Page 1 of 486

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................1-30
Child Restraints
.......................................1-55
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-93
Restraint System Check
..........................1-103
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-9
Windows
.................................................2-24
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-27
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-31
Mirrors
....................................................2-44
OnStar
žSystem
......................................2-45
HomeLinkžTransmitter
.............................2-47
Storage Areas
.........................................2-51
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-61
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-25
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-35
Message Center
.......................................3-50
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-58
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-61Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-32
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-50
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-52
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-58
Tires
......................................................5-60
Appearance Care
.....................................5-87
Vehicle Identi®cation
.................................5-95
Electrical System
......................................5-96
Capacities and Speci®cations
...................5-103
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
....5-104
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-9
Index.................................................................1
2003 Chevrolet Venture Owner ManualM
Page 14 of 486
To return the seat(s) to the normal position, do the
following:
1. Push the seat back and ®rmly push the rear hooks
onto the rear ¯oor pins by pushing down on the
rear of the seat.
2. Try to raise the seat to check that it is locked down.
3. Lift the seatback recliner lever or pull the nylon
strap on the back of the seat and raise the
seatback until it locks upright.
4. Push and pull on the seatback to check that it is
locked.Split Bench Seats
If you have the split bench seat (50/50 or 40/60), the
seatbacks can be folded forward or reclined individually
and the seats can be removed individually. The
second row (40/60) sections can also be adjusted
forward or rearward individually.
The second row (40/60) split bench may be equipped
with a built-in child restraint. See
Built-In Child Restraint
on page 1-82.
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5. Lift the seatback recliner lever or pull the nylon
strap on the back of the seat and raise the
seatback until it locks upright.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to check that it is
locked.
7. If you have the 40/60 seat, attach the mini-buckle
so that the safety belt is ready for use when a
passenger uses the seat.
The buckle reattaches by pushing the latch into the
buckle until the red center pops out again.
Repeat these steps for the other section of the split
bench seat.Bucket Seats
If your vehicle has the bucket seats, the seatbacks can
be folded down or reclined. The seats can also be
adjusted forward or rearward and removed.
One of the bucket seats may be equipped with a built-in
child restraint. See
Built-In Child Restraint on page 1-82.
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Page 51 of 486
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 1-36.
The right front passenger's safety belt works the same
way as the driver's safety belt ± except 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.
If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way
and start again.
Center Passenger Position
(Bucket Seat)
1-45
Page 87 of 486
5. Pull the rest of the lap 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. You may ®nd it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
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.
1-81
Page 119 of 486
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
·
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.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your key or the remote keyless
entry transmitter.
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Page 125 of 486
Lock either sliding door from inside the vehicle by
moving the manual lever down. Unlock it by moving the
lever up.
With the power door locks, the sliding door lock has a
delay feature. See
Power Door Locks on page 2-11andVehicle Personalization on page 2-61.
Sliding Door Security Lock
Your vehicle is equipped with a sliding door security
lock that helps prevent young children or other
passengers from opening the sliding door(s) using the
inside door handle. To use one of these locks, do
the following:
1. Open the sliding door.
2. On the inside of the
sliding door(s), on the
front edge of the
door will be a lock.
Push the lever
up to engage the lock.
3. Close the door.
4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for the other door.
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Page 126 of 486

If your vehicle has the power sliding door(s), you can
override the security lock by pressing either power door
lock switch while the power sliding door override
switch(es) is turned off. If the power sliding door override
switch(es) is turned on, the power sliding door(s)
cannot be opened from the inside while the sliding door
security lock is in use.
If you want to open the sliding door while the security
lock is on, unlock and open the door from the outside.
You should let adults and older children know how
the security lock works, and how to cancel the lock. If
you don't, adults or older children who ride in the
rear won't be able to open the sliding door from the
inside while the security lock feature is in use.Canceling the Sliding Door
Security Lock
1. Unlock the sliding door and open the door from the
outside.
2. Push the security lock lever all the way down.
3. Close the door.
4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for the other door.
The sliding door lock will now work normally.
2-16