Chevrolet 2005 Tahoe User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts ............................................. 1-21
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-42
Airbag System ......................................... 1-66
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-81
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-8
Windows ................................................. 2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-17
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-19
Mirrors .................................................... 2-42
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-51
HomeLink
®
Transmitter ............................. 2-53
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-57
Sunroof .................................................. 2-62
Vehicle Personalization ............................. 2-63
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-21
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-36
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-54
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-76
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ........ 4-1
Towing ................................................... 4-57
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-50
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-51
Four-Wheel Drive ..................................... 5-52
Front Axle ............................................... 5-53
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-54
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-60
Tires ...................................................... 5-61
Appearance Care ................................... 5-100
Vehicle Identification ............................... 5-109
Electrical System .................................... 5-109
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-118
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-10
Index ................................................................ 1
2005 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem, and the
names TAHOE and SUBURBAN 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 in
the product after that time without notice. For vehicles
first sold in Canada, substitute the name “General
Motors of Canada Limited” for Chevrolet Motor Division
wherever it appears in this manual.
Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if you
ever need it while you are on the road. If you sell the
vehicle, leave this manual with the vehicle.
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people read the owner manual from beginning to
end when they first receive their new vehicle. If this
is done, it can help you learn about the features
and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work
together in the owner manual to explain things.
Index
A good place to quickly locate information about the
vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is an
alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the
page number where it can be found.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 05TAHOE A First Edition
©
2004 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
There are a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell 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 do not,
you or others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Do Not,”
“Do Not do this” or “Do Not
let this happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this manual you will find these notices:
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice tells about something that can damage the
vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered
by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But
the notice will tell 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.
There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols 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 symbols that may be found on the vehicle:
v

✍NOTES
vi

Front Seats ......................................................1-3
Manual Seats ................................................1-3
Power Seats ..................................................1-4
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-5
Heated Seats .................................................1-6
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-6
Head Restraints .............................................1-8
Rear Seats .......................................................1-8
Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-8
60/40 Split Bench Seat ...................................1-9
50/50 Split Bench Seat ..................................1-11
Bench Seat ..................................................1-15
Bucket Seats ...............................................1-19
Safety Belts ...................................................1-21
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-21
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts .........1-26
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-26
Driver Position ..............................................1-27
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-34
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-35
Center Passenger Position .............................1-35
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-36
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults ..........................1-39
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-41
Child Restraints .............................................1-42
Older Children ..............................................1-42
Infants and Young Children ............................1-44
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-47
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-50
Top Strap ....................................................1-51
Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-53
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-55
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System ....................................1-57
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position .........................1-57
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Rear Seat Position ..........................1-59
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position ..........................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position ............................1-62
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Airbag System ...............................................1-66
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-69
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-71
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-73
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-73
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? ........1-74
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-76
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-80
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-80
Restraint System Check ..................................1-81
Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-81
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-82
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-2

Front Seats
Manual 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 do not want to. Adjust the driver’s
seat only when the vehicle is not moving. If your vehicle has a manual bucket or a split bench
seat, you can adjust it with this lever located at the front
of the seat.
Lift the lever to unlock the seat. Using your body, 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.
1-3

Power Seats If your vehicle has a power seat, you can adjust it
with these controls located on the outboard sides of
the seats.
•Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion by
raising or lowering the forward edge of the
horizontal control.
•Move the seat forward or rearward by moving the
whole horizontal control forward or rearward.
•Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion
by raising or lowering the rear edge of the
horizontal control.
•Moving the whole horizontal control up or down
raises or lowers the entire seat cushion.
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 the front of the
vehicle. See Reclining Seatbacks on page 1-6.
1-4

Power Lumbar
Your vehicle’s seats may be equipped with power lumbar.
You can increase or
decrease lumbar support
in an area of the lower
seatback with this control,
located on the outboard
sides of the front seat(s).
To increase support, press and hold the front of the
control. To decrease support, press and hold the rear of
the control. Let go of the control when the lower
seatback reaches the desired level of support.
You can also reshape the side wing area of the lower
seatback for more lateral support.
To increase support, press and hold the top of the
control. To decrease support, press and hold the bottom
of the control. Let go of the control when the lower
seatback reaches the desired level of support.
Your vehicle may have a memory function which allows
seat settings to be saved and recalled. See Memory
Seat on page 2-63 for more information.
1-5

Heated Seats
If your vehicle has this
feature, the button used to
control the driver’s
heated seat is located on
the driver’s door panel.
The button used to control
the passenger’s heated
seat is located on the
passenger’s door panel.
To heat the entire seat, press the horizontal button.
Press the button to cycle through the temperature
settings of high, medium, and low. The indicator light
will glow to indicate the level of heat selected.
To heat only the seatback, press the vertical button with
the heated seatback symbol. An indicator light on the
button will glow to designate that only the seatback
is being heated.
The engine must be running for them to operate.
The heated front seats will be canceled after the ignition
is turned off. If you still want to use the heated front
seat feature after you restart your vehicle, you will need
to press the heated seat button again.
Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the front seatback, lift the manual lever
located on the outboard side of the seat. Release the
lever to lock the seatback where you want it. Lift the
lever again 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 1-4 for further information on
how to operate the reclining seatback feature.
1-6

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 not do their
job when you are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can not do its job. In a
crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or
other injuries.
The lap belt can not 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.
1-7

