2008 CHEVROLET TAHOE airbag

If you want to do some of your own service work,
you should use the proper service manual. It tells you
much more about how to service your vehicle than
this manual can. To order the proper service manual,
seeService Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-16.
Your vehicle has an airbag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, seeServicing Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-90.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and
list the mileage and the date of any service work
you perform. SeeMaintenance Record on page 6-17.
Adding Equipment to the Outside
of the Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle
can affect the airow around it. This can cause
wind noise and can affect fuel economy and windshield
washer performance. Check with your dealer/retailer
before adding equipment to the outside of your vehicle.
Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of
the proper maintenance of your vehicle. To help keep the
engine clean and maintain optimum vehicle performance,
we recommend the use of gasoline advertised as TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline.
The 8th digit of the Vehicle Identication Number (VIN)
shows the code letter or number that identies your
vehicle’s engine. The VIN is at the top left of the
instrument panel. SeeVehicle Identification Number
(VIN) on page 5-118.
If your vehicle has the 5.3L V8 engine (VIN Code 0)
or the 5.3L V8 engine (VIN Code 3), you can use either
regular unleaded gasoline or ethanol fuel containing up to
85% ethanol (E85); also seeFuel E85 (85% Ethanol) on
page 5-8. In all other engines, use only regular unleaded
gasoline.
5-5

Different Size Tires and Wheels
If you add wheels or tires that are a different size than
your original equipment wheels and tires, this could affect
the way your vehicle performs, including its braking, ride
and handling characteristics, stability, and resistance
to rollover. Additionally, if your vehicle has electronic
systems such as anti-lock brakes, rollover airbags,
traction control, and electronic stability control, the
performance of these systems can be affected.
{CAUTION:
If you add different sized wheels, your
vehicle may not provide an acceptable
level of performance and safety if tires not
recommended for those wheels are selected.
You may increase the chance that you will crash
and suffer serious injury. Only use GM specic
wheel and tire systems developed for your
vehicle, and have them properly installed by
a GM certied technician.
SeeBuying New Tires on page 5-82andAccessories
and Modifications on page 5-3for additional information.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which
grades tires by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This applies only to
vehicles sold in the United States. The grades are
molded on the sidewalls of most passenger car
tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver, or temporary use spare
tires, tires with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors
passenger cars and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they must also conform
to federal safety requirements and additional
General Motors Tire Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
5-84

Electrical System
Add-On Electrical Equipment
Notice:Do not add anything electrical to your
vehicle unless you check with your dealer/retailer
rst. Some electrical equipment can damage
your vehicle and the damage would not be covered
by your warranty. Some add-on electrical equipment
can keep other components from working as they
should.
Add-on equipment can drain your vehicle’s battery, even
if your vehicle is not operating.
Your vehicle has an airbag system. Before attempting to
add anything electrical to your vehicle, seeServicing
Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-90.
Windshield Wiper Fuses
The windshield wiper motor is protected by an internal
circuit breaker and a fuse. If the motor overheats due to
heavy snow, etc., the wiper will stop until the motor
cools. If the overload is caused by some electrical
problem and not snow, etc., be sure to get it xed.
Power Windows and Other Power
Options
Circuit breakers protect the power windows and other
power accessories. If the current load is too heavy,
the circuit breaker opens and then closes after a cool
down period, protecting the circuit until the problem
is xed or goes away.
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
If your vehicle is a Two-mode Hybrid, see the Two-mode
Hybrid manual for more information.
The wiring circuits in your vehicle are protected from
short circuits by a combination of fuses, circuit breakers
and fusible thermal links. This greatly reduces the
chance of res caused by electrical problems.
Look at the silver-colored band inside the fuse. If the
band is broken or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure
you replace a bad fuse with a new one of the identical
size and rating.
If you ever have a problem on the road and don’t have
a spare fuse, you can borrow one that has the same
amperage. Just pick some feature of your vehicle
that you can get along without – like the radio or
cigarette lighter – and use its fuse, if it is the correct
amperage. Replace it as soon as you can.
5-119

