For The Newbies.. SSR Trivia

Did you know...
________________________________________
By January 2005, the SSR had appeared on 27 magazine covers

There are both amber and white lights on your rear view mirror for interior cabin light.
Press and HOLD the map light button on the rear view mirror - you will hear a beep and the light will turn yellow.
Press and HOLD it again to turn it back to white

There are 17 Chevy bowties on the SSR:
4 on the Wheels
4 on the Side Marker Lights
1 on the Steering Wheell
1 on the Gauges
2 on the Weather Stripping (near door locks)
1 behind the Rear License Plate
1 on the Front Grille
1 on the Tailgate
1 on the VIN Plate
1 on the Key!
Contributed by Bgetz & Doug Allen

The first years of production used plated bow ties on the back and front of the truck.
GM switched to painting them in 2005 because of blistering issues

The SSR contains 3,218 parts

Front tires are 19" - Rear tires are 20"
Windshield wipers - One is 19" and the other 20".

There is no door key hole on the passenger door

The rear deck lid cover must be closed first before closing the tailgate
Rear deck struts – the deck struts were originally designed to open “marginally”.
According to Bob Walczyk (GM Product Manager), the engineers could not design based on unknown factors, such as snow on the deck, heavy spoilers etc.
They were designed to lift enough to get fingers under and lift by hand. (see post 28)

The hood struts should have enough pressure to raise the hood unassisted

When closing the hood be sure to avoid the Chevrolet trim piece as it will easily break.
(For 03-04's, remember they have a hood prop rod - Forgetting will result in a bent rod and possibly a torn under hood blanket).

If your fuel gauge is malfunctioning, you can use the "distance to empty" DIC function instead.
This does not apply if your problem is the sending unit in the tank.

The top cannot be opened or closed with the cargo cover open (or ajar)

You have to be in Park to open the Bed cover (automatics only)

The Traction Control is OFF light comes on when you drive above 95 mph

If you put it in 1st gear (automatic), it turns off the traction control

In the automatics, if one comes to a complete stop while the shifter is in 2nd gear there's no downshift to 1st, it will take off in 2nd

Passenger side seat heater won't work unless the seat-belt is fastened

If you press the button on the speedometer without the keys in the ignition, the mileage will display in the DIC

If stolen, the SSR Radio is useless to the buzzards. The Factory Radio has an E-prom installed in it with the Vehicles VIN stored in it.

All SSRs came with a wiring harness under the truck for trailering -located on the driver’s side frame rail by the rear fascia.
It is just the standard wiring; you will need to add an adapter.

With the high beams on the fog lights will go off
If you turn on your fog lights in the daytime, it will cause all of your running lights to come on as well

Pull up on the handbrake just a little and put back down and the day-time running lights will turn off (automatics only).

If using the windshield wipers during the day, headlights will come on after the first few swipes.
This is an "automatic" safety function of the system to assist in inclement weather. They will also shut off automatically

There is a valve stem symbol on the back of the wheel cover (cap) that is meant to point at the valve stem on replacement in order to fit correctly.
Mark the caps noting the wheel it came from (RF RR LF LR).
The "ribs" on the caps will only align properly in certain ways, but there is more than one way to insert them where the ribs do align yet the stem symbol does not align with the stem.

Leaving something plugged in any of the 3 auxiliary plugs overnight will kill your battery.
There are 2 auxiliary plugs located on either side of the ashtray in the cab and a third is located in the bed passenger side where the gate closes

Thanks Flying Dog

Moving the passenger seat forward too far may result in breaking off the vertical cup holder. Some may have the cup holder on driver side – same issue

When cleaning your interior, (or accessing the secondary fuse panel) you can slide the seats forward and use your sun visor to hold the seats forward
**Make sure you remove the vertical cup holder first)

There is a second fuse panel on the rear console side (under the waterfall) accessed from passenger side.
It is linked to the main fuse box located under the hood - driver side

The lid on the center console will stay up if you push it back until it latches

The battery is located underneath the SSR behind the passenger rear tire
You can jump start it at the leads under the hood (positive in red box & suggested negative contact near the alternator

The third brake light is a solid state unit with at least a dozen LEDs

Until mid 2005, there was a little flip down door under the bed cover on SSRs with the bed carpet kit.
Gm never designed anything for it in particular. The best usage was for a tool kit like BMW.

The SSR has a tendency to have the rear end "kick out" if accelerating on a turn, particularly in wet conditions.

The A/C compressor runs when the selector is in the defrost position.
The A/C compressor will run if you have the re-circulate button pushed and lit, even if the A/C button is not lit.



