Chevrolet 2003 Avalanche User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts ............................................. 1-10
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-32
Air Bag Systems ...................................... 1-52
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-67
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-7
Windows ................................................. 2-23
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-25
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-27
Mirrors .................................................... 2-46
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-53
HomeLink
®
Transmitter ............................. 2-55
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-59
Sunroof .................................................. 2-84
Vehicle Personalization ............................. 2-85
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-20
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators ......... 3-30
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-46
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-64
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-48
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-49
Four-Wheel Drive ..................................... 5-50
Front Axle ............................................... 5-51
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-52
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-60
Tires ...................................................... 5-61
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-88
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-96
Electrical System ...................................... 5-96
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-106
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts .... 5-108
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information .................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-10
Index ................................................................ 1
2003 Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem are registered
trademarks and the name AVALANCHE is a trademark
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.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. C2318A First Edition ©Copyright General Motors Corporation 06/24/02 All Rights Reserved
Canadian Owners
You can obtain a French copy of this manual from your
dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
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.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of what’s
in the manual, and the page number where you’ll find it.
ii

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.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice will 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 has 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:
•Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
•Features and Controls in Section 2
•Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
•Climate Controls in Section 3
•Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators in Section 3
•Audio System(s) in Section 3
•Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle:
v

✍NOTES
vi

Front Seats ......................................................1-2
Manual Passenger Seat ..................................1-2
Power Seats ..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-3
Heated Seats .................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-5
Head Restraints .............................................1-7
Rear Seats .......................................................1-8
Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-8
Safety Belts ...................................................1-10
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-10
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-16
Driver Position ..............................................1-16
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-23
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-24
Center Passenger Position .............................1-24
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-26
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults .......................................1-29
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-31
Child Restraints .............................................1-32
Older Children ..............................................1-32
Infants and Young Children ............................1-34
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-38
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-41
Top Strap ....................................................1-42
Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-43
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-43
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position ...................................................1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front
Seat Position ............................................1-48
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position ............................................1-48
Air Bag Systems ............................................1-52
Where Are the Air Bags? ...............................1-55
When Should an Air Bag Inflate? ....................1-57
What Makes an Air Bag Inflate? .....................1-59
How Does an Air Bag Restrain? .....................1-59
What Will You See After an Air Bag Inflates? ...1-60
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-62
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle .........1-66
Adding Equipment to Your Air Bag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-66
Restraint System Check ..................................1-67
Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-67
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a
Crash ......................................................1-67
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Front Seats
Manual Passenger Seat
If your vehicle has a manual front passenger split bench
seat, you can adjust it with this lever located at the
front of the seat.
Lift the lever at the front of the seat to unlock it. Using
your body, slide the seat to where you want it. Then,
release the lever and try to move the seat with
your body to make sure that the seat is locked into
place.
Power Seats
Horizontal Control: If your vehicle has a power seat,
you can adjust it with the horizontal control located
on the outboard edge of the seat(s).
•Raise or lower the front of the seat by raising or
lowering the forward edge of the control. Raise
or lower the rear of the seat by raising or lowering
the rear edge of the control.
1-2

•Move the seat forward or rearward by moving the
whole control toward the front or toward the rear
of the vehicle.
•Moving the whole control up or down raises or
lowers the entire seat cushion.
Vertical Control: If your vehicle has power reclining
seats, you can use the vertical control to adjust the
angle of the seatback. Move the reclining front seatback
rearward or forward by moving the control toward the
rear or toward the front of the vehicle. See
Reclining
Seatbacks on page 1-5
for further information.
Power Lumbar
If you have power lumbar
adjustment, you can
increase or decrease
lumbar support in the lower
seatback. The control is
located on the outboard
side of the seat cushion.
•To increase support in the lower back area, press
and hold the front of the control. Let go of the
control when the lower seatback reaches the
desired level of support.
•To decrease support in the lower back area, press
and hold the rear of the control. Let go of the
control when the lower seatback reaches the
desired level of support.
1-3

You can also reshape the back wing area of the lower
seatback.
•To increase support in the wing area of the lower
seatback, press and hold the top of the control.
Let go of the control when the lower seatback
reaches the desired level of support.
•To decrease support in the wing area of the lower
seatback, press and hold the bottom of the control.
Let go of the control when the lower seatback
reaches the desired level of support.
Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have
heated front seats. The
buttons used to control this
feature are located on
the front doors. The engine
must be running for the
heated seat feature
to work.
To heat the entire seat, press the horizontal button with
the heated seat symbol. Press the button to cycle
through the temperature settings of high, medium and
low and to turn the heated seat off. Indicator lights
will glow to designate the level of heat selected, three
for high, two for medium, and one for low.
1-4

The low setting warms the seatback and cushion until
the seat temperature is near body temperature. The
medium and high settings heat the seatback and seat
cushion to a slightly higher temperature. You will be able
to feel heat in about two minutes.
To heat only the seatback, press the vertical button with
the heated seatback symbol. An indicator light on the
seatback button will glow to designate that only the
seatback is being heated. Additional presses of
the seatback button will cycle through the heat levels for
the seatback only. Press the horizontal button again
to heat the whole seat.
The heated front seats will shut off automatically when
the ignition is turned off.
Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the front seatback, lift the lever. The lever is
located on the outboard side of the seat cushion.
Release the lever to lock the seatback where you want
it. Lift the lever without pushing on the seatback and
the seatback will go to an upright position.
If your vehicle has power seats with a power recliner,
see
Power Seats on page 1-2 for further information on
how to operate the reclining seatback feature.
1-5

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. 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.
1-6

Head Restraints Adjust your head restraint 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.
The rear seat head restraints in your vehicle are
adjustable. They work the same as the front seat head
restraints.
1-7

Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
The rear seat is a 60/40 split rear seat that can be
folded to give you more cargo space and access to the
folding midgate. See
Midgate on page 2-12 for more
information on operation of the folding midgate.
To fold either side of the seat do the following:
1. Push the rear head restraints all the way down.
2. Pull the seat loop
located where the
seatback and
seat cushion meet. The
seat will release and
allow you to tilt it
toward the front of the
vehicle.
3. Grasp the seatback and pull it toward the front of
the vehicle. Push it down until it is flat. You may
have to move the front seats forward slightly to do
this.
4. Repeat the procedure for the other side.
To return the seats to the normal position, pull the
seatback up and fold the seat cushion down.
1-8

{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
{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.
1-9

Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are 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.
{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.
{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 on page 3-33
.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work .
1-10

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!
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.
1-11

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop.
1-12

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield... or the instrument panel...
1-13

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.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
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.
1-14