
The 2003 GMC Yukon DenaIiNukon XL Denali
Owner Manual
Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
............................................. 1-25
Child Restraints
....................................... 1-48
Air Bag Systems
...................................... 1-72
Restraint System Check
............................ 1-86
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
................................................. 2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................ 2-1 6
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
....... 2-18
Mirrors
.................................................... 2-31
Onstar@
S stem ...................................... 2-36
HomeLink
J Transmitter ............................. 2-38
Storage Areas
......................................... 2-42
Sunroof
.................................................. 2-46
Vehicle Personalization
............................. 2-47
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
......... 3-28
Driver Information Center (DIC)
.................. 3-43
Climate Controls
...................................... 3-1 9
Audio System(s)
....................................... 3-58
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
................................................... 4-44
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................ 5-46
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-48
Bulb Replacement
.................................... 5-49
Tires
...................................................... 5-55
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-78
Vehicle Identification
................................. 5-86
Electrical System
...................................... 5-87
Capacities and Specifications
..................... 5-96
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
...... 5-98
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-9
Index ................................................................ 1
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
......... 5-54
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage
your vehicle.
A notice will tell you about something that can damage
your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your warranty, and
it could be costly. But the
notice will tell you 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.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle,
are shown along with the text describing the operation
or information relating
to a specific component, control,
message, gage or indicator.
If you need help figuring out a specific name of a
component, gage or indicator reference the following
topics:
Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
0 Features and Controls in Section 2
Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
Climate Controls in Section 3
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators in Section 3
0 Audio System(s) in Section 3
Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

Section 3 Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Overview ............................... 3.4
Hazard Warning Flashers
................................ 3.5
Other Warning Devices ................................... 3.6
Horn
............................................................. 3.6
Tilt Wheel
..................................................... 3-6
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
......................... 3.7
Exterior Lamps
............................................. 3.13
Interior Lamps
.............................................. 3.16
Accessory Power Outlets
............................... 3.17
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
........................ 3.18
Climate Controls ............................................ 3. 1 9
Electronic Climate Control System
................... 3.19
Outlet Adjustment
......................................... 3.25
Rear Climate Control System
......................... 3.25
Climate Controls Personalization
..................... 3.27
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators ............. 3.28
Instrument Panel Cluster
................................ 3.29
Speedometer and Odometer
........................... 3.30
Tachometer
................................ ......... 3.30
~
Safety Belt Reminder Light ............................. 3.30
Air Bag Readiness Light
................................ 3.31
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator ................ -3-32
Charging System Light
.................................. 3-33
Voltmeter Gage
............................................ 3-34
Brake System Warning Light
...................... 3-34
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
........................................... 3-35
Traction
Off Light .......................................... 3-36
Transmission Temperature Gage
..................... 3-37
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
............................. 3-38
Oil Pressure Gage ........................................ 3-40
Security Light
............................................... 3-41
Tow/Haul Mode Light .................................... 3-42
Fuel Gage
................................................... 3-42
Low Fuel Warning Light
............................. 3-42
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
.................. 3-36
Cruise Control
Light ...................................... 3-41
3- 1

Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages on
your vehicle. The pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough
to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention
to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when you start the
engine
just to let you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens. Gages can indicate
when there may be or
is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together
to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages
shows there may be a problem, check the section that
tells you what to do about it. Please follow this
manual’s advice. Waiting to do repairs can be
costly
- and even dangerous. So please get to know
your warning lights and gages. They’re
a big help.
Your vehicle also has a message center that works
along with warning lights and gages. See
DIC Warnings
and Messages on page
3-52.
3-28

If the word OFF or the off symbol is lit on the air bag
status indicator,
it means that the passenger sensing
system has turned
off the right front passenger’s frontal
air bag. See Passenger Sensing System on page
7 -8 7
for more on this, including important safety information.
If, after several seconds, all status indicator lights
remain on, or
if there are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the passenger sensing
system. See your dealer for service.
__ -he ofl ..jdicator and the air bag readiness
light ever come on together, it means that
something may be wrong with the air bag
system.
If this ever happens, have the vehicle
serviced promptly, because an adult-size
person sitting in the right front passenger seat
may not have the protection of the frontal air
bag. See “Air Bag Readiness Light” in the
Index.
Charging System Light
The charging system light
will come on briefly when you turn on the ignition,
but the engine is
not
running, as a check to
show you it
is working.
It should go out once the engine is running. If it stays
on, or comes on while you are driving, you may have a
problem with the charging system.
It could indicate
that you have problems with a generator drive belt, or
another electrical problem. Have it checked right
away. Driving while this light is on could drain your
battery.
When this light comes on the DIC will also display the
battery not charging message. See
DIC Warnings
and Messages
on page 3-52.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn
off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
3-33

If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. You will also hear a
chime sound when the light is on steady.
If the regular
brake system warning light isn’t on, you still have
brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If the
regular brake system warning light is also on you don’t
have anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem with
your regular brakes. In addition to both lights, you will
also hear a chime sound on the first occurrence of
a problem and each time the car is shut off and then
restarted. See Brake System Warning Light on
page
3-34.
Traction Off Light
If you have the
Stabilitrak@system, this
light should come on briefly
when you turn the
ignition to
RUN.
If the light doesn’t come on then, the system may
require service; have it fixed
so it will be there to warn
you
if the system is turned off.
For more information on the traction off light, see
Stabilitrak@
System on page 4-9.
3-36
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
~~ ~
United States
I I
Canada
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature.
It also provides an indicator
of how hard your vehicle is
working. During a majority of the operation, the gage
will read 21
0°F (100°C) or less. If you are pulling a load
or going up hills, it is normal for the temperature to
fluctuate and approach the 250°F (122°C) mark.
If the
gage reaches the 260°F
(125°C) mark, it indicates
that the cooling system
is working beyond its capacity.
See Engine Overheating on page
5-25.

Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on. This is normal.
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system, this warning light
will
stay on. See Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light
on page 3-35.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system.
If there’s a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come
on
accompanied by a IO-second chime. The lights
and chime will come
on each time the ignition is turned
on until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for
service. Let’s say
the road is wet and you’re driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here’s what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
4-7

The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem
with engine overheating, see Engine Overheating
on
page 5-25.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265°F (129°C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
e Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
Notice: When adding coolant, it is important that
you use only
DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL@ is added to the
system, premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion may result. In addition, the engine coolant
will require change sooner
-- at 30,000 miles
(50,000 km) or 24 months, whichever occurs first.
Damage caused by the use of coolant other than
DEX-COQL.@ is not covered by your new vehicle
warranty.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean, drinkable water and
one-half DEX-COOL@ coolant which won’t damage
aluminum parts.
!f YOU uss this coolant mixture,
you don’t need
to add anything else.
Adding c..ly
c water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system
is set for the
proper coolant mixture. With plain water or the
wrong mixture, your engine could get too hot
but you wouldn’t get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch fire and you or others
could be burned. Use a
50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COQL@ coolant.
Notice: If you use an improper coolant mixture,
your engine could overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Too much water
in the mixture can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core and
other parts.
5-23