Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-13
Safety Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a safety belt height
adjuster for the driver and right front
passenger positions.
Adjust the height so 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. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑10.
To move it down, pull on the center
adjuster control labeled PULL. You
can move the height adjuster up just
by pushing up on the shoulder belt
guide.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pushing in to make sure it
has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating) of the vehicle is below
3 855 kg (8,500 lb) then the vehicle
has safety belt pretensioners for the front outboard occupants. See
Vehicle Load Limits on page 9‑11
to
locate the certification label which
contains the GVWR.
Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near
frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if the
vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help
tighten the safety belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once.
If the pretensioners are activated in
a crash, the pretensioners and
possibly other parts of the safety
belt system will need to be replaced.
See Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash on page 3‑17.
Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-21
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has roof-rail airbags
for the driver, right front passenger,
passengers behind the driver and
right front passenger, and the third
row outboard passengers, the
roof-rail airbags are in the ceiling
above the side windows. On the driver side of the vehicle,
there is one single roof-rail airbag
for either vehicles with a hinged
door or a sliding door.
For passenger vans with a sliding
door, on the passenger side of the
vehicle, you will have a separate
roof-rail airbag for the passenger
seated directly behind the right front
passenger and the third row
outboard passenger position.{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
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.
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-25
WARNING (Continued)
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors
(if equipped with power door locks),
turn on the interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the
airbags inflate. You can lock the
doors, and turn off the interior lamps
and the 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 (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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
the vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13‑20 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑20.
.Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.
Black plate (50,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-50 Seats and Restraints
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint is
not attached to anchors, the child
restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured or
killed. Install a LATCH-type child
restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle safety
belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and
the instructions in this manual.
{WARNING
Do not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries
during a crash, attach only
one child restraint per anchor.
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to
tighten. Buckle any unused safety
belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull
the shoulder belt all the way out
of the retractor to set the lock,
if the vehicle has one, after the
child restraint has been installed. Notice:
Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’ s safety belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled safety belts to
avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments.
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. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the safety belts. Refer to your
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions
in this manual.
Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-54 Seats and Restraints
4. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout 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.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 3‑46 for more
information.
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.
Black plate (57,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-57
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout 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.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. If the vehicle does not have a
rear seat and 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 3‑46 for more information.
8. 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 airbag is off, the off indicator
in the passenger airbag status
indicator will come on and stay on
when the vehicle is started.
Black plate (60,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-60 Seats and Restraints
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 itwill go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
If you have no other choice but
to install a rear-facing child
restraint in this seat, make sure
the airbag is off once the child
restraint has been installed.
When the airbag off switch
has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the airbag off light
should light and stay lit when the
vehicle is started. See Airbag
On-Off Light on page 5‑18.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat. 3. Pick up the latch plate, and run
the lap and shoulder portions of
the vehicle 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 (61,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-61
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. If the vehicle does not have a
rear seat and 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 3‑46 for more information.
8. 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.
If you turned the airbag off with the
switch, turn on the right front
passenger airbag when you remove
the child restraint from the vehicle
unless the person who will be sitting
there is a member of a passenger
airbag risk group. See
Airbag
On-Off Switch on page 3‑26 for
more information, including
important safety information.