
Chevrolet City Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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54 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
Front seat-mounted side impact
airbags and roof-rail rollover
airbags:. The seat-mounted side
impact airbags and roof-rail
airbags ordinarily will not
inflate in the event of a
frontal impact, rear impact,
or lower severity side
collision. Always wear your
seat belts to help reduce the
risk or severity of injury in
various kinds of accidents.
. The seat belts, the
seat-mounted side impact
airbags, and roof-rail
airbags are most effective
when you are sitting with
both feet on the floor. The
seat-mounted side impact
airbags and roof-rail airbags
inflate with great force. Do
not allow anyone sitting in
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the seats to extend their
hand out of the window or
lean against the door.
. Do not use seat covers on
the seatbacks. They may
interfere with seat-mounted
side impact airbag inflation.
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. The inflator, the airbag,
and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
For airbag locations, see Where Are
the Airbags? 051.
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 seat belts by
distributing the force of the impact
more evenly over the
occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
front outboard seating positions.
The rollover capable roof-rail
airbags are designed to help reduce
the risk of full or partial 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? 052.

Chevrolet City Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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56 Seats and Restraints
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 0275
and Event Data Recorders
0 275.
. 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
{Warning
The front passenger airbag is
designed to automatically turn off
under some conditions. Read this
section carefully to learn how it
operates. Proper use of the seat,
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
seat belt, and child restraints is
necessary for most effective
protection. Failure to follow all
instructions in this manual
concerning the use of seats, seat
belts, and child restraints can
increase the risk or severity of
injury in an accident.
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the front
outboard passenger position. The
passenger airbag status indicator is
under the climate controls.
After the ignition switch is placed in
the ON position, the passenger
airbag status indicator on the
instrument panel will light for about
seven seconds. When the system
check is complete, the word OFF
and the symbol for off will be visible
if the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is turned off. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
090.
The passenger sensing system
turns off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag, under
certain conditions. No other airbag
is affected by the passenger
sensing system.

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Seats and Restraints 57
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
should be allowed to inflate or not.
If the front outboard passenger seat
is unoccupied, the passenger airbag
status indicator will remain lit, and
the front outboard passenger frontal
airbag will be turned off.
{Warning
To ensure proper operation of the
passenger’s advanced airbag
system, observe the following
items:
. Do not place heavy loads
heavier than 1 kg (2.2 lb) on
the seatback, in the
underseat storage bin, head
restraint, or in the seatback
pocket.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Do not store luggage behind
the seat that can press into
the seatback.
. If a forward-facing child
restraint is installed in the
passenger seat, do not
position the passenger seat
so the child restraint
contacts the instrument
panel. If the child restraint
does contact the instrument
panel, the system may
determine the seat is
occupied and the passenger
airbag may deploy in a
collision. Also, the
passenger airbag status
indicator may not light. For
more information, see
Securing Child Restraints
075 for information about
installing and using child
restraints.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Confirm the operating
condition with the
passenger airbag status
indicator.
. If you notice that the
passenger airbag status
indicator light is not
operating as described in
this section, take your
vehicle to your dealer to
check the passenger
sensing system.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in a correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
Rear-facing child restraints should
not be transported in the vehicle,
even if the airbag is off.
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.

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60 Seats and Restraints
to detect that person and enable the
front outboard passenger frontal
airbag:1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material from the seat, such as
blankets, cushions, seat
covers, seat heaters, or seat
massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this
position for two to
three minutes after the off
indicator is not lit.
{Warning
If the front outboard passenger
airbag is turned off for an
adult-sized occupant, the airbag
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
will not be able to inflate and help
protect that person in a crash,
resulting in an increased risk of
serious injury or even death. An
adult-sized occupant should not
ride in the front outboard
passenger seat, if the passenger
airbag off indicator is lit.
Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation
Seat belts help keep the passenger
in position on the seat during
vehicle maneuvers and braking,
which helps the passenger sensing
system maintain the passenger
airbag status. See“Seat belts”and
“Child Restraints” in the Index for
additional information about the
importance of proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion,
or aftermarket equipment such as
seat covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers can affect how well the passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that you
not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. See
Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 063
for more information about
modifications that can affect how
the system operates.
{Warning
Stowing articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
{Warning
. Do not place any objects on
the steering wheel pad or on
the instrument panel. Also,
do not place any objects
(Continued)

