light CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2003 9.G User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: CHEVROLET, Model Year: 2003, Model line: SUBURBAN, Model: CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2003 9.GPages: 552, PDF Size: 3.44 MB
Page 94 of 552

Adding Equipment to Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the front or
sides of the vehicle that could keep the air
bags from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle's
frame, bumper system, front end or side sheet
metal or height, they may keep the air bag system
from working properly. Also, the air bag system
may not work properly if you relocate any of the air
bag sensors. If you have any questions about
this, you should contact Customer Assistance
before you modify your vehicle. The phone
numbers and addresses for Customer Assistance
are in Step Two of the Customer Satisfaction
Procedure in this manual. See
Customer
Satisfaction Procedure on page 7-2
.
Restraint System Check
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors
and anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
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Page 101 of 552

At times you may notice a decrease in range. This is
normal for any remote keyless entry system. If the
transmitter does not work or if you have to stand closer
to your vehicle for the transmitter to work, try this:
·Check the distance. You may be too far from your
vehicle. You may need to stand closer during
rainy or snowy weather.
·Check the location. Other vehicles or objects may
be blocking the signal. Take a few steps to the
left or right, hold the transmitter higher, and
try again.
·Check to determine if battery replacement is
necessary. See ªBattery Replacementº under
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation on
page 2-5.
·If you are still having trouble, see your dealer or a
quali®ed technician for service.
Remote Keyless Entry System
Operation
If your vehicle has this feature, you can lock and unlock
your doors from about 3 feet (1 m) up to 30 feet
(9 m) away using the remote keyless entry transmitter
supplied with your vehicle.
UNLOCK:Pressing this button once will unlock the
driver's door. The parking lamps will ¯ash and the
interior lights will come on. The ground illumination
lamps will come on. Pressing UNLOCK again within
three seconds will cause the remaining doors to unlock.
The parking lamps will ¯ash and the interior lights will
come on.
LOCK:Pressing this button once will lock all of the
doors. Wait one second, then press LOCK again and the
horn will chirp.
Operating the keyless entry transmitter may interact with
the theft-deterrent system. See
Content Theft-Deterrent
on page 2-18.
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Page 113 of 552

The driver's door has a switch for the passenger's
windows as well. Your power windows will work when
the ignition has been turned to ACCESSORY or RUN or
when Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is active. See
Ignition Positions on page 2-22.
·Pull up the front edge of the switch to raise the
window.
·Press the forward edge of the switch to lower the
window.
Express-Down Windows
The driver and passenger windows also has an express
down feature that allows the windows to be lowered
without holding the switch. Press the front edge of the
window switch for one second to activate the express
down mode. The express down mode can be canceled
at any time by pulling up on the switch. To open the
window partway, lightly tap the switch until the window
is at the desired position.
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Page 114 of 552

Lock-Out Switch
If you have power windows, the driver's door power
window switch has a lockout feature. The lockout switch
is located in front of the power window switches. This
feature prevents all windows from operating, except from
the driver's position, when the front driver's door button
labeled is engaged. To engage the lock-out feature press
the switch, and an indicator light will illuminate. To
disengage the feature, press the switch again and the
indicator light will go off. When the button is not engaged,
the passenger's power windows will operate.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the top and
bottom visors (if equipped). You can also swing
the bottom visor from side-to-side. Your visors may
have an extension that can be pulled out for additional
glare protection.
Lighted Visor Vanity Mirror
If equipped, pull the sun visor down and lift the mirror
cover to turn on the lamps. There is a slide switch
to adjust the brightness of the lamps.
Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you
can help.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle may be equipped with a content
theft-deterrent alarm system.
With this system, the
security light will ¯ash as
you open the door (if your
ignition is off), to let you
know that you are
activating the system.
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This message reminds you to activate the theft-deterrent
system. Here's how to do it:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door with the power door lock switch or
the remote keyless entry transmitter. The security
light should come on and ¯ash. If using the
remote keyless entry transmitter, the door does not
need to be open.
If the delayed locking feature is active, the alarm
will not be activated until all doors are closed
and the security light goes off.
3. Close all doors. The security light will stop ¯ashing
and stay solid. The light should go off after
approximately 30 seconds. The alarm is not armed
until the security light goes off.
If a door is opened without the key or the remote
keyless entry transmitter, the alarm will go off. Your
vehicle's headlamps will ¯ash and the horn will sound for
about two minutes, then will turn off to save the
battery power.Remember, the theft-deterrent system won't activate if
you lock the doors with a key or use the manual
door lock. It activates only if you use a power door lock
switch with the door open, or with the remote keyless
entry transmitter. You should also remember that
you can start your vehicle with the correct ignition key if
the alarm has been set off.
Here's how to avoid setting off the alarm by accident:
·If you don't want to activate the theft-deterrent
system, the vehicle should be locked with the door
key
afterthe doors are closed.
·Always unlock a door with a key, or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter. Unlocking a door any
other way will set off the alarm if the system
has been armed.
If you set off the alarm by accident, unlock any door with
the key. You can also turn off the alarm by pressing
UNLOCK on the remote keyless entry transmitter or by
placing the key in the ignition and turning it to START.
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Page 116 of 552

