child seat CHEVROLET IMPALA 2003 8.G Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-9
Child Restraints
.......................................1-31
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-51
Restraint System Check
............................1-61
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-18
Mirrors
....................................................2-33
OnStar
žSystem
......................................2-37
HomeLinkžTransmitter
.............................2-39
Storage Areas
.........................................2-43
Sunroof
..................................................2-44
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-45
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-22
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-28
Message Center
.......................................3-40
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-49Trip Computer
.........................................3-52
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-53
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-31
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-55
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-56
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-60
Tires
......................................................5-61
Appearance Care
.....................................5-85
Vehicle Identi®cation
.................................5-93
Electrical System
......................................5-94
Capacities and Speci®cations
...................5-103
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
....5-105
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
CustomerAssistance Information...................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index.................................................................1
2003 Chevrolet Impala Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Six-Way Power Seats.....................................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-3
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-6
Rear Seats.......................................................1-7
Split Folding Rear Seat...................................1-7
Safety Belts.....................................................1-9
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-9
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-13
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-14
Driver Position..............................................1-15
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-22
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-23
Center Front Passenger Position.....................1-23
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-25
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-28
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-30
Child Restraints.............................................1-31
Older Children..............................................1-31
Infants and Young Children............................1-33Child Restraint Systems.................................1-37
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-40
Top Strap....................................................1-41
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-42
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-43
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System.........................................1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position...................................................1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position............................................1-48
Air Bag Systems............................................1-51
Where Are the Air Bags?...............................1-54
When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?....................1-56
What Makes an Air Bag In¯ate?.....................1-57
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?.....................1-57
What Will You See After an Air Bag In¯ates? . . .1-58
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle.........1-60
Restraint System Check..................................1-61
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-61
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a
Crash......................................................1-62
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
Your vehicle may have this feature already. If it doesn't,
you can get it from any GM dealer.
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides will provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for small adults. When installed on
a shoulder belt, the comfort guide better positions
the belt away from the neck and head.
There is one comfort guide available for each outside
passenger position in the rear seat. To provide
added safety belt comfort for children who have
outgrown child restraints and booster seats and for
smaller adults, the comfort guides may be installed on
the shoulder belts. Here's how to install a comfort guide
and use the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage clip.
1-28

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle's safety belts.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt
should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt
should ®t snugly below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. It should never be worn over
the abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
1-31

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can't properly spread the impact
forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child's face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle. If
the child is sitting in the center rear seat
passenger position, move the child toward the
safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure that the
shoulder belt still is on the child's shoulder, so
that in a crash the child's upper body would have
the restraint that the belts provide.
If the child is sitting in a rear seat outside position,
see
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults on page 1-28
.
1-32

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt in
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
this way, in a crash the child might slide under
the belt. The belt's force would then be applied
right on the child's abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child's thighs. This applies belt force to the child's
pelvic bones in a crash.
Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have the protection provided by appropriate
restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle's
adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice.
Instead, they need to use a child restraint.
1-33

Q:What are the different types of add-on child
restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by
the vehicle's owner, are available in four basic
types. Selection of a particular restraint should take
into consideration not only the child's weight,
height and age but also whether or not the restraint
will be compatible with the motor vehicle in
which it will be used.
For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a
label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer's instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck. This
is necessary because a newborn infant's neck
is weak and its head weighs so much
compared with the rest of its body. In a crash,
an infant in a rear-facing seat settles into the
restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of an
infant's body, the back and shoulders. Infants
always should be secured in appropriate infant
restraints.
1-36

A rear-facing infant seat (B) provides restraint with the
seating surface against the back of the infant. The
harness system holds the infant in place and, in a crash,
acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.A forward-facing child seat (C-E) provides restraint for
the child's body with the harness and also sometimes
with surfaces such as T-shaped or shelf-like shields.
1-38

A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the ®t of the vehicle's safety belt system. Some
booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner, and
some high-back booster seats have a ®ve-point harness.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
Q:How do child restraints work?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed for
use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children. A built-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which
is purchased by the vehicle's owner.
For many years, add-on child restraints have used
the adult belt system in the vehicle. To help
reduce the chance of injury, the child also has to be
secured within the restraint. The vehicle's belt
system secures the add-on child restraint in the
vehicle, and the add-on child restraint's harness
system holds the child in place within the restraint.
One system, the three-point harness, has straps
that come down over each of the infant's shoulders
and buckle together at the crotch. The ®ve-point
harness system has two shoulder straps, two
hip straps and a crotch strap. A shield may take the
place of hip straps. A T-shaped shield has
shoulder straps that are attached to a ¯at pad which
rests low against the child's body. A shelf- or
armrest-type shield has straps that are attached to
a wide, shelf-like shield that swings up or to
the side.
1-39

When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it is, it
will have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may
®nd these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system in
your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured
within the restraint to help reduce the chance of personal
injury. When securing an add-on child restraint, refer
to the instructions that come with the restraint which may
be on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and
to this manual. The child restraint instructions are
important, so if they are not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors, therefore, recommends that child
restraints be secured in a rear seat, including an infant
riding in a rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat and an older child riding in a
booster seat.
Neverput a rear-facing child restraint
in the front passenger seat. Here's why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag in¯ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the in¯ating air bag.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint in a
rear seat.
You may secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, but before you
do, always move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go. It's better to secure the
child restraint in a rear seat.
1-40