CHEVROLET EXPRESS CARGO VAN 2008 1.G Repair Manual

Airbag System
Your vehicle has the following airbag:
•A frontal airbag for the driver.
Your vehicle may have the following airbags:
•A frontal airbag for the right front passenger.
•A roof-rail airbag for the driver (cargo van).
•A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger
position (cargo or passenger van equipped
with a sliding door).
If you have a passenger van with a right front
passenger roof-rail airbag and a sliding door, you
will also have a separate roof-rail airbag for
the passenger seated directly behind the right front
passenger and the third row outboard passenger
position.
•A roof-rail airbag for the driver, passenger seated
directly behind the driver, and the third row
outboard passenger position (passenger van
equipped with a sliding or hinged door).
•A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger,
passenger seated directly behind the right front
passenger, and the third row outboard passenger
position (passenger van equipped with a
hinged door).
All of the airbags in your vehicle will have the word
AIRBAG embossed in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on the
middle part of the steering wheel for the driver and
on the instrument panel for the right front passenger.
With roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear
along the headliner or trim.
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Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you are not wearing your safety belt — even
if you have airbags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Airbags are “supplemental
restraints” to the safety belts. All airbags are
designed to work with safety belts, but do not
replace them.
{CAUTION:
Frontal airbags are designed to deploy in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They are not designed to inate in
rollover, rear crashes, or in many side crashes.
If your vehicle has rollover capable roof-rail
airbags, they are designed to inate in
moderate to severe crashes where something
hits the side of your vehicle and in the event of
a vehicle rollover. They are not designed to
inate in frontal or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.
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{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it inates can
be seriously injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to the airbag, as you
would be if you were sitting on the edge of
your seat or leaning forward. Safety belts help
keep you in position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
airbags. The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against
the door or side windows in seating positions
with roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION:
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best
protection for adults, but not for young
children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s
safety belt system nor its airbag system is
designed for them. Young children and infants
need the protection that a child restraint
system can provide. Always secure children
properly in your vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 1-29orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-32.
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. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-29
for more information.
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Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.If your vehicle has one, the right front passenger’s airbag
is in the instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
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If your vehicle is a cargo or passenger van with a
sliding door and it has a roof-rail airbag for the driver
and right front passenger position, the roof-rail airbags
are in the ceiling above the side window.If your vehicle has roof-rail airbags for the driver, right
front passenger, passengers behind the driver and right
front passenger, and the third row outboard passengers,
the roof-rail airbags are in the ceiling above the side
windows. On the driver’s side of the vehicle, there is one
single roof-rail airbag for either vehicles with a hinged
door or a sliding door. Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
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For passenger vans with a sliding door, on the
passenger’s side of the vehicle, you will have a separate
roof-rail airbag for the passenger seated directly
behind the right front passenger and the third row
outboard passenger position.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag 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.
If your vehicle has roof-rail airbags, never
secure anything to the roof of your vehicle by
routing the rope or tie down through any door
or window opening. If you do, the path of an
inating roof-rail airbag will be blocked.
When Should an Airbag Inate?
Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal crashes to help reduce the
potential for severe injuries mainly to the driver’s or
right front passenger’s head and chest. However, they
are only designed to inflate if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds 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.
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•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.
Thresholds can also vary with specific vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
Single Stage vs. Dual Stage Airbags
Depending on the weight of your vehicle, you will have
either “Single Stage Airbags” or “Dual Stage Airbags.”
Vehicles that have a passenger sensing system
also have dual stage airbags. SeePassenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 3-31orPassenger Sensing
System on page 1-69.
If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of your
vehicle is 8,500 lb (3 855 kg) or above, your vehicle may
have single stage airbags. If the GVWR is below
8,500 lb (3 855 kg) then your vehicle may have 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 4-20for more
information.In addition, your vehicle may have dual-stage frontal
airbags. Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint
according to crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic
frontal sensors, which help the sensing system
distinguish between a moderate frontal impact and a
more severe frontal impact. For moderate frontal
impacts, dual-stage airbags inflate at a level less than
full deployment. For more severe frontal impacts,
full deployment occurs.
Your vehicle may or may not have roof-rail airbags. See
Airbag System on page 1-57. Roof-rail airbags are
intended to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes.
In addition, these roof-rail airbags are intended to
inflate during a rollover. Roof-rail airbags will inflate if
the crash severity is above the system’s designed
threshold level. The threshold level can vary with
specific vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not intended to inflate in frontal
impacts, near-frontal impacts, or rear impacts. All
roof-rail airbags will deploy when either side of the
vehicle is struck.
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. For frontal airbags, inflation is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. For roof-rail airbags,
deployment is determined by the location and severity of
the side impact.
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What Makes an Airbag Inate?
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 and deploy. The
inflator, the airbag, and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag modules in the ceiling
of the vehicle, near the side windows for the first,
second, and third rows (if equipped). SeeWhere Are
the Airbags? on page 1-60for more information.
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 safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. Roof-rail airbags
distribute the force of the impact more evenly over
the occupant’s upper body.Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to help
contain the head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the first, second, and third
rows, if equipped. 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. SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 1-62for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After the frontal airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not even realize an
airbag inflated. Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after they deploy. Some
components of the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the airbag modules, see
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-64.
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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.
{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, 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 the 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 an
airbag inflates, 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 7-16andEvent Data Recorders on page 7-17.
•Let only qualified technicians work on the airbag
systems. 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 instrument panel has one of the switches
pictured in the following illustrations, your vehicle has an
airbag on-off switch that you can use to manually turn
on or off the right front passenger’s airbag.
If your vehicle does not have an airbag on-off switch, it
may have a passenger sensing system. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 1-69.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.
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. United States
Canada
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