Chevrolet 2008 TrailBlazer User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats .............................................. 1-10
Safety Belts ............................................. 1-12
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-30
Airbag System ......................................... 1-51
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-66
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-6
Windows ................................................. 2-12
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-19
Mirrors .................................................... 2-37
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-47
Universal Home Remote System ................ 2-50
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-55
Sunroof .................................................. 2-58
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-21
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-30
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-49
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-64
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-41
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-49
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-49
Four-Wheel Drive ..................................... 5-50
Front Axle ............................................... 5-51
Headlamp Aiming ..................................... 5-52
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-52
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-55
Tires ...................................................... 5-58
Appearance Care ................................... 5-100
Vehicle Identification ............................... 5-109
Electrical System .................................... 5-109
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-121
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-14
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy ........... 7-17
Index ................................................................ 1
2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem, and the
names TRAILBLAZER and EXT are registered
trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. GM reserves 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
wherever it appears in this manual.
This manual describes features that may or may not be
on your specific vehicle.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer/retailer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
www.helminc.com
Propriétaires Canadiens
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français
auprès de concessionnaire ou à l’adresse suivante:
Helm Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
www.helminc.com
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 15912669 B Second Printing
©
2007 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ii

Using this Manual
Read this owner manual from beginning to end to
learn about the vehicle’s features and controls.
Pictures and words work together to explain things.
Index
To quickly locate information about the vehicle use 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.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
There are a number of safety cautions in this book.
A box with the word CAUTION is used to tell about
things that could hurt you or others if you were to
ignore the warning.
{CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
Cautions tell what the hazard is and what to do to avoid
or reduce the hazard. Read these cautions.
A circle with a slash
through it is a safety
symbol which means
“Do Not,” “Do Not do
this” or “Do Not let this
happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Notices are also used in this manual.
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 the vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly.
The notice tells 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 which 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.
iv

Front Seats ......................................................1-2
Manual Seats ................................................1-2
Power Seats ..................................................1-3
Manual Lumbar ..............................................1-3
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-3
Heated Seats .................................................1-4
Memory Seat and Pedals ................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-6
Head Restraints .............................................1-9
Rear Seats .....................................................1-10
Rear Seat Operation .....................................1-10
Safety Belts ...................................................1-12
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-17
Lap-Shoulder Belt .........................................1-25
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-29
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-29
Child Restraints .............................................1-30
Older Children ..............................................1-30
Infants and Young Children ............................1-32
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-36
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-38
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) ..................................................1-39
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position .........................1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Rear Seat Position ....................................1-48
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position ....................................1-48
Airbag System ...............................................1-51
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-54
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-56
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-57
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-58
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-58
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-60
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-64
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-65
Restraint System Check ..................................1-66
Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-66
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash ...................................................1-67
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

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.
Lift the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock
it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release
the bar. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure
the seat is locked in place.
1-2

Power Seats
On vehicles with power
seats, the controls used to
operate them are located
on the outboard side of
the seats.
To adjust the seat:
•Move the seat forward or rearward using the
horizontal control.
•Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion using
the front of the horizontal control.
•Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion using
the rear of the horizontal control.
•Raise or lower the entire seat using the entire
horizontal control.
For seats with power reclining seatbacks, see “Power
Reclining Seatbacks” under Reclining Seatbacks
on page 1-6.
Manual Lumbar
On vehicles with this
feature, the knob is
located on the outboard
side of the driver’s seat.
Turn the knob to increase or decrease lumbar support.
Power Lumbar
On vehicles with power
lumbar, the control is
located on the outboard
side of the seat.
To increase or decrease support, hold the control
forward or rearward.
1-3

Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have
heated front seats.
The buttons used to control
this feature are located
on the front door armrests.
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 and seatback symbol. Press the
button to cycle through the temperature settings of high,
medium, and low and to turn the heated seat off.
The indicator lights above the button will come on to
designate the level of heat selected: three for high,
two for medium, and one for low. The low setting warms
the seatback and seat 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
button will come on to designate that only the seatback
is being heated. Additional presses will cycle through
the heat levels for the seatback only.
The feature will shut off automatically when the ignition
is turned off.
Memory Seat and Pedals
If your vehicle has this
feature, the controls for
the memory function
are located on the
driver’s door.
These buttons are used to program and recall memory
settings for the driver’s seating position and the
adjustable pedals, if equipped. The settings for these
features can be saved for up to two drivers.
1-4