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Seats and Restraints 61
Warning (Continued)
between any occupant and
the steering wheel or
instrument panel. Such
objects may become
dangerous projectiles and
cause injury if the front
airbags inflate.
. Do not place objects with
sharp edges on the seat.
Also, do not place heavy
objects on the seat that will
leave permanent
impressions in the seat.
Such objects can damage
the seat or passenger
sensing system sensors
(weight sensors). This can
affect the operation of the
airbag system and result in
serious personal injury.
. Do not use water or acidic
cleaners (hot steam
cleaners) on the seat. This
can damage the seat or
passenger sensing system
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
sensors. This can also
affect the operation of the
airbag system and result in
serious personal injury.
. Immediately after inflation,
several front airbag system
components will be hot. Do
not touch them; you may
severely burn yourself.
. No unauthorized changes
should be made to any
components or wiring of the
supplemental airbag
system. This is to prevent
accidental inflation of the
supplemental airbag or
damage to the supplemental
airbag system.
. Do not make unauthorized
changes to your vehicle’s
electrical system,
suspension system, or front
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
end structure. This could
affect proper operation of
the front airbag system.
. Tampering with the front
airbag system may result in
serious personal injury.
Tampering includes
changes to the steering
wheel and the instrument
panel assembly by placing
material over the steering
wheel pad and above the
instrument panel, or by
installing additional trim
material around the airbag
system.
. Removing or modifying the
front passenger seat may
affect the function of the
airbag and result in serious
personal injury.
. Modifying or tampering with
the front passenger seat
may result personal injury.
(Continued)

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Seats and Restraints 63
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end, or side sheet
metal may keep the airbag system
from working properly.
The operation of the airbag system
can also be affected by changing
any parts of the front seats, seat
belts, airbag sensing and diagnostic
module, steering wheel, instrument
panel, inner door seals including the
speakers, any of the airbag
modules, ceiling or pillar garnish
trim, front sensors, side impact
sensors, or airbag wiring.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about the location
of the airbag sensors, sensing and
diagnostic module, and airbag
wiring.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
front outboard passenger position,
which includes sensors that are part
of the passenger seat. The
passenger sensing system may notoperate properly if the original seat
trim is replaced with non-GM
covers, upholstery, or trim; or with
GM covers, upholstery, or trim
designed for a different vehicle. Any
object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort-enhancing pad
or device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of the
passenger sensing system. This
could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger
sensing system from properly
turning off the passenger airbag(s).
See
Passenger Sensing System
0 56.
If the vehicle has rollover roof-rail
airbags, see Different Size Tires
and Wheels 0216 for additional
important information.
If you have to modify your vehicle
because you have a disability and
have questions about whether the
modifications will affect the vehicle's
airbag system, or if you have
questions about whether the airbag
system will be affected if the vehicle is modified for any other reason, call
Customer Assistance. See
Customer Assistance Offices
0265.
Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not need
regularly scheduled maintenance or
replacement. Make sure the airbag
readiness light is working. See
Airbag Readiness Light 089.
Caution
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
coverings, have the airbag
covering and/or airbag module
replaced. For the location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 051. See your dealer
for service.

Chevrolet City Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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90 Instruments and Controls
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light stays
on or comes on and flashes after
the vehicle is started or comes on
while driving, it means the airbag
system might not be working
properly. The airbags in the
vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
{Warning
The front passenger airbag is
designed to automatically turn off
under some conditions. Read this
section carefully to learn how it
operates. Proper use of the seat,
seat belt, and child restraints is
necessary for most effective(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
protection. Failure to follow all
instructions in this manual
concerning the use of seats, seat
belts, and child restraints can
increase the risk or severity of
injury in an accident.
The passenger airbag status
indicator is under the climate
controls.
After the ignition switch is placed in
the ON position, the passenger
airbag status indicator on the
instrument panel will light for about
seven seconds and then go out or
stay lit depending on the front
outboard seat occupied status. The
passenger airbag status indicator
operates as follows:
.Passenger seat occupied by a
small adult, child, or child
restraint: The passenger airbag
status indicator lights to indicate
that the front passenger frontal
airbag is off and will not inflate in
a collision.
. Occupied passenger seat and
the passenger meets the
conditions outlined in this
manual: The passenger airbag
status indicator is not lit to
indicate that the front passenger
frontal airbag is operational.

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Instruments and Controls 93
Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Depending on where you live, your
vehicle may be required to
participate in an emission control
system inspection and maintenance
program. For the inspection, the
emission system test equipment will
likely connect to the vehicle's Data
Link Connector (DLC).
The DLC is under the instrument
panel to the left of the steering
wheel. Connecting devices that are
not used to perform an Emissions
Inspection/Maintenance test or to
service the vehicle may affect
vehicle operation. SeeAdd-On
Electrical Equipment 0174. See
your dealer if assistance is needed. The vehicle may not pass
inspection if:
.
The malfunction indicator lamp is
on with the engine running, or if
the light does not come on when
the ignition is turned to ON while
the engine is off. See your
dealer for assistance in verifying
proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp.
. The OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics) system determines
that critical emission control
systems have not been
completely diagnosed. The
vehicle would be considered not
ready for inspection. This can
happen if the 12-volt battery has
recently been replaced or run
down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical
emission control systems during
normal driving. This can take
several days of routine driving.
If this has been done and the
vehicle still does not pass the
inspection for lack of OBD II system readiness, your dealer
can prepare the vehicle for
inspection.
Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle brake system consists
of two hydraulic circuits. If one
circuit is not working, the remaining
circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working.
If the warning light comes on, there
could be a brake problem. Have the
brake system inspected right away.
MetricEnglish
This light should come on briefly
when the engine is started. If it does
not come on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there is
a problem.