Chevrolet 2003 Avalanche Owner's manual

The

2003

Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual

a

Seats and Restraint Systems

...........................

1

-i

Front Seats

...............................................

1-2

Rear Seats

...............................................

1-8

Safety Belts

.............................................

1-10

Child Restraints

.......................................

1-32

Air Bag Systems

......................................

1-52

Features and Controls

.....................................

2-1

Keys

........................................................

2-3

Doors and Locks

.......................................

2-7

Windows

.................................................

2-23

Theft-Deterrent Systems

............................

2-25

Mirrors

....................................................

2-45

Onstar@ System

......................................

2-53

HomeLinkO 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

Restraint System Check

............................

1-66

Starting and Operating Your Vehicle

...........

2-27

Audio System(s)

.......................................

3-64

Driving your

vehicle

.......................................

4-1

Towing

...................................................

4-48

Service

.....................................................

5-3

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle

..... 4-2

Service and Appearance Care

..........................

5-1

Fuel

.........................................................

5-5

Checking Things Under the Hood

...............

5-10

Rear Axle

...............................................

5-49

Four-wheel Drive

.....................................

5-50

Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement

.........

5-57

Tires

......................................................

5-58

Appearance Care

.....................................

5-85

Vehicle Identification

.................................

5-93

Electrical System

......................................

5-94

Capacities and Specifications

...................

5-1 04

Maintenance Schedule

.....................................

6-1

Maintenance Schedule

................................

6-2

Customer Assistance Information

....................

7-1

Customer Assistance Information

..................

7-2

Reporting Safety Defects

...........................

7-10

Bulb Replacement

....................................

5-52

Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts

....

5-106

Index

................................................................

-1

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

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

ManV people read their owner’s manual from b

‘eginnin

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.

‘Copyright General Motors Corporation

06/24/02

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.

These mean

ti

s

somet

____

lg

Lit

could

hurt

I

you

or

other people.

I

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:

POSSIBLE

A

CAUTION

INJURY

PROTECT

(""",

EYES BY

SHIELDING

CAUSTIC

ACID COULD

CAUSE

BURNS

AVO

ID

SPARKS OR

FLAMES

SPARK OR

COULD

FLAME

'\I/'

EXPLODE

BAlTERY

LATCH BOTH LAP AND

SHOULDER BELTS TO

PROTECT OCCUPANT

MASTER

\

DO NOT TWIST SAFETY

BELT WHEN AlTACHlNG

FASTEN

SEAT

BELTS

MOVE SEAT

FULLY

\$&

REARWARD+

/z

SECURE

CHILD SEAT

PULL BELT

COMPLETELY

rHEN SECURE

CHILD SEAT

POWER

WINDOW

AIR BAG

DO NOT INSTALL

A

REAR-FACING

CHILD RESTRAINT

IN THIS SEATING

POSITION

DO NOT INSTALL A

'ORWARD-FACING

CHILD RESTRAINT

IN THIS SEATING

POSITION

TURN

SIGNALS

PARKING

LAMPS

HAZARD

WARNING

FLASHER

DOOR UNLOCK LOCK

a

FOG

$0

LAMPS

L

~ ~

ENGINE

COOLANT

rh

TEMP

CHARGING

BAlTERY

SYSTEM

COOLANT

d

ENGINE

OIL

PRESSURE

Wh

ANTI-LOCK

(@)

BRAKES

ENGINE

COOLANT

FAN

OWNERS

MANUAL

SERVICE

MANUAL

V

Section

Seats

and

Restraint Systems

Front Seats

......................................................

1-2

Manual Passenger Seat

..................................

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

Questions and Answers About Safety Belts

...... 1-14

Driver Position

..............................................

1-1 6

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

..................

1-23

Right Front Passenger Position

.......................

1-24

Center Passenger Position

.............................

1-24

Rear Seat Passengers

..................................

1-26

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

.................................................

Power Seats -1

-2

Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone

................

1-10

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

.................

1-16

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children

Where to Put the Restraint

.............................

1-41

Top Strap

....................................................

1-42

Top Strap Anchor Location

.............................

1-43

Children (LATCH System)

...........................

1-43

Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for

Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat

Securing a Child Restraint in the Center

Securing a Child Restraint

in

the Right

...................................................

Position 1-45

Front Seat Position

....................................

1-47

Front Seat Position

....................................

1-48

Air Bag Systems

............................................

1-52

Where Are the Air Bags?

...............................

1-54

When Should an Air Bag Inflate?

....................

1-57

What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?

.....................

1-58

How Does an Air Bag Restrain?

.....................

1-58

Passenger Sensing System

............................

1-61

Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle

.........

1-65

Restraint System

Check

..................................

1-66

Checking Your Restraint Systems

...................

1-66

Crash

......................................................

1-66

What Will You See After an Air Bag Inflates?

...

1-59

Adding Equipment to Your Air Bag-Equipped

....................................................

Vehicle

1-65

Replacing Restraint System Parts After a

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

t.

_"

I

.

I.

_l",

. .

.

...

-

...

"

:.~

. .

,

..

.,

._^.

,

""

1

If you have power lumbar

, ,-

.,".

I

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.

and hold the rear 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

I

-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

a-

-

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

m

Dc..

t

let a--= one ride wher

-

.le or

-..e

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.

It

is

extremely da. .,erous to

-

-Ae 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

3-32.

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.

Why

Safety

Belts

Work

When you ride

in

or

on

anything, you go as fast as

it goes.

After more than

30

years of safety belts in vehicles, the

facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does

matter

...

a lot!

Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on

wheels.

1-1

1

or the instrument panel

...

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In

a

real vehicle, it could be the windshield

...

1-13

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