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.
To raise the head restraint pull up on the head restraint.
Your vehicle may have rear seat head restraints that
can be adjusted up and down.
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Entering or Exiting the Third Row Seats
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not 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.
Extended models: The passenger’s side of the
second row 60/40 or rear bucket seats has an easy
entry feature. This makes it easy to get in and out of
the third seat, if your vehicle has one.
To operate the easy entry seat turn the release lever,
located on the back of the seat upward.
Tilt the seatback toward the front of the vehicle by
pulling the top of the seat forward. When you do the seat
bottom will release. Pull the seat forward until it stops.
Be sure to return the seat to the passenger position
when finished. Push and pull on the seat to make sure
it is locked in place.
1-8

60/40 Split Bench Seat
Standard models: The rear seat may have a
60/40 split seat which may be folded down to give
you more cargo space.
Extended models: The second row rear seat of
extended models may have a 60/40 split seat.
Either side of the rear seat my be folded down to
provide more cargo space.
Folding the Seatbacks
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not 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.
Make sure that nothing is under or in front of the seat
and that the head restraints are completely lowered.
On Tahoe models the rear seatbacks may be equipped
with rearward folding head restraints. When the
seatback is being folded down, the head restraint will
automatically fold rearward to allow a flat load floor
for cargo or entry to the third row seat (if equipped).
To fold, pull up on the
strap loop at the rear
of the seat cushion. Then,
pull the seat cushion up
and fold it forward.
1-9

After folding the seat cushion fully forward, pull the
seatback forward and fold the seatback down until
it is flat. If the seatback cannot fold flat because
it interferes with the cushion, try moving the front seat
forward and/or bring the front seatback more upright.
On the passenger side of the extended models, the lever
at the base of the seat must be turned rearward to
release the seatback.
To create a load floor release the panels from the
seatback by pushing forward on the latch. Then fold the
panels back to cover the rear seat footwell area.
To return the seat to the passenger position on a
extended model do the following:
1. Lift the floor load panels and latch them into
the seatback.
2. Lift the seatback up and push rearward all
the way.
3. Lower the seat cushion until it latches into position.
4. Pull forward on the seatback and up on the
seat cushion to make sure the seat is securely
in place.
On regular models make sure the head restraints are
returned to the upright position.
1-10

50/50 Split Bench Seat
If your vehicle has a 50/50 split bench, the seatback(s)
can be folded and the entire seat(s) tilted or removed
from the vehicles.
Folding the Seatbacks
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not 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.
To fold the seatbacks do the following:
•Pull up on the release lever, labeled 1, located
on the rear of the seatback, and push the
seatback forward.
•To return the seat to the passenger position, pull up
on the release lever labeled 1 and then pull up on
the seatback until the seatback locks into the
upright position.
Push forward on the seatback to make sure it is locked
into position.
Tilting the 50/50 Split Bench Seat
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not 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:
If the support rod is not properly engaged,
the folded third row seat could come loose in a
sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury
to people and damage to your vehicle. Always
be sure the support rod is properly engaged
when the third row seat is folded forward.
1-11

Once the third seatback has been folded down,
the entire seat can be tilted forward to create a flat
load floor. To do this, do the following:
1. Enter the rear cargo area of the vehicle.
2. Make sure the head restraints have been lowered
completely.
3. With the seat folded, unlatch the seat from the floor
by pulling up on the lever located under the
carrying handle at the rear of the seat labeled 2.
4. Lift the rear of the seat up, off the floor. You will not
be able to unlatch the seat from the floor unless the
seatback is folded down.
5. Tilt the seat fully forward and secure it in place
using the support rod located on the underside
of the seat on the passenger’s side. Make sure the
rod pin is fully engaged in the lock.
6. Push and pull on the seat. Make sure the support
rod is holding it firmly in place. Use the seat in
this position only when necessary for additional
cargo space.
To return the seat to the seating position do the
following:
1. Push forward on the seat and release the support
lock rod.
2. Secure the support rod in its stored position on the
underside of the seat.
3. Lower the seat to the floor and let the seat drop
into place.
4. Lift up on the carrying handle to make sure the seat
is locked in place.
5. Return the seatback to the upright position by
pulling up on the release lever labeled 1 before
the back can be folded upright.
6. Pull the seatback forward to make sure it is locked
in place.
1-12

Removing the 50/50 Split Bench Seat
To remove the 50/50 split bench seat, do the following:
1. Open the rear doors and enter the rear of
the vehicle.
2. Fold the seatback
forward onto the seat
cushion by using
the lever labeled 1.
The seat cannot
be removed unless the
seatback is folded.
3. To unlatch the seat
from the floor, pull up
on the release lever
labeled 2, located at the
rear of the seat, and lift
the rear of the seat up
off the floor.
4. Squeeze the release lever, located in the lower
middle to unlatch the seat from the floor, while
pulling the seat out.
5. While holding the rear of the seat up, roll the seat
out of the vehicle.
1-13

Replacing the 50/50 Split Bench Seat
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not 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 seat that is not locked into place properly
can move around in a collision or sudden stop.
People in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure
to lock the seat into place properly when
installing it.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted will not 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.
To reinstall the 50/50 split bench, do the following:
1. While holding the rear of the seat up, slide the front
wheels into the slots on the floor. The front latches
should lock into place. If the latches do not lock,
try tilting the rear of the seats upwards.
2. Once the latches are engaged, let the seat drop
into place. Release the lever labeled 1 to return
the seat to its upright position.
3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked
into place. The seatback cannot be raised to the
upright position unless the seat is secured to
the floor.
1-14