The 1996 GMC Sierra Owner’s Manual
Seats and Restraint Systems ............................................................. 1-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts\
properly. It also explains the “SIR” system.
Features and Controls .................................................................. 2-1
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems ..................................................... 3-1
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfo\
rt controls and how to operate your
audio system.
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about
the road and how to drive under different conditions.
This section tells you what to do if you have
a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated
engine, etc.
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and \
what fluids and lubricants to use.
This section tells you how to contact
GMC Truck for assistance and how to get service and owner
publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects’’ on page 8-8.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 5-1
Service and Appearance Care ............................................................ 6-1
MaintenanceSchedule......... ......................................................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information ........................................................ 8-1
Index ........................................................................\
........ 9-1
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Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have
to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e e3
TURN
WARNING
A
HAZARD
FLASHER
These symbols are
on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT
TEMP
-
CHARGING I-1
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY POWER
WINDOW RUNNING
0
DAYTIME -
LAMPS '*'
FOG LAMPS # 0
VENTILATING
FAN
1
-3
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE HORN
)tr
SPEAKER v
FUEL B
V
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Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your
vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly.
You
can also learn about some things you should not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and fold them
up and down. It also tells you about
reclining front seatbacks and head restraints.
Mar--a1 Front Seat
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
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle
is not moving.
If your vehicle has a manual
bucket, split bench
or full
bench seat,
you can adjust it
with this lever at the front
of the seat.
~
I
Slide the lever at the front of the seat toward the
passenger’s side 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
in order to make sure
the seat
is locked in place.
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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
A CAUTION:
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 because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. 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.
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The extended cab’s rear seat can also be folded up to
provide more cargo space. To fold the seat:
1. Pull forward on the RELEASE lever at the side of
the seat cushion, behind the passenger’s side front
seat. Fold the seatback forward
until it latches with
the seat cushion.
2. Lift the entire seat
and push it rearward
into place.
3. Make sure the seat is secure.
Rear Seat (Crew Cab)
You can adjust the seat by sliding the lever at the front
of the seat toward the seat support to unlock it. Then,
slide
the seat to where you want it. Release the lever and
try to move the seat with your body in order to make
sure the seat is locked into place.
Safety Belts: They’re 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.
And
it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR), or air bag system.
Don’t
let ady6h K de where he or she 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.
-
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i
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says
to
wear safety belts. Here’s why: They work.
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.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. .In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast
as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle.
Suppose it’s just a seat
on wheels.
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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
@ Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if
I'm wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you're wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even
if you're upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you-can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
e.' If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use
of
safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
wear safety belts?
i 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,
1 and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
1 safety belts make such good sense.
i
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&.’ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
home, why should I wear safety belts?
accident -- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t 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. First, you’ll
want
to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with
the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it
properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part 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 the part of this manual called
“Children.” Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
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