2007 GMC SIERRA Owner's Manual

When a CD/DVD is playing, press the up or the
down arrow to go to the next or previous track
or chapter.
g(Mute/Voice Recognition):Press and release
this button to silence the vehicle speakers only.
The audio of the wireless and wired headphones, if
your vehicle has these features, does not mute.
Press and release this button again, to turn
the sound on.
If your vehicle has the navigation system, press and
hold this button for longer than one second to
initiate voice recognition. See “Voice Recognition”
in the Navigation System manual for more
information.
If your vehicle has OnStar
®, press and hold this
button for longer than one second to interact with
the OnStar
®system. If your vehicle also has the
navigation system, press and hold this button for
longer than one second to initiate voice recognition
and say “OnStar” to enter OnStar
®mode. See the
OnStar®System on page 180in this manual for
more information.SRCE (Source):Press this button to switch
between the radio (AM, FM), XM™ (if equipped),
CD, and if your vehicle has these features,
DVD, front auxiliary, and rear auxiliary.
+
e−e(Volume):Press the plus or minus
button to increase or to decrease the radio volume.
¨(Seek):Press the seek arrow to go to the
next radio station while in AM, FM, or XM™
(if equipped). Press this button to go to the next
track or chapter while sourced to the CD or
DVD slot.
Radio Reception
Frequency interference and static can occur
during normal radio reception if items such as cell
phone chargers, vehicle convenience accessories,
and external electronic devices are plugged
into the accessory power outlet. If there is
interference or static, unplug the item from the
accessory power outlet.
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AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for
FM, especially at night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with each other. For
better radio reception, most AM radio stations
boosts the power levels during the day, and then
reduce these levels during the night. Static can also
occur when things like storms and power lines
interfere with radio reception. When this happens,
try reducing the treble on your radio.
FM Stereo
FM stereo gives the best sound, but FM signals
only reach about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to fade in and out.
XM™ Satellite Radio Service
XM™ Satellite Radio Service gives digital radio
reception from coast-to-coast in the 48 contiguous
United States, and in Canada. Just as with FM,
tall buildings or hills can interfere with satellite
radio signals, causing the sound to fade in and out.In addition, traveling or standing under heavy
foliage, bridges, garages, or tunnels could cause
loss of the XM™ signal for a period of time.
The radio might display NO XM SIGNAL to
indicate interference.
Care of Your CDs and DVDs
Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original
cases or other protective cases and away from
direct sunlight and dust. The CD player scans the
bottom surface of the disc. If the surface of a
CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken,
or scratched, the CD does not play properly or not
at all. If the surface of a CD is soiled, take a
soft, lint free cloth or dampen a clean, soft cloth in
a mild, neutral detergent solution mixed with
water, and clean it. Make sure the wiping process
starts from the center to the edge.
Do not touch the bottom side of a CD while
handling it; this could damage the surface. Pick up
CDs by grasping the outer edges or the edge of
the hole and the outer edge.
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Care of the CD and DVD Player
The use of CD lens cleaners for CDs is not
advised, due to the risk of contaminating the lens
of the CD optics with lubricants internal to the
CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The xed mast antenna can withstand most car
washes without being damaged. If the mast should
ever become slightly bent, straighten it out by
hand. If the mast is badly bent, replace it.
Check occasionally to make sure the mast is
still tightened to its base. If tightening is
required, tighten by hand, then with a wrench
one quarter turn.
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna
System
The XM™ Satellite Radio antenna is located on
the roof of your vehicle. Keep this antenna clear of
snow and ice build up for clear radio reception.
A vehicle with a sunroof might not get the
best performance from the XM™ system if the
sunroof is open.
Loading items onto the roof of your vehicle can
interfere with the performance of the XM™ system.
Make sure the XM™ Satellite Radio antenna is
not obstructed.
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✍NOTES
372

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle............................................ 374
Defensive Driving...................................... 374
Drunken Driving........................................ 375
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 378
Braking...................................................... 378
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 379
Braking in Emergencies............................. 381
Locking Rear Axle..................................... 381
StabiliTrak
®System................................... 381
Steering.................................................... 385
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 387
Passing..................................................... 387
Loss of Control.......................................... 389
Off-Road Driving........................................ 390
Driving at Night......................................... 407
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 408
City Driving............................................... 412
Freeway Driving........................................ 413Before Leaving on a Long Trip.................. 414
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 415
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 416
Winter Driving........................................... 418
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.......................................... 422
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 423
Recovery Hooks........................................ 424
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 425
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar
Equipment.............................................. 432
Truck-Camper Loading Information............ 436
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab............ 439
Towing........................................................ 439
Towing Your Vehicle................................. 439
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 439
Towing a Trailer........................................ 445
Trailer Recommendations.......................... 482
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
373

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving
is: Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in
your vehicle: Buckle up. SeeSafety Belts: They
Are for Everyone on page 22.
{CAUTION:
Defensive driving really means “Be ready
for anything.” On city streets, rural roads,
or expressways, it means “Always expect
the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians
or other drivers are going to be careless
and make mistakes. Anticipate what they
might do and be ready. Rear-end collisions
are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow
enough following distance. Defensive
driving requires that a driver concentrate
on the driving task. Anything that distracts
from the driving task makes proper
defensive driving more difficult and can
even cause a collision, with resulting
injury. Ask a passenger to help do these
things, or pull off the road in a safe place to
do them. These simple defensive driving
techniques could save your life.
374

Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and
driving is a national tragedy. It is the number one
contributor to the highway death toll, claiming
thousands of victims every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to
drive a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most
cases, these deaths are the result of someone who
was drinking and driving. In recent years, more
than 16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths
have been associated with the use of alcohol, with
more than 300,000 people injured.Many adults — by some estimates, nearly half the
adult population — choose never to drink
alcohol, so they never drive after drinking. For
persons under 21, it is against the law in
every U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good
medical, psychological, and developmental
reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink
alcohol and then drive. But what if people do?
How much is “too much” if someone plans
to drive? It is a lot less than many might think.
Although it depends on each person and situation,
here is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of
someone who is drinking depends upon four things:
The amount of alcohol consumed
The drinker’s body weight
The amount of food that is consumed before
and during drinking
The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol
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According to the American Medical Association, a
180 lb (82 kg) person who drinks three 12 ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with
a BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would
reach the same BAC by drinking three 4 ounce
(120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed drinks if
each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of liquors like
whiskey, gin, or vodka.It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For
example, if the same person drank three double
martinis (3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each)
within an hour, the person’s BAC would be close
to 0.12 percent. A person who consumes food
just before or during drinking will have a somewhat
lower BAC level.
There is a gender difference, too. Women
generally have a lower relative percentage of body
water than men. Since alcohol is carried in body
water, this means that a woman generally will
reach a higher BAC level than a man of her same
body weight will when each has the same
number of drinks.
The law in most U.S. states, and throughout
Canada, sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent. In
some other countries, the limit is even lower. For
example, it is 0.05 percent in both France and
Germany. The BAC limit for all commercial drivers
in the United States is 0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we have seen, it
depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and
how quickly the person drinks them.
376