2008 CHEVROLET TAHOE airbag

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
..............................................1-12
Safety Belts
.............................................1-29
Child Restraints
.......................................1-50
Airbag System
.........................................1-76
Restraint System Check
............................1-92
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-18
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-20
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-24
Mirrors
....................................................2-47
Object Detection Systems
..........................2-56
OnStar
®System
......................................2-59
Universal Home Remote System
................2-62
Storage Areas
.........................................2-70
Sunroof
..................................................2-73Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-22
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-34
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-51
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-75
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle
....... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-45
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-14
Rear Axle
...............................................5-54
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-55
Front Axle
...............................................5-56
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-58
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-61
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-64
2008 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban 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............................................1-10
Center Seat.................................................1-11
Rear Seats.....................................................1-12
Heated Seats...............................................1-12
60/40 Split Bench Seat (Second Row).............1-12
Bucket Seats (Second Row)...........................1-18
Third Row Seat............................................1-25
Safety Belts...................................................1-29
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-29
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-34
Lap-Shoulder Belt.........................................1-42
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-48
Lap Belt......................................................1-48
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-50
Child Restraints.............................................1-50
Older Children..............................................1-50
Infants and Young Children............................1-54Child Restraint Systems.................................1-57
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-59
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)......................................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position....................................1-69
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position..........................1-72
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position............................1-72
Airbag System...............................................1-76
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-78
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-81
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-83
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-83
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?.........................................1-84
Passenger Sensing System............................1-85
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle............1-90
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle.............................1-90
Restraint System Check..................................1-92
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-92
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-93
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Will I be trapped in the vehicle after a crash if
I am wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so youcanunbuckle
and get out, ismuchgreater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you
are upside down.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have
to wear safety belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental systems only; so they
workwithsafety belts — not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is provided, all occupants
still have to buckle up to get the most protection.
That is true not only in frontal collisions, but
especially in side and other collisions.
Q:If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you are
in a crash — even one that is not your fault — you
and your passenger(s) can be hurt. Being a good
driver does not protect you from things beyond
your control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less
than 40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-33

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Your vehicle has a shoulder belt height adjuster for
the driver and right front passenger position.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt
is centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away
from your face and neck, but not falling off your shoulder.
Improper shoulder belt height adjustment could reduce
the effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
To move it down, squeeze
the buttons (A) on the sides
of the height adjuster and
move the height adjuster
to the desired position.
You can move the adjuster up just by pushing up on
the shoulder belt guide.
After you move the adjuster to where you want it,
try to move it down without squeezing the buttons to
make sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for front
outboard occupants. Although you cannot see them,
they are part of the safety belt assembly. They can
help tighten the safety belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near frontal, or rear crash
if the threshold conditions for pretensioner activation
are met. And, if your vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help tighten the safety
belts in a side crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a
crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other
new parts for your safety belt system. SeeReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-93.
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.
1-44

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front seat. Secure
a rear-facing child restraint in a rear seat.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
It is also better to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in a rear seat. If you must
secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go.
1-55

A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag inates and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Even if the passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger frontal
airbag, no system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under
some unusual circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go. It is better to secure the
child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-85
for additional information.
1-60

{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front
seat can be badly injured or killed by the
frontal airbags if they inate. Never secure a
child restraint in the center front seat. Secure
a child restraint in a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position.
When securing a child restraint in a rear seating
position, study the instructions that came with your child
restraint to make sure it is compatible with this vehicle.
Wherever you install a child restraint, be sure to
secure the child restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in your vehicle — even when no
child is in it.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint during
driving or in a crash. This system is designed to make
installation of a child restraint easier. The LATCH
system uses anchors in the vehicle and attachments
on the child restraint that are made for use with
the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint
is properly installed using the anchors, or use the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure the restraint, following
the instructions that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual. When installing a
child restraint with a top tether, you must also use
either the lower anchors or the safety belts to properly
secure the child restraint. A child restraint must never
be attached using only the top tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle,
you need a child restraint that has LATCH attachments.
The child restraint manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the child restraint and
its attachments. The following explains how to attach a
child restraint with these attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints have
lower anchors and attachments or top tether anchors
and attachments.
1-61

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position
{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front
seat can be badly injured or killed by the
frontal airbags if they inate. Never secure
a child restraint in the center front seat.
Secure a child restraint in a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place
to secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere
to Put the Restraint on page 1-59.In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-85
andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-38
for more information on this, including important
safety information.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-72