tow GMC SAVANA 2003 Owner's Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-5
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-9
Child Restraints
.......................................1-33
Air Bag System
.......................................1-63
Restraint System Check
............................1-75
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-16
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-19
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-20
Mirrors
....................................................2-32
OnStar
®System
......................................2-35
Storage Areas
.........................................2-36
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
......................................3-17
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-23
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-41
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-29Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
................. 5-9
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-46
Rear Axle
...............................................5-47
Front Axle
...............................................5-48
Noise Control System
...............................5-49
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-50
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-55
Tires
......................................................5-56
Appearance Care
.....................................5-82
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-90
Electrical System
......................................5-91
Capacities and Specications
.....................5-97
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......5-100
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-9
Index.................................................................1
2003 GMC Savana Owner ManualM
2003 - Savana Owner Manual

Power Seat
If your vehicle has a power seat on the driver’s or
passenger’s side, you can adjust it with these controls
located at the front center of the seat cushion.
To raise or lower the seat, move the center knob up
or down. To move the seat forward or rearward,
move the center knob toward the right or left.
To raise or lower the front of the seat cushion, move the
right lever up or down. To raise or lower the rear of
the seat cushion, move the left lever up or down.
Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the front of the lever, which
is located on the inboard side of the seat cushion.
Move the seatback with your body and release the lever
to lock the seatback where you want it. Lean forward
and pull up on the front of the lever and the seatback
will go to an upright position.
1-3
2003 - Savana OM

•The passenger’s side pin will have a white cap
with an“R”marked on it and will look like this:
2. Pull the pin handle up which will loosen the pin
from the retaining clip.
3. Once the black or white pin is disengaged, pull the
pin completely out.4. Repeat this procedure for the pin on the other
seat base.
5. Pull the seat rearward about two inches (5 cm) and
then lift the seat from thefloor rails.
6. Remove the seat from the vehicle.
7. For thefirst 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.
1-6
2003 - Savana OM

{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 seated in a rear outside seat position,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
SeeRear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults on page 1-29. If the child is
sitting in the second row center seat 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 belts
provide. If the child is so small that the shoulder
belt is still very close to the child’s face or neck,
you might want to place the child in a seat that
has a lap belt, if your vehicle has one.
1-34
2003 - Savana OM

Child Restraint Systems
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed
to restrain or position a child on a continuousflat
surface. Make sure that the infant’s head rests toward
the center of the vehicle.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.
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2003 - Savana OM

Seat Position Sensors
Vehicles with dual stage air bags are also equipped with
special sensors which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of both the driver and passenger
front seats. The seat position sensors provide
information which is used to determine if the air bags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full depoyment.
Air Bag Systems
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in front or
near-frontal impacts.
What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag, and related
hardware are all part of the air bag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the
right front passenger.
HowDoes an Air Bag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. Air bags supplement the
protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute
the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s
upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But air bags would not help you in many types of
collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is
not toward those air bags. Air bags should never be
regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety
belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal collisions.
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2003 - Savana OM

Move the button up to
engage the security
feature. Move the button
down to return the
door locks to normal
operation.
Lockout Protection
This feature protects you from locking your key in the
vehicle when the key is in the ignition and a door
is open.
If the power lock switch is pressed when either the
driver’s, passenger’s, or rear door is open, all the
doors will lock and then the driver’s door will unlock.
This feature does not include the side cargo door.
Leaving Your Vehicle
If you are leaving your vehicle, take your key, open your
door and set the locks from inside. Then get out and
close the door.
Sliding Side Door
To open the sliding side door from outside, pull the
handle toward the rear of the vehicle. Then, slide the
door open. Side Sliding Door
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2003 - Savana OM

To close the sliding side door from outside, use the
outside door handle to slide the door toward the front of
the vehicle.
When the door slides closed completely, it will beflush
with the side of the body.To open the sliding door from inside, turn the handle
upward and toward the rear of the vehicle. Then, slide
the door toward the rear of the vehicle to open it.
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2003 - Savana OM

To close the sliding door from inside, grasp the inside
handle and slide the door toward the front of the vehicle
to a closed position.
Make sure the door is completely closed before
driving away.
60/40 Swing-Out Side Door
To open the front portion of a 60/40 door from the
outside, pull out on the handle and pull it toward you.
2-13
2003 - Savana OM

To open the front portion of a 60/40 door from the
inside, pull the handle toward you and push open
the door.To open the rear portion of a 60/40 door from the
outside, pull the handle on the side of the rear door and
pull it toward you.
To close the 60/40 side doors, close the rear doorfirst.
Then close the front door. Check to make sure that
both doors are completely closed.
The front side swing-out door has a check strap
assembly in the door frame to keep the door from
opening beyond 90 degrees.
To open the door beyond 90 degrees, close the door
partially, pull the check strap toward you and then open
the door. When you close the door, the check strap
will automatically re-engage.
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2003 - Savana OM