2003 GMC YUKON wheel

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-3
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................1-22
Child Restraints
.......................................1-44
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-70
Restraint System Check
............................1-86
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-18
Mirrors
....................................................2-40
OnStar
®System
......................................2-48
HomeLink®Transmitter
.............................2-50
Storage Areas
.........................................2-54
Sunroof
..................................................2-57
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-58
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-21
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-37
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-53
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-71Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-54
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-49
Rear Axle
...............................................5-50
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-51
Front Axle
...............................................5-52
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-52
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-59
Tires
......................................................5-60
Appearance Care
.....................................5-88
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-96
Electrical System
......................................5-97
Capacities and Specications
...................5-106
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
....5-109
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-9
Index................................................................ 1
2003 GMC Yukon/Yukon XLM
2003 - Yukon/Yukon XL

{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted won’t provide the
protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.
To reinstall the 50/50 split bench, do the following:
1. While holding the rear of the seat up, slide the front
wheels into the slots on thefloor. The front latches
should lock into place. If the latches do not lock,
try tilting the rear of the seats upwards.2. Once the latches are engaged, let the seat drop
into place. Release the lever labeled 1 to return
the seat to its upright position.
3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked
into place. The seatback cannot be raised to the
upright position unless the seat is secured to
thefloor.
Bench Seat
If your vehicle has a full bench seat, the seatback can
be folded and the seat can be tilted or removed from the
vehicle.
1-15
2003 - Yukon/Yukon XL

To reinstall the full bench seat, do the following:
1. While holding the rear of the seat up, slide the front
wheels into the slots on thefloor. The front latches
should lock into place. If the latches do not lock,
try tilting the rear of the seats upwards.
2. Once the latches are engaged, let the seat drop
into place. Release the lever labeled 1 to return
the seat to its upright position.
3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked
into place. The seatback cannot be raised to the
upright position unless the seat is secured to
thefloor.
Bucket Seats
If your vehicle has bucket seats, the seatbacks can be
reclined and the seats can be folded to give you
more cargo room.
Reclining the Seatbacks
On the Suburban/Yukon XL models with bucket seats,
the seatbacks can be reclined. To adjust the seatback
do the following:
1. Pull forward the lever located at the base of
the seat.
2. Release the lever to lock the seatback where you
want it. If you pull the lever without pushing on the
seatback, the seatback will go to an upright
position.
Folding the Seatbacks
{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
The seatbacks on the bucket seats may be folded
forward to give you more cargo space.
1-20
2003 - Yukon/Yukon XL

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.Put someone on it.
1-24
2003 - Yukon/Yukon XL

There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the air
bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAir Bag Readiness Light on page 3-40
for more information.Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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2003 - Yukon/Yukon XL

If your vehicle has one, the right front passenger’s side
impact air bag is in the side of the passenger’s
seatback closest to the door.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering. Don’t let seat covers block the
inflation path of a side impact air bag.
When Should an Air Bag Inflate?
Frontal Air Bags
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system’s
designed“threshold level.”
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2003 - Yukon/Yukon XL

In addition, your vehicle has“dual stage”frontal air bags,
which adjust the amount of restraint according to crash
severity. For moderate frontal impacts, these air bags
inflate at a level less than full deployment. For more
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front
of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn’t move
or deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment
is about 10 to 16 mph (16 to 25 km/h), and the threshold
level for a full deployment is about 20 to 25 mph
(32 to 40 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however,
with specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range.
If your vehicle strikes something that will move or
deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will be
higher. The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal
air bags are not designed to inflate in rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation
would not help the occupant.
Seat Position Sensors
Vehicles with dual stage air bags are also equipped with
special sensors which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of both the driver and passenger
front seats. The seat position sensor provides
information which is used to determine if the air bags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full depoyment.
Side Impact Air Bags
Your vehicle may or may not have a side impact air
bag. SeeAir Bag Systems on page 1-70. Side impact air
bags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe
side crashes. A side impact air bag will inflate if
the crash severity is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.”The threshold level can vary with
specific vehicle design. Side impact air bags are
not designed to inflate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant. A side impact air bag will only deploy
on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
Air Bag Systems
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle
of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact
air bags, inflation is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. See Off-Road
Driving with Your Four-Wheel Drive Vehicle in the
Index for tips on off-road driving.
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2003 - Yukon/Yukon XL

What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For
both frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, the air bag and
related hardware are all part of the air bag modules.
Frontal air bag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with side
impact air bags, the air bag modules are located in the
seatback closest to the driver’s and/or right front
passenger’s door.
HowDoes an Air Bag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The air bag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But thefrontal air bags would not help you in many types of
collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and
many side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s
motion is not toward the air bag. Side impact air bags
would not help you in many types of collisions,
including frontal or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and
rear impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion
is not toward those air bags. Air bags should never
be regarded as anything more than a supplement to
safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal collisions for the driver’s and right front
passenger’s frontal air bags, and only in moderate
to severe side collisions for vehicles with a driver’s and
right front passenger’s side impact air bag.
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2003 - Yukon/Yukon XL