CHEVROLET EXPRESS 2005 User Guide

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can not do their
job when you are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can not 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 can not 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.
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Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Removing the Rear Seat
1. Disconnect the quick
release latch plates for
the lap shoulder belts
on the bench seat to be
removed. 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.2. Locate the pins. There are two pins located on the
inboard sides of the rear seats. If the vehicle has
oor mats, the pins will be located under a ap that
has been cut into the mat.
The driver’s side pin has a gray cap with a black
“L” marked on it:
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The passenger’s side pin has a black cap with a
white “R” marked on it:
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 pin on the other
seat base.
5. Pull the seat rearward about 2 inches (5 cm) and
then lift the seat from the oor rails.
6. Remove the seat from the vehicle.7. For the rst 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. For
the remaining rear
seats, stow the safety
belt latch plate on the
clip at the window trim.
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Replacing the Rear Seats
{CAUTION:
A seat that is not locked into place properly
can move around in a collision or sudden stop.
People in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure
to lock the seat into place properly when
installing it.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted will not provide
the protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.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. It is
found on the inboard side of the seat. If the vehicle
has oor mats, pull the ap that has been cut
into the mat.
3. Insert the locking pin into the seat base and push
the seat to line up with the pin with the base. The
pin with the black cap marked “R” must be installed
on the passenger’s side and the pin with the gray
cap marked “L” on the driver’s side.
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4. Push the pin with the black cap marked “R” down
until it is in the retaining clip.5. Push the pin with the gray cap marked “L” down
until it is in the retaining clip.
6. If the vehicle has a oor mat, put the ap back to
its original position.
7. Repeat this procedure for the other seat base.
8. Connect the quick-release latch plates for the
lap-shoulder belts by inserting the latch plates
into the buckles attached at the outboard positions
of the bench seat. Do not twist the belt.
9. Check that all locking pins are locked into place
before operating the vehicle.
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Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you are not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
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Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-25.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here is why:They work.
You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have
a crash, you do not know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of
them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter...a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat
on wheels.
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Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
does not stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by something. In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...or the instrument panel...
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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.
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