airbag off CHEVROLET EXPRESS CARGO VAN 2012 1.G Owners Manual

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Airbag On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-9
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-13
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-18
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-18
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Performance and Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-21
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-21
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-21
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-3
A.Air Vents on page 8‑8.
B. Driver Information Center (DIC) Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑28.
C. Turn and Lane‐Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑5.
Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑5.
D. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑5 (Out of View).
E. Instrument Cluster on
page 5‑12.
F. Shift Lever. See Starting the
Engine on page 9‑18.
Manual Mode on page 9‑31
(If Equipped).
G. Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1.
H. Infotainment on page 7‑1.
I. Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1. J.
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑6.
Dome Lamp Override. See
Dome Lamps on page 6‑6.
K. Cruise Control on page 9‑37
(If Equipped).
Fast Idle System (If Equipped).
See the Duramax diesel
supplement for more
information.
L. Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2 (If Equipped).
M. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑21.
N. Horn on page 5‑4.
O. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2 (If Equipped).
P. Tow/Haul Mode Button. See “Tow/Haul Mode” underTowing
Equipment on page 9‑55.
Q. Power Outlets on page 5‑10. R.
StabiliTrak®System on
page 9‑35 (If Equipped).
S. Passenger Airbag On‐Off Switch (If Equipped). See
Airbag On-Off Switch on
page 3‑26.
T. Front Storage on page 4‑1
(If Equipped).
U. Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑20
(If Equipped).
OnStar
®System Button
(If Equipped). See OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1.
V. Rear Heating System on
page 8‑5 (If Equipped).
W. USB Port (If Equipped). See Auxiliary Devices on page 7‑19.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
1-8 In Brief
Safety Belts
Refer to the following sections for
important information on how to use
safety belts properly.
.Safety Belts on page 3‑8.
.How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly on page 3‑10.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑11.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑46.
Airbag On-Off Switch
If the instrument panel has one of
the switches pictured in the
following illustrations, the vehicle
has an airbag on-off switch that you
can use to manually turn on or off
the right front passenger airbag.
United States
Canada and Mexico
To operate the airbag on‐off switch,
use the vehicle key.
See Airbag On-Off Switch on
page 3‑26 for important information.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-9
Passenger Sensing
System
The passenger sensing system,
if equipped, will turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. The driver airbag
and roof‐rail airbags, if equipped,
are not affected by this.
If the vehicle has a passenger
sensing system, the passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible
on the instrument panel when the
vehicle is started.
United States
Canada and Mexico
See Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑30 for important information.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
Vehicles with outside manual
mirrors can be adjusted by moving
the mirror up and down or left to
right so you can see a little of the
side of the vehicle, and have a
clear view of objects behind you.
Vehicles with outside power mirrors
have controls located on the driver
side door.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
2-6 Keys, Doors, and Windows
3. Immediately press and hold/
until the turn signal lamps flash.
If you cannot see the vehicle's
lamps, press and hold for
four seconds.
When the engine starts, the
parking lamps will turn on and
remain on while the engine is
running. The doors will be
locked. The airbag readiness
light will be on during a remote
start. It should turn off when the
ignition is turned to ON/RUN.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 5‑18 for more information.
The engine will continue to run
for 10 minutes. Repeat the steps
for a 10-minute time extension.
Remote start can be extended
only once.
After entering the vehicle during a
remote start, insert and turn the key
to ON/RUN to drive the vehicle. The maximum number of remote
starts between ignition cycles with
the key is two.
If the remote start procedure is used
again before the first 10 minute time
frame has ended, the first
10 minutes will immediately expire
and the second 10 minute time
frame will start.
After the engine has been remote
started two times, the ignition switch
must be turned to ON/RUN and then
back to LOCK/OFF using the key
before the remote start procedure
can be used again.
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at the
vehicle and press
/until the
parking lamps turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition on and then
back off. The remote vehicle start feature will
not operate if:
.The key is in the ignition.
.The hood is open.
.The hazard warning flashers
are on.
.There is an emission control
system malfunction. See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 5‑21.
.The engine coolant temperature
is too high.
.The oil pressure is low.
.Two remote vehicle starts have
already been provided.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-1
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . 3-3
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Safety Belts
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16 Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . 3-16
Safety Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . 3-20
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Airbag On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . 3-26
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . 3-35
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . 3-37
Replacing Airbag System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . 3-42
Where to Put the Restraint . . . 3-45
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Replacing LATCH System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-52
Securing Child Restraints (Rear Seat Position) . . . . . . . . 3-53
Securing Child Restraints (Front Seat-Passenger
Sensing System) . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55
Securing Child Restraints (Front Seat-Airbag On/Off
Switch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-58

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-13
Safety Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a safety belt height
adjuster for the driver and right front
passenger positions.
Adjust the height so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑10.
To move it down, pull on the center
adjuster control labeled PULL. You
can move the height adjuster up just
by pushing up on the shoulder belt
guide.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pushing in to make sure it
has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating) of the vehicle is below
3 855 kg (8,500 lb) then the vehicle
has safety belt pretensioners for the front outboard occupants. See
Vehicle Load Limits on page 9‑11
to
locate the certification label which
contains the GVWR.
Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near
frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if the
vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help
tighten the safety belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once.
If the pretensioners are activated in
a crash, the pretensioners and
possibly other parts of the safety
belt system will need to be replaced.
See Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash on page 3‑17.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-19
{WARNING
Airbags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, orvery close to, any airbag when it
inflates 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.
{WARNING
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Airbags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer protection
for adults and older children, but
not for young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle 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 the
vehicle. To read how, see Older
Children on page 3‑38 orInfants
and Young Children on
page 3‑40.
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. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑18 for
more information.

Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-25
WARNING (Continued)
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors
(if equipped with power door locks),
turn on the interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the
airbags inflate. You can lock the
doors, and turn off the interior lamps
and the hazard warning flashers by
using the controls for those
features.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
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
the vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13‑20 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑20.
.Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.

Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
3-26 Seats and Restraints
Airbag On-Off Switch
If the instrument panel has one of
the switches pictured in the
following illustrations, the vehicle
has an airbag on-off switch that you
can use to manually turn on or off
the right front passenger airbag.
United States
Canada and Mexico
If the vehicle does not have an
airbag on-off switch, it may have a
passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑30. This switch should only be turned to
the off position if the person in the
right front passenger 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.