Fuses Usage
20 Fuel Pump
21 Fuel System Control Module
22 Headlamp Washer
23 Rear Windshield Washer
24Fuel Injectors, Ignition Coils
(Left Side)
25 Trailer Park Lamps
26 Driver Side Park Lamps
27 Passenger Side Park Lamps
28 Fog Lamps
29 Horn
30Passenger Side High-Beam
Headlamp
31 Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
32 Driver Side High-Beam Headlamp
33 Daytime Running Lamps 2
34 Sunroof
35Key Ignition System, Theft Deterrent
SystemFuses Usage
36 Windshield Wiper
37 SEO B2 Uptter Usage (Battery)
38 Electric Adjustable Pedals
39 Climate Controls (Battery)
40 Airbag System (Ignition)
41 Amplier
42 Audio System
43Miscellaneous (Ignition),
Cruise Control
44 Liftgate Release
45 Airbag System (Battery)
46 Instrument Panel Cluster
47 Power Take-Off
48Auxiliary Climate Control (Ignition),
Temperature Mirror
49Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL)
50 Rear Defogger
51 Heated Mirrors
5-124

Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy
Your GM vehicle has a number of sophisticated
computers that record information about the vehicle’s
performance and how it is driven. For example,
your vehicle uses computer modules to monitor and
control engine and transmission performance, to monitor
the conditions for airbag deployment and deploy
airbags in a crash and, if so equipped, to provide
antilock braking to help the driver control the vehicle.
These modules may store data to help your
dealer/retailer technician service your vehicle. Some
modules may also store data about how you operate the
vehicle, such as rate of fuel consumption or average
speed. These modules may also retain the owner’s
personal preferences, such as radio pre-sets, seat
positions, and temperature settings.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle has an Event Data Recorder (EDR). The
main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or
near crash-like situations, such as an airbag deployment
or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in
understanding how a vehicle’s systems performed. The
EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle
dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time,
typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle
is designed to record such data as:
How various systems in your vehicle were operating
Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened
How far, if at all, the driver was pressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal
How fast the vehicle was traveling
This data can help provide a better understanding of the
circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
Important:EDR data is recorded by your vehicle only
if a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data is
recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions
and no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) is recorded. However, other parties,
such as law enforcement, could combine the EDR
data with the type of personally identifying data routinely
acquired during a crash investigation.
7-17

A
Accessories and Modications............................ 5-3
Accessory Power Outlets.................................3-20
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment.........4-41
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle.......................................................1-90
Additives, Fuel................................................. 5-7
Add-On Electrical Equipment...........................5-119
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal..................2-28
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine.................................5-22
Air Conditioning......................................3-22, 3-24
Airbag
Passenger Status Indicator...........................3-38
Readiness Light..........................................3-37
Airbag System................................................1-76
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle...................................................1-90
How Does an Airbag Restrain?......................1-83
Passenger Sensing System...........................1-85
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle..........1-90
What Makes an Airbag Inate?......................1-83
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?....1-84
When Should an Airbag Inate?....................1-81
Where Are the Airbags?...............................1-78
Antenna, Rear Side Window...........................3-118
Antenna, XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System . . . 3-118
Antilock Brake System (ABS)............................. 4-5
Anti-lock Brake, System Warning Light...............3-42Appearance Care
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels.............5-114
Care of Safety Belts...................................5-112
Chemical Paint Spotting..............................5-116
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses..................5-113
Fabric/Carpet............................................5-110
Finish Care...............................................5-113
Finish Damage..........................................5-116
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other
Plastic Surfaces.....................................5-111
Interior Cleaning........................................5-109
Leather....................................................5-111
Sheet Metal Damage..................................5-115
Tires........................................................5-115
Underbody Maintenance.............................5-116
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials...............5-117
Washing Your Vehicle.................................5-112
Weatherstrips............................................5-112
Windshield, Backglass, and Wiper Blades......5-114
Appointments, Scheduling Service.....................7-10
Ashtray.........................................................3-21
Audio System.................................................3-75
Audio Steering Wheel Controls....................3-116
Navigation/Radio System, see
Navigation Manual..................................3-105
Radio Reception........................................3-117
Rear Seat Audio (RSA)...............................3-114
Setting the Clock.........................................3-76
Theft-Deterrent Feature...............................3-116
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System...........3-118
1

