Chevrolet TrailBlazer 2008 Owner's Manual

2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Owner Manual M

Seats and Restraint Systems

Front Seats Rear Seats Safety Belts Child Restraints Airbag System Restraint System Check

Features and Controls

Keys Doors and Locks Windows Theft-Deterrent Systems Starting and Operating Your Vehicle Mirrors

OnStar Universal Home Remote System Storage Areas Sunroof

Instrument Panel

Instrument Panel Overview Climate Controls Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators Driver Information Center (DIC) Audio System(s)

............................................... 1-2

.............................................. 1-10

............................................. 1-12

....................................... 1-30

......................................... 1-51

........................................................ 2-3

................................................. 2-12

.................................................... 2-37

System

.................................................. 2-58

....................................... 2-6

...................................... 2-47

......................................... 2-55

............................................. 3-1

...................................... 3-21

....................................... 3-64

........................... 1-1

............................ 1-66

..................................... 2-1

............................ 2-15

.......................... 3-4

........... 2-19

................ 2-50

........ 3-30

.................. 3-49

Driving Your Vehicle

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Towing

Service and Appearance Care

Service Fuel Checking Things Under the Hood All-Wheel Drive Rear Axle Four-Wheel Drive Front Axle Headlamp Aiming Bulb Replacement Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement Tires Appearance Care Vehicle Identiﬁcation Electrical System Capacities and Speciﬁcations

Maintenance Schedule

Customer Assistance Information

Customer Assistance and Information Reporting Safety Defects Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy

Index

................................................... 4-41

..................................................... 5-3

......................................................... 5-5

...................................................... 5-58

................................................................ 1

....................................... 4-1

.......................... 5-1

............... 5-10

........................................ 5-49

............................................... 5-49

..................................... 5-50

............................................... 5-51

..................................... 5-52

.................................... 5-52

................................... 5-100

............................... 5-109

.................................... 5-109

................... 5-121

..................................... 6-1

................................ 6-2

.................... 7-1

........................... 7-14

..... 4-2

......... 5-55

........... 7-2

........... 7-17

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

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

Vehicle Symbols

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.

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.

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

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

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.

Manual Lumbar

On vehicles with this feature, the knob is located on the outboard side of the driver’s seat.

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.

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:

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:

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.

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)

1-8

Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.

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.

1-14

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...

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

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

This section 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 Older Children on page 1-30 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-32. Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.

It is very important for all occupants to buckle up. Statistics show that unbelted people are hurt more often in crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.

Occupants who are not buckled up can be thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.

First, before you or your passenger(s) wear a safety belt, there is important information you should know.

Sit up straight and always keep your feet on the ﬂoor in front of you. The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones and you would be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force on your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.

The shoulder belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash.

1-17

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It will not give as

much protection this way.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should ﬁt snugly against your body.

1-18

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The lap belt is too loose. It will not give nearly as

much protection this way.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your lap belt is too loose. In a crash, you could slide under the lap belt and apply force on your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The lap belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs.

1-19

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt is buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash, the belt would go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not on the pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.

1-20

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The belt is over an armrest.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt goes over an armrest like this. The belt would be much too high. In a crash, you can slide under the belt. The belt force would then be applied on the abdomen, not on the pelvic bones, and that could cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.

1-21

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should

be worn over the shoulder at all times.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your body would move too far forward, which would increase the chance of head and neck injury. Also, the belt would apply too much force to the ribs, which are not as strong as shoulder bones. You could also severely injure internal organs like your liver or spleen. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest.

1-22

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The belt is behind the body.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by not wearing the lap-shoulder belt properly. In a crash, you would not be restrained by the shoulder belt. Your body could move too far forward increasing the chance of head and neck injury. You might also slide under the lap belt. The belt force would then be applied right on the abdomen. That could cause serious or fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest.

1-23

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The belt is twisted across the body.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you would not have the full width of the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your dealer/retailer to ﬁx it.

1-24

Lap-Shoulder Belt

All seating positions in your vehicle have a lap-shoulder belt.

Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.

1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.

2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted.

The lap-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.

If you ever pull the shoulder portion of a passenger belt out all the way, you may engage the child restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and start again.

Engaging the child restraint locking feature may affect the passenger sensing system. See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-60.

3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.

If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-29.

Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if necessary.

1-25

4. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder belt.

It may be necessary to pull stitching on the safety belt through the latch plate to fully tighten the lap belt on smaller occupants.

1-26

To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle. The belt should go back out of the way.

Before you close a door, be sure the belt is out of the way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the belt and your vehicle.

+ 442 hidden pages