2011 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE how to use

Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-23
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
The vehicle may have an automatic
dimming inside rearview mirror.
Automatic dimming reduces the
glare from the headlamps of the
vehicle behind you. The dimming
feature comes on and the indicator
light illuminates each time the
ignition is turned to start.
O(On/Off):Press to turn the
dimming feature on or off.
The vehicle may also have a Rear
Vision Camera (RVC). See Rear
Vision Camera (RVC) on page 9‑62
for more information.
If the vehicle has RVC, the
Obutton
for turning the dimming feature on or
off will not be available. Vehicles with OnStar have three
additional control buttons for the
OnStar system. See your dealer for
more information about OnStar and
how to subscribe to it. See the
OnStar Owner Guide for more
information about the services
OnStar provides.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-1
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . 3-4
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Heated and Ventilated FrontSeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Rear Seats
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Safety Belts
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26 Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . 3-27
Safety Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . 3-31
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . 3-44
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . 3-45
Replacing Airbag System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . 3-51
Where to Put the Restraint . . . 3-53
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54
Replacing LATCH System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-61
Securing Child Restraints (Rear Seat Position) . . . . . . . . 3-62
Securing Child Restraints (Center Front Seat
Position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-64
Securing Child Restraints (Right Front Seat
Position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-64

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
3-10 Seats and Restraints
The temperature performance of an
unoccupied seat may be reduced.
This is normal.
SeeRemote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5 for more information.
Heated and Ventilated
Front Seats
{WARNING
If you cannot feel temperature
change or pain to the skin, the
seat heater may cause burns
even at low temperatures. See
the Warning under Heated Front
Seats on page 3‑9.
If available, the controls are on the
front doors, near the door handle.
{(Cooled Seat): Press to cool
the seat.
+(Heated Seatback): Press to
heat the seatback only.
z(Heated Seat and Seatback):
Press to heat the seat and
seatback.
One of these symbols appears on
the climate control display when this
feature is on.
Press the desired control once for
the highest setting. With each press
of the control, the seat will change
to the next lower setting, and then to
the off setting.
Indicator bars next to the symbol on
the climate control display show the
selected setting: three for high,
two for medium, and one for low.
The heated and cooled seats turn
off automatically when the ignition is
turned off. To use this feature after
restarting the vehicle, press the
desired control again.Rear Seats
The rear seatbacks can be
folded to provide more cargo space
and access to the midgate. See
Midgate
®on page 2‑10 for more
information on operation of the
midgate.
To fold the seatback:
1. Push the rear seat headrests all the way down.
2. Pull the loop in the crease wherethe seatback and seat cushion
meet to release the seat

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
3-12 Seats and Restraints
Safety Belts
This section of the manual
describes how to use safety belts
properly. It also describes some
things not to do with safety belts.
{WARNING
Do not let anyone ride where a
safety belt cannot be worn
properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing
safety belts, the injuries can be
much worse. You can hit things
inside the vehicle harder or be
ejected from the vehicle. You and
your passenger(s) can be
seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be,
if you are buckled up. Always
fasten your safety belt, and check
that your passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
{WARNING
People riding on the tailgate
(if equipped) can easily lose their
balance and fall even when the
vehicle is operated at low speeds.
Falling from a moving vehicle may
result in serious injuries or death.
{WARNING
It is extremely dangerous to ride
in a cargo area, inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision, people
riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or
killed. Do not allow people to ride
in any area of your vehicle that is
not equipped with seats and
safety belts. Be sure everyone in
your vehicle is in a seat and using
a safety belt properly.This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See
Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5‑16 for additional information.
In most states and in all Canadian
provinces, the law requires wearing
safety belts. Here is why:
You never know if you will be in a
crash. If you do have a crash, you
do not know if it will be a
serious one.
A few crashes are mild, and some
crashes can be so serious that even
buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in
between. In many of them, people
who buckle up can survive and
sometimes walk away. Without
safety belts they could have been
badly hurt or killed.
After more than 40 years of safety
belts in vehicles, the facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
3-16 Seats and Restraints
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly
This section is only for people of
adult size.
Be aware that there are special
things to know about safety belts
and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and
infants. If a child will be riding in the
vehicle, seeOlder Children on
page 3‑46 orInfants and Young
Children on page 3‑48. Follow those
rules for everyone's protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Occupants who are not buckled up
can be thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing
safety belts. First, before you or your
passenger(s) wear a safety belt,
there is important information you
should know.
Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front of you.
The lap part of the belt should be
worn low and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash, this
applies force to the strong pelvic
bones and you would be less
likely to slide under the lap belt.If you slid under it, the belt would
apply force on your abdomen. This
could cause serious or even fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the
chest. These parts of the body are
best able to take belt restraining
forces.
The shoulder belt locks if there is a
sudden stop or crash.

Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
3-26 Seats and Restraints
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely to
be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a
lap-shoulder belt, and the lap
portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding,
throughout the pregnancy.The best way to protect the fetus is
to protect the mother. When a safety
belt is worn properly, it is more likely
that the fetus will not be hurt in a
crash. For pregnant women, as for
anyone, the key to making safety
belts effective is wearing them
properly.
Lap Belt
This part is only for the lap belt.
To learn how to wear a lap-shoulder
belt, see
Lap-Shoulder Belt on
page 3‑21.
The vehicle may have a center
seating position. When you sit in the
center front seating position, you
have a lap safety belt, which has no
retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the latch
plate and pull it along the belt.
Buckle, position and release it the
same way as the lap part of a
lap-shoulder belt.

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-27
To make the belt shorter, pull its free
end as shown until the belt is snug.
If the belt is not long enough, see
Safety Belt Extender on page 3‑27.
Make sure the release button on the
buckle is positioned so you would
be able to unbuckle the safety belt
quickly if necessary.
If you find that the latch plate will
not go fully into the buckle, see if
you are using the correct buckle. Be
sure that the latch plate clicks when
inserted into the buckle.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fasten
around you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long
enough, your dealer 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 fit. 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.
Safety System Check
Now and then, check that the safety
belt reminder light, safety belts,
buckles, latch plates, retractors, and
anchorages are working properly.
Look for any other loose or
damaged safety belt system parts
that might keep a safety belt systemfrom doing its job. See your dealer
to have it repaired. Torn or frayed
safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under
impact forces. If a belt is torn or
frayed, get a new one right away.
Make sure the safety belt reminder
light is working. See
Safety Belt
Reminders on page 5‑16 for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
See Safety Belt Care on page 3‑27.
Safety Belt Care
Keep belts clean and dry.
{WARNING
Do not bleach or dye safety belts.
It may severely weaken them. In
a crash, they might not be able to
provide adequate protection.
Clean safety belts only with mild
soap and lukewarm water.

Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
3-32 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Do not use seat accessories
that block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the
roof of a vehicle with roof-rail
airbags by routing a rope or tie
down through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.