2004 GMC YUKON XL DENALI warning light

This light should come on brie¯y when you turn the
ignition key to RUN. If it doesn't come on then, have it
®xed so it will be ready to warn you if there's a
problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
¯oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. See
Towing
Your Vehicle on page 4-44.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you have pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed for
service.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on for
several seconds.
That's normal. If the light doesn't come on then, have it
®xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a
problem. United States
Canada
3-37

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 ®rst occurrence of a problem and each time the
vehicle is shut off and then restarted. See
Brake System
Warning Light on page 3-36.
Traction Off Light
If you have the
Stabilitrakžsystem, this
light should come on brie¯y
when you turn the
ignition to RUN.
If the light doesn't come on then, the system may
require service; have it ®xed so it will be there to warn
you if the system is turned off.
For more information on the traction off light, see
StabilitrakžSystem on page 4-9.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
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 210ÉF (100ÉC) or less. If you are pulling a load
or going up hills, it is normal for the temperature to
¯uctuate and approach the 250ÉF (122ÉC) mark. If the
gage reaches the 260ÉF (125ÉC) mark, it indicates
that the cooling system is working beyond its capacity.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-25.
United StatesCanada
3-38

Fuel Gage
The fuel gage, when the ignition is on, tells you about
how much fuel you have left in your tank.
The gage will ®rst indicate empty before you are out of
fuel, and you should get more fuel as soon as
possible.
When the fuel tank is low the FUEL LEVEL LOW
message will appear. See
Driver Information Center
(DIC) on page 3-46.Here are some situations you may experience with your
fuel gage. None of these indicate a problem with the
fuel gage.
·At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
·It takes a little more or less fuel to ®ll up than the
fuel gage indicated. For example, the gage may
have indicated the tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than half the tank's
capacity to ®ll the tank.
·The gage goes back to empty when you turn off the
ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
The light next to the fuel gage will come on brie¯y when
you are starting the engine.
This light comes on when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
To turn it off, add fuel to the fuel tank. See
Fuel on
page 5-4. United States
Canada
3-45

The DIC does not replace the need to maintain your
vehicle as recommended in the Maintenance Schedule
in this manual. Also, the oil change reminder will not
detect dusty conditions or engine malfunctions that may
affect the oil. Also, the oil change reminder does not
measure how much oil you have in your engine. So, be
sure to check your oil level often. See
Engine Oil on
page 5-13.
Personalization Button
You can program certain features to a preferred setting
for up to two people. Press the personalization button
to scroll through the following personalization features.
All of the personalization options may not be available
on your vehicle. Only the options available will be
displayed on your DIC.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons you will not have any of the following
personalization options except for DISPLAY
LANGUAGE. See DISPLAY LANGUAGE later in this
section for more information.
·AUTOMATIC LOCKING
·AUTOMATIC UNLOCKING
·DELAYED LOCKING
·REMOTE LOCK FEEDBACK
·ALARM WARNING TYPE
·REMOTE UNLOCK FEEDBACK
·HEADLAMPS ON AT EXIT
·PERIMETER LIGHTING
·SEAT POSITION RECALL
·EASY EXIT DRIVER SEAT
·CURB VIEW ASSIST
·DISPLAY LANGUAGE
·DISPLAY UNITS (ENG/MET)
The default options for the above features were set
when your vehicle left the factory. The default options
are noted in the text following, but may have been
changed from their default state since then.
The driver's preferences can be recalled by pressing the
unlock button on the remote keyless entry transmitter
labeled 1 or 2 or by pressing the appropriate memory
button 1 or 2 located on the driver's door.
3-50

