2003 CHEVROLET SSR heater

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.
1-4

{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You cannot see it
or smell it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so until
help comes.
4-29

Notice:Using coolant other than DEX-COOL®may
cause premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at 30,000 miles (50 000 km)
or 24 months, whichever occurs rst. Any repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL
®(silicate-free) coolant in your vehicle.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-halfclean, drinkable waterand
one-half DEX-COOL®coolant which won’t damage
aluminum parts. If you use this coolant mixture,
you don’t need to add anything else.
{CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Your vehicle’s coolant warning system is set
for the proper coolant mixture. With plain
water or the wrong mixture, your engine could
get too hot but you would not get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch re and you
or others could be burned. Use a 50/50 mixture
of clean, drinkable water and DEX-COOL
®
coolant.
Notice:If you use an improper coolant mixture,
your engine could overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost would not be covered by your
warranty. Too much water in the mixture can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core and
other parts.
If you have to add coolant more than four times a year,
have your dealer check your cooling system.
Notice:If you use the proper coolant, you do not
have to add extra inhibitors or additives which claim
to improve the system. These can be harmful.
5-25

If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
If you get an engine overheat warning but see or
hear no steam, the problem may not be too serious.
Sometimes the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer. See “Driving on Grades” under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-38.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in NEUTRAL (N)
while stopped. If it is safe to do so, pull off the road,
shift to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and let the
engine idle.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning doesn’t come back on, you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.If there’s still no sign of steam, idle the engine for
three minutes while you’re parked. If you still have the
warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
Cooling System
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
A. Coolant Surge Tank B. Engine Cooling Fan
5-28

If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until it cools down. The vehicle
should be parked on a level surface.
When the engine is cold, the coolant level should be
at least up to the FULL COLD mark. If it is not, you may
have a leak at the surge cap or in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump or somewhere
else in the cooling system.
{CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Do not touch them.
If you do, you can be burned.
Do not run the engine if there is a leak. If you
run the engine, it could lose all coolant. That
could cause an engine re, and you could be
burned. Get any leak xed before you drive
the vehicle.
If there seems to be no leak, start the engine again.
Notice:Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant is not covered by your warranty.
Notice:Using coolant other than DEX-COOL
®may
cause premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at 30,000 miles (50 000 km)
or 24 months, whichever occurs rst. Any repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL
®(silicate-free) coolant in your vehicle.
5-29

How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
If you have not found a problem yet, but the coolant
level is not at the FULL COLD mark, add a 50/50
mixture ofclean drinkable waterand DEX-COOL
®
engine coolant at the coolant recovery tank. See
Engine Coolant on page 5-24for more information.
{CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system is set for the
proper coolant mixture. With plain water or the
wrong mixture, your engine could get too hot
but you would not get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch re and you or others
could be burned. Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COOL
®coolant.Notice:In cold weather, water can freeze and crack
the engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture.
{CAUTION:
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Do not spill coolant on a hot engine.
When the coolant in the coolant surge tank is at the
FULL COLD mark, start your vehicle.
5-30

H
Hazard Warning Flashers................................... 3-3
Hdr (Header) Latch Switch Fault.......................3-47
Headlamp
Aiming.......................................................5-42
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.................... 3-6
Headlamps....................................................5-43
Bulb Replacement.......................................5-43
Electrical System.........................................5-81
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and
Parking Lamps.........................................5-44
Halogen Bulbs............................................5-43
Heated Seats................................................... 1-4
Heater...........................................................3-18
Highbeam On Light.........................................3-36
Highway Hypnosis...........................................4-23
Hill and Mountain Roads..................................4-24
Hitches..........................................................4-42
HomeLink Transmitter, Programming..................2-27
HomeLink
®Wireless Control System.................2-26
Hood
Checking Things Under................................5-10
Release.....................................................5-11
Horn............................................................... 3-4
How to Add Automatic Transmission Fluid..........5-24How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank.................................................5-30
How to Check................................................5-57
How to Check Lubricant...................................5-42
How to Check Power Steering Fluid..................5-31
How to Check the Automatic
Transmission Fluid.......................................5-22
How to Inspect the Engine Air Cleaner/Filter.......5-20
How to Use This Manual...................................... ii
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly...................1-12
Hydroplaning..................................................4-18
I
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine..........5-28
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine...............5-27
If the Light is Flashing.....................................3-32
If the Light Is On Steady.................................3-32
If You Are Caught in a Blizzard.........................4-28
If You Decide To Pull A Trailer..........................4-39
Ignition Positions.............................................2-15
Ignition Transmission Lock Check......................6-12
Infants and Young Children, Restraints...............1-22
Ination -- Tire Pressure..................................5-56
Inator Kit, Tire...............................................5-66
7