Page 63 of 508
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-3
Rear Seats
The rear seat has adjustable
headrests in the outboard seating
positions.
The height of the headrest can be
adjusted. Pull the headrest up to
raise it. To lower the headrest, push
down on the headrest.
Rear outboard headrests are not
designed to be removed.
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment
{WARNING
You can lose control of the
vehicle if you try to adjust a
manual driver seat while the
vehicle is moving. The sudden
movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push a
pedal when you do not want to.
Adjust the driver seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
To adjust the seat:
1. Lift the bar under the front edgeof the seat cushion to unlock
the seat.
2. Slide the seat to the desired position and release the bar.
3. Try to move the seat back and forth to be sure the seat is
locked in place. 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 65 of 508

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-5
Power Lumbar
To adjust the power lumbar support,
if equipped:
.On vehicles with two-way
lumbar, press and hold the top
or bottom of the control to
increase or decrease lumbar
support.
.On vehicles with four-way
lumbar, press and hold the front
or rear of the control to increase
or decrease lumbar support.To raise or lower the height of
the support, press and hold the
top or bottom of the control.
Reclining Seatbacks
{WARNING
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be
dangerous. Even when buckled
up, the safety belts cannot do
their job when reclined like this.
The shoulder belt cannot do its
job because it will not be against
your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash, you could
go into it, receiving neck or other
injuries.
The lap belt cannot do its job
either. In a crash, the belt could
go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at
your pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
For proper protection when the
vehicle is in motion, have the
seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear the
safety belt properly.
Do not have a seatback reclined if
the vehicle is moving. 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 66 of 508

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
3-6 Seats and Restraints
Manual Reclining Seatbacks
{WARNING
You can lose control of the
vehicle if you try to adjust a
manual driver seat while the
vehicle is moving. The sudden
movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push a
pedal when you do not want to.
Adjust the driver seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
To adjust a manual seatback:
1. Lift the lever.The seatback will automatically
fold forward.
2. To recline, move the seatback rearward to the desired position,
then release the lever to lock the
seatback in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked. To return the seatback to the upright
position:
1. Lift the lever fully without
applying pressure to the
seatback, and the seatback will
return to the upright position.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked. 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 69 of 508

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-9
Heated and Ventilated
Front Seats
{WARNING
If you cannot feel temperature
change or pain to the skin, the
seat heater may cause burns
even at low temperatures. To
reduce the risk of burns, people
with such a condition should use
care when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of
time. Do not place anything on
the seat that insulates against
heat, such as a blanket, cushion,
cover, or similar item. This
may cause the seat heater to
overheat. An overheated seat
heater may cause a burn or may
damage the seat.
Heated and Cooled Seat ButtonsShown, Heated Seat Buttons Similar
If available, the buttons are on the
front doors.
H(Cooled Seat): If available,
press to cool the seat.
I(Heated Seatback): Press to
heat the seatback only.
J(Heated Seat and Seatback):
Press to heat the seat and
seatback. Press the button once for the
highest setting. With each press of
the button, the seat will change to
the next lower setting, and then to
the off setting. The lights indicate
three for the highest setting and one
for the lowest.
The passenger seat may take
longer to heat up.
On vehicles with heated seats,
the heated seats are canceled
10 seconds after the ignition is
turned off.
On vehicles with heated and cooled
seats, the heated and cooled seats
are canceled when the ignition is
turned off.
To use this feature after restarting
the vehicle, press the desired button
again. 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 71 of 508

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-11
3. Fold the seatback forward until itis flat. If necessary, move the
front seats forward slightly to
allow the seatback to fold
completely.
4. Repeat the procedure for the other seatback, if desired. To return the seats to the normal
position, lift the seatback up and
fold the seat cushion down.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is improperly
routed, not properly attached,
or twisted will not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After raising the
rear seatback, always check to be
sure that the safety belts are
properly routed and attached, and
are not twisted.
{WARNING
If the seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always be sure to press the rear
of the seat cushion down. This
action locks the seatback in
place.
Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked. Raise the
headrest. 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 72 of 508

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
3-12 Seats and Restraints
Safety Belts
This section of the manual
describes how to use safety belts
properly. It also describes some
things not to do with safety belts.
{WARNING
Do not let anyone ride where
a safety belt cannot be worn
properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing
safety belts, injuries can be much
worse than if you are wearing
safety belts. You can be seriously
injured or killed by hitting things
inside the vehicle harder or by
being ejected from the vehicle. In
addition, anyone who is not
buckled up can strike other
passengers in the vehicle.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
It is extremely dangerous to
ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
passengers riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow
passengers to ride in any area of
the vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts.
Always wear a safety belt, and
check that all passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5‑15 for additional information.
Why Safety Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the safety belts!
When you wear a safety belt, you
and the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and,
when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 74 of 508

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
3-14 Seats and Restraints
.Wear the shoulder belt over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are
best able to take belt restraining
forces. The shoulder belt locks if
there is a sudden stop or crash.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly.
.Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted.
.Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back.
.Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt except for
the center front passenger position
(if equipped), which has a lap belt.
SeeLap Belt on page 3‑19 for more
information.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it
get twisted. The lap-shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you very
quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a
passenger belt is pulled out
all the way, the child restraint
locking feature may be engaged.
If this happens, let the belt go
back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint
locking feature may affect the
passenger sensing system,
if equipped. See
Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑29
for more information.
If the belt stops before it reaches
the buckle, tilt the latch plate and
keep pulling the safety belt until
it can be buckled. 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 78 of 508
Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
3-18 Seats and Restraints
3. Be sure that the belt is nottwisted 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
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.