Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-11
Remote Start Heated Seats
When it is cold outside, the heated
seats may turn on automatically
during a remote vehicle start. The
heated seats will be canceled when
the ignition is turned on. Press the
desired button to use the heated
seats after the vehicle is started.
The lights on the heated seat
buttons do not turn on during a
remote start.
The temperature performance of an
unoccupied seat may be reduced.
This is normal.
SeeRemote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5 for more information.Rear Seats
Rear Seats (Extended
Cab Full Bench)
Folding the Rear Seat
Notice:Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat.
To fold the seat:
1. Pull up on the front of the seat cushion while pulling down on
the release strap under the seat
cushion.
2. Pull the seat cushion up until it latches with the seatback.
3. Pull forward on the seat cushion to make sure it is locked in
place.
Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-15
.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.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat isadjustable, 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 3‑34
for more information.
If the belt stops before it reaches
the buckle, when using the
lap-shoulder belt in a rear center
seating position of a crew-cab,
tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling the safety belt until it can
be buckled.
Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-21
To make the belt shorter, pull its free
end as shown until the belt is snug.
If the belt is not long enough, see
Safety Belt Extender on page 3‑21.
Make sure the release button on the
buckle is positioned so you would
be able to unbuckle the safety belt
quickly if necessary.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fasten
around you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long
enough, your dealer will order you
an extender. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you
will wear, so the extender will be
long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone
else use it, and use it only for the
seat it is made to fit. The extender
has been designed for adults. Never
use it for securing child seats. To
wear it, attach it to the regular safety
belt. For more information, see the
instruction sheet that comes with
the extender.
Safety System Check
Now and then, check that the safety
belt reminder light, safety belts,
buckles, latch plates, retractors,
and anchorages are all working
properly. Look for any other loose or
damaged safety belt system parts
that might keep a safety belt system
from doing its job. See your dealer
to have it repaired. Torn or frayed
safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under
impact forces. If a belt is torn or
frayed, get a new one right away.
Make sure the safety belt reminder
light is working. SeeSafety Belt
Reminders on page 5‑19 for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
See Safety Belt Care on page 3‑22.
Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
3-22 Seats and Restraints
Safety Belt Care
Keep belts clean and dry.
{WARNING
Do not bleach or dye safety belts.
It may severely weaken them.
In a crash, they might not be able
to provide adequate protection.
Clean safety belts only with mild
soap and lukewarm water.
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts after a
Crash
{WARNING
A crash can damage the safety
belt system in the vehicle.
A damaged safety belt system
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in a
crash. To help make sure the
safety belt systems are working
properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies that
were used during any crash may
have been stressed or damaged.
See your dealer to have the safety
belt assemblies inspected or
replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the vehicle
or while you are driving. See
Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑20.
Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
3-24 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
Because airbags inflate with great
force and faster than the blink of
an eye, anyone who is up
against, or very close to any
airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not
sit unnecessarily close to any
airbag, as you would be if sitting
on the edge of the seat or leaning
forward. Safety belts help keep
you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear a safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{WARNING
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag
when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer protection
for adults and older children,
but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle
safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them.
Young children and infants
need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide.
Always secure children properly
in the vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 3‑42or
Infants and Young Children on
page 3‑44.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑20
for more information.
Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-27
Frontal airbags may inflate at
different crash speeds.
For example:
.If the vehicle hits a stationary
object, the airbags could inflate
at a different crash speed than if
the vehicle hits a moving object.
.If the vehicle hits an object that
deforms, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits an object
that does not deform.
.If the vehicle hits a narrow object
(like a pole), the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide
object (like a wall).
.If the vehicle goes into an object
at an angle, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight
into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with
specific vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts. If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating) of your vehicle is 3 855 kg
(8,500 lb) or above, the vehicle has
single stage airbags. If the GVWR is
below 3 855 kg (8,500 lb) then the
vehicle has dual stage airbags.
Vehicles with a full bench seat are
equipped with single state airbags.
You can find the GVWR on the
certification label on the rear edge
of the driver door. See
Vehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑17 for more
information.
The vehicle may have dual‐stage
frontal airbags. 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. Vehicles with dual stage airbags
also have seat position sensors
which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of the driver
seat (all models), and on crew cab
and extended cab models the right
front passenger seat on light duty
models only. The seat position
sensor provides information that is
used to determine if the airbags
should deploy at a reduced level or
at full deployment.
The vehicle may or may not have
seat‐mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags. See
Airbag System
on page 3‑23. Seat‐mounted side
impact and 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 or in a
severe frontal impact. Seat‐mounted
side impact and 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.
Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-33
completed. The airbag off light will
come on and stay on to let you
know that the right front passenger's
airbag is off. SeeAirbag On-Off
Light on page 5‑20.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light
ever comes on and stays on, it
means that something may be
wrong with the airbag system.
For example, the right front
passenger airbag could inflate
even though the airbag on-off
switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have the vehicle serviced
right away. See Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑20 for more
information, including important
safety information.
United StatesCanada and Mexico
To turn the right front passenger
airbag on again, insert the ignition
key into the switch, push in, and
move the switch to the on position.
The right front passenger frontal
airbag is now enabled (may inflate).
See Airbag On-Off Light on
page 5‑20 for more information.
Black plate (36,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2012
3-36 Seats and Restraints
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator will light and stay lit to
remind you that the airbag is off.
SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑22.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on (may inflate) the
right front passenger frontal airbag
anytime the system senses that a
person of adult size is sitting
properly in the right front
passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the
airbag is active. For some children, including
children in child restraints, and for
very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, depending upon
the person's seating posture and
body build. Everyone in your
vehicle who has outgrown child
restraints should wear a safety belt
properly
—whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑20 for more
information, including important
safety information.
If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions
provided by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to
Securing Child Restraints
(Rear Seat Position) on
page 3‑60 orSecuring Child
Restraints (Center Front Seat
Position) on page 3‑62 or
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat Position) on
page 3‑63.