Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-23
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.
The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate
frontal impacts, dual-stage airbags
inflate at a level less than full
deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.
The vehicle may or may not have
roof-rail airbags. SeeAirbag System
on page 3‑18. Roof-rail airbags are
intended to inflate in moderate to
severe side crashes. In addition,
these roof-rail airbags are intended
to inflate during a rollover. Roof-rail
airbags will inflate if the crash
severity is above the system's
designed threshold level. The
threshold level can vary with
specific vehicle design. Roof-rail airbags are not intended to
inflate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, or rear impacts. All roof-rail
airbags will deploy when either side
of the vehicle is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of
what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact.
In a rollover event, roof‐rail airbag
deployment is determined by the
direction of the roll.What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows for the first,
second, and third rows (if equipped).
See
Where Are the Airbags? on
page 3‑20 for more information.
Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-24 Seats and Restraints
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping the
occupant more gradually. Roof-rail
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first, second, and third rows,
if equipped. The rollover capable
roof-rail airbags are designed to
help reduce the risk of full orpartial ejection in rollover events,
although no system can prevent all
such ejections.
But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑22
for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags inflate, they
quickly deflate, so quickly that some
people may not even realize an
airbag inflated. Roof-rail airbags
may still be at least partially inflated
for some time after they deploy.
Some components of the airbag
module may be hot for several
minutes. For location of the airbag
modules, see What Makes an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑23. The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
(Continued)
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 (5,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-5
Hazard Warning Flashers
|(Hazard Warning Flashers):
Press this button located on top of
the steering column, to make the
front and rear turn signal lamps
flash on and off. This warns others
that you are having trouble. Press
again to turn the flashers off.
When the hazard warning flashers
are on, the vehicle's turn signals will
not work.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
G: An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster flashes in the direction
of the turn or lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all
the way up or down.
To signal a lane change, raise or
lower the lever until the arrow
starts to flash. The turn signal
automatically flashes three times
and if the Tow/Haul Mode is active
it flashes six times. Holding the
turn signal lever for more than
one second causes the turn signals
to flash continually until the lever
is released. The lever returns to its starting
position when released.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
may be burned out.
Have any burned out bulbs
replaced. If the bulb is not burned
out, check the fuse. See
Fuses and
Circuit Breakers on page 10‑41.Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (0.75 mi), a chime
sounds at each flash of the turn
signal and the message TURN
SIGNAL ON also appears in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
See Lamp Messages on page 5‑38.
To turn off the chime and message,
move the turn signal lever to the
off position.
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
7-8 Infotainment System
Radio
AM-FM Radio
Radio Data System (RDS)
The Radio may have a Radio Data
System (RDS). The RDS feature is
available for use only on FM
stations that broadcast RDS
information. This system relies upon
receiving specific information from
these stations and only works when
the information is available. While
the radio is tuned to an FM-RDS
station, the station name or call
letters display. In rare cases, a radio
station could broadcast incorrect
information that causes the radio
features to work improperly. If this
happens, contact the radio station.
Finding a Station
BAND:Press to switch between
FM1, FM2, AM, and XM.
The selection displays.
f(Tune): Turn clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the station frequency.
©SEEK or¨SEEK:
Press
©SEEK to go to the
previous or
¨SEEK to go to the
next station and stay there.
To scan stations, press and hold
either button for two seconds until a
beep sounds. The radio goes to a
station, plays for a few seconds,
then goes to the next station. For
AM-FM Radio and Radio with CD,
the station frequency flashes while
the radio is in the scan mode. Press
either button again to stop scanning.
The radio seeks and scans stations
only with a strong signal that are in
the selected band. For AM-FM Radio and Radio with
CD, scan presets within the current
selected band by pressing and
holding either SEEK button for
four seconds until a double beep
sounds. The radio goes to a stored
preset, plays for a few seconds if a
strong signal is present, then goes
to the next stored preset. The
station frequency flashes while the
radio is in the scan mode.Setting Preset Stations
If the radio does not have a
FAV button, up to 18 stations
(six FM1, six FM2, and six AM),
can be programmed on the six
numbered softkeys, by performing
the following steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press BAND to select FM1,
FM2, or AM.
3. Tune in the desired station.
Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
7-10 Infotainment System
Satellite Radio
Finding a Category (CAT)
Station
CAT (Category):The CAT button is
used to find XM™ stations while the
radio is in the XM mode.
XM is a satellite radio service based
in the United States and
Canada only.