To store the memory settings, do the following:
1. Adjust the driver’s seat, including the seatback
recliner and lumbar and the adjustable pedals, if
equipped, to the desired position.
See Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal on
page 2-22 for more information.
2. Press and hold the 1 or 2 button of the memory
control for three seconds. A double chime will sound
to let you know that the position has been stored.
To repeat the procedure for a second driver, follow the
preceding steps, but press the other numbered
memory control button.
To recall the memory settings, do one of the following:
•Press and release button 1 or 2 while the vehicle
is in PARK (P). A single chime will sound and
the memory position will be recalled.
•If programmed to do so through the Driver
Information Center (DIC), pressing the unlock button
on the remote keyless entry transmitter will recall the
preset driver’s memory seat and adjustable pedals
position. The numbers on the back of the
transmitters, 1 or 2, correspond to the numbers on
the memory controls.
•If programmed to do so through the DIC, placing the
key in the ignition will recall the driver’s memory seat
and adjustable pedals positions.
See “Seat Recall” under DIC Vehicle Customization on
page 3-58 for more information.
To stop recall movement of the memory seat feature at
any time, press one of the memory buttons or power
seat controls.
Easy Exit Seat
The control for the easy exit seat function is located on
the driver’s door below the memory buttons 1 and 2.
The easy exit seat button is used to program and recall
the desired driver’s seat position when exiting or
entering the vehicle. The power lumbar, recline, and
adjustable pedals, if equipped, positions will not
be stored or recalled when using the easy exit seat
function. The seat position can be saved for up to two
drivers.
To store the easy exit seat position, do the following:
1. Press and release the 1 or 2 button of the memory
control for less than three seconds. The seat will
move to the stored memory position.
2. Adjust the seat to the desired exit position.
3. Press and hold the easy exit seat button for more
than three seconds. A double chime will sound to
let you know that the position has been stored
for the selected button 1 or 2.
1-5

To repeat the procedure for a second driver, follow the
preceding steps, but press the other numbered memory
control button.
To recall the easy exit seat position, do one of the
following:
•Press the easy exit seat button on the memory
control while the vehicle is in PARK (P).
The seat will move to the stored exit position.
•Or, if the easy exit seat feature is activated in the
Driver Information Center (DIC), removing the key
from the ignition will move the seat to the exit
position. See “Easy Exit Seat” under DIC Vehicle
Customization on page 3-58 for more information
on activating this feature in the DIC.
If an easy exit seat position has not been stored,
the default position is all the way rearward.
Reclining Seatbacks
Manual Reclining Seatbacks
{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.
{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
push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
1-6

If the seats have manual reclining seatbacks, the lever
used to operate them is located on the outboard
side of the seat(s).
To recline the seatback, do the following:
1. Lift the recline lever.
2. Move the seatback to the desired position, then
release the lever to lock the seatback in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is
locked.
To return the seatback to an upright position, do the
following:
1. Lift the lever fully without applying pressure to
the seatback and the seatback will return to the
upright position.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure
it is locked.
Power Reclining Seatbacks
If your seats have power
reclining seatbacks,
use the vertical power
seat control located on
the outboard side of
the seat(s).
•To recline the seatback, press the control toward
the rear of the vehicle.
•To raise the seatback, press the control toward the
front of the vehicle.
1-7

{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts cannot do their job
when you are reclined like this.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
The shoulder belt cannot do its job. In a crash,
you could go into it, receiving neck or other
injuries.
The lap belt cannot 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.
Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
1-8

Head Restraints
Adjust the head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is at the same height as the top of the occupant’s
head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury
in a crash.
Pull the head restraint
up to raise it.
To lower the head restraint, press the button,
located on the top of the seatback, and push the
head restraint down.
1-9

Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Your vehicle has flip and fold second row seats which
provide additional cargo space.
To flip and fold the seat(s), do the following:
1. Pull up on the loop located where the seat cushion
meets the seatback and flip the seat cushion
forward.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with the safety belts
still fastened may cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the safety belts
and return them to their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat.
2. Lift the lever, located
on the outboard side
of the seatback,
and fold the seatback
forward.
The head restraint will automatically fold out of the
way as the seatback is folded down.
1-10

To return the seat(s) to the original position, do the
following:
{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
push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
1. Lift the seatback until it locks into the upright
position. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked. 2. Return the head restraints to the upright position by
reaching behind the seat and pulling it forward until
it locks into place. Push and pull on the head
restraint to make sure that it is locked.
3. Flip the seat cushion back into place.
1-11

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:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she cannot
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash
and you are not wearing a safety belt, your
injuries can be much worse. You can hit things
inside the vehicle harder or be ejected from it
and 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 passenger(s) are restrained 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 indicators as a reminder to buckle your
safety belts. See Safety Belt Reminders on page 3-33.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the
law requires wearing safety belts. Here is why:
You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you do not know if it will be a serious one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person would not 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 40 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter... a lot!
1-12

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on
wheels.
Put someone on it.
1-13

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
does not stop.
The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...
1-14

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 is why
safety belts make such good sense.
1-15

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after a crash if
I am wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle
and get out, is much greater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are
upside down.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental systems only; so they
work with safety belts — not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is provided, all occupants
still have to buckle up to get the most protection.
That is true not only in frontal collisions, but
especially in side and other collisions.
Q: If I am 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 are in a
crash — even one that is not your fault — you and
your passenger(s) can be hurt. Being a good
driver does not 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.
1-16