ESP CHEVROLET EXPRESS 2004 Owners Manual

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident
if I am wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you are upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so youcanunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Airbags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they workwith
safety belts — not instead of them. Every airbag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has
airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
1-14

L(Panic Alarm):The remote keyless entry transmitter
comes equipped with an instant panic alarm. To use
the alarm, press the horn symbol while the ignition
is turned off. The horn will sound and both the interior
and exterior lamps will ash for up to thirty seconds. To
stop the instant panic alarm, press the panic button
again, wait for thirty seconds, or start the vehicle.
j(Cargo Door):Press this button to unlock the cargo
doors only.
Matching Transmitter(s) to Your
Vehicle
Each remote keyless entry transmitter is coded to
prevent another transmitter from unlocking your vehicle.
If a transmitter is lost or stolen, a replacement can
be purchased through your dealer. Remember to bring
any remaining transmitters with you when you go to
your dealer. When the dealer matches the replacementtransmitter to your vehicle, any remaining transmitters
must also be matched. Once your dealer has coded the
new transmitter, the lost transmitter will not unlock
your vehicle. Each vehicle can have a maximum of
four transmitters matched to it.
Resynchronization
Resynchronization may be necessary due to the
security method used by this system. The transmitter
does not send the same signal twice to the receiver. The
receiver will not respond to a signal that has been
sent previously. This prevents anyone from recording
and playing back the signal from the transmitter.
To resynchronize your transmitter, stand close to your
vehicle and press and hold the lock and unlock
buttons on the transmitter at the same time for
seven seconds. The door locks should cycle to conrm
synchronization. If the locks do not cycle, see your
dealer for service.
2-5

Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers — especially children — can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the
handle will not open it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash if the doors are not locked. So,
wear safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent this from happening.There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped with keyless entry, see
Remote Keyless Entry System on page 2-3for more
information.
From the outside, use your key.
To lock the door from the
inside, slide the manual
lever on your door down.
To unlock the door, slide
the manual lever up.
2-7

To open the rear portion of a 60/40 door from the
outside, pull the handle on the side of the rear door and
pull it toward you.
To close the 60/40 side doors, close the rear door rst.
Then close the front door. Check to make sure that
both doors are completely closed.
The front side swing-out door has a check strap
assembly in the door frame to keep the door from
opening beyond 90 degrees.
To open the door beyond 90 degrees, close the door
partially, pull the check strap toward you and then open
the door. When you close the door, the check strap
will automatically re-engage.
Rear Doors
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers — especially children — can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the
handle will not open it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash if the doors are not locked. So,
wear safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent this from happening.
2-13

Windows
{CAUTION:
Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets in a
vehicle with the windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the extreme heat
and suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Never leave a child, a
helpless adult, or a pet alone in a vehicle,
especially with the windows closed in warm or
hot weather.
Manual Windows
To operate your manual windows, turn the hand crank
on each door to raise or lower your side door windows.
2-15

Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal.
Passlock®
Your vehicle is equipped with the Passlock®
theft-deterrent system.
Passlock®is a passive theft-deterrent system. Passlock®
enables fuel if the ignition lock cylinder is turned with
a valid key. If a correct key is not used or the ignition
lock cylinder is tampered with, fuel is disabled.
During normal operation, the SECURITY light will go off
approximately ve seconds after the key is turned to
RUN. SeeSecurity Light on page 3-36.
If the engine stalls and the SECURITY light ashes,
wait until the light stops ashing before trying to restart
the engine. Remember to release the key from
START as soon as the engine starts.
If the engine is running and the SECURITY light comes
on, you will be able to restart the engine if you turn the
engine off. However, your Passlock
®system is not
working properly and must be serviced by your dealer.
Your vehicle is not protected by Passlock
®at this time.
You may also want to check the fuse. SeeFuses
and Circuit Breakers on page 5-92. See your dealer
for service.
Starting and Operating Your
Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In
Notice:Your vehicle does not need an elaborate
break-in. But it will perform better in the long run if
you follow these guidelines:
Keep your speed at 55 mph (88 km/h) or less for
the rst 500 miles (805 km).
Do not drive at any one speed — fast or
slow — for the rst 500 miles (805 km). Do not
make full-throttle starts.
Avoid making hard stops for the rst 200 miles
(322 km) or so. During this time your new brake
linings are not yet broken in. Hard stops with new
linings can mean premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this breaking-in guideline
every time you get new brake linings.
Do not tow a trailer during break-in. SeeTowing a
Trailer on page 4-34for more information.
2-18

