Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12146162) - 2019 - crc - 11/26/18
Introduction 3
{Danger
Danger indicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result
in serious injury or death.
{Warning
Warning indicates a hazard that
could result in injury or death.
Caution
Caution indicates a hazard that
could result in property or vehicle
damage.
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means“Do
Not,” “Do not do this,” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message,
gauge, or indicator.
M: Shown when the owner ’s
manual has additional instructions
or information.
*: Shown when the service
manual has additional instructions
or information.
0: Shown when there is more
information on another page —
“see page.” Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. See the
features in this manual for
information.
u:
Air Conditioning System
G:Air Conditioning Refrigerant Oil
9:Airbag Readiness Light
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
$:Brake System Warning Light
9:Dispose of Used Components
Properly
P: Do Not Apply High Pressure
Water
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
_: Flame/Fire Prohibited
H:Flammable
[:Forward Collision Alert
R: Fuse Block Cover Lock
Location
+: Fuses
j:ISOFIX/LATCH System Child
Restraints
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12146162) - 2019 - crc - 11/26/18
Seats and Restraints 43
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . 44
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Rear Seats
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Seat Belts
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
How to Wear Seat BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Seat Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Seat Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 58
Seat Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Replacing Seat Belt System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . 62
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Airbag On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . 67
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 70
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . 71
Replacing Airbag System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Infants and Young Children . . . . 73
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . . . 76
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . 77
Lower Anchors and Tethers forChildren (LATCH System) . . . . 79
Replacing LATCH System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the
Rear Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the
Front Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12146162) - 2019 - crc - 11/26/18
44 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints
On vehicles with factory installed
seats, the front seats have built-in
head restraints that are not
adjustable in the outboard seating
positions.
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment
{Warning
You can lose control of the
vehicle if you try to adjust a driver
seat while the vehicle is moving.
Adjust the driver seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
To adjust the seat:1. Lift the bar under the front edge of the seat cushion to
unlock the seat.
2. Slide the seat to the desired position and release the bar.
3. Try to move the seat back and forth to be sure the seat is
locked in place.
Power Seat Adjustment
{Warning
The power seats will work with
the ignition off. Children could
operate the power seats and be
injured. Never leave children
alone in the vehicle.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12146162) - 2019 - crc - 11/26/18
Seats and Restraints 51
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, whyshould I have to wear seat
belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental
systems only. They work with
seat belts —not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is
provided, all occupants still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection.
Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing seat belts.
How to Wear Seat Belts
Properly
Follow these rules for everyone's
protection.
There are additional things to know
about seat belts and children,
including smaller children and
infants. If a child will be riding in the
vehicle, see Older Children 072 or
Infants and Young Children 073.
Review and follow the rules for
children in addition to the following
rules. It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing seat belts.
There are important things to know
about wearing a seat belt properly.
.
Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front of
you (if possible).
. Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position.
. Wear the lap part of the belt low
and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong
pelvic bones and you would be
less likely to slide under the lap
belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
. 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 seat belt properly.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12146162) - 2019 - crc - 11/26/18
Seats and Restraints 53
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt. If you are
using a rear seating position with a
detachable seat belt and the seat
belt is not attached, see
“Reinstalling the Rear Seats”under
Rear Seats 046 for instructions on
reconnecting the seat belt to the
mini-buckle.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, 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.
3. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the
belt is not long enough, see
Seat Belt Extender 058. Position the release button on
the buckle so that the seat belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you.
See “Seat belt Height Adjuster”
later in this section for
instructions on use and
important safety information.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12146162) - 2019 - crc - 11/26/18
Seats and Restraints 55
Although the seat belt pretensioners
cannot be seen, they are part of the
seat belt assembly. They can help
tighten the seat belts during the
early stages of a moderate to
severe frontal, near frontal, or rear
crash if the threshold conditions for
pretensioner activation are met.
And, if the vehicle has roof-rail
airbags, seat belt pretensioners can
help tighten the seat belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
the pretensioners and probably
other parts of the vehicle’s seat belt
system will need to be replaced.
SeeReplacing Seat Belt System
Parts after a Crash 059.
Do not sit on the outboard seat belt
while entering or exiting the vehicle
or at any time while sitting in the
seat. Sitting on the seat belt can
damage the webbing and hardware.
Rear Seat Belt Comfort Guides
This vehicle may have rear seat belt
comfort guides. The guides may
provide added seat belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults.
When installed and properly
adjusted, the comfort guide
positions the shoulder belt away
from the neck and head.
The comfort guides for the right rear
outboard seating positions of
three-passenger bench seats are
stored in a pocket on the side of the
seatback.
Adjustable comfort guides are
available through your dealer for the
left rear outboard seating positions
of the three-passenger bench seats
and for the outboard seating
positions of the four-passenger
bench seats. For these seating
positions, the adjustable comfort
guide attaches to a loop on the
outboard side of the seatback.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12146162) - 2019 - crc - 11/26/18
58 Seats and Restraints
A pregnant woman should wear a
lap-shoulder belt, and the lap
portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding,
throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is
to protect the mother. When a seat
belt is worn properly, it is more likely
that the fetus will not be hurt in a
crash. For pregnant women, as for
anyone, the key to making seat
belts effective is wearing them
properly.
Seat Belt Extender
If the vehicle's seat belt will fasten
around you, you should use it.
But if a seat 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 restraints. For more
information on the proper use and fit
of seat belt extenders see the
instruction sheet that comes with
the extender.
Safety System Check
Periodically check the seat belt
reminder, seat belts, buckles, latch
plates, retractors, shoulder belt
height adjusters (if equipped), and
seat belt anchorages to make sure
they are all in working order. Look
for any other loose or damaged seat
belt system parts that might keep aseat belt system from performing
properly. See your dealer to have it
repaired. Torn, frayed, or twisted
seat belts may not protect you in a
crash. Torn or frayed seat belts can
rip apart under impact forces. If a
belt is torn or frayed, have it
replaced immediately. If a belt is
twisted, it may be possible to
untwist by reversing the latch plate
on the webbing. If the twist cannot
be corrected, ask your dealer to
fix it.
Make sure the seat belt reminder
light is working. See
Seat Belt
Reminders 0105.
Keep seat belts clean and dry. See
Seat Belt Care 058.
Seat Belt Care
Keep belts clean and dry.
Seat belts should be properly cared
for and maintained.
Seat belt hardware should be kept
dry and free of dust or debris. As
necessary, exterior hard surfaces
and seat belt webbing may be lightly
cleaned with mild soap and water.
Chevrolet Express Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12146162) - 2019 - crc - 11/26/18
62 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
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. Always secure children
properly in the vehicle. To read
how, seeOlder Children 072 or
Infants and Young Children 073.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel, 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 0105.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
center of the steering wheel.
If the vehicle has a front outboard
passenger frontal airbag, it is in the
passenger side instrument panel.