2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA airbag

Seats and Restraint System............................. 1-1
Head Restraints
......................................... 1-2
Front Seats
............................................... 1-4
Rear Seats
..............................................1-10
Safety Belts
.............................................1-13
Child Restraints
.......................................1-34
Airbag System
.........................................1-57
Restraint System Check
............................1-73
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-9
Windows
.................................................2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-19
Mirrors
....................................................2-32
OnStar
®System
......................................2-33
Universal Home Remote System
................2-36
Storage Areas
.........................................2-43
Sunroof
..................................................2-44
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-24Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-42
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-63
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle
....... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-26
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-12
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-45
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-45
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-51
Tires
......................................................5-53
Appearance Care
.....................................5-89
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-96
Electrical System
......................................5-96
Capacities and Specications
...................5-101
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-16
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-18
Index................................................................ 1
2009 Chevrolet Impala Owner ManualM

Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may be found on
the vehicle and what they mean. For more information
on the symbol, refer to the index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls or OnStar®
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.:Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i:Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
j:LATCH System Child Restraints
*:Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
iv

Head Restraints...............................................1-2
Front Seats......................................................1-4
Manual Seats................................................1-4
Power Seats..................................................1-5
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-6
Heated Seats.................................................1-6
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-7
Center Seat.................................................1-10
Rear Seats.....................................................1-10
Split Folding Rear Seat.................................1-10
Safety Belts...................................................1-13
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-13
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-18
Lap-Shoulder Belt.........................................1-27
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-32
Lap Belt......................................................1-32
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-33
Child Restraints.............................................1-34
Older Children..............................................1-34
Infants and Young Children............................1-37
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-41
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-43Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH)..................................................1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position...................................................1-50
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front
Seat Position............................................1-53
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position............................................1-54
Airbag System...............................................1-57
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-59
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-62
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-63
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-63
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-64
Passenger Sensing System
............................1-65
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-71
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle....................................................1-72
Restraint System Check..................................1-73
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-73
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash...................................................1-74
Section 1 Seats and Restraint System
1-1

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why
safety belts make such good sense.
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.
1-17

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has shoulder belt height adjusters for the
driver and right front passenger positions.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt
is centered on the shoulder. The belt should be away
from the face and neck, but not falling off the shoulder.
Improper shoulder belt height adjustment could
reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
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 the adjuster is set to the desired position, try to
move it down without squeezing the buttons to
make sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for front
outboard occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, 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 and near frontal crash if the threshold conditions
for pretensioner activation are met. And, if the vehicle
has side impact airbags, safety belt pretensioners
can help tighten the safety belts in a side crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If the pretensioners
activate in a crash, they will need to be replaced, and
probably other new parts for the vehicle’s safety
belt system. SeeReplacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash on page 1-74.
1-29

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.{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave
children unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer protection for
adults and older children, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor
its airbag system is designed for them. Every time
infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should
have the protection provided by appropriate child
restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strike
other people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
1-37

{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. 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.
1-39

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.
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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 1-65for
additional information.
{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. It is always better to secure a
child restraint in a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position.
1-44