Testing the Alarm
The alarm can be tested by following these steps:
1. From inside the vehicle, lower the driver's window
and open the driver's door.
2. Activate the system by locking the doors with the
power door lock switch while the door is open, or
with the remote keyless entry transmitter.
3. Get out of the vehicle, close the door and wait for
the security light to go out.
4. Then reach in through the window, unlock the door
with the manual door lock and open the door. This
should set off the alarm.
If the alarm does not sound when it should but the
vehicle's headlamps ¯ash, check to see if the horn
works. The horn fuse may be blown. To replace
the fuse, see
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-109.
If the alarm does not sound or the vehicle's headlamps
do not ¯ash, the vehicle should be serviced by an
authorized service center.
Passlockž
Your vehicle is equipped with the
Passlockžtheft-deterrent system.
Passlock
žis a passive theft-deterrent system.
Passlockženables fuel if the ignition lock cylinder is
turned with a valid key. If a correct key is not used or the
ignition lock cylinder is tampered with, fuel is disabled.
If the engine stalls and the security light ¯ashes,
wait until the light stops ¯ashing before trying to restart
the engine. Remember to release the key from
START as soon as the engine starts.
If the engine is running and the security light comes on,
you will be able to restart the engine if you turn the
engine off. However, your Passlock
žsystem is
not working properly and must be serviced by your
dealer. Your vehicle is not protected by Passlock
žat this
time. You may also want to check the fuse (see
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-109.) See your
dealer for service.
In an emergency, call the GM Roadside Assistance
Center. See
Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-6under Customer Assistance Information.
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Page 124 of 552

DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, driving on steep hills or for off-road
driving. You may want to shift the transmission to
THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower gear selection if the
transmission shifts too often.
THIRD (3):This position is also used for normal driving,
however it offers more power and lower fuel economy
than DRIVE (D).
SECOND (2):This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can use SECOND (2) on
hills. It can help control your speed as you go down
steep mountain roads, but then you would also want to
use your brakes off and on.
If you manually select SECOND (2) in a light duty
automatic transmission, the transmission will drive in
second gear. You may use this feature for reducing the
speed of the rear wheels when you are trying to start
your vehicle from a stop on slippery road surfaces.FIRST (1):This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND (2). You
can use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud.
If the shift lever is put in FIRST (1) while the vehicle
is moving forward, the transmission won't shift into ®rst
gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
Notice:If your wheels won't turn, don't try to drive.
This might happen if you were stuck in very deep
sand or mud or were up against a solid object. You
could damage your transmission. Also, if you
stop when going uphill, don't hold your vehicle there
with only the accelerator pedal. This could overheat
and damage the transmission. Use your brakes
or shift into PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in
position on a hill.
On cold days, approximately 32ÉF (0ÉC) or colder, your
transmission is designed to shift differently until the
engine reaches normal operating temperature. This is
intended to improve heater performance.
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Page 125 of 552

Tow/Haul Mode
Your vehicle may be equipped with a tow/haul mode.
If so, the selector button is located on the end of
the column shift lever. You can use this feature to assist
when towing or hauling a heavy load. See
Towing a
Trailer on page 4-65for more information.When tow/haul mode is
selected the tow/haul
indicator light will
illuminate.
The tow/haul mode also interacts with the AutorideŸ
feature, if your vehicle is so equipped, to enhance
the ride when trailering or with a loaded vehicle.
See
AutorideŸ on page 4-64.
Four-Wheel Drive
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you can send your
engine's driving power to all four wheels for extra
traction. To get the most satisfaction out of four-wheel
drive, you must be familiar with its operation. Read
the part that follows before using four-wheel drive.
See the appropriate text for the transfer case in your
vehicle.
Notice:Driving in the 4-WHEEL HIGH (4HI) or
4-WHEEL LOW (4LO) positions for a long time on
dry or wet pavement could shorten the life of
your vehicle's drivetrain.
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Front Axle Locking Feature
The front axle locks and unlocks automatically when
you shift the transfer case. Some delay for the axle to
lock or unlock is normal.
Automatic Transfer Case
{CAUTION:
Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL can
cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in PARK (P). You or someone
else could be seriously injured. Be sure to set
the parking brake before placing the transfer
case in NEUTRAL. See
Parking Brake on
page 2-38
.The transfer case buttons
are located to the left
of the instrument panel
cluster.
Use these switches to shift into and out of four-wheel
drive.
You can choose among four driving settings:h(2HI):This setting is used for driving in most street
and highway situations. Your front axle is not engaged
in two-wheel drive. This setting also provides the
best fuel economy.
AUTO 4WD:This setting is ideal for use when road
conditions are variable. When driving your vehicle in
AUTO 4WD, the front axle is engaged, but the vehicle's
power is sent only to the rear wheels. When the vehicle
senses a loss of traction, the system will automatically
engage four-wheel drive. Driving in this mode results in
slightly lower fuel economy than 2HI.
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Page 127 of 552

G(4HI):Use the 4HI position when you need extra
traction, such as on snowy or icy roads or in most
off-road situations. This setting also engages your front
axle to help drive your vehicle. This is the best setting
to use when plowing snow.
5(4LO):This setting also engages your front axle
and delivers extra torque. You may never need this
setting. It sends maximum power to all four wheels. You
might choose 4LO if you are driving off-road in deep
sand, deep mud, deep snow and climbing or descending
steep hills.
{CAUTION:
Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL can
cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in PARK (P). You or someone
else could be seriously injured. Be sure to set
the parking brake before placing the transfer
case in NEUTRAL. See
Parking Brake on
page 2-38
.NEUTRAL:Shift the vehicle's transfer case to
NEUTRAL only when towing your vehicle. See
Recreational Vehicle Towing on page 4-59orTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-59for more information.
Indicator lights in the switches show which setting you
are in. The indicator lights will come on brie¯y when you
turn on the ignition and one will stay on. If the lights
do not come on, you should take your vehicle to your
dealer for service. An indicator light will ¯ash while
shifting the transfer case. It will remain illuminated when
the shift is complete. If for some reason the transfer
case cannot make a requested shift, it will return to the
last chosen setting.
If the SERVICE 4WD message stays on, you should
take your vehicle to your dealer for service. See²Service
4WD message²under
Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-53.
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