2005 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN tow

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................1-23
Child Restraints
.......................................1-44
Airbag System
.........................................1-68
Restraint System Check
............................1-83
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-17
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-19
Mirrors
....................................................2-41
OnStar
®System
......................................2-50
HomeLink®Wireless Control System
...........2-52
Storage Areas
.........................................2-56
Sunroof
..................................................2-60
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-61
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-21
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-36
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-56
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-78Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-62
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-47
Rear Axle
...............................................5-48
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-49
Front Axle
...............................................5-50
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-52
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-59
Tires
......................................................5-60
Appearance Care
.....................................5-97
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-106
Electrical System
....................................5-107
Capacities and Specications
...................5-116
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index................................................................ 1
2005 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner ManualM

Power SeatsIf your vehicle has a power seat, you can adjust it
with these controls located on the outboard sides of
the seats.
Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion by
raising or lowering the forward edge of the
horizontal control.
Move the seat forward or rearward by moving the
whole horizontal control forward or rearward.
Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by
raising or lowering the rear edge of the horizontal
control.
Moving the whole horizontal control up or down
raises or lowers the entire seat cushion.
If your vehicle has power reclining seats, you can use
the vertical control to adjust the angle of the seatback.
Move the reclining front seatback rearward or forward
by moving the control toward the rear or the front of the
vehicle. SeeReclining Seatbacks on page 1-6.
1-4

Head Restraints
Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top of your head. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
To raise the head restraint pull up on the head restraint.
Your vehicle may have rear seat head restraints that
can be adjusted up and down.
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Entering or Exiting the Third Row Seats
{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.
Extended models:The passenger’s side of the
second row 60/40 or rear bucket seats has an easy
entry feature. This makes it easy to get in and out of the
third seat, if your vehicle has one.
To operate the easy entry seat turn the release lever,
located on the back of the seat upward.
Tilt the seatback toward the front of the vehicle by
pulling the top of the seat forward. When you do the seat
bottom will release. Pull the seat forward until it stops.
Be sure to return the seat to the passenger position
when nished. Push and pull on the seat to make sure
it is locked in place.
1-8

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can not properly spread the impact
forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child’s face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a rear seat outside position,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle. If
the child is sitting in the second row center position,
move the child toward the safety belt buckle. In
either case, be sure that the shoulder belt still is on
the child’s shoulder, so that in a crash the child’s
upper body would have the restraint that belts
provide. SeeRear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults on page 1-41. If the child
is so small that the shoulder belt is still very
close to the child’s face or neck, you might want to
place the child a seat that has a lap belt, if your
vehicle has one.
1-45

{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child’s
hip bones are still so small that the vehicle’s
regular safety belt may not remain low on the
hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may settle
up around the child’s abdomen. In a crash, the
belt would apply force on a body area that is
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed
to restrain or position a child on a continuous at
surface. Make sure that the infant’s head rests toward
the center of the vehicle.
1-49

In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, ination is determined by
the angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle
slows down in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side
impact airbags, ination is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
The airbag system is designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. SeeOff-Road
Driving on page 4-22for tips on off-road driving.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact airbags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inator, which inates
the airbag. The inator, the airbag and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules. Frontal airbag modules
are located inside the steering wheel and instrument
panel. For vehicles with side impact airbags, the airbag
modules are located in the seatback closest to the
driver’s and/or right front passenger’s door.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal airbags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion
is not toward the airbag. Side impact airbags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including frontal
or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts,
primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward
those airbags. Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and
then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions for the driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe
side collisions for vehicles with a driver’s and right front
passenger’s side impact airbag.
1-75

{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on and stays on, it
means that something may be wrong with the
airbag system. If this ever happens, have the
vehicle serviced promptly, because an
adult-size person sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat may not have the protection
of the frontal airbag. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 3-39for more on this, including
important safety information.Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers, can affect
how well the passenger sensing system operates.
You may want to consider not using seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment if your vehicle has the passenger
sensing system. SeeAdding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-82for more
information about modications that can affect how the
system operates.
{CAUTION:
Stowing of articles under the passenger’s seat
or between the passenger’s seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the proper
operation of the passenger sensing system.
1-81

Keys...............................................................2-3
Remote Keyless Entry System.........................2-5
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation...........2-6
Doors and Locks.............................................2-8
Door Locks....................................................2-8
Power Door Locks..........................................2-9
Delayed Locking...........................................2-10
Programmable Automatic Door Locks..............2-11
Rear Door Security Locks..............................2-13
Lockout Protection........................................2-13
Liftgate........................................................2-14
Windows........................................................2-15
Manual Windows..........................................2-15
Power Windows............................................2-16
Sun Visors...................................................2-17
Theft-Deterrent Systems..................................2-17
Content Theft-Deterrent.................................2-17
Passlock
®....................................................2-19Starting and Operating
Your Vehicle...............................................2-19
New Vehicle Break-In....................................2-19
Ignition Positions..........................................2-20
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)...................2-21
Starting the Engine.......................................2-21
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal................2-22
Engine Coolant Heater..................................2-23
Automatic Transmission Operation...................2-24
Tow/Haul Mode............................................2-27
Four-Wheel Drive..........................................2-28
All-Wheel Drive with StabiliTrak
®.....................2-32
Parking Brake..............................................2-35
Shifting Into Park (P).....................................2-36
Shifting Out of Park (P).................................2-38
Parking Over Things That Burn.......................2-38
Engine Exhaust............................................2-39
Running the Engine While Parked...................2-40
Section 2 Features and Controls
2-1