2012 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE Owners Manual

Black plate (53,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-53
5. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 4 and 5. 6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑45.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt
to move it side‐to‐side and
back‐and‐forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing Child Restraints
(Center Front Seat
Position)
{WARNING
A child in a child restraint in the
center front seat can be badly
injured or killed by the frontal
airbags if they inflate. Never
secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. It is always
better to secure a child restraint in
a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the
center front seat position.

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
3-54 Seats and Restraints
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat
Position)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑43.
In addition, the vehicle may have a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑29 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑17 for more information,
including important safety
information.
A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.” This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great if the
airbag deploys.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
The vehicle may have a
passenger sensing system which
is designed to turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions.
Even if the passenger sensing
system, if equipped, has turned
off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, no system is
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
fail-safe. No one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child
restraints in a rear seat, even if
the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑29 for additional
information.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑45 for how and
where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is

Black plate (55,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-55
secured using a safety belt and it
uses a top tether, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3‑45 for
top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder
belt to secure the child restraint in
this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat. 3. Pick up the latch plate, and run
the lap and shoulder portions of
the vehicle's safety belt through
or around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.

Black plate (56,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
3-56 Seats and Restraints
6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt
to move it side‐to‐side and
back‐and‐forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
If the vehicle is equipped with the
passenger sensing system, and
when the passenger sensing system
has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator should light and stay
lit when you start the vehicle. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑17. If a child restraint has been
installed and the on indicator is lit,
see
“If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint” underPassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑29 for
more information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Storage 4-1
Storage
Storage Compartments
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Overhead Console . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Center Console Storage . . . . . . 4-2
Top-Box Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Luggage/Load Locations
Cargo Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Additional Storage Features
Cargo Cover Panels . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Cargo Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Roof Rack System
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Storage
Compartments
Glove Box
Lift up on the glove box lever to
open it.
Cupholders
For vehicles with cupholders for
front and rear passengers, the
cupholders are located in the center
console and on the back of the
center console.
Press down and release the access
door to open and use the front
cupholders.
Pull down on the door located on
the back of the console to use the
rear cupholders. Push on the door
to close it.Push down and then back to
remove the front cupholder for
cleaning.
For vehicles with a rear armrest/
cupholder, pull up and out on the
tab on the top center of the armrest.
Pull the armrest down to access the
cupholder.Overhead Console
For vehicles with an overhead
console, it contains reading lights
and a small storage area.
Press the button next to each light
to turn it on and off.
Armrest Storage
Vehicles may have a center armrest
storage compartment in front of the
bench seat. Open it by folding the
armrest down and pressing the
handle on the front.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
4-2 Storage
Center Console Storage
For vehicles with a console
compartment, cupholders are
located between the bucket seats.
Press the button and lift the console
cover to open.
The back of the console has a
cupholder that folds down for the
rear seat passenger to use.
Top-Box Storage
There are top-box storage units on
both sides of the rear cargo area.
The passenger side contains the tire
changing tools. To lock or unlock,
use the key then press the key
cylinder to open.
Luggage/Load
Locations
Cargo Area
All-Weather Cargo Area
The vehicle's cargo area can be
used in many different
configurations—cargo panels on or
off, Midgate up or down, rear glass
in or out. It has features that resist
the elements and protect cargo. It is
designed to quickly direct water out
of the cargo box. The top drain
grates, side rail channels, catch
cups, Midgate drain, cargo area
floor drains, and rubber cargo mat
help do this.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Storage 4-3
Even when all of these things are
working properly and the cover
system is on, there may be some
instances (heavy rains, automated
car washes, etc.) when water can
collect in the following areas:
A. Top drain grates
B. Removable front drain grate(Midgate drain grate) C. Side rail channels and
catch cups
D. Front drains
E. Water drainage area around both sides of the box and the
tailgate side
F. Rear drains
G. Cargo floor
H. Cargo matMaintenance and Cleaning
To ensure that the water
management system performs
properly, be sure that the Midgate,
tailgate, and cover system are fully
closed and that all parts are clean
and not blocked with debris. Follow
the instructions given next in this
section for the proper procedures on
cleaning each item.
Top Drain Grates –Removal
and Cleaning
The top drain grates are located
near the rear window on both sides
of the vehicle. Clean the grates and
drains if there is a blockage.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
4-4 Storage
To remove each drain grate, do the
following:
1. Remove the cargo panels. SeeCargo Cover Panels on
page 4‑6 for more information.
2. Grasp the edges of the grate
and pull it out from the vehicle.
Flush the drain with clean water.
To replace the drain grate:
1. Line up the clips on the vehiclewith the slots in the grate and
firmly push the grate down.
2. Do not force the grate. If it does not clip into place, realign the
clips with the holes and try
again.
Side Rail Channels
The side rail channels are located
on top of both sides of the cargo
area. Flush them out with clean
water if debris collects inside
of them.
Carefully load cargo into the cargo
area, so that the rails do not get
damaged.