2013 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE Owners Manual

Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Seats and Restraints 3-37
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 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.
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
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
arms. An infant should be
secured in an appropriate
restraint.

Black plate (38,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
3-38 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
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
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.
{WARNING
To reduce the risk of neck and
head injury during a crash, infants
need complete support. In a
crash, if an infant is in a
rear-facing child restraint, 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.

Black plate (39,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Seats and Restraints 3-39
{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
Rear-Facing Infant Seat
A rear-facing infant seat 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.
Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child seat provides
restraint for the child's body with the
harness.

Black plate (40,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
3-40 Seats and Restraints
Booster Seats
A booster seat 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 3‑43. 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.

Black plate (41,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Seats and Restraints 3-41
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.
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.
A label on your 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.

Black plate (42,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
3-42 Seats and Restraints
{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.
The vehicle may have a
passenger sensing system which
is designed to turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions.
Even if the passenger sensing
system, if equipped, has turned
off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, no system is(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑28 for additional
information.
{WARNING
A child in a child restraint in the
center front seat can be badly
injured or killed by the frontal
airbags if they inflate. Never
secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. It is always
better to secure a child restraint in
a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the
center front seat position.
When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with your
child restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seats
vary considerably in size, and some
may fit in certain seating positions
better than others. Always make
sure the child restraint is properly
secured.

Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Seats and Restraints 3-43
Depending on where you place the
child restraint and the size of the
child restraint, you may not be able
to access adjacent safety belt
assemblies or LATCH anchors for
additional passengers or child
restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to or
interferes with the routing of the
safety belt.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
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
your vehicle—even when no child
is in it.Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH System)
The LATCH system secures a child
restraint during driving or in a crash.
LATCH attachments on the child
restraint are used to attach the child
restraint to the anchors in the
vehicle. This system is designed to
make installation of a child restraint
easier.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible
child restraint is properly installed
using the anchors, or use the
vehicle's safety belts to secure the
restraint, following the instructions
that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual.
When installing a child restraint with
a top tether, you must also use either the lower anchors or the
safety belts to properly secure the
child restraint. A child restraint must
never be installed using only the top
tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in
your vehicle, you need a child
restraint that has LATCH
attachments. The child restraint
manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the child
restraint and its attachments. The
following explains how to attach a
child restraint with these
attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or
child restraints have lower anchors
and attachments or top tether
anchors and attachments.

Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
3-44 Seats and Restraints
Lower Anchors
Lower anchors (A) are metal bars
built into the vehicle. There are
two lower anchors for each LATCH
seating position that will
accommodate a child restraint with
lower attachments (B).
Top Tether Anchor
A top tether (A, C) anchors the top
of the child restraint to the vehicle.
A top tether anchor is built into
the vehicle. The top tether
attachment (B) on the child restraint
connects to the top tether anchor in
the vehicle in order to reduce the
forward movement and rotation of
the child restraint during driving or in
a crash.Your child restraint may have a
single tether (A) or a dual tether (C).
Either will have a single
attachment (B) to secure the top
tether to the anchor.
Some child restraints that have top
tethers are designed for use with or
without the top tether being
attached. Others require the top
tether always to be attached.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached. Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for your child
restraint.