Finding a Station
BAND: Press to switch
between FM1, FM2, AM, and XM.
The selection displays.
f(Tune): Turn clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the station frequency.
©SEEK or¨SEEK:
Press
©SEEK to go to the
previous or
¨SEEK to go to the
next station and stay there. To scan stations, press and hold
either button for two seconds until a
beep sounds. The radio goes to a
station, plays for a few seconds,
then goes to the next station. For
AM-FM Radio and Radio with CD,
the station frequency flashes while
the radio is in the scan mode. Press
either button again to stop scanning.
The radio seeks and scans stations
only with a strong signal that are in
the selected band.
For AM-FM Radio and Radio with
CD, scan presets within the current
selected band by pressing and
holding either SEEK button for
four seconds until a double beep
sounds. The radio goes to a stored
preset, plays for a few seconds if a
strong signal is present, then goes
to the next stored preset. The
station frequency flashes while the
radio is in the scan mode.
Setting Preset Stations
If the radio does not have a
FAV button, up to 18 stations
(six FM1, six FM2, and six AM),
can be programmed on the six
numbered softkeys, by performing
the following steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press BAND to select FM1,
FM2, or AM.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered softkeys for
three seconds until a beep
sounds. When that softkey is
pressed and released, the
station that was set, returns.
5. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 for each softkey.
Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-15
RDM (Random):Press to listen to
tracks in random, rather than
sequential order. To use random, do
one of the following:
For the AM-FM Radio with CD:
1. Press the RDM button until the
random icon displays.
2. Press the RDM button again until the random icon disappears
from the display.
For the Radio with CD (MP3) and
Radio with USB and CD (MP3):
1. Press the softkey positioned under the RDM tab until Random
Current Disc displays.
2. Press the softkey again to turn off random play.MP3‐Supported Files
The Radio with CD (MP3) and
Radio with USB and CD (MP3) have
the capability of playing an MP3
CD-R or CD-RW disc.
Format
Radios that have the capability of
playing MP3s can play .mp3 or .wma
files that were recorded onto a
CD-R or CD-RW disc. The files can
be recorded with the following fixed
bit rates: 32 kbps, 40 kbps, 56 kbps,
64 kbps, 80 kbps, 96 kbps, 112 kbps,
128 kbps, 160 kbps, 192 kbps,
224 kbps, 256 kbps, and 320 kbps or
a variable bit rate.
Compressed Audio or Mixed Mode
Discs
The radio can play discs that
contain both uncompressed CD
audio and MP3 files. If both formats
are on the disc, the radio reads all
MP3 files first, then the
uncompressed CD audio files. CD‐R‐
or CD‐RW‐Supported File
and Folder Structure
The radio supports:
.Up to 50 folders.
.Up to eight folders in depth.
.Up to 50 playlists.
.Up to 255 files.
.Playlists with an .m3u or .wpl
extension.
.Files with an .mp3, .wma, or .cda
file extension.
Root Directory
The root directory is treated as a
folder. Files are stored in the root
directory when the disc or storage
device does not contain folders.
Files accessed from the root
directory of a CD display as
F1 ROOT.
Empty Folder
Folders that do not contain files are
skipped, and the player advances to
the next folder that contains files.
Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
7-18 Infotainment System
To change from playback by artist to
playback by album:
1. Press the softkey located belowthe Sort By tab.
2. Press one of the softkeys below the Album tab from the sort
screen.
3. Press the softkey below the Back tab to return to the main
music navigator screen.
The album name displays on the
second line between the arrows,
and songs from the current album
begin to play. Once all songs from
that album have played, the player
moves to the next album in
alphabetical order on the CD and
begins playing MP3s from that
album.
To exit music navigator mode, press
the softkey below the Back tab to
return to normal MP3 playback.CD Player Messages
CHECK DISC: If this message
displays and/or the CD ejects, it
could be for one of the following
reasons:
.It is very hot. When the
temperature returns to normal,
the CD should play.
.The road is very rough. When
the road becomes smoother, the
CD should play.
.The CD is dirty, scratched, wet,
or upside down.
.The air is very humid. If so, wait
about an hour and try again.
.There was a problem while
burning the CD.
.The label is caught in the
CD player.
If the CD is not playing correctly, for
any other reason, try a known
good CD.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if
an error cannot be corrected,
contact your dealer. If the radio
displays an error message, write it
down and provide it to your dealer
when reporting the problem.