2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO ABS

To open a rear access
door from the inside, the
front door must be opened
rst. Then, use the
handle located on the
inside of the rear access
door to open it.
Crew Cabs
If your vehicle is a crew cab, you can open your doors
from the inside or outside. Your vehicle may also have a
feature which prevents children from opening the rear
doors. SeeRear Door Security Locks (Crew Cab) on
page 2-13for more information.
Tailgate
You can open the tailgate by lifting up on its handle
while pulling the tailgate toward you.
To shut the tailgate, rmly push it upward until
it latches.
After you put the tailgate back up, pull it back towards
you to be sure it latches securely.
Tailgate Removal
The tailgate on your vehicle can be removed to allow for
different loading situations. Although the tailgate can
be removed without assistance, you may want someone
to assist you with the removal to avoid possible
damage to the vehicle.
2-15

Power Windows
If your vehicle is equipped with power windows, the
controls are located on each of the side doors in
the front and rear for crew cabs models.
The driver’s door has a switch for the passenger’s and
rear windows as well, if equipped. Your power
windows will work when the ignition has been turned to
ACCESSORY or RUN or when Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) is active. See “Retained Accessory Power”
underIgnition Positions on page 2-23.
Press the switch down to lower the window.
Pull up the front of the switch to raise the window.
Express Down Windows
The driver and front passenger windows also have an
express down feature that allows the windows to
be lowered without holding the switch. Press down fully
on the window switch, then release, to activate the
express down mode. The express down mode can be
canceled at any time by pulling up on the switch.
To open the window partway, press the switch to the
rst depression positon, until the window is at the
desired position.
Lock-Out Switch
If you have power windows on a crew cab, the driver’s
door power window switch has a lockout feature.
The lockout switch is located in front of the window
switches. This feature prevents all windows from
operating, except from the driver’s position. To engage
the lock-out feature press the switch, and an indicator
light on the switch will illuminate. To disengage the
lock-out feature press the switch again, and the indicator
light will turn off.
2-18

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeand
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on. This is normal.
4-6

If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-44.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights
and chime will come on each time the ignition is
turned on until the problem is repaired. See your
dealer for service.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here’s what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
4-7

Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes,
steering and acceleration) do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and
by not “overdriving” those conditions. But skids are
always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration
skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.If you have the Traction Assist System, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid. If you do not have
this system, or if the system is off, then an acceleration
skid is also best handled by easing your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety,
you will want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues — such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a “mirrored surface” — and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
4-20

If you have a 5-speed manual transmission and you are
towing a trailer, it’s better not to use FIFTH (5) gear.
Just drive in FOURTH (4) gear (or, as you need
to, a lower gear).
If you have a 6-speed manual transmission and you
are towing a trailer, it’s better not to use SIXTH (6)
gear. Drive in FIFTH (5) gear (or, as you need to, a
lower gear).
When towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a lower
temperature than at normal altitudes. If you turn your
engine off immediately after towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs
similar to engine overheating. To avoid this, let the
engine run while parked, preferably on level ground, with
the automatic transmission in PARK (P) for a few
minutes before turning the engine off. For manual
transmissions, let the engine run while parked,
preferably on level ground, with the transmission out of
gear and the parking brake applied, for a few minutes
before turning the engine off. If you do get the overheat
warning, seeEngine Overheating on page 5-38.Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People
can be injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet for an automatic transmission,
or into gear for a manual transmission.
2. Have someone place chocks under the
trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake and shift into PARK (P) for an
automatic transmission, or REVERSE (R) for a
manual transmission.
4-93

Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
(CHMSL) and Cargo Lamp
1. Remove the screws and lift off the lamp assembly.A. Cargo Lamps
B. Center High-Mounted Stoplamps
2. Remove the CHMSL bulb holder back plate from
the housing by pressing the release tabs.
3. Remove the CHMSL bulb by pulling the bulb
straight out from the holder back plate. Remove
a cargo bulb by turning the socket counterclockwise
and pulling the bulb straight out.
5-68

A. Front Location (2-Wheel Drive 1500 Series)
B. Front Location (All Other Series)
C. Rear Location (All Series)
3. Position the jack under the vehicle as shown. If the
at tire is on the front of the vehicle (Two-Wheel
Drive 1500 Series vehicles), position the jack under
the bracket attached to the vehicle’s frame,
behind the at tire. If the at tire is on the front of
the vehicle (all other models), position the jack
on the frame behind the at tire.
If the at tire is on the rear, position the jack under
the rear axle between the spring anchor and the
shock absorber bracket.If you have added a snow plow to the front of your
vehicle, lower the snow plow fully before raising
the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous. If the vehicle slips off the jack you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get under
a vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.
{CAUTION:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned can damage the vehicle and even
make the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to t the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle. Jacking Locations
5-100