2008 CHEVROLET EXPRESS warning

Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{WARNING:
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. The chance of being thrown
out of the vehicle in a crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all passengers
should wear safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked whenever the vehicle
is driven.
•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 the vehicle whenever
leaving it.
WARNING: (Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
•
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.
To lock the door from the
inside, slide the manual
lever on the door down.
To unlock the door,
slide the manual lever up.
From the outside, use the key.
If the vehicle is equipped with keyless entry, see
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System on page 3-4for
more information.
3-9

Rear Doors
{WARNING:
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. The chance of being thrown
out of the vehicle in a crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all passengers
should wear safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked whenever the vehicle
is driven.
•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 the vehicle whenever
leaving 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.To open the rear doors from the outside, pull the handle
toward you to open the passenger side rear door first.
To open the driver side rear door, pull the latch release
at the inside edge of the door.
To close the rear doors, close the driver side rear door
first. Then close the passenger side rear door. Check
to make sure both doors are completely closed.
3-15

Windows
{WARNING:
Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets in a
vehicle with the windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the extreme heat and
suffer permanent injuries or even death from heat
stroke. Never leave a child, a helpless adult, or a
pet alone in a vehicle, especially with the windows
closed in warm or hot weather.
Manual Windows
Operate the manual windows by turning the hand crank
on each door to raise or lower the side door windows.
3-16

Power Windows
{WARNING:
Leaving children in a vehicle with the keys is
dangerous for many reasons, children or others
could be badly injured or even killed. They could
operate the power windows or other controls or
even make the vehicle move. The windows will
function and they could be seriously injured or
killed if caught in the path of a closing window.
Do not leave keys in a vehicle with children.
When there are children in the rear seat use the
window lockout button to prevent unintentional
operation of the windows.If the vehicle has power
windows, the controls are
located on each of the
side doors.
The driver door has a switch for the passenger window
also. The power windows will work when the ignition has
been turned to ON/RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY, or when
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is active. SeeRetained
Accessory Power (RAP) on page 3-23.
Press the switch to lower the window.
Pull up on the front edge of the switch to raise the
window.
Express-Down
The driver window switch also has an express-down
feature that allows the window to be lowered without
holding the switch. Press fully and release the window
switch marked AUTO to activate the express-down mode.
This mode can be cancelled at any time by pulling up on
the switch. To open the window part way, lightly tap the
switch until the window is at the desired position.
3-17

B (ACC/ACCESSORY):This is the position in which
you can operate things like the radio and the windshield
wipers when the engine is off.
C (ON/RUN):This position can be used to operate the
electrical accessories and to display some instrument
panel cluster warning and indicator lights. The
switch stays in this position when the engine is running.
If you leave the key in the ACC/ACCESSORY or
ON/RUN position with the engine off, the battery could
be drained. You may not be able to start the vehicle
if the battery is allowed to drain for an extended period
of time.
D (START):This is the position that starts the engine.
When the engine starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for driving.
A warning tone will sound when the driver door is
opened, the ignition is in ACC/ACCESSORY or
LOCK/OFF and the key is in the ignition.Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
These vehicle accessories can be used for up to
10 minutes after the engine is turned off:
•Audio System
•Power Windows (if equipped)
These features will work when the ignition key is in
ON/RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY. Once the key is turned
from ON/RUN to LOCK/OFF, power to the radio will
continue to work 10 minutes or until the driver door is
opened. The power windows will continue to work for up
to 10 minutes or until any door is opened.
Starting the Engine
If the vehicle has the DURAMAX®Diesel engine, see
the DURAMAX®Diesel manual for more information.
To place the transmission in the proper gear:
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or N (Neutral). The
engine will not start in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already moving, use
N (Neutral) only.
3-23

To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
The cord for the engine coolant heater is located
on the driver side of the engine compartment and is
attached to the hose for the power steering
reservoir.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.{WARNING:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet could
cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong kind of
extension cord could overheat and cause a fire.
You could be seriously injured. Plug the cord into
a properly grounded three-prong 110-volt AC
outlet. If the cord will not reach, use a heavy-duty
three-prong extension cord rated for at least
15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts and prevent damage.
The length of time the heater should remain plugged in
depends on several factors. Ask a dealer/retailer in
the area where you will be parking the vehicle for the
best advice on this.
3-26

Automatic Transmission Operation
(Six Speed Automatic Transmission)
Vehicles with a six speed automatic transmission
have a shift position indicator within the instrument panel
cluster.
There are several different positions for the shift lever.
See “Range Selection Mode” later in this section.
P (Park):This position locks the rear wheels. It is the
best position to use when starting the engine because
the vehicle cannot move easily. When parked on a
hill, especially when the vehicle has a heavy load, you
might notice an increase in the effort to shift out of
P (Park). See Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
underShifting Into Park on page 3-37for more
information.
{WARNING:
It is dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift
lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly
level ground, always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park). SeeShifting Into
Park on page 3-37. If you are pulling a trailer, see
Towing a Trailer on page 5-30.
R (Reverse):Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to R (Reverse) while the vehicle is
moving forward could damage the transmission. The
repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty.
Shift to R (Reverse) only after the vehicle is stopped.
To rock the vehicle back and forth to get out of snow, ice,
or sand without damaging the transmission, seeIf Your
Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on
page 5-18.
3-27

N (Neutral):In this position, the engine does not
connect with the wheels. To restart when you are
already moving, use N (Neutral) only. Also, use
N (Neutral) when the vehicle is being towed.
{WARNING:
Shifting into a drive gear while the engine is
running at high speed is dangerous. Unless your
foot is firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
move very rapidly. You could lose control and hit
people or objects. Do not shift into a drive gear
while the engine is running at high speed.
Notice:Shifting out of P (Park) or N (Neutral) with
the engine running at high speed may damage
the transmission. The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Be sure the engine is
not running at high speed when shifting the vehicle.D (Drive):This position is for normal driving. It provides
the best fuel economy. If you need more power for
passing, and you are:
•Going less than about 35 mph (55 km/h), push the
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
•Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
By doing this, the vehicle shifts down to the next
gear and has more power.
D (Drive) can be used when towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load or driving on steep hills. You might want
to shift the transmission to a lower gear selection if the
transmission shifts too often.
Downshifting the transmission in slippery road conditions
could result in skidding. See Skidding underLoss of
Control on page 5-10.
3-28