2008 Chevrolet Express Owner Manual Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1 Front Seats ............................................... 1-2 Rear Seats ............................................... 1-6 Safety Belts ............................................. 1-10 Child Restraints ....................................... 1-29 Airbag System ......................................... 1-57 Restraint System Check ............................ 1-75 Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1 Keys ........................................................ 2-2 Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-6 Windows ................................................. 2-13 Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-17 Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-20 Mirrors .................................................... 2-33 Storage Areas ......................................... 2-35 Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1 Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4 Climate Controls ...................................... 3-19 Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-25 Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-44 Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-66 Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1 Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2 Towing ................................................... 4-25 M Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1 Service ..................................................... 5-3 Fuel ......................................................... 5-5 Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-12 All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-46 Rear Axle ............................................... 5-47 Front Axle ............................................... 5-48 Noise Control System ............................... 5-48 Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-50 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-54 Tires ...................................................... 5-56 Appearance Care ..................................... 5-99 Vehicle Identification ............................... 5-108 Electrical System .................................... 5-109 Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-116 Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1 Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2 Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1 Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2 Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-14 Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy ........... 7-16 Index ................................................................ 1 Canadian Owners A French language copy of this manual can be obtained from your dealer/retailer or from: Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207 GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem, and the name CHEVY EXPRESS are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors of Canada Limited" for Chevrolet Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual. This manual describes features that may be available in this model, but your vehicle may not have all of them. For example, more than one entertainment system may be offered or your vehicle may have been ordered without a front passenger or rear seats. Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference. Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 15861876 A First Printing ii © 1-800-551-4123 www.helminc.com Propriétaires Canadiens On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français auprès de concessionnaire ou à l'adresse suivante: Helm Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207 1-800-551-4123 www.helminc.com 2007 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Using this Manual Many people read the owner manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If this is done, it can help you learn about the features and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work together in the owner manual to explain things. If your vehicle has the DURAMAX® Diesel engine, refer to the DURAMAX® Diesel supplement for additional and specific information on this engine. {CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. We tell you what the hazard is and what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not, you or others could be hurt. 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." Index A good place to quickly locate information about the vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the page number where it can be found. Safety Warnings and Symbols There are a number of safety cautions in this book. A box with the word CAUTION is used to tell about things that could hurt you or others if you were to ignore the warning. iii Vehicle Damage Warnings You will also find notices in this manual. Notice: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. A notice tells about something that can damage the vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your vehicle's warranty, and it could be costly. The notice tells what to do to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. There are also warning labels on the vehicle which use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. Vehicle 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, gage, or indicator. iv Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position (With Passenger Sensing System) .......................................1-48 Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position (With Airbag Off Switch) ..........1-52 Airbag System ...............................................1-57 Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-60 When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-62 What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-64 How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-64 What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-64 Airbag Off Switch ..........................................1-66 Passenger Sensing System ............................1-69 Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-73 Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ....................................................1-74 Restraint System Check ..................................1-75 Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-75 Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash ...................................................1-76 Front Seats ......................................................1-2 Manual Seats ................................................1-2 Power Seat ...................................................1-3 Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-3 Rear Seats .......................................................1-6 Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-6 Safety Belts ...................................................1-10 Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-10 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-15 Lap-Shoulder Belt .........................................1-22 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-28 Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-28 Child Restraints .............................................1-29 Older Children ..............................................1-29 Infants and Young Children ............................1-32 Child Restraint Systems .................................1-35 Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-38 Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) ......................................1-39 Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position ............................................1-45 1-1 Front Seats Manual Seats {CAUTION: You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you do not want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is not moving. Lift the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the bar. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure the seat is locked in place. 1-2 Power Seat Reclining Seatbacks {CAUTION: You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you do not want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is not moving. {CAUTION: If your vehicle has front power seat(s), you can adjust them with these controls located at the front center of the seat cushion. To raise or lower the seat, move the center knob up or down. To move the seat forward or rearward, move the center knob toward the right or left. To raise or lower the front of the seat cushion, move the right lever up or down. To raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion, move the left lever up or down. If the seatback is not locked, it could move forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury to the person sitting there. Always push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is locked. The seats have manual reclining seatbacks. The lever used to operate them is located on the inboard side of the seats. 1-3 To return the seatback to an upright position, do the following: 1. Lift the lever fully without applying pressure to the seatback and the seatback will return to the upright position. 2. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked. To recline the seatback, do the following: 1. Lift the recline lever. 2. Move the seatback to the desired position, then release the lever to lock the seatback in place. 3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked. 1-4 {CAUTION: Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts cannot do their job when you are reclined like this. The shoulder belt cannot do its job because it will not be against your body. Instead, it will be in front of you. In a crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries. The lap belt cannot do its job either. In a crash, the belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly. Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. 1-5 Rear Seats Rear Seat Operation Removing the Rear Seat Disconnect the quick release latch plates for the lap-shoulder belts on the bench seat to be removed. 1. To do this, press the tip of a key into the release hole of the safety belt buckle while pulling up on the safety belt. Three Passenger Seat Shown The driver's side pin has a gray cap with a black "L" marked on it. 2. Locate the pins. On a three passenger seat there are two pins located on the inboard sides of the rear seats. 1-6 3. Pull the pin handle up to disengage the pin from the retaining clip, then pull the pin out. 4. Repeat this procedure for the other pins. 5. Pull the seat rearward about 2 inches (5 cm) and then lift the seat from the floor rails. 6. Remove the seat from the vehicle. 7. For the first row rear seat, stow the safety belt latch by attaching the clip on the safety belt latch to the trim just inside the side door. Three Passenger Seat Shown The passenger's side pin has a black cap with a white "R" marked on it. On a four passenger seat, each half of the seat has a set of pins. The driver's side has a set marked "L", and the passenger's side has a set marked "R". If the vehicle has floor mats, the pins will be located under a flap that has been cut into the mat. For the remaining rear seats, stow the safety belt latch plate on the clip at the window trim. 1-7 Replacing the Rear Seats 1. Position the seat into the open slots in both rails. Push the seat forward in the rail, hooking both seat bases onto the pins inside of the rails. 2. To install the locking pins at the rear of the seat base, locate the hole in the rail for the pin. If the vehicle has floo ...