Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/11/12
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
5/g:Audio Steering Wheel
Controls or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
O:Power
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
g: StabiliTrak®Off
i:Traction Control Off
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/11/12
1-8 In Brief
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑11.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑37.
Passenger Sensing
System
United States
Canada
The passenger sensing system
turns off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag and knee
airbag under certain conditions. No
other airbag is affected by the passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑24
for important information.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will be visible on the center
display when the vehicle is started.
See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑10.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
Manual Outside Mirrors
If equipped, move the control up,
down, or side to side to adjust the
mirror.
See Manual Mirrors on page 2‑10.
Power Outside Mirrors
1. If equipped, move the selector switch to L (Left) or R (Right) to
choose the driver or passenger
mirror.
2. Move the control up, down, or side to side to adjust the
mirror.
Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/11/12
Seats and Restraints 3-13
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, press the release
button and move the height adjuster
to the desired position. After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pressing the release button
to make sure it has locked into
position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. 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, side, or rear crash if the
threshold conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, for vehicles
with roof-rail airbags, safety belt
pretensioners can help tighten the
safety belts in a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
the pretensioners and probably
other new parts of the vehicle's
safety belt system will need to be
replaced. See
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts after a Crash on
page 3‑16.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
Rear safety belt comfort guides may
provide added safety belt comfort
for older children who have
outgrown booster seats and for
some adults. When installed on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide
positions the shoulder belt away
from the neck and head.
Safety belt comfort guides are
available through your dealer.
Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/11/12
3-18 Seats and Restraints
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt, even
with airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, not replace them. Also,
airbags are not designed to inflate
in every crash. In some crashes
safety belts are the only restraint.
SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 3‑21.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce the chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or
being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the
safety belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly, whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{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
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
(Continued)
Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/11/12
Seats and Restraints 3-23
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.
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, turn
on the interior lamps, turn on the
hazard warning flashers, and shut off the fuel system after the airbags
inflate. You can lock the doors, turn
off the interior lamps, and turn off
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
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 front outboard
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 13‑13 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑14.
Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/11/12
3-24 Seats and Restraints
.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.
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the front
outboard passenger position. The
passenger airbag status indicator
will light on the center display when
the vehicle is started.
United States
Canada
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, will be visible
during the system check. If you use
remote start, if equipped, to start the
vehicle, you may not see the system
check. When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or
OFF, or the symbol for on or off, will
be visible. See Passenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 5‑10.
The passenger sensing system
turns off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag and knee
airbag under certain conditions. No
other airbag is affected by the
passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the front outboard passenger seat. The sensors are designed to detect
the presence of a properly seated
occupant and determine if the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag should be allowed
to inflate or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
We recommend that children 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.
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 inflates.
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/11/12
Seats and Restraints 3-25
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the passenger frontal
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
passenger frontal airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger airbag(s), no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
inflate under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag(s) are off.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the
airbag(s) are off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag if:
.The front outboard passenger
seat is unoccupied.
.The system determines that an
infant is present in rear-facing
infant seat.
.The system determines that a
small child is present in a child
restraint.
.The system determines that a
small child is present in a
booster seat.
.A front outboard passenger
takes his/her weight off of the
seat for a period of time.
.The front outboard passenger
seat is occupied by a smaller
person, such as a child who has
outgrown child restraints.
.There is a critical problem with
the airbag system or the
passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag, the off indicator
will light and stay lit as a reminder
that the airbags are off. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑10.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag anytime the system
senses that a person of adult size is
sitting properly in the front outboard
Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/11/12
3-26 Seats and Restraints
passenger seat. When the
passenger sensing system has
allowed the airbags to be enabled,
the on indicator will light and stay lit
as a reminder that the airbags are
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 front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
depending upon the person's
seating posture and body build.
Everyone in the 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
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑9 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 (Right
Front Passenger Seat) on
page 3‑44
orSecuring Child
Restraints (Rear Seat) on
page 3‑47.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit,
turn the vehicle off. Then slightly
recline the vehicle seatback and
adjust the seat cushion,
if adjustable, to make sure that
the vehicle seatback is not
pushing the child restraint into
the seat cushion. Also make
sure the child restraint is not
trapped under the vehicle head
restraint. If this happens, adjust
the head restraint. See Head
Restraints on page 3‑2.
6. Restart the vehicle.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure
the child in the child restraint in a
rear seat position in the vehicle, and
check with your dealer.