-45
What Makes an Airbag In ate?.......................1-46
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-46
What Will You See After an Airbag In ates?.....1-47
Airbag Off Switch..........................................1-48
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-52
Restraint System Check..................................1-52
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-52
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-53
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1
Page 10 of 374

Heated Seats
If your vehicle has this
feature, the switches are
located on the outboard
side of the driver’s
and passenger’s seats.
This feature will heat the lower cushion and lower back
of the driver’s and passenger’s seats.
Press LO to turn the heater on low. Press HI to turn the
heater on high. Put the switch in the center position
to turn the heater off.
The engine must be running for the heated seats to work.
Also, the passenger’s safety belt must be buckled for the
heated seat feature to work on the passenger’s seat.
If you turn the ignition off when the heated seats are on,
the heated seats will turn off. They will come on again
when you restart the vehicle.
Reclining Seatbacks
The seatbacks in your vehicle provide head restraint,
helping to prevent neck injury in a rear impact, but they
do not provide rollover protection.
To recline the seatback, lift the lever on the outboard
side of the seat cushion.
Release the lever to lock the seatback where you
want it. Pull up on the lever without pushing on the
seatback, and the seat will go to an upright position.
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Page 11 of 374
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts cannot do their
job when you are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt cannot do its job because it
will not be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt cannot do its job either. In a crash
the belt could go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety belt
properly.
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Page 12 of 374

Seatback Latches
To fold the seatback
forward, push the lever on
the side of the seatback
rearward and pull the
seatback forward.
To return the seatback to the upright position, push it all
the way back until the latch catches. If the seatback
was reclined before being folded forward, it will return to
the reclined position.
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she can
not wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you are not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passenger’s belt is
fastened properly too.
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Page 13 of 374

{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in
a seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
SeeSafety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-24.In most states and all Canadian provinces, the law says
to wear safety belts. Here’s why:They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter...a lot!
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Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.Put someone on it.
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or the instrument panel... 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.
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