Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-19
Until you are sure you can remove
the panel alone, have someone
help you.
Notice:If you drop or rest a roof
panel on its edges, the roof panel,
paint and/or weatherstripping
may be damaged. Always place
the roof panel in the stowage
receivers after removing it from
the vehicle.
1. Park on a level surface and set the parking brake. Shift an
automatic transmission into
P (Park). Shift a manual
transmission into N (Neutral).
2. Make sure the ignition is off.
3. Lower both sun visors.
4. Open the rear hatch and remove any items that may interfere with
proper storage of the roof panel. 5. Lower the windows.
There are two release latches on
the front of the roof panel and
one rear release latch on the
back of the roof panel.
6. To unlock the release latches onthe front of the roof panel, grasp
each handle and pull it outward.
The driver's side handle
moves toward the driver's
door. The passenger's side
handle moves toward the
passenger's door.
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
2-20 Keys, Doors and Windows
7. To unlock the rear of the roofpanel's rear release latch,
press the back of the release
handle (B). Then press the
button on the front of the
release handle (A).
Pull down the latch lever. 8. Stand on one side of the vehicle,
and if necessary, have someone
stand on the other side.
Together, carefully lift the front
edge of the roof panel up and
forward.
9. When the roof panel is loosened from the vehicle, one person
should grasp the roof panel as
close to the center as possible
and lift it away from the vehicle.Storing the Roof Panel
{WARNING
If a roof panel is not stored
properly, it could be thrown about
the vehicle in a crash or sudden
maneuver. People in the vehicle
could be injured. Whenever you
store a roof panel in the vehicle,
always be sure that it is stored
securely in the proper location. Notice:
If you drop or rest a roof
panel on its edges, the roof panel,
paint and/or weatherstripping
may be damaged. Always place
the roof panel in the stowage
receivers after removing it from
the vehicle.
1. Turn the roof panel so that the front edge of the panel is facing
the storage area.
2. Insert the roof panel so thatthe outside front edges line up
between the receiver covers.
Push forward on the roof panel
until it stops.
Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-21
3. Gently place the roof paneldown so that the back pins on
the roof panel drop into the
receivers in the back of the
storage area.
Press down firmly to seat the pins in
the receivers.
Installing the Roof Panel
{WARNING
An improperly attached roof panel
may fall into or fly off the vehicle.
You or others could be injured.
After installing the roof panel,
always check that it is firmly
attached by pushing up on the
underside of the panel. Check
now and then to be sure the roof
panel is firmly in place.
Notice: If you drop or rest a roof
panel on its edges, the roof panel,
paint and/or weatherstripping
may be damaged. Always place
the roof panel in the stowage
receivers after removing it from
the vehicle. In most cases, it makes it easier if
two people install the roof panel.
1. Park on a level surface and
set the parking brake. Shift
an automatic transmission
into P (Park). Shift a manual
transmission into N (Neutral).
2. Check that the front release latches and the rear release
latch on the vehicle's roof
opening are in their opened
positions before attempting
to install the roof panel.
3. To remove the roof panel from the rear storage area of the
vehicle, pull up on the rear
edge and remove it from the
storage area.
4. Carefully place the roof panel over the top of the vehicle.
5. Position the rear edge of the roof panel to the weatherstrip
on the back of the roof opening.
Then align and fit the pins at the
rear of the roof panel inside the
openings in the rear overhead
Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
2-28 Keys, Doors and Windows
Power Operation
For care and cleaning of the
convertible top see“Cleaning the
Convertible Top” in this section.
High pressure car washes may
cause water to enter the vehicle.
To operate the power convertible
top use the following steps.
Notice: Leaving the convertible
top down and exposing the
interior of your vehicle to outdoor
conditions may cause damage.
Always close the convertible top
if leaving your vehicle outdoors.
Notice: Lowering the convertible
top when there are objects in the
storage area could damage it or
break the glass rear window.
Always verify that no objects
are in the storage area before
lowering the convertible top.
Notice: Lowering the top if it is
damp, wet, or dirty can cause
stains, mildew, and damage to the
inside of your vehicle. Dry off the
top before lowering it. Notice:
If you lower the top on
your vehicle in cold weather
(0°F/-18°C or lower), you may
damage top components. Do not
lower the top in cold weather.
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.
Lowering the Power
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 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.
3. Release the convertible top front latch, located above the inside
rearview mirror, by pulling and
turning it clockwise toward the
driver's door. Push upward on
the front edge. The windows will
automatically lower.
Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
2-30 Keys, Doors and Windows
3. Push and hold the top of thepower convertible top button.
The top will raise and the
windows will lower if they were
in the raised position. A chime
will sound when the top is raised
completely.
4. After the convertible top is completely raised, release the
power convertible top button.
5. Pull the convertible fronttop latch down and turn it
counterclockwise to lock
the convertible top. 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 vehicle has lost power, the
convertible top can still be raised
by releasing pressure on the
hydraulic pump, located under the
passenger's side of the tonneau
cover, by using the following steps.
The carpet liner on the passenger's
side must be pulled back to access
the hydraulic pump.
Never attempt to open or close
the power top manually without
releasing pressure first.
Manual operation of the power
convertible top cannot be attempted
for five minutes from the last time
the convertible top button was
pressed if the top is not completely
stowed, with the top down and the
tonneau latched, or closed, with the
front top latch locked in place, at the
time the convertible top button was
released.
1. Open the tonneau cover by
pulling the emergency release
cable.
The tonneau cover emergency
release cable is located behind
the passenger's seat head
restraint, on the underside
forward edge of the tonneau
cover. Also, see Hatch on
page 2‑10 for information on the
emergency trunk release handle.
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-20 Seats and Restraints
To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
safety belt and the vehicle.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for the 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, for vehicles
with 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 Safety Belt System
Parts After a Crash on page 3‑22.
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.
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.
Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-34 Seats and Restraints
A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion,
or aftermarket equipment such
as seat covers, seat heaters, and
seat massagers can affect how
well the passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that
you not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. SeeAdding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑35 for more information
about modifications that can affect
how the system operates.
{WARNING
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are
parts of the airbag system in
several places around the vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing
the vehicle and the airbag system.
To purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑15.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.