L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall.....................................5-67
Lamps
Auxiliary Roof Mounted Lamp........................3-18
Dome ........................................................3-18
Dome Lamp Override...................................3-19
Reading.....................................................3-19
Lap Belt........................................................1-48
Lap-Shoulder Belt...........................................1-42
LATCH System
Child Restraints...........................................1-61
Level Control..................................................4-48
License Plate Lamps.......................................5-63
Liftgate, Power...............................................2-14
Liftgate/Liftglass..............................................2-12
Liftglass/Liftgate..............................................2-12
Light
Airbag Readiness........................................3-37
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) Warning...........3-42
Brake System Warning.................................3-41
Charging System.........................................3-40
Cruise Control.............................................3-49
Fog Lamp ..................................................3-48
Highbeam On.............................................3-49
Low Fuel Warning.......................................3-50
Malfunction Indicator....................................3-44
Oil Pressure...............................................3-48
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator..................3-38
Safety Belt Reminders..................................3-36Light (cont.)
Security.....................................................3-48
StabiliTrak®Indicator....................................3-43
Tire Pressure..............................................3-44
Tow/Haul Mode...........................................3-49
Lighting
Entry.........................................................3-19
Exit...........................................................3-19
Lights
Exterior Lamps............................................3-14
Flash-to-Pass............................................... 3-8
High/Low Beam Changer................................ 3-8
On Reminder..............................................3-15
Loading Your Vehicle.......................................4-35
Locking Rear Axle............................................ 4-6
Lockout Protection..........................................2-12
Locks
Delayed Locking..........................................2-11
Door ..........................................................2-10
Lockout Protection.......................................2-12
Power Door ................................................2-10
Programmable Automatic Door Locks.............2-11
Rear Door Security Locks.............................2-11
Loss of Control...............................................4-11
Low Fuel Warning Light...................................3-50
Luggage Carrier..............................................2-71
Lumbar
Manual Controls............................................ 1-4
Power Controls............................................. 1-4
7

Older Children, Restraints................................1-50
Online Owner Center........................................ 7-5
OnStar, Privacy..............................................7-18
OnStar
®System, see OnStar®Manual...............2-59
Operation, Universal Home Remote System........2-63
Other Warning Devices...................................... 3-6
Outlet Adjustment............................................3-30
Outlets
Accessory Power.........................................3-20
Outside
Automatic Dimming Mirror.............................2-55
Convex Mirror.............................................2-55
Heated Mirrors............................................2-56
Manual Mirrors............................................2-52
Power Foldaway Mirrors...............................2-54
Power Mirrors.............................................2-53
Towing Mirrors............................................2-52
Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode.....5-36
Owner Checks and Services.............................6-10
Owners, Canadian.............................................. iii
P
Paint, Damage..............................................5-116
Park
Shifting Into................................................2-43
Shifting Out of............................................2-45Park Aid........................................................2-56
Park Brake....................................................2-42
Park Tilt Mirrors..............................................2-55
Parking
Assist........................................................2-56
Over Things That Burn.................................2-45
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator.....................3-38
Passenger Sensing System..............................1-85
Passing.........................................................4-11
PASS-KEY
®III+ Electronic Immobilizer...............2-22
PASS-Key®III+ Electronic Immobilizer Operation . . . 2-23
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California...... 5-4
Power
Door Locks.................................................2-10
Electrical System.......................................5-119
Liftgate......................................................2-14
Lumbar Controls........................................... 1-4
Retained Accessory (RAP)............................2-26
Running Boards..........................................2-17
Seat............................................................ 1-3
Steering Fluid.............................................5-42
Windows....................................................2-19
Privacy..........................................................7-17
Event Data Recorders..................................7-17
Navigation System.......................................7-18
OnStar.......................................................7-18
Radio Frequency Identication.......................7-18
Programmable Automatic Door Locks.................2-11
9