2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE belt

Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers — especially children — 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.
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.
To unlock the driver’s door from the outside with the
key, insert the key and turn it toward the front of
the vehicle. If your vehicle has power door locks, you
may be able to unlock all of the doors and the liftgate by
inserting the key, turning it toward the front of the
vehicle, and holding it there for one second. To lock the
driver’s door from the outside with your key, insert
the key and turn it toward the rear of the vehicle. If your
vehicle has power door locks, you may be able to
lock all of the doors when you insert the key and turn it
toward the rear of the vehicle.
2-9

Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-4
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-6
Other Warning Devices...................................3-7
Horn.............................................................3-7
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-7
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-8
Exterior Lamps.............................................3-16
Interior Lamps..............................................3-18
Switchbanks.................................................3-21
Instrument Panel Switchbank..........................3-21
Overhead Console Switchbank.......................3-22
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA)............3-22
Accessory Power Outlets...............................3-25
Climate Controls............................................3-26
Climate Control System.................................3-26
Outlet Adjustment.........................................3-29
Rear Climate Control System
(Without Entertainment System)...................3-29
Rear Climate Control System
(With Entertainment System).......................3-32
Passenger Compartment Air Filter...................3-34Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators............3-36
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-37
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-39
Tachometer.................................................3-40
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-41
Air Bag Readiness Light................................3-41
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-42
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-43
Traction Control System (TCS) Warning Light . . .3-43
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-44
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-45
Fuel Gage...................................................3-49
Message Center.............................................3-50
Service Traction System Warning Message......3-50
Traction Active Message................................3-51
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning
Message..................................................3-52
Charging System Indicator Message................3-52
Low Oil Pressure Message............................3-53
Change Engine Oil Message..........................3-54
Power Sliding Door Warning Message.............3-54
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1

The interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds
after all doors have been closed if they have not been
locked. See “Delayed Lighting” following.
To turn the entry lighting feature off or on, seeVehicle
Personalization on page 2-62.
Delayed Lighting
The delayed lighting feature will continue to illuminate
the interior for 25 seconds after all doors have been
closed, so that you can nd your ignition and buckle your
safety belt at night. Delayed lighting will not occur
while the ignition is in RUN or ACCESSORY. After
25 seconds have passed, the interior lamps will slowly
fade out. The lamps will fade out before the 25 seconds
have passed if you do one of the following:
Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY.
Lock all doors using the remote keyless entry
transmitter.
Lock all doors using the power door lock switch or
the key.
To turn the delayed lighting feature off or on, see
Vehicle Personalization on page 2-62.
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on for
about 25 seconds whenever you remove the key from
the ignition. If you turn the ignition key to RUN or
ACCESSORY, the lamps will fade out. The lamps will
also fade out if you lock the doors with the power
door lock switch or the remote keyless entry transmitter.
When any door is opened, exit lighting is cancelled.
The interior lamps will stay on while any door or
the liftgate is open, and slowly fade out when all doors
and the liftgate are closed.
The interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds
after all doors have been closed if they have not been
locked. See “Delayed Lighting” earlier in this section.
To turn the exit lighting feature off or on, seeVehicle
Personalization on page 2-62.
3-19

Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for several seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for several seconds. If
the driver’s belt is already
buckled, neither the
chime nor the light will
come on.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows the air bag symbol. The system
checks the air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an electrical problem.
The system check includes the air bag sensor, the air
bag modules, the wiring and the diagnostic module. For
more information on the air bag system, seeAir Bag
Systems on page 1-84.This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will ash for
a few seconds. Then the
light should go out. This
means the system is ready.
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
vehicle or comes on when you are driving, your air
bag system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the air bag system
may not be working properly. The air bags in
your vehicle may not inate in a crash, or they
could even inate without a crash. To help avoid
injury to yourself or others, have your vehicle
serviced right away if the air bag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
3-41

Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Message
This message will come on when your engine gets
too hot.
If this message comes on, it means that your engine
coolant has overheated. If you have been operating your
vehicle under normal driving conditions, you should
pull off the road, stop your vehicle and turn off the
engine as soon as possible.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-25.
Charging System Indicator Message
The charging system
battery symbol will come
on in the message
center when you turn on
the ignition as a check
to show you it is working.
It will remain on as long as the engine is not running. It
should go out once the engine is running. If it stays
on, or comes on while you are driving, you may have a
problem with the charging system. It could indicate
that you have problems with a generator drive belt, or
another electrical problem. Have it checked right
away. Driving while this indicator appears in the
message center could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the message on,
be certain to turn off all your accessories, such as
the radio and air conditioner. United States
Canada
3-52

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-25.
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It is the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know when the
vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn suddenly.Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task — such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something on
the oor — makes proper defensive driving more difficult
and can even cause a collision, with resulting injury.
Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or pull off the
road in a safe place to do them yourself. These simple
defensive driving techniques could save your life.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness.
4-2

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and nd
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking — if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can not; there is not
room. That is the time for evasive action — steering
around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
SeeBraking on page 4-6. It is better to remove as much
speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you
can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer
quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
4-13

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you do the following:
Start your engine.
Shift into a gear.
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store
the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you are
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle uid, engine oil, belts,
cooling system, and brake system. Each of these is
covered in this manual, and the Index will help you nd
them quickly. If you are trailering, it is a good idea to
review these sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Trailer Wiring Harness
Your vehicle has a trailer wiring harness located at the
rear of your vehicle. To use the trailer wiring harness,
you need a converter kit. Contact your dealer for more
information.
4-48