2012 CHEVROLET EXPRESS PASSANGER warning

Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-37
Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not need
regularly scheduled maintenance
or replacement. Make sure the
airbag readiness light is working.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 5‑18 for more information.
Notice: If an airbag covering is
damaged, opened, or broken, the
airbag may not work properly.
Do not open or break the airbag
coverings. If there are any
opened or broken airbag covers,
have the airbag covering and/or
airbag module replaced. For the
location of the airbags, see
Where Are the Airbags? on
page 3‑20. See your dealer for
service.
Replacing Airbag System
Parts after a Crash
{WARNING
A crash can damage the
airbag systems in the vehicle.
A damaged airbag system may
not work properly and may
not protect you and your
passenger(s) in a crash, resulting
in serious injury or even death.
To help make sure the airbag
systems are working properly
after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon
as possible. If an airbag inflates, you will need
to replace airbag system parts.
See your dealer for service.
If the airbag readiness light stays on
after the vehicle is started or comes
on when you are driving, the airbag
system may not work properly.
Have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness Light
on page 5‑18 for more information.

Black plate (39,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-39
In a crash, children who are not
buckled up can strike other people
who are buckled up, or can be
thrown out of the vehicle. Older
children need to use safety belts
properly.
{WARNING
Never do this.
Never allow two children to wear
the same safety belt. The safety
belt cannot properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two
children can be crushed together
and seriously injured. A safety
belt must be used by only one
person at a time.
{WARNING
Never do this.
Never allow a child to wear the
safety belt with the shoulder belt
behind their back. A child can be
seriously injured by not wearing
the lap-shoulder belt properly.
In a crash, the child would not be
restrained by the shoulder belt.
The child could move too far
forward increasing the chance of
head and neck injury.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
The child might also slide under
the lap belt. The belt force would
then be applied right on the
abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest.

Black plate (40,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-40 Seats and Restraints
Infants and Young
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants and
all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler changes the
need, for everyone, to use safety
restraints. In fact, the law in every
state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says
children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to
tighten. Never leave children
unattended in a vehicle and never
allow children to play with the
safety belts.Airbags plus lap‐shoulder belts offer
protection for adults and older
children, but not for young children
and infants. Neither the vehicle's
safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them. Every
time infants and young children ride
in vehicles, they should have the
protection provided by appropriate
child restraints.
Children who are not restrained
properly can strike other people,
or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{WARNING
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child
while riding in a vehicle. Due to
crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not
possible to hold it during a crash.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb)
infant will suddenly become a
110 kg (240 lb) force on a
person's arms. An infant should
be secured in an appropriate
restraint.

Black plate (41,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-41
{WARNING
Never do this.
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front
seat. Secure a rear-facing child
restraint in a rear seat. It is also
better to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in a rear seat. If you
must secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it
will go.
Q: What are the different types ofadd-on child restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints, which
are purchased by the vehicle
owner, are available in four basic
types. Selection of a particular
restraint should take into
consideration not only the child's
weight, height, and age but also
whether or not the restraint will
be compatible with the motor
vehicle in which it will be used. For most basic types of child
restraints, there are many
different models available. When
purchasing a child restraint, be
sure it is designed to be used in
a motor vehicle. If it is, the
restraint will have a label saying
that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer's
instructions that come with the
restraint state the weight and
height limitations for a particular
child restraint. In addition, there
are many kinds of restraints
available for children with
special needs.

Black plate (42,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-42 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
To reduce the risk of neck and
head injury during a crash, infants
need complete support. This is
because an infant's neck is not
fully developed and its head
weighs so much compared with
the rest of its body. In a crash, an
infant in a rear-facing child
restraint settles into the restraint,
so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest
part of an infant's body, the back
and shoulders. Infants should
always be secured in rear-facing
child restraints.
{WARNING
A young child's hip bones are still
so small that the vehicle's regular
safety belt may not remain low on
the hip bones, as it should.
Instead, it may settle up around
the child's abdomen. In a crash,
the belt would apply force on a
body area that is unprotected by
any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal
injuries. To reduce the risk of
serious or fatal injuries during a
crash, young children should
always be secured in appropriate
child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
(A) Rear‐Facing Infant Seat
A rear-facing infant seat (A)
provides restraint with the seating
surface against the back of the
infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to
keep the infant positioned in the
restraint.

Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-43
(B) Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child seat (B)
provides restraint for the child's
body with the harness.(C) Booster Seats
A booster seat (C) is a child restraint
designed to improve the fit of the
vehicle's safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a
child to see out the window.
Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{WARNING
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in
the vehicle. Secure the child
restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle safety belt or
LATCH system, following the
instructions that came with that
child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury,
the child restraint must be secured
in the vehicle. Child restraint
systems must be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt
portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by
the LATCH system. See Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3‑46 for
more information.

Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-44 Seats and Restraints
Children can be endangered in a
crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child
restraint, refer to the instructions
that come with the restraint which
may be on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both, and to this manual.
The child restraint instructions are
important, so if they are not
available, obtain a replacement
copy from the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured
child restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to
properly secure any child restraint in
the vehicle—even when no child
is in it. In some areas of the United States
and Canada, Certified Child
Passenger Safety Technicians
(CPSTs) are available to inspect
and demonstrate how to correctly
use and install child restraints.
In the U.S., refer to the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) website to
locate the nearest child safety seat
inspection station. For CPST
availability in Canada, check with
Transport Canada or the Provincial
Ministry of Transportation office.Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{WARNING
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child is not
properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child
properly following the instructions
that came with that child restraint.

Black plate (45,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-45
Where to Put the
Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer
when properly restrained in a
child restraint system or infant
restraint system secured in a
rear seating position.
We recommend that children and
child restraints be secured in a rear
seat, including: an infant or a child
riding in a rear-facing child restraint;
a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat; an older child riding in a
booster seat; and children, who are
large enough, using safety belts.
If a child restraint is secured in the
right front passenger seat, and there
is a switch on the instrument panel
to manually turn off the right front
passenger airbag. SeeAirbag
On-Off Switch on page 3‑26 and
Securing Child Restraints (Rear
Seat Position) on page 3‑53 or
Securing Child Restraints (Front
Seat-Passenger Sensing System)
on page 3‑55 orSecuring Child Restraints (Front Seat-Airbag On/Off
Switch) on page 3‑58
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.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Even if the passenger sensing
system or airbag switch has
turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is 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.
When securing a child restraint in
a rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with the
child restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.