2008 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE child seat

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
..............................................1-12
Safety Belts
.............................................1-14
Child Restraints
.......................................1-35
Airbag System
.........................................1-60
Restraint System Check
............................1-76
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-23
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-26
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-30
Mirrors
....................................................2-49
Object Detection Systems
..........................2-58
OnStar
®System
......................................2-61
Universal Home Remote System
................2-64
Storage Areas
.........................................2-71
Sunroof
..................................................2-96
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-21
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-32
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-50
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-75Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-42
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-12
Rear Axle
...............................................5-47
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-48
Front Axle
...............................................5-49
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-50
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-53
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-55
Tires
......................................................5-56
Appearance Care
.....................................5-99
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-107
Electrical System
....................................5-108
Capacities and Specications
...................5-115
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-14
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-16
Index................................................................ 1
2008 Chevrolet Avalanche Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Power Seats..................................................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-4
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-4
Heated Seats.................................................1-5
Memory Seat, Mirrors, and Pedals....................1-6
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-8
Head Restraints............................................1-11
Center Seat.................................................1-11
Rear Seats.....................................................1-12
Rear Seat Operation.....................................1-12
Safety Belts...................................................1-14
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-19
Lap-Shoulder Belt.........................................1-28
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-33
Lap Belt......................................................1-34
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-35
Child Restraints.............................................1-35
Older Children..............................................1-35
Infants and Young Children............................1-38
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-42Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-44
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH).................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position....................................1-53
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position..........................1-56
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position............................1-56
Airbag System...............................................1-60
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-63
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-65
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-67
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-67
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-68
Passenger Sensing System............................1-69
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-74
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle....................................................1-74
Restraint System Check..................................1-76
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-76
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-77
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in your vehicle have a lap-shoulder
belt except for the center front passenger position (if
equipped), which has a lap belt. SeeLap Belt on
page 1-34for more information.
Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you
can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in
the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
If you ever pull the shoulder portion of a passenger
belt out all the way, you may engage the child
restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let the
belt go back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature may
affect the passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-69.3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
If you nd that the latch plate will not go fully into
the buckle, see if you are using the correct buckle.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is
secure. If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety
Belt Extender on page 1-35.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if necessary.
1-28

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults. When installed on
a shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt
away from the neck and head.
There is one guide for each rear passenger position in
the rear seat. Here is how to install a comfort guide
to the shoulder belt:
1. Remove the guide from its storage pocket on the
side of the seatback.2. Place the guide over the belt and insert the
two edges of the belt into the slots of the guide.
1-31

Safety Belt Extender
If the safety belt will fasten around you, you should
use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your
dealer/retailer will order you an extender. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear,
so the extender will be long enough for you. To help
avoid personal injury, do not let someone else use
it, and use it only for the seat it is made to t. The
extender has been designed for adults. Never use it for
securing child seats. To wear it, attach it to the
regular safety belt. For more information, see the
instruction sheet that comes with the extender.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
1-35

The manufacturer’s instructions that come with the
booster seat, state the weight and height limitations for
that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder
belt until the child passes the below t test:
Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees bend
at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder belt
rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no, try
using the rear safety belt comfort guide. See “Rear
Safety Belt Comfort Guides” underLap-Shoulder
Belt on page 1-28for more information. If the
shoulder belt still does not rest on the shoulder,
then return to the booster seat.
Does the lap belt t low and snug on the hips,
touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
Can proper safety belt t be maintained for
length of trip? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a position
with a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can
provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should t snugly below the
hips, just touching the top of the thighs. This applies
belt force to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash. It
should never be worn over the abdomen, which
could cause severe or even fatal internal injuries in
a crash.
Also see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-28.
According to accident statistics, children and infants are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
1-36

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. In a crash, the child would
not be restrained by the shoulder belt. The
child might slide under the lap belt. The belt
force would then be applied right on the
abdomen. That could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The child could also move too far
forward increasing the chance of head and
neck injury. The shoulder belt should go over
the shoulder and across the chest.
Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
1-38

{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck. This
is necessary because a newborn infant’s neck
is weak and its head weighs so much
compared with the rest of its body. In a crash,
an infant in a rear-facing seat settles into the
restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of an
infant’s body, the back and shoulders. Infants
should always be secured in appropriate infant
restraints.
{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 should always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
1-41