When the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message is on, you
should continue to steer in the direction you want to
go. The system is designed to help you in bad weather
or other difficult driving situations by making the most
of whatever road conditions will permit.
SERVICE STABILITY
If you ever see the SERVICE STABILITY message, it
means there may be a problem with your
Stabilitrak
žsystem. If you see this message try to reset
the system (stop; turn off the engine; then start the
engine again). If the SERVICE STABILITY message still
comes on, it means there is a problem. You should
see your dealer for service. The vehicle is safe to drive,
however, you do not have the bene®t of Stabilitrak
ž,
so reduce your speed and drive accordingly.
STABILITY SYS DISABLED
The STABILITY SYS DISABLED message will turn on
when you press the Stabilitrakžbutton, or when the
stability control has been automatically disabled. To limit
wheel spin and realize the full bene®ts of the stability
enhancement system, you should normally leave
Stabilitrak
žon. However, you should turn Stabilitrakžoff
if your vehicle gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow
and you want to ªrockº your vehicle to attempt to free it,
or if you are driving in extreme off-road conditions
and require more wheel spin. See
If You Are Stuck: In
Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-41. To turn theStabilitrak
žsystem back on press the Stabilitrakžbutton
again. There are four conditions that can cause this
message to appear. One condition is overheating, which
could occur if Stabilitrak
žactivates continuously for
an extended period of time. The message will also be
displayed if the brake system warning light is on.
See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-36. The
message could be displayed if the stability system takes
longer than usual to complete its diagnostic checks
due to driving conditions. Also, if an engine or vehicle
related problem has been detected, and the vehicle
needs service, the message will appear.
The message will turn off as soon as the conditions that
caused the message to be displayed are no longer
present.
TIGHTEN FUEL CAP
If the vehicle's fuel cap is not tightened properly this
message may appear along with the check engine light
on the instrument panel. See
Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on page 3-40. Reinstall the fuel cap fully. SeeFilling Your Tank on page 5-7. The diagnostic system
can determine if the fuel cap has been left off, or
improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel cap will
allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips with the cap properly installed should turn
this light and message off.
3-62

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 is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. See
Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-37
.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-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 us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is 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

When the Stabilitrakžsystem has been turned off you
may still hear system noises as a result of the
brake-traction control coming on.
It is recommended to leave the system on for normal
driving conditions, but it may be necessary to turn
the system off if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice
or snow, and you want to ªrockº your vehicle to
attempt to free it. It may also be necessary to turn off
the system when driving in extreme off-road conditions
where high wheel spin is required. See
If You Are
Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-41.
Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part of the
Stabilitrakžsystem. Traction control limits wheel spin by
reducing engine power to the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying brakes to each individual
wheel (brake-traction control) as necessary.
The traction control system is enabled automatically
when you start your vehicle, and it will activate
and display the TRACTION ACTIVE message in the
Driver Information Center (DIC) if it senses that any of
the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction
while driving. If you turn off Stabilitrak
ž, only the
brake-traction control portion of traction control will
work. The engine speed management will be disabled.
In this state, engine power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin more freely. This
can cause the brake-traction control to activateconstantly. For more information on the traction active
message, see
Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page 3-46.
Notice:If the traction off light comes on due to
heavy braking and/or because the traction control
system has been continuously active, do not
allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin excessively. If
you do, you may be causing damage to the
transfer case. This could lead to costly repairs not
covered by your warranty.
If the brake-traction control system activates constantly
or if the brakes have heated up due to high speed
braking, the brake-traction control will be disabled and
the TRACTION SYS LIMITED message will be
displayed. In the limited mode, the traction control
system will only use engine traction-control and is limited
in its ability to provide optimal performance since the
system will not utilize brake traction-control to control
slip on the drive wheels. The system will return to normal
after the brakes have cooled. This can take up to two
minutes or longer depending on brake usage.
Notice:If you allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin
excessively while the traction off, ABS and brake
warning lights and the SERVICE STABILITY
MESSAGE are displayed, you could damage the
transfer case. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Reduce engine power and do not
spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and
this message are displayed.
4-10

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and
you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see re¯ections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops ªdimpleº the water's surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine's air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If
you can not avoid deep puddles or standing
water, drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
If you try to drive through ¯owing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can
be carried away. As little as six inches of
¯owing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious
about trying to drive through ¯owing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
·Turn on your low-beam headlamps ± not just your
parking lamps ± to help make you more visible to
others.
·Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
·Have good tires with proper tread depth. SeeTires
on page 5-54
.
4-31