Page 46 of 430
Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
2-18 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Swing-Out Windows
Side Swing-Out WindowTo open the side door swing-out
window, pull up on the latch at the
edge of the window. Swing the
window out and push down on the
latch to lock the window into place.
To close the window, pull the latch
toward you and push down on the
latch to lock it.
Rear Swing‐Out Windows
The vehicle also has rear swing‐out
windows. The rear swing-out
windows work the same way as
the side swing‐out window, but the
latch is located at the bottom edge
of the window.
Page 47 of 430

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-19
Enhanced Technology
Glass
The vehicle may be equipped with
Enhanced Technology Glass (ETG).
ETG is part of the overall occupant
protection system on passenger
vans. ETG may help to keep
passengers sitting next to these
fixed windows from being ejected
through the glass in some, but not in
all crashes. Even with this glass,
safety belts must still be worn at all
times. For passenger vans, use only
ETG glass approved for the vehicle
for replacement when damaged.
The following table shows laminated
glass location, based on vehicle
model and options.Vehicle Configuration ETG Locations
Eight‐Seat Passenger Vans Sliding door forward window
12‐ and 15‐Seat Passenger Vans Sliding door forward window and
rear-most side windows
Long Wheelbase Cargo Vans Rear-most side windows
Sun Visors
To block out glare, swing down the
sun visors. You can also swing them
to the side.
Visor Vanity Mirror
The vehicle may have visor vanity
mirrors, with or without lamps. Lift
the mirror cover to turn the lamps
on, if equipped.
Page 50 of 430
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-2 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints
On vehicles with factory installed
seats, the front seats have built-in
head restraints that are not
adjustable in the outboard
seating positions.
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 51 of 430

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-3
Power Seat Adjustment
To adjust a power seat, if available,
use the controls on the front of
the seat:
.Move the center knob to the
right or left to move the seat
forward or rearward.
.Move the center knob up or
down to raise or lower the seat.
.Move the right or left lever up or
down to raise or lower the front
or rear of the seat cushion.
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 recline the seatback:
1. Lift the lever on the inboard sideof the seat.
2. Move the seatback to the desired position, and then
release the lever to lock the
seatback in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.
Page 52 of 430

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-4 Seats and Restraints
To return the seatback to the upright
position:
1. Lift the lever fully withoutapplying 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.
{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.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
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 55 of 430

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-7
Reinstalling the Rear Seats
{WARNING
A seat that is not locked into
place properly can move around
in a collision or sudden stop.
People in the vehicle could be
injured. Be sure to lock the seat
into place properly when
installing it.
{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.1. Position the seat into the open
slots in both rails. Push the seat
forward in the rail, hooking both
seat bases onto the pins inside
of the rails.
2. Locate the hole in the rail to install the locking pins at the rear
of the seat base. If the vehicle
has floor mats, pull the flap that
has been cut into the mat.
3. Insert the locking pins into the seat base and push the seat to
line up the pins with the base.
On a three-passenger seat,
the pin with the black cap
marked “R”must be installed on
the right side and the pin with
the gray cap marked “L”on the
left side.
On a four-passenger seat,
the pins marked “R”must be
installed on the half of the seat
on the right side. The pins
marked “L”must be installed on
the half of the seat on the
left side.
Three-Passenger Seat Shown
4. Push the pin(s) marked “R”down
until they are in the
retaining clip.
Page 56 of 430

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-8 Seats and Restraints
Three-Passenger Seat Shown
5. Push the pin(s) marked “L”down
until they are in the
retaining clip.
6. If the vehicle has a floor mat, put the flap back to its original
position. 7. Repeat this procedure for the
other seat base.
8. Connect the mini-latch plates for the lap-shoulder belts by
inserting the latch plates into the
mini-buckles attached at the
outboard positions of the bench
seat. Do not twist the belts.
9. Check that all locking pins are locked into place before
operating the vehicle.
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)
Page 59 of 430

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-11
.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. If you are
using a rear seating position with a
detachable safety belt and the
safety belt is not attached, see
“Reinstalling the Rear Seats”
underRear Seats on page 3‑5 for
instructions on reconnecting the
safety belt to the mini-buckle.
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.