2003 GMC SIERRA DENALI Owners Manual

Rear Doors
Your vehicle is equipped with rear access doors that
allow easier access to the rear area of the extended cab.
To open a rear access
door from the outside, first
open the front door.
Then, use the handle
located on the front edge
of the rear access door
to open it.
Tailgate
You must fully close a rear access door before you can
close the front door. To open a rear access
door from the inside, the
front door must be opened
first. Then, use the
handle located on the
inside of the rear access
door to open it.
You can open the tailgate by lifting up on its handle
while pulling the tailgate toward you.
To shut the tailgate, firmly push it upward until it
latches.
After you put the tailgate back up, pull it back towards
you to be sure it latches securely.
2-8

Tailgate Removal
The tailgate on your vehicle can be removed to allow for
different loading situations. Although the tailgate can
be removed without assistance, you may want someone
to assist you with the removal to avoid possible
damage to the vehicle.
To remove the tailgate, do the following:
1. Raise the tailgate
slightly and release
both retaining
cable clips. To release
the retaining cable clips, lift the cable
so it
points straight out
and push the cable clip
forward.
2. With the tailgate at a
slight upward angle,
pull back on the tailgate
at the right edge and
then move the
tailgate to the right to
release the left edge.
Reverse the above procedure to reinstall. Make sure the
tailgate is secure.
2-9

Windows
Le; ng child. --I in a vehicle with the windows
closed is dangerous.
A child can be overcome
by the extreme heat and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Never
leave a child alone in a vehicle, especially with
the windows closed in warm or hot weather.
2-1 0

Power Windows
A power window control is located on the inside of each
front door.
The driver’s door has a switch for the passenger
window as well. Your power windows will work when the
ignition has been turned to ACCESSORY or RUN or
when Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is active.
See “Retained Accessory Power” under
Ignition
Positions
on page 2- 15.
Press the rear of the switch with the power window
symbol on it to lower the window or press the front of
the switch to raise the window.
Express-Down Windows
The driver and passenger windows also has an express
down feature that allows the windows to be lowered
without holding the switch. Press and hold the front edge
of the window switch for one second to activate the
express down mode. The express down mode can be
canceled at any time by pulling up on the switch.
To open the window partway, lightly tap the switch until
the window is at the desired position.
Swing-Out Windows
To open a rear swing-out
window, flip the latch open
and swing the glass out.
*, -,&y: * “cf .. - .- . ”” , . Y,.-, ”
The latch will catch when the window is fully open and it
will also hold it in the open position.
2-1 7

Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the top and
bottom visors. You can also swing the bottom visor from
side-to-side. The visors may also have an extension
that can be pulled out for additional glare protection.
Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirrors
Your vehicle may have this feature. If it does, pull the
sun visor down and lift the mirror cover
to turn on
the lamps. There is
a slide switch to adjust the intensity
of the lamps.
2-1 2

Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make
it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you
can help.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle is equipped with a content theft-deterrent
alarm system.
With this system, the
security light on the cluster
will flash
as you open
the door
(if your ignition is
off), to let you know
that you are activating the
system. This
message reminds you to activate the theft-deterrent
system. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door with the power door lock switch or
the remote keyless entry transmitter. The security light should come on and flash.
If you are using the
remote keyless entry transmitter, the door does
not need to be open.
3. Close all of the doors. The light will stop flashing and
stay solid.The security light should go
off after
approximately
30 seconds. The alarm is not armed
until the security light goes
off. If the delayed locking
feature is active, the alarm will not activate until all
doors are closed and the security light goes
off.
Once the system is armed, if a door is opened without
the key or the remote keyless entry transmitter, the
alarm will go
off. Depending on how you have
programmed the alarm in the secondary information
center, the horn may sound, the headlamps may flash
or both the headlamps and the horn will activate.
Remember, the theft-deterrent system won’t activate
if
you lock the doors with a key or use the manual
door lock. It activates only
if you use a power door lock
switch with the door open, or with the remote keyless
entry transmitter. You should also remember that
you can start your vehicle with the correct ignition key
if
the alarm has been set off.

Here’s how to avoid setting off the alarm by accident:
If you don’t want to activate the theft-deterrent
system, the vehicle should be locked with the door
key after the doors are closed.
Always unlock a door with a key, or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter. Unlocking a door any
other way will set
off the alarm if the system
has been armed.
If you set off the alarm by accident, unlock any door
with the key. You can also turn
off the alarm by pressing
UNLOCK on the remote keyless entry transmitter or
by placing the key in the ignition and turning it to
START.
Testing the Alarm
The alarm can be tested by following these steps:
1. From inside the vehicle, lower the driver’s window
and open the driver’s door.
2. Activate the system by locking the doors with the
power door lock switch while the door is open, or
with the remote keyless entry transmitter.
3. Get out of the vehicle, close the door and wait for
the security message
to go out.
4. Then reach in through the window, unlock the door
with the manual door lock and open the door. This
should set
off the alarm. If the
alarm does not sound and the headlamps do not
flash, you may have the feature turned
off. See DIC
Operation and Displays on page 3-43 for more
information.
Passlock@
Your vehicle is equipped with the
Passlock@ theft-deterrent system.
Passlock@ is a passive theft-deterrent system.
Passlock@ enables fuel
if the ignition lock cylinder is
turned with a valid key.
If a correct key is not used or the
ignition lock cylinder is tampered with, fuel is disabled.
If the engine stalls and the security light flashes,
wait until the light stops flashing before trying to restart
the engine. Remember
to release the key from
START as soon as the engine starts.
If the engine is running and the security light comes on,
you will be able
to restart the engine if you turn the
engine
off. However, your Passlock@ system is
not working properly and must be serviced by your
dealer. Your vehicle is not protected by Passlock@ at this
time. You may also want to check the fuse (see
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-95.) See your
dealer for service.
In an emergency, call the GM Roadside Assistance
Center. See
Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-5
under Customer Assistance Information.
2-1 4

Starting and Operating Your
Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In
Notices Your vehicle doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.” But
it will perform better in the long run
if you follow these guidelines:
* Keep your speed at 55 mph (88 km/h) or less for
the first
500 miles (805 km).
Don’t drive at any one speed - fast or slow - for
the first
500 miles (805 km). Don’t make
full-throttle starts.
Avoid making hard stops for the first 200 miles
(322 km) or so. During this time your new brake
linings aren’t yet broken
in. Hard stops with new
linings can mean premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this breaking-in guideline
every time you get new brake linings.
Don’t tow a trailer during break-in. See “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index for more information.
Ignition Positions
With your key in the ignition switch you can turn it to
four different positions.
c
A
~~~ ~
Notice: If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you
can’t turn
it, be sure you are using the correct key; if
so, is it all the way in? Turn the key only with
your hand. Using a tool to force
it could break the
key or the ignition switch. If none of these works,
then your vehicle needs service.
2-1 5