;(Parking Lamps):Turn the control to this
position to turn on the parking lamps, together with
the following:
Instrument Panel Lights
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) (Canada)
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
If the DRL are active when the control is turned to this
position, the DRL will turn off.
For vehicles rst sold in Canada, the DRL will remain
active along with the lamps mentioned above.
5(Headlamps):Turn the control to this position to
turn on the headlamps together with the parking
lamps and turn off the daytime running lamps.
You can switch your headlamps from high to low-beam
by pulling the turn signal/high-beam lever toward you.
A circuit breaker protects your headlamps. If you have
an electrical overload, your headlamps will icker on
and off. Have your headlamp wiring checked right away
if this happens.
Headlamps on Reminder
A reminder chime will sound when your control is turned
to the headlamps or parking lamps position, your key
is out of the ignition, and your driver’s door is open. To
disable the chime, turn the control to the Daytime
Running Lamp (DRL) position and then back to the
parking lamps or headlamps position.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will come on when the following
conditions are met:
the ignition is on,
the exterior lamps control is in DRL mode and not
in the defeat position.
When the DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be
on. The instrument panel will be lit.
3-14

To insert multiple CDs, do the following:
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Press and hold the LOAD button for two seconds.
You will hear a beep and the indicator light, located
to the right of the slot, will begin to ash and
MULTI LOAD # will appear on the display.
3. Once the light stops ashing and turns green,
INSERT CD # will appear on the display, load
a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side
up. The player will pull the CD in.
Once the CD is loaded, the indicator light will begin
ashing again. Once the light stops ashing and
turns green, you can load another CD. The
CD player takes up to six CDs. Do not try to load
more than six.
To load more than one CD but less than six, complete
Steps 1 through 3. When nished loading CDs,
press the LOAD button to cancel the loading function.
The radio will begin to play the last CD loaded.
If more than one CD has been loaded, a number for
each CD will appear on the display.Playing a Specic Loaded CD
For every CD loaded, a number will appear on the
display. To play a specic CD, rst press the CD AUX
button, then press the numbered pushbutton that
corresponds to the CD. A small bar will appear under
the CD number that is playing and the track number will
appear on the display.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.
CD
Z(Eject): Press this button to eject CD(s).
To eject the CD that is currently playing, press and
release this button.
To eject multiple CDs, do the following:
1. Press and hold the CD eject button for ve seconds.
You will hear a beep and the indicator light, located
to the right of the slot, will begin to ash and
EJECT ALL will appear on the display.
2. Once the light stops ashing and turns green,
REMOVE CD # will appear on the display. The
CD will eject and can be removed.
Once the CD is removed, the indicator light will
begin ashing again and another CD will eject.
To stop ejecting the CDs, press the LOAD or the
eject button.
3-67

Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise.
FM
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes, or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight, and
extreme heat. If they are not, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.The tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. The radio may display CLEAN to
indicate that the tape player has been used for 50 hours
without resetting the tape clean timer. If this message
appears on the display, the cassette tape player
needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but it should
be cleaned as soon as possible to prevent damage
to the tapes and player. If there is a reduction in sound
quality, try a known good cassette to see if the tape
or the tape player is at fault. If this other cassette has no
improvement in sound quality, clean the tape player.
For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive
cleaning cassette with pads which scrub the tape
head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The
recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealer.
3-72

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-10.
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads, or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It is the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know when the
vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving
task — such as concentrating on a cellular telephone call,
reading, or reaching for something on the oor — makesproper defensive driving more difficult and can even
cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to
help do things like this, or pull off the road in a safe place
to do them yourself. These simple defensive driving
techniques could save your life.Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
4-2