Chevrolet 1996 Tahoe User manual

T

The 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban Owner’s Manual
SeatsandRestraintSystems ............................................................... 1-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly.It also explains the “SIR’ system.
FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 2-1
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
ComfortControlsandAudioSystems ..................................................... 3-1
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your
audio system.
Here you’ll find helpful infomation and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
This section tells you what to
do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated
engine, etc.
Here
the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
This section tells you when
to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
This section tells you how
to contact Chevrolet for assistance ahd how to get service and owner
publications. It also gives you, information on “Reporting Safety Defects’’ on page
8-8.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
ProblemsontheRoad ................................................................... 5-1
Service and Appearance Care ... .’. ....................................................... 6-1
Maintenanceschedule..................... ............................................. 7-1
CustomerAssistanceInformation ........................................................ 8-1
Index ................................................................................ 9-1
i

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem, the name
TAHOE and the name SUBURBAN areregistered
trademarks ofGenera1 MotorsCorporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
in the
product after that time without further notice. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, substitutethe name
“General.Motorsof Canada Limited” for Chevrolet
Division whenever it appears in this manual.
Please keepthis manual in your vehicle,
so it will be
there if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If
you
sell the vehicle, please leavethis manual in it so the new
owner can use it.
Litho in U.S.A.
C9609
€3 First Edition
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION
THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux proprigtaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en franGais chez
votre’concessionaire ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1500Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, OntarioL5T IC7
@CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation 1995
All RightsReserved
ii

About Driving Your Vehicle
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result in loss of control or an
accident.Be sure to read the “on-pavement” and
“off-road” driving guidelines in this manual. (See
“DrivingGuidelines” and “Off-Road Driving with your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle’’ in the Index.)
How.toUse this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If .you
do this, it will help you learn about thefeatures and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain
thingsquickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index
in the back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of
all that’s inthe manual, and the page number where
you’ll find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you if youwere to ignore
the warning.
I A CAUTION:
Thesemeanthere is something thatcouldhurt
you or other people.
In the caution area,we tell you what the hazard is. Then
we tell you what to
do tohelp avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t, you or
others couldbe hurt.
1
iii

You will also find a circle In the notice area, we tellyou about somethingthat can
with a slash through it in damageyour vehicle. Many times, this damage would
thisbook.This safety not be covered by your warranty,and it couldbecostly.
symbolmeans “Don’t,” But the notice will tell youwhat to
do to help avoid
“Don’t dothis,” or “Don’t thedamage.
let thishappen.” When you read other manuals, youpmightsee
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or
in different words.
You’ll also seewarning labels on yourvehicle.They use
the samewords, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, inthis book you will find thesenotices:
I NOTICE:
These mean thereis something that could
damage
your vehicle.
iv

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYESBY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
These symbols
have to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e e
TURN
WARNING
A
HAZARD
FLASHER
RUNNING
* ' 0
DAYTIME -. e
LAMPS ' **
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
VENTILATING
a*
FAN -d
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicatorlights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
COOLANT a
ENGINEOIL w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(a)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
t
LIGHTER n
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
V

,Model Reference
This manual covers thesemodels:
4-DOOr Utility
2-Door Utility
Suburban
Vi

Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
Here you’ll find information about the seats inyour
Manual Front Seat
vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You
can also learn aboutsome things you should nut do with
air bagsand safety belts.
A CAUTION:
c
Seats and Seat Controls
m
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them and fold them up and down. It also tells you about
reclining front seatbacks and head restraints. 1
You can lose control of the vehicle if you tryto
adjust
a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement couldstartleand
confuse you,or make you push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’sseat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
1-1

If your vehicle has a manual
1 bucket, split bench or full
~ bench seat, you can adjust it
with this lever at the front
of the seat.
Power Driver’s Seat (Option)
Slide the leverat the front of the seat toward the
passenger’s sideto unlock it. Using your body, slide the
seat to where you want it. Then, releasethe lever and try
to move theseat with your body, to make surethe seat is
locked in place.
If your vehicle has a power seat on the driver’s side, you
can adjust it with these controls at the outside edge of
the seat.
1-2

You can use the round center knob to move the seat
where you wantit. To raise the seat,move the knob up.
To lower the seat, move the knobdown. To move the
seat forward, move the knob toward the front of the
vehicle.
To move the seat rearward, move the knob
toward the rear of thevehicle.
You can also raise and lower the front and rear
of the
seat.
To raise the front of the seat,move the'.front
lever up.
To lower the front of the seat, move the front
lever down.
To raise the rear of the seat, move the rear
lever up. To lower the rear of the seat, move the rear
lever down.
Power Lumbar Adjustment
If you have power lumbar
adjustment, you can
increase ordecrease lumbar
support in anarea
of the
lower seatback.
To increase support, press and hold the frontof the
rocker switch. Let go of the switch when the lower
seatbackreaches the desired level of support.
To decrease support, press and hold the rearof the
rocker switch. Let
go of the switch when the lower
seatbackreaches the desired level of support.

Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift
the front
of this lever.
Release the lever tolock the seatback where
you want it.
Pull up on the front of, the lever and the seatback will go
to an upright position. But don’t have a seatback reclined
if your vehicle
is moving.
1-4

I
Sitting’in areclined position when your vehicleis
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safetybelts can’t do theirjob when
you’re reclined likethis.
The shoulder belt‘can’t do
its job because it
won’t be againstyour body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crashyou could go into it,
receiving neckor otherinjuries.
The lap belt can’tdo itsjob either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forceswould bethere, not atyour pelvic bones.
This could causeserious internal injuries.
For properprotection when the vehicle is in
motion, havethe seatback upright. Then sit
well back in theseat and wear yoursafety
belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the topof the
restraint is closest
to the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Seatback Latches(2-DoorUtility)
The frontseatback folds forward to let you access the
rear of the vehicle.
To fold a seatback forward,
pull this lever forward and
fold the seatback forward.
1-5

To return the seatback to the upright position, just push
the seatbackrearward until it latches.
After returning the seatback to its upright position, pull
the seatback forward
to make sure it islocked.
Easy Entry Seat (2-Door Utility)
The driver and passenger front bucket seatand the
60/40 split bench seat of your vehicle has an easy entry
feature. This makes it easyto get in and outof the
rear seat.
A CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t locked, it could move
forwardin a suddenstoporcrash.That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatbackto be sure it
is locked.
To operate the seat,pull
forward on the top
of the
lever, located at theside of
the seatback, and tilt the
back forward toward the
front
of the vehicle.
When
you do, the seat bottom will release. Just pull or
push the seat forward until it stops.
To return the seat to its regular position, return the
seatbackto its upright position, then push the whole seat
rearward until it latches.
1-6

After returning the seat to itsregular position, try to
move the seat with your
body, to.make surethe seat is
locked into place.
i
L
A
Rear Seats
b, CAUTION:
-
If any easy entry seat isn’t locked,it canmove. In
a sudden stoporcrash, the person sitting there
could beinjured. And, even
if there is no crash or
sudden stop,
a driver,sitting inanunlocked easy
entry seatcould bestartled by the sudden
movement and hit the wrong controlor pedal,
causing an accident. After you’ve usedit, be sure
to push rearward on any easy entry seat tobe
sure it is locked.
If a head restraintis not installedon.the seatback
orstored in the vehicle properly,it could be
thrown about thevehicle in a crashor sudden
maneuver. People in the vehicle could be injured.
Remove the head restraintsonly whenyou need
to fold the seat,and be sure that the head
restraints are storedsecurelyin the storage bag
and placed under the rearseat. When the seatis
returned to the passengerposition, be sure the
head restraintsareinstalled properly.
1-7

Folding the Rear Seat (2-Door Utility Model)
If your vehicle has a rear seat, the seat can be folded flat
for more cargo space. Before.folding, make surenothing
is under or in front
of the seat. When the seat is folded,
it will lay almost flat on the floor.
When folding the seat, first
remove the head restraints.
Push the releasebutton at
the top
of the seat back and
slide the head restraint
out
of the height adjust tubes.
To fold the seat, pull on the'release handle at the bottom
of the seat cushion marked
RELEASE.
Detach thestowage bag fromthe back of the rear seat.
Then, putthe head restraints in the stowage bag and
place the bag
in the rear seat foot well, under the seat.
1-8

