2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO airbag

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-17
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicleafter a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A: You could be—whether you
are wearing a safety belt or
not. But your chance of being
conscious during and after an
accident, so you canunbuckle
and get out, is muchgreater 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 work with
safety 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
40 km (25 miles) of home.
And the greatest number of
serious injuries and deaths
occur at speeds of less than
65 km/h (40 mph).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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, see Older Children
on
page 3‑51or Infants and Young
Childrenon page 3‑53. 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.

Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
3-26 Seats and Restraints
Extended Cab
On the extended cab, push down
on the release button (A) 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
for the regular and crew cabs,
or without pushing the release
button for extended cabs, 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, 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 the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
they will need to be replaced,
and probably other new parts
for the vehicle's safety belt system.
See
Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts After a Crash on page 3‑30.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear shoulder
belt comfort guides. If not, they
are available through your dealer.
The guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children
who have outgrown booster seats
and for some adults. When installed
and properly adjusted, the comfort
guide positions the belt away from
the neck and head.

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
3-30 Seats and Restraints
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.
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 5‑22.

Black plate (31,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-31
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
.A seat‐mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat‐mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger and the person
seated directly behind 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.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job. Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt
—even
if you have airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed to
deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. See When Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑34.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in your
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.

Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
3-32 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
Airbags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge
of your seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on
or sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{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 3‑51or
Infants and Young Children
on
page 3‑53
.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
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 5‑22for more information.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-33
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver airbag is in the middle of
the steering wheel.
The right front passenger airbag is
in the instrument panel on the
passenger's side.Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has seat‐mounted side
impact airbags for the driver and
right front passenger, they are in
the side of the seatbacks closest
to the door.

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
3-34 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has roof-rail
airbags for the driver, right front
passenger, and second row
outboard passengers, they 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 (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
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.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed
to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crashes to
help reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or right
front passenger's head and chest.
However, they are only designed
to inflate if the impact exceeds
a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on
how fast your vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact, and how
quickly your vehicle slows down.

Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-35
Frontal airbags may inflate
at different crash speeds.
For example:
.If the vehicle hits a stationary
object, the airbags could inflate
at a different crash speed than if
the vehicle hits a moving object.
.If the vehicle hits an object
that deforms, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits an object
that does not deform.
.If the vehicle hits a narrow object
(like a pole), the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide
object (like a wall).
.If the vehicle goes into an object
at an angle, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight
into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with
specific vehicle design. Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating) of your vehicle is 3 855 kg
(8,500 lb) or above, the vehicle has
single stage airbags. If the GVWR is
below 3 855 kg (8,500 lb) then the
vehicle has dual stage airbags.
Vehicles with a full bench seat are
equipped with single state airbags.
You can find the GVWR on the
certification label on the rear edge
of the driver's door. See
Vehicle
Load Limits
on page 9‑23for more
information.
The vehicle may have dual‐stage
frontal airbags. Dual-stage airbags
adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. The vehicle has
electronic frontal sensors, which
help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact
and a more severe frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts,
dual-stage airbags inflate at a
level less than full deployment.
For more severe frontal impacts,
full deployment occurs.
Vehicles with dual stage airbags
also have seat position sensors
which enable the sensing system
to monitor the position of the driver
seat (all models), and on crew cab
and extended cab models the right
front passenger seat on light duty
models only. The seat position
sensor provides information that
is used to determine if the airbags
should deploy at a reduced level
or at full deployment.