2012 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE tow

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-33
use the following steps to allow the
system to detect that person and
enable the right front passenger
frontal airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional materialfrom the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for
two to three minutes after the on
indicator is lit.
Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation
Safety belts help keep the
passenger in position on the seat
during vehicle maneuvers and
braking, which helps the passenger sensing system maintain the
passenger airbag status. See
“Safety Belts”
and“Child
Restraints” in the Index for
additional information about the
importance of proper restraint use.
If the shoulder portion of the belt is
pulled out all the way, the child
restraint locking feature will be
engaged. This may unintentionally
cause the passenger sensing
system to turn the airbag off for
some adult‐size occupants. If this
happens, let the belt go back all the
way and start again.
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. See Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 3‑34
for more information
about modifications that can affect
how the system operates.
The on indicator may be lit if an
object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop,
or other electronic device, is put on
an unoccupied seat. If this is not
desired, remove the object from
the seat.
{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.

Black plate (49,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-49
Do not fold the empty rear seat
with a safety belt buckled. This
could damage the safety belt or
the seat. Unbuckle and return the
safety belt to its stowed position,
before folding the seat.
1. If the child restraint manufacturerrecommends that the top tether
be attached, attach the top
tether to the top tether anchor,
if equipped. Refer to the child
restraint instructions and the
following steps:
1.1. To access the top tether anchors, raise the seat
cushion by pulling up on the
strap loop at the rear of the
seat cushion and fold the
seat cushion forward. Then
fold the seatback forward
until it is flat. See Rear
Seats on page 3‑10 for
additional information.
1.2. Place the child restraint in the vehicle, near the
seating position that you
are using. 1.3. Route the top tether
according to your child
restraint instructions and
the following instructions:
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a single tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a dual tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.

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 (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 (5,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Storage 4-5
Midgate Drain Grate Removal
and Cleaning
The removable Midgate drain grate
is located near the base of the
Midgate.
After hauling dirt, wood chips,
pebbles etc. the Midgate drain
should be flushed with water. First
remove the drain grate:
1. Lower the Midgate. SeeMidgate
®on page 2‑9 for more
information.
2. Pull up on the rear side of the drain grate, tilt it toward the front
of the vehicle, and pull it out.
Reverse the procedure to reinstall
the drain grate.
Cargo Area Floor Drains
The cargo mat has cut outs for the
four cargo-area floor drains located
under the cargo mat near the sides
of the cargo area.
Periodically flush the drains through
the cut outs to clear debris and
allow water to drain from the cargo
area. If the cargo area is extremely
dirty, lift up the edges of the cargo
floor mat or take the whole mat out
and flush the drains with water.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
4-8 Storage
Use the following instructions for
the proper storage sequence
and location for each panel:
1.1. Secure clip (A) on thestorage strap.
1.2. Secure clip (B) on the storage strap.
1.3. Place the remaining primary straps (C) on top of the lid
and tray at the top of the
cargo area.2. Starting with cargo panel 1, loadthe cargo panel with the latches
facing up toward the side of the
cargo box.
Do the same for cargo panel 2
then panel 3. Make sure to store
panel 2 with the latches facing
down and panel 3 with latches
facing up toward the side of the
cargo box.3. Place the primary straps overthe three cargo covers (A).
Fasten the four strap clips (B).

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Storage 4-11
3. The driver side cargo coverpanel latch must lock in place
before the passenger side latch
can be locked. If this procedure
is not followed exactly, the cargo
cover panels might not correctly
lock in place. Push the driver
side latch toward the front of the
vehicle to lock the cover in
position. A click sounds when
each latch locks. Lock the
remaining passenger side latch
on panel 1. 4. Install cargo cover 2 followed
by 3 next. Place the latches in
the unlocked position. Place the
cargo cover panel on the cargo
area rails while holding the back
of the cargo panel up.
Driver Side Shown, Passenger
Side Similar
5. Push the panel forward until it is snug against the other panel and
then let the back of the panel
down making sure that the
pegs (A) align with the
receivers (B). 6. Push the latches toward the
front of the vehicle, starting with
the driver side latch, to lock the
panel in place. A click sounds
when each latch locks correctly.
Folding and Storage of Straps
Fold the straps for storing inside the
top-box storage compartment:
1. Extend the six strap ends on aflat surface.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
4-12 Storage
2. Fold the four primary strap endstoward the center as shown.3. Take the short strap and wrap itaround the folded webbing,
forming a package.4. Take the storage strap and wrapit around the package. Finally,
attach the hooks to the webbing
and place the straps inside the
top-box storage compartment.