When you release the seat cushion, the seatback is
automaticallyreleased. Pull the loop on the seatback
forward and fold theseatback onto the seat cushion.
While the seat is in the folded position, hang the latch
plate end of the outer passenger position safety belts on the
hooks at the top of each retractorcover, outof the way.
To return theseat to thepassenger position, just lift up
on the seatback and push
it rearward until it latches.
After returning the seatto the passenger position, pull
forward on the seatback to make sure itis locked in
place. Also, return the safetybelts and head restraints to
their original positions,
so they will be available for rear
seat passengersto use.
Folding the Rear Seat (4-Door Utility Model)
If your vehicle has a 60/40 rear seat, either sidemay be
folded down to give you more cargo space.
Before folding, place the latch plate portion
of the center
safety belt in the center arm rest. That way, the center
safety belt will be out of
the way when the seat isfolded
and also will be easily available for passengers touse
when the seat is returned to the passenger position. Also,
make sure that nothing is under or
in front of the seat.
When the seat is folded, it
will lay flat on the floor.
First, remove the head
restraints. Push the release
buttons at the bottom
of
each head restraint height
adiust Dost and slide the
J I
head restraint out of the
height adjust tubes.
Set the head restraints aside for now.
You will stow
them
in their proper position after you are donefolding
the seat.
1-9

To fold theseat, pull up on
the strap loop at therear of
the seat cushion.
Then, pull theseat cushion
up and fold
it forward.
After foldingthe seat cushionfully forward, pull the
seatback forward and fold the seatback downuntil
it
is flat.
Then, stow the head
restraints bysliding them
into the rear of the seatback.
Make surethe posts
go in
all the way.
To return the seat tothe passengerposition, first remove
the head restraints by sliding them out of the seat
cushion. Liftthe seatback up and push rearwardall
the way. Then, lowerthe seat cushion until itlatches
in position.
After returning the seat to the passenger position, return
the head restraints
to the top of each seatback.Pull
forward on the seatback and up on the seat cushion to
make surethe seat is securely inplace.
If the latch plate portion of the center safety belt was put
in the center armrest when the seat was folded,take the
latch plate portion out and place it on the seat. That way,
the center seat position safety belt will beavailable for
the center rearseat passenger to use.
1-10

Folding Second Seat (Suburban)
If your vehicle has a 60140 second seat, either sidemay
be folded down to give you more cargo space.
Before folding, push
the buckle portion of the safety belt
down into the seat cushion pockets, out of the way.
Also, make sure that nothing
is under or in frontof the
seat.When the seat is folded, it will lay flat onthe floor.
First, remove the head
restraints. Push the release
button at the top of the
seatback and slide the head
restraint out of the height
Setthe head restraints aside fornow. You will stow
them intheir proper position after you are done folding
the seat;
To fold the seat, pullup on
the strap loop at the rear
outer edge of the seat
cushion. Then, pull the seat
cushion up.
After folding the seat cushion fully forward, push down
on the lever at the side
of the seatback and fold the
seatback forward until it is flat.
Then, stow thehead
restraints by sliding them
into the rear of the seatback.
Make surethe posts
go in
all the way.
1-11

To create a load floor,
release the panels from the
seatback by pushing
rearward on thelatch and
fold them out to coverthe
rear seat footwell.
To return the seat to the passenger position, lift the load
floorpanels and latch them into the seatback.
Then, liftthe seatback up and push rearward until it
latches. Return head restraints to their original position
and lowerthe seat cushion until it latches in position.
After returning the seat
to the passenger position, pull
forward on the seatback and up on the seat cushion to
make surethe seat is locked in place. Also, pull the
safety beltbuckles out
of the seat cushion pockets, so
they will be available forrear seat passengers to use.
A CAUTION:
A seat that isq’t lockedinto place properly can
move around in
a collision orsudden stop. People
in thevehicle could be injured. Be sureto lock
the seat into place properly when installingit.
r
A safetybelt that is twisted ornot properly
attachedwon’t provide the protection needed ina
crash. The personwearing the belt could be
seriouslyinjured. After installingthe seat, always
check to be sure thatthe safetybelts arenot
‘
twisted and areproperly attached.
1-12

Entry to theRear Seat (SuburbanSecondSeat) Tilt the seatbacktoward the front of thevehicleby
The right side of the rear 60140 split folding bench seat,
available in the Suburban, has aneasyentryfeature.When you do,the seat bottom will release.Justpull the
That makes it easy to get in and out of the third seat, if seat forward until
it stops.
you have one.
pulling the top of the seatback forward.
To release the easy entrysecond seat, lift up on the
There is a foot operated
release lever for rearseat
passengers touse when
getting out
of the third seat.
To operate the seat, move the lever at the side of the
seat down.
top of the releaselever with your foot. Push the top
of the seatback forwardand tilt it toward the front of
the vehicle.
To return the seat to its regular position, return the
seatbackto its upright position, then push the whole seat
rearward until
it latches.
After returning the seat to its regular position, try to
move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is
locked into place.
1-13