**The SSR does not come with a spare, so if you have a flat…

The Tire Air Compressor
The OEM part is $600
Located in the box behind the driver seat containing the compressor & bottle of stop leak
Don't plug it into the cigarette lighter. There are 2 ports on either side of the ashtray and another inside the bed, passenger side at the tailgate.
The one in the lighter is only fused for 10 amps – not enough to operate the pump properly and will most likely blow the fuse.
The owner’s manual suggests the engine be running while in use to limit battery drain.

The SSR Top
When putting the top down, you only have to push the brake in unison with the console "Top Down" button to START the process.
Once the top has started moving, you can release the brake....in fact you can start driving

If putting the top down while moving, the top will STOP the cycle if you reach 25 mph
**Recommended (if you do it all) to do this only at very low speeds (i.e. – parades) making sure the vehicle is level
There is risk of bending hinges – not something you want to go through!

When closing the top, if you continue to hold the "raise top" button past the beep indicating the end of the cycle, both windows will close also

Making sure the windows are down first will expedite the top cycle time at stop lights

There are 2 cables behind your seats, one for unlocking the roof so that it can be manually raised and one for locking it down.

If traveling cross-country and not planning to put the top down, the roof storage compartment can be used to carry stuff.
Be careful not to load it too high as it will interfere with the flipper panel. Great place for the folding chairs

Locking the SSR
There are several ways to lock the SSR – many owners close the doors and use the FOB.
**This method does not arm the alarm system

When locking the vehicle press the lock on the control console ONCE till you hear a double chime now get out of your vehicle (making sure you have your keys/FOB in your pocket).
Close the door and in about 5 seconds the doors automatically lock. The alarm is then set.

If the SSR was locked via the FOB and the key is used to gain access the alarm/horn will go off.
Either depress the Panic Button on the FOB or when the engine is started the alarm will stop.

You can lock it with the key and unlock it with the key – no alarm set, no alarm to go off

Windows
A few of the very early MY2003 had a feature where you could remotely lower the windows by pressing the fob 4 times

If you tint your windows, make sure you install moleskin (window fuzzy material) on the inside of the rubber trailing edge at the top of the door panel to keep the tint from being scratched

Before disconnecting the battery, lower the windows.....this will have the windows in the lower indexed position and they can then be opened and closed without damage to the seals.
The windows should also be down slightly when in storage

In more extreme cold climates ice can form around the rubber seals on the door and prevent the windows from indexing down.
This makes it difficult or impossible to open the door without tearing the rubber.


The speedometer is prone to stepper motor issues, i.e. indicating you're going 95 when you're actually doing about 30. When repaired (or replaced), make sure to save and replace the rubber snub plugs.
Without them light shines through a number of holes in the gauge plate. There are no new plugs with a new speedometer.
Some people install the coloured gauge plates - same thing - make sure the plugs are replaced
(Also replacement or repair may not be necessary. Try turning the vehicle on and off a couple of times to see if the speedometer resets itself.)

First Sales
Signature 1 remains with GM Heritage
Signatures 2, 3, 4 &5 went to one bidder at a Signature Series Auction
Sale Prices
#2 - $137,850 - Signature Series #2, the first saleable SSR
#3 - $127,200
#4 - $120,000
#5 – $75,000
In 11/2010 GM sold the second last SSR - #24111, the “Last Saleable SSR”
The same purchaser that bought the 4 Signatures purchased #24111 for $109000 plus 10% Buyer fee – gross sale $119,900.

GM Heritage still retains
Signature Series #1
EX VIN #3X6959EX – 2003 Pace Truck
#24112 – “The Last SSR”

Wayne Cherry, retired GM Design Staff VP, ordered #1 of the “Regular Production” series (not Signature Series).

Gary Cowger, GM President, owned #2 of the regular production series.

Rick Wagoner, GM CEO owned #50. It was given to him by his wife for his 50th birthday. It is the only regular production 2003 that is Ultra Violet.

2003 & 2004 were produced with automatic transmissions ~ stick shift not available until 2005 with the LS2 engine.

Colours by Year
Excluding the Ultra Violet Signature Series in MY2003

2003 – Redline Red, Smokin Asphalt, Slingshot Yellow
2004 – Ricochet Silver & Ultra Violet were added (making 5 available colours)
2005 – Ultra Violet was discontinued and replaced by Aqua Blur (still 5 available colours)
2006 – Pacific Blue was added as a solid colour, making 6 solid colour options
However, 7 TuTone combinations were introduced making a total of 13 colour options for MY2006


:ssr:blur:

Have I forgotten something that needs to be on this list? Additions and Corrections are welcomed

Don't forget the How to Fix It Library by Dicktator here is the short cut: https://redirect.viglink.com/? f...onedrive.live.com/?id=3EF39D...F39D9F5ADCE5E5