light CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2008 2.G Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
..............................................1-12
Safety Belts
.............................................1-14
Child Restraints
.......................................1-35
Airbag System
.........................................1-69
Restraint System Check
............................1-88
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-18
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-22
Mirrors
....................................................2-56
Object Detection Systems
..........................2-64
OnStar
®System
......................................2-67
Universal Home Remote System
................2-71
Storage Areas
.........................................2-78
Sunroof
..................................................2-82
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-25
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-36
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-56
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-84Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-50
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-4
Fuel
......................................................... 5-6
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-12
Rear Axle
...............................................5-52
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-54
Front Axle
...............................................5-56
Noise Control System
...............................5-57
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-58
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-61
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-67
Tires
......................................................5-68
Appearance Care
...................................5-114
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-124
Electrical System
....................................5-125
Capacities and Specications
...................5-133
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
2008 Chevrolet Silverado Owner ManualM

The vehicle may have additional features to adjust the
power lumbar:
To raise the height of the lumbar support, press
and hold the top of the control.
To lower the height of the lumbar support, press
and hold the bottom of the control.
Release the control when the lower seatback reaches
the desired level of lumbar support.
Vehicles with a memory function allow seat settings to
be saved and recalled. SeeMemory Seat, Mirrors,
and Pedals on page 1-6for more information.
Heated Seats
On vehicles with heated front seats, the controls are
located on the driver’s and passenger’s doors.
I(Heated Seatback):Press to turn on the heated
seatback.
J(Heated Seat and Seatback):Press to turn on the
heated seat and seatback.
The light on the button will come on to indicate that the
feature is working. Press the button to cycle through the
temperature settings of high, medium, and low and to turn
the heat to the seat off. Indicator lights will show the level
of heat selected: three for high, two for medium, and one
for low.
The heated seats will be canceled ten seconds after the
ignition is turned off. To use the heated seat feature
after restarting your vehicle, press the heated seat
or seatback button again.
1-5

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in your vehicle have a lap-shoulder
belt except for the center front passenger position
(if equipped) if your vehicle is a crew or extended
cab, which has a lap belt. SeeLap Belt (Crew and
Extended Cab) on page 1-34for more information.
Here is 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 you ever pull the shoulder portion of a passenger
belt out all the way, you may engage the child
restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let
the belt go back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature
may affect the passenger sensing system.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-81.3. 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, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-35.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if necessary.
4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster,
move it to the height that is right for you. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment could reduce
the effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
See “Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment” later in
this section.
1-28

A label on the sun visor 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.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even if the airbag off switch has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that
an airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off.
Rear-facing child restraints should be secured
in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you secure a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.
{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 the right front passenger’s seat)
until you have your vehicle serviced. SeeAirbag
Off Switch on page 1-78andAirbag Readiness
Light on page 3-40for more on this, including
important safety information.
If the vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, a rear-facing
child restraint should not be installed in the vehicle,
even if the airbag is off.
1-58

If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-45
for how and where to install your child restraint using
LATCH. If you secure a child restraint using a safety belt
and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH) on page 1-45for top tether anchor
locations.
Do not secure a child restraint in a position without a
top tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top strap must
be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
If you have no other choice but to install a
rear-facing child restraint in this seat, make sure
the airbag is off once the child restraint has been
installed.
When the airbag off switch has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, the off indicator
in the airbag off light should light and stay lit when
you start the vehicle. SeeAirbag Off Light on
page 3-41.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
1-59

If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-45
for how to install your child restraint using LATCH. If you
secure a child restraint using a safety belt and it uses a
top tether, seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-45for top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor if a national or local law requires that the
top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that come
with the child restraint say that the top strap must be
anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the vehicle.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-43.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and
shoulder portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through
or around the restraint. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Make sure the release button is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if necessary.
1-63

7. If your child restraint manufacturer recommends
using a top tether and the position you are using
has a top tether anchor, attach and tighten the
top tether to the top tether anchor. Refer to
the instructions that came with the child restraint
and toLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-45.
8. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
If the airbag is off, the off indicator in the passenger
airbag status indicator will come on and stay on when
the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint
is not trapped under the vehicle head restraint.
If this happens, adjust the head restraint.Remove any additional material from the seat such
as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters or
seat massagers before reinstalling or securing the
child restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the
child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle
and check with your dealer/retailer. If no rear seat is
available, do not install a child restraint in this vehicle
and check with your dealer/retailer.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. If the top tether
is attached to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
1-65

{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 1-35orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-39.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
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 3-40
for more information.
1-71

Airbag Off Switch
If one of the switches pictured in the following
illustrations is located in your glove box, your vehicle
has an airbag on-off switch that you can use to
manually turn on or off the right front passenger’s
airbag. Your switch may vary slightly.
If your vehicle does not have an airbag off switch, it
may have a passenger sensing system. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 1-81.This switch should only be turned to the off position if
the person in the right front passenger’s position is
a member of a passenger risk group identied 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
1-78

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.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 word OFF or the off symbol will come on in the
passenger airbag status indicator located in the overhead
console to let you know that the right front passenger’s
airbag is off, after the system check is completed. The
airbag off light will come on and stay on to let you know
that the right front passenger’s airbag is off. SeeAirbag
Off Light on page 3-41. United States
Canada
1-79