2003 GMC SIERRA DENALI ignition

Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK
(P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK
(P). This is called ”torque
lock.” To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave
the driver’s seat.
To find out how, see Shifting lnto
Park
(P) on page 2-23.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK
(P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission,
so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of Park (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transmission shift lock
control system. You have to fully apply your regular
brakes before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition
is in RUN. See Automatic Transmission
Operation on page
2- 18.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way up into
PARK
(P) as you maintain brake application. Then,
move the shift lever into the gear you want.
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t shift
out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the key to LOCK.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift the vehicle to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
5. Have the system fixed as soon as you can.
you want.
2-25

Mirrors
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
with Onstar@, Compass and
Temperature Display
Your vehicle may have this feature. When on, an
electrochromic mirror automatically dims to the proper
level to minimize glare from lights behind you after dark.
The mirror also includes a duel display in the upper
right corner of the mirror face. The compass reading and
the outside temperature will both appear in the display
at the same time.
cl) (On/Off): This is the on/off button.
Temperature and Compass Display
Press the on/off button, located to the far left, briefly to
turn the comp/temp display on or off.
If the display reads CAL, you will need to calibrate the
compass. For more information on calibration, see below.
To adjust between Fahrenheit and Celsius do the
following:
1. Press and hold the on/off button for approximately
four seconds until either a flashing
OF, or "C
appears.
desired unit of measurement. After approximately
four seconds of inactivity, the new unit will be locked
in and the compass/temperature display will return.
2. Press the button again to change the display to the
Electrochromic Mirror Operation
The electrochromic (self dimming) mirror function is
turned on automatically each time the ignition is started.
To operate the electrochromic mirror do the following:
1. Make sure the green indicator light, located to the left
of the on/off button, is lit.
If it's not, press and hold the
on/off button for approximately six seconds until the
green light comes on, indicating that the mirror is in
electrochromic (self dimming) mode.
2. Turn off the electrochromic mirror function by
pressing and holding the on/off button for
approximately six seconds until the green indicator
light turns off.
2-28

The seat and mirror positions can also be recalled when
placing the key in the ignition
if programmed to do so
through the Driver Information Center (DIC).
To stop recali movement of the
memory seat feature at
any time, press one of the memory buttons or power
seat controls.
Easy Exit Seat
The controls for this memory function are located on the
driver’s door.
li’)T) This button is used to program and recall the
desired driver’s seat position when exiting/entering the
vehicle. The seat position, can be personalized for
both driver
1 and driver 2.
To store the seat exit position for driver 1 or 2, do the
following:
1. Select the desired driver number by pressing and
releasing the
1 or 2 button. The seat will move to
the stored memory position.
2. Adjust the seat to the desired exit position.
3. Press and hold the exit button of the memory
control for three seconds.
A double chime will sound
to let you know that the position has been stored for the identified driver
(1 or 2).
To use the seat exit position, do one of the following:
Press the exit button on the memory control.
Or, if this feature is enabled (active) in the DIC,
then removing the key from the ignition will
cause the seat to move
to the exit position.
2-43

Increasing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
0
0
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher
speed. Press the set button at the end of the lever,
then release the button and the accelerator
pedal. You’ll now cruise at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from on to
resume/accelerate. Hold it there until you get up to
the speed you want, and then release the switch.
To increase your speed in very small amounts,
move the switch to resume/accelerate briefly. Each
time you do this, your vehicle will go about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
Press and hold the set button at the end of the
lever until you reach the lower speed you want, then
release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, press the set
button briefly. Each time you do this, you’ll go
about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot
off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may want to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers find this to be too much trouble and don’t use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal.
Step lightly on the clutch pedal (if equipped).
0 Move the cruise control switch to off.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
3-1 0

Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a headlamp off delay,
which will keep the headlamps on for a short time after
the ignition is turned
off. For more information see
DIC Operation and Displays on page 3-43.
Your vehicle has a light sensor located on the top of the
instrument panel in the defroster grille. Be sure it is
not covered, or the system will be on whenever
the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on your headlamps when
driving through a parking garage, heavy overcast
weather or a tunnel. This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic headlamp systems
so
that driving under bridges or bright overhead street
lights does not affect the system. The DRL and
automatic headlamp system will only be affected when
the light sensor sees a change in lighting lasting
longer than the delay. one
minute for the automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL
if it is bright enough outside. During that
delay, your instrument panel cluster may not be as
bright as usual. Make sure your instrument panel
brightness control is in the full bright position. See
“Instrument Panel Brightness Control’’ under
Interior
Lamps on page
3-15.
To idle your vehicle with the automatic headlamp
system off, turn the control to the
off position.
You may be able to turn off your automatic headlamp
system. See Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) later in this
section for more information.
Your headlamps will also stay on after you exit the
vehicle. You can program this feature using the Driver
lnforrnation Center. See
Driver lnforrnation Center @IC)
on page
3-43
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps
if you need them.
Lamps On Reminder
A reminder chime will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on and your
ignition is off, in LOCK, ACCESSORY, or your door is
open. To disable the chime, turn the light
off, then
back on.
If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system will come on immediately. Once
you leave the garage, it will take approximately
3-1 2

Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful
in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system will come on when the following
conditions are met:
The ignition is on,
0 the exterior lamp control is in AUTO
0 the automatic transmission is not in PARK (P), and
0 the light sensor determines it is daytime.
When the
DRL are on, only your DRL lamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be
on. The instrument panel won’t be lit up either. When
it begins to
get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps or the last
chosen headlamp setting that was used.
W-hen you turn the exterior iamp controi
to off, the
headlamps will go off, and your DRL lamps will
illuminate, provided it is not dark outside.
Shifting the transmission into PARK
(P) will allow you to
idle the vehicle with the DRL off. The DRL will stay
off until you release the parking brake or shift the
transmission out of PARK (P).
Puddle Lamps
Your vehicle is equipped with puddle lamps to help you
see the area near the base
of the front doors when it
is dark out. The puddle lamps will illuminate when a door
is opened or when you press the UNLOCK button on
the keyless entry transmitter.
3-1 3

Fog Lamps
You can use your vehicle’s fog lamps for better vision in
foggy or misty conditions.
The fog lamp button is
located on the left side of
your instrument panel.
Your parking lamps and/or low-beam headlamps must
be on for your fog lamps to work.
Press the button to turn the fog lamps on while the
headlamps are on. Press the button again to turn them
off. An indicator light will glow in the button when
the fog lamps are on.
Remember, fog lamps alone will not give
off as much
light as your headlamps. Never use the fog lamps in the
dark without turning on the headlamps. The
fog lamps will go
off whenever the high-beam
headlamps come on. When the high beams go
off, the
fog lamps will come on again.
The fog lamps will be cancelled after the ignition is
turned
off. If you still want to use the fog lamps after you
restart the vehicle, press the fog lamp button again.
Cargo Lamp
The cargo lamp button is
located on the left side of
the instrument panel.
~ Press the button to turn
the cargo lamp on.
Press the button again to
turn it
off.
An indicator light on the instrument panel cluster will
illuminate when the cargo lamp is turned on, and
the ignition key is turned to RUN.
3-1 4

Front Reading Lamps Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
-g-: This feature controls the brightness of the
instrument panel lights.
The thumbwheel for this feature is located next
to the
exterior lamp control.
Turn the thumbwheel up to adjust the instrument panel
lights and return the radio display to full brightness
when the headlamps or parking lamps are on. To turn
on the dome lamps, with the vehicle doors closed,
turn the thumbwheel all the way up.
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on when
you remove the key from the ignition. The lamps
will not come on
if the dome override button is pressed
in.
Entry Lighting
Your vehicle is equipped with an illuminated entry
feature.
When a door is opened, the dome lamps and puddle
lamps will come on
if the dome override button is in the
out position. If the dome override button is pressed
in, the lamps will not come on. Your
vehicle has front reading lamps located in the
overhead console. Press the round button located next
to the lamp to turn the lamp on. The lamps can be
adjusted to point in the direction you want them to go.
Press the button again to turn the lamp
off.
3-1 5