Chevrolet 2002 Prizm User manual

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2002 Chevrolet Prizm
Owner’s Manual
Litho in U.S.A. E Copyright General Motors Corporation 2001
Part Number 22662720A First Edition All Rights Reserved

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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem and
the name PRIZM are registered trademarks of
General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time
it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
after that time without further notice. For vehicles first
sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors
of Canada Limited” for Chevrolet Motor Division
whenever it appears in this manual.
Please keep this 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 leave this manual in it so
the new owner can use it.
We support voluntary
technician certification.

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How to Use 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 the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
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 you were to ignore
the warning.
CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is.
Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce
the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t,
you or others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,”
“Don’t do this” or “Don’t
let this happen.”

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Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could damage
your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that
can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage
would not be covered by your warranty, and it could
be costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help
avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different
colors or in different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle.
They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle may be equipped with components and
labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols,
used on your vehicle, are shown along with the text
describing the operation or information relating to a
specific component, control, message, gage or indicator.
If you need help figuring out a specific name of a
component, gage or indicator reference the following
topics in the Index:
D “Engine Compartment Overview”
D “Instrument Panel”
D “Comfort Controls”
D “Audio Systems”
Also see “Warning Lights and Gages” in the Index.
Here are some examples of symbols you may find on
your vehicle:

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1- 1-1
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts.
1-2 Seats and Seat Controls
1-8 Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
1-13 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts -- and the Answers
1-14 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1-14 Driver Position
1-21 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
1-22 Right Front Passenger Position
1-22 Air Bag Systems
1-31 Safety Belt Pretensioners
1-31 Rear Seat Passengers
1-34 Children
1-37 Built-in Child Restraint (Option)
1-50 Restraint Systems for Children
1-63 Older Children
1-66 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1-66 Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash

1-2
Seats and Seat Controls
This part tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them,
and also about reclining front seatbacks, head restraints
and rear folding seatbacks.
Manual Front Seats
CAUTION:
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
Lift the lever located under the front seat to unlock it.
Slide the seat to where you want it and release the lever.
Try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the
seat is locked into place.
Don’t put anything under the front seats. Items under
the seats could keep the seats from locking into
place properly.

1-3
Reclining Front Seatbacks To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the
outboard side of the seat. Release the lever to lock the
seatback where you want it. Push on the seat to make
sure it’s locked into position. Pull up on the lever, and
the seat will go to its original upright position.

1-4
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.

1-5
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest to the top of your head. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Pull up to raise the head restraint. To lower it, push the
release button and push down.
Make sure the head restraint is locked in place after you
adjust it.
Rear Seats
CAUTION:
If a head restraint is not installed on the seatback
or stored in the vehicle properly, it could be
thrown about the vehicle in a crash or sudden
maneuver. People in the vehicle could be injured.
Remove the head restraints only when you need
to fold the seat, and be sure that the head
restraints are stored securely in the trunk. When
the seat is returned to the passenger position, be
sure the head restraints are installed properly.

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Rear Head Restraint Removal
To remove the rear head restraints, do the following:
1. Press the release button located under the right rear
side of the head restraint.
2. Lift the head restraint upward.
3. Secure the head restraints in the trunk using
the tie-down straps located on each side of the
trunk floor.
To reinstall the rear head restraints, do the following:
1. Remove the head restraints from the trunk.
2. Press and hold the release button on the seatback
while inserting the head restraint.
3. Push the head restraint down. After releasing the
button, pull on the head restraint to make sure it is
locked in place.
Rear Folding Seatback (If Equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped with this feature, you can
fold either side of the seatback down in your vehicle for
more cargo space. On vehicles with a built-in child
restraint system, only the driver’s side rear passenger
seatback can be folded down. Make sure the front
seatback isn’t reclined. If it is, the rear seatback won’t
fold down all the way.
CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted won’t provide the
protection needed in a crash. The person wearing
the belt could be seriously injured. After raising
the rear seatback, always check to be sure that
the safety belts are properly routed and attached,
and are not twisted.

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To fold either seatback down, do the following:
1. Remove the head restraints. See “Rear Head
Restraint Removal” earlier in this section.
2. Remove the rear center lap-shoulder belt latch by
using a key to press the release button.
3. Pull the release in
the trunk on the driver’s
side of the vehicle.
(Repeat the procedure
for the other side if you
do not have a built-in
child restraint.)
4. Fold the seatback down.

1-8
To raise the seatback, do the following:
1. Pull the seatback up and push it back to lock it into
place. Make sure the safety belts are not twisted or
caught in the seatback.
2. Push and pull the top of the seatback to be sure it is
locked into position.
3. Reconnect the center seat belt.
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the air bag system.
CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.

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CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people
to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why: They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!

1-10
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat
on wheels.
Put someone on it.

1-11
Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop. The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...

1-12
or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.

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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have
to wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will
be in most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident -- even one that isn’t your fault -- you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less
than 40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.

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How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child
will be riding in your vehicle, see the part of this
manual called “Children.” Follow those rules for
everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems
your vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see “Seats” in the Index.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.