2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO warning

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-27
Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the shoulder belt:
1. Remove the guide from itsstorage clip on the interior body.
2. Place the guide over the beltand insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.
3. Be sure that the belt isnot twisted and it lies flat.
The elastic cord must be under
the belt and the guide on top.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash.
The person wearing the belt could
be seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
4. Buckle, position, and releasethe safety belt as described
previously in this section. Make
sure the shoulder portion of the
belt is on the shoulder and not
falling off of it. The belt should
be close to, but not contacting,
the neck.

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 (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 (38,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
3-38 Seats and Restraints
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 may have a feature
that may automatically unlock the
doors, turn on the interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the airbags
inflate. You can lock the doors, turn
off the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers by using the
controls for those features.{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions
in the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough
to inflate the airbag, windshields
are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage
may also occur from the right front
passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some
new parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly
other parts. The service manual
for your vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.

Black plate (40,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
3-40 Seats and Restraints
This switch should only be turned to
the off position if the person in the
right front passenger position is
a member of a passenger risk
group identified by the national
government as follows:
Infant. An infant (less than
1 year old) must ride in the
front seat because:
.My vehicle has no rear seat;
.My vehicle has a rear seat
too small to accommodate a
rear-facing infant seat; or
.The infant has a medical
condition which, according to
the infant's physician, makes it
necessary for the infant to ride in
the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the
child's condition.Child age 1 to 12. A child
age 1 to 12 must ride in the front
seat because:
.My vehicle has no rear seat;
.Although children ages 1 to 12
ride in the rear seat(s) whenever
possible, children ages 1 to 12
sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in
the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
.The child has a medical
condition which, according to
the child's physician, makes it
necessary for the child to ride in
the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the
child's condition.
Medical Condition. A passenger
has a medical condition which,
according to his or her physician:
.Causes the passenger airbag
to pose a special risk for the
passenger; and
.Makes the potential harm from
the passenger airbag in a crash
greater than the potential harm
from turning off the airbag and
allowing the passenger, even if
belted, to hit the dashboard or
windshield in a crash.
{WARNING
If the right front passenger's
airbag is turned off for a person
who is not in a risk group
identified by the national
government, that person will
not have the extra protection
of an airbag. In a crash, the
airbag will not be able to inflate
(Continued)

Black plate (41,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-41
WARNING (Continued)
and help protect the person
sitting there. Do not turn off the
passenger's airbag unless the
person sitting there is in a risk
group.
United States
Canada and Mexico
To turn off the right front passenger
airbag, insert the ignition key into
the switch, push in, and move the
switch to the off position.
The word OFF or the off symbol will
come on in the passenger airbag
status indicator located in the
overhead console to let you know
that the right front passenger airbag
is off, after the system check is
completed. The airbag off light will come on and stay on to let you
know that the right front passenger's
airbag is off. See
Airbag On-Off
Light on page 5‑23.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light
ever comes on and stays on, it
means that something may be
wrong with the airbag system.
For example, the right front
passenger airbag could inflate
even though the airbag on-off
switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have the vehicle serviced
right away. See Airbag Readiness
Light
on page 5‑22for more
information, including important
safety information.