CHEVROLET EXPRESS CARGO VAN 2007 1.G Manual Online

If your vehicle has one, the right front passenger’s
airbag is in the instrument panel on the
passenger’s side.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant
and an airbag, the bag might not inate
properly or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury or
even death. The path of an inating airbag
must be kept clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any
other airbag covering.
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When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal
airbags are designed to inflate in moderate
to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes. But
they are designed to inflate only if the impact
exceeds a predetermined deployment threshold.
Deployment thresholds take into account a
variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the airbags to inflate
and help restrain the occupants. Whether your
frontal airbags will or should deploy is not based
on how fast your vehicle is traveling. It depends
largely on what you hit, the direction of the impact,
and how quickly your vehicle slows down.Frontal airbags may inflate at different crash
speeds. For example:•If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the
airbags could inflate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits a moving
object.
•If the vehicle hits an object that deforms,
the airbags could inflate at a different
crash speed than if the vehicle hits an
object that does not deform.
•If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole),
the airbags could inflate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits a wide object
(like a wall).
•If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle,
the airbags could inflate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle goes straight into
the object.
Frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)
are not intended to inflate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
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In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have inflated simply because
of the damage to a vehicle or because of what
the repair costs were. Inflation is determined
by what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact,
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in front
or near-frontal impacts.
If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of
your vehicle is 8,500 lb (3 855 kg) or above, your
vehicle has single stage airbags. If the GVWR
is below 8,500 lb (3 855 kg), your vehicle has dual
stage airbags. You can find the GVWR on the
certification label on the rear edge of the driver’s
door. SeeLoading Your Vehicle on page 261
for more information.
Single Stage Airbags
If your vehicle has frontal airbags with single stage
deployment and your vehicle goes straight into
a wall that does not move or deform, the threshold
level is about 9 to 16 mph (14 to 26 km/h). The
threshold level can vary, however, with specific
vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above
or below this range.
Dual Stage Airbags
If your vehicle has frontal airbags with dual stage
deployment, the restraint will adjust according
to the crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic
frontal sensors which helps the sensing system
distinguish between a moderate and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate frontal
impacts, these airbags inflate at a level less
than full deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of
your vehicle goes straight into a wall that does
not move or deform, the threshold level for the
reduced deployment is about 12 to 16 mph
(19 to 26 km/h), and the threshold level for a full
deployment is about 18 to 25 mph (29 to 40 km/h).
The threshold level can vary, however, with
specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range.
Vehicles with dual stage airbags also have
sensors which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of both the driver and
passenger front seats. The seat position sensors
provide information which is used to determine
if the airbags should deploy at a reduced level
or at full deployment.
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What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is in a
crash. The sensing system triggers a release
of gas from the inflator, which inflates the airbag.
The inflator, airbag, and related hardware are all
part of the airbag modules inside the steering
wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the
right front passenger.
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.
The airbag supplements the protection provided
by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But airbags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts,
and many side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward those airbags.Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts, and then
only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions.
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?
After an airbag inflates, it quickly deflates, so
quickly that some people may not even realize the
airbag inflated. Some components of the airbag
module — the steering wheel hub for the driver’s
airbag or the instrument panel for the right
front passenger’s bag — may be hot for a short
time. The parts of the airbag that come into contact
with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
There may be some smoke and dust coming from
the vents in the deflated airbags. Airbag inflation
does not prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer the vehicle,
nor does it prevent people from leaving the vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, 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 inates, 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.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on, and
turn the hazard warning flashers on when the
airbags inflate. You can lock the doors again, turn
the interior lamps off, and turn the hazard warning
flashers off by using the controls for those features.In many crashes severe enough to inflate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur
from the right front passenger airbag.•Airbags are designed to inflate only once.
After they inflate, 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 your vehicle
covers the need to replace other parts.
•Your vehicle has a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information
after a crash. SeeVehicle Data Recording
and Privacy on page 441andEvent Data
Recorders on page 442.
•Let only qualified technicians work on the
airbag system. Improper service can mean
that an airbag system will not work properly.
See your dealer/retailer for service.
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Airbag Off Switch
If your vehicle has one of the switches pictured
in the following illustrations, your vehicle has
an airbag off switch that you can use to turn off
the right front passenger’s airbag.
If your vehicle does not have an airbag off
switch, it may have a passenger sensing system.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 89.This switch should only be turned to airbag OFF if
the person in the right front passenger’s position
is a member of a passenger risk group identified
by the national government as follows:
Infant.An infant (less than 1 year old) must
ride in the front seat because:
•
My vehicle has no rear seat;
•My vehicle has a rear seat too small to
accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or
•The infant has a medical condition which,
according to the infant’s physician, makes
it necessary for the infant to ride in the
front seat so that the driver can constantly
monitor the child’s condition.
United StatesCanada
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Child age 1 to 12.A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:
•
My vehicle has no rear seat;
•Although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the
rear seat(s) whenever possible, children
ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the
front because no space is available in
the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
•The child has a medical condition which,
according to the child’s physician, makes
it necessary for the child to ride in the
front seat so that the driver can constantly
monitor the child’s condition.
Medical Condition.A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his
or her physician:
•
Causes the passenger airbag to pose a
special risk for the passenger; and
•Makes the potential harm from the passenger
airbag in a crash greater than the potential
harm from turning off the airbag and allowing
the passenger, even if belted, to hit the
dashboard or windshield in a crash.
{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s airbag is
turned off for a person who is not in
a risk group identied by the national
government, that person will not have the
extra protection of an airbag. In a crash,
the airbag will not be able to inate and
help protect the person sitting there. Do
not turn off the passenger’s airbag unless
the person sitting there is in a risk group.
SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 86.
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To turn off the right front passenger’s airbag,
insert your ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the off position.
The airbag off light will come on to let you know
that the right front passenger’s airbag is off.
The light will stay on to remind you that the
airbag is off. The right front passenger’s airbag
will remain off until you turn it back on.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes
on when you have turned off the airbag,
it means that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. The right front
passenger’s airbag could inate even
though the switch is off. If this ever
happens, do not let anyone whom the
national government has identied as a
member of a passenger airbag risk group
sit in the right front passenger’s position
(for example, do not secure a rear-facing
child restraint in your vehicle) until
you have your vehicle serviced. See
Airbag Readiness Light on page 169
for additional information.
United StatesCanada
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To turn the right front passenger’s airbag on,
insert your ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the on position.
Passenger Sensing System
If your instrument panel has one of the indicators
pictured in the following illustrations, your vehicle
has a passenger sensing system. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible when you
start your vehicle in the instrument panel.
If your vehicle does not have a passenger
sensing system, it may have an airbag off switch.
SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 86.
United StatesCanada
United StatesCanada
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The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and
off, will be visible on the instrument panel during
the system check. When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or the word OFF,
or the symbol for on or the symbol for off, will
be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 172.
The passenger sensing system will turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag under
certain conditions. The driver’s airbags are not
part of the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the right front passenger’s
seat. The sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly seated occupant and
determine if the passenger’s frontal airbag
should be enabled (may inflate) or not.Accident statistics show that children are safer if
they are restrained in the rear rather than the front
seat. 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.
A label on your sun visor that says, “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 deploys.
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