2011 CHEVROLET CORVETTE instrument panel

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-11
WARNING (Continued)
.Adjust the Climate Control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air
and set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See Climate
Control System in the Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑26.
Notice: Closing the hatch/trunk
lid forcefully or from the sides
can cause damage to the glass,
the defogger or the weather
stripping. Be sure objects will fit
in the hatch/trunk area before
closing the hatch/trunk lid. When
closing the hatch/trunk lid, gently
pull down from the center. Notice:
Do not store heavy or
sharp objects in the rear storage
compartments located in the
hatch/trunk area. The objects
could damage the underbody.
Hatch/Trunk Lid Release
There are several ways to release
the hatch/trunk lid. If your vehicle
has an automatic transmission,
the shift lever must be in P (Park).
For manual transmission vehicles,
the parking brake must be set
when the ignition is started for
the hatch/trunk release to operate.
The parking brake does not need
to be set when the ignition is off for
the hatch/trunk release to operate.
See Parking Brake on page 9‑35.
V(Hatch/Trunk) : Press this
button, located on the instrument
panel to the left of the steering
wheel. The theft-deterrent alarm
system must not be armed.
}(Hatch/Trunk) : Press this
button on the keyless access
transmitter. See Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 2‑3.
Press the hatch/trunk release button
located on the rear of the hatch/
trunk lid above the license plate, as
long as you have your transmitter
with you.
If your vehicle has lost battery
power, open the hatch/trunk using
the vehicle key. See Keys on
page 2‑2 for more information.
The key lock cylinder is located on
the rear of the hatch/trunk lid above
the license plate. Turn the vehicle
key clockwise in the lock.

Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-29
4. Return the convertible top frontlatch to the closed position.
5. Push and hold the bottom of thepower convertible top button,
located to the left of the steering
wheel, on the instrument panel. The convertible top will lower into
the rear of the vehicle. A chime will
sound when the convertible top has
lowered completely. If the radio is
on the sound may be muted for a
brief time due to a new audio
system equalization being loaded.
If the convertible top is operated
multiple times, the engine should
be running to prevent drain on the
vehicle's battery. Under certain
conditions, the Driver Information
Center (DIC) may display a
message regarding the power
convertible top. See
Convertible
Top Messages on page 5‑37 for
more information. Raising the Power Convertible Top
Notice:
If you raise or lower
the convertible top while the
vehicle is in motion, you could
damage the top or the top
mechanism. The repairs would
not be covered by your warranty.
Always put an automatic
transmission in (P) Park
or a manual transmission
in (N) Neutral before raising or
lowering the convertible top.
1. Park on a level surface. Start the engine. Shift an automatic
transmission into P (Park) and
set the parking brake. Shift
a manual transmission into
N (Neutral) and set the parking
brake.
2. Make sure the trunk lid is closed and the rear trunk partition in
the rear storage area is in the
fastened upright position, and
that no objects are forward of
the divider. See “Rear Trunk
Partition” underRear Storage on
page 4‑1.

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-11
Get it up to speed. Then stop the
vehicle. The rider does not stop.The person keeps going until
stopped by something. In a real
vehicle, it could be the windshield...or the instrument panel...

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-22 Seats and Restraints
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After a
Crash
{WARNING
A crash can damage the safety
belt system in the vehicle.
A damaged safety belt system
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in
a crash. To help make sure the
safety belt systems are working
properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies that
were used during any crash may
have been stressed or damaged.
See your dealer to have the safety
belt assemblies inspected or
replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the vehicle
or while you are driving. See
Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑16.
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for the
driver and on the instrument panel
for the right front passenger.
With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-24 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag
when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. 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. Young
children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint
system can provide. Always
secure children properly in
your vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 3‑37or
Infants and Young Children on
page 3‑39.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑16
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
middle of the steering wheel.

Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-25
The right front passenger frontal
airbag is in the instrument panel on
the passenger's side.Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
{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.
Do not use seat accessories
that block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-27
Your vehicle may have one or
two seat position sensors,
depending on what model you
have. The seat position sensor(s)
enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of the driver
seat (all models except Z06
and ZR1) and the right front
passenger seat (all models).
Seat position sensor(s) provide
information that is used to determine
if the airbags should deploy at a
reduced level or at full deployment.
Your vehicle may or may not have
seat-mounted side impact airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 3‑22.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags
are intended to inflate in moderate
to severe side crashes. Seat-mounted side impact airbags
will inflate if the crash severity
is above the system's designed
threshold level. The threshold level
can vary with specific vehicle
design.
Seat-mounted side impact
airbags are not intended to inflate
in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side of
the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag should
have inflated simply because of
the damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were. For
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
deployment is determined by the
location and severity of the side
impact.What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbag modules in the side
of the front seatbacks closest to
the door.

Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-28 Seats and Restraints
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel.
In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants
can contact the inside of the
vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags
distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant's
upper body.
But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑26 for more information. Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal and seat-mounted
side impact airbags inflate, they
quickly deflate, so quickly that some
people may not even realize the
airbags inflated. Some components
of the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, see
What Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑27.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out
of the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon
as it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors,
turn the interior lamps on, turn
on the hazard warning flashers,
and shut off the fuel system
after the airbags inflate.