2009 GMC SIERRA 1500 light

Seats and Restraint System............................. 1-1
Head Restraints
......................................... 1-3
Front Seats
............................................... 1-4
Rear Seats
..............................................1-14
Safety Belts
.............................................1-16
Child Restraints
.......................................1-38
Airbag System
.........................................1-72
Restraint System Check
............................1-91
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-18
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-22
Mirrors
....................................................2-57
Object Detection Systems
..........................2-61
OnStar
®System
......................................2-70
Universal Home Remote System
................2-73
Storage Areas
.........................................2-80
Sunroof
..................................................2-84Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-24
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-33
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-53
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-84
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle
....... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-47
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-4
Fuel
......................................................... 5-6
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-14
Rear Axle
...............................................5-51
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-53
Front Axle
...............................................5-56
Noise Control System
...............................5-57
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-58
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-61
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-66
2009 GMC Sierra Owner ManualM

Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may be found on
the vehicle and what they mean. For more information
on the symbol, refer to the index.
0:Adjustable Pedals
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls or OnStar®
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.:Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i:Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
j:LATCH System Child Restraints
*:Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway Mirrors
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_:Tow/Haul Mode
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
v

Heated Seats
On vehicles with heated front seats, the controls are
located on the driver and passenger doors.
I(Heated Seatback):Press to turn on the heated
seatback.
J(Heated Seat and Seatback):Press to turn on the
heated seat and seatback.
The light on the button will come on to indicate that the
feature is working. Press the button to cycle through the
temperature settings of high, medium, and low and to turn
the heat to the seat off. Indicator lights will show the level
of heat selected: three for high, two for medium, and one
for low.
The heated seats will be canceled 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off. To use the heated seat feature after
restarting the vehicle, press the heated seat or seatback
button again.
Memory Seat, Mirrors, and Pedals
Your vehicle may have the memory package.
The controls for this feature
are located on the driver’s
door panel, and are used to
program and recall memory
settings for the driver’s
seat, outside mirrors, and
the adjustable throttle and
brake pedal.
To save seating positions in memory:
1. Adjust the driver’s seat, including the seatback
recliner and lumbar, both outside mirrors, and the
throttle and brake pedals to a comfortable position.
SeeOutside Power Mirrors on page 2-58and
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal on page 2-26
for more information.
Not all mirrors, adjustable throttles and brake pedals,
or power lumbar will have the ability to save and
recall their positions.
2. Press and hold button 1 until two beeps sound to
indicate that the position has been stored.
1-8

Lap-Shoulder Belt
If your vehicle is a regular cab, then all seating positions
in the vehicle have a lap-shoulder belt. If your vehicle is a
crew or extended cab, then all seating positions in the
vehicle have a lap-shoulder belt except for the center
front passenger position (if equipped), which has a lap
belt. SeeLap Belt (Crew and Extended Cab) on
page 1-36for more information.
The following instructions explain how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can
sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across
you more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt is pulled
out all the way, the child restraint locking feature may
be engaged. If this happens, let the belt go back all
the way and start again.Engaging the child restraint locking feature may
affect the passenger sensing system. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 1-84for more information.
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, when
using the lap-shoulder belt in a rear center seating
position of a crew-cab, tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling the safety belt until it can be buckled.
1-30

{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on and
stays on, it means that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. For example, the right
front passenger airbag could inate even though
the airbag on-off switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or others, have the
vehicle serviced right away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 3-37for more information, including
important safety information.
If the vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, a rear-facing
child restraint should not be installed in the vehicle,
even if the airbag is off.
If the child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-49
for how and where to install the child restraint using
LATCH. If a child restraint is secured using a safety belt
and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH) on page 1-49for top tether anchor
locations.Do not secure a child restraint in a position without a
top tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top strap must
be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the child
restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that came
with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
If you have no other choice but to install a rear-facing
child restraint in this seat, make sure the airbag is off
once the child restraint has been installed.
When the airbag off switch has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, the off indicator in the
airbag off light should light and stay lit when you start
the vehicle. SeeAirbag Off Light on page 3-38.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or around
the restraint. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
1-63

If the vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, a rear-facing
child restraint should not be installed in the vehicle,
even if the airbag is off.
If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-49
for how and where to install your child restraint using
LATCH. If you secure a child restraint using a safety belt
and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH) on page 1-49for top tether anchor
locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor if a national or local law requires that the
top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that come
with the child restraint say that the top strap must be
anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the vehicle.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-40.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
1-67

{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it inates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would be if you were
sitting on the edge of your seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in position before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with airbags. The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against the
door or side windows in seating positions with
roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inates can be seriously injured or
killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer
protection for adults and older children, but not for
young children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s
safety belt system nor its airbag system is designed
for them. Young children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint system can provide.
Always secure children properly in your vehicle. To
read how, seeOlder Children on page 1-38or
Infants and Young Children on page 1-41.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-37
for more information.
1-74

Thresholds can also vary with specic vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of your
vehicle is 8,500 lb (3 855 kg) or above, your vehicle
has single stage airbags. If the GVWR is below 8,500 lb
(3 855 kg) then your vehicle has dual stage airbags. You
can nd the GVWR on the certication label on the rear
edge of the driver’s door. SeeLoading the Vehicle on
page 4-34for more information.
In addition, the vehicle may have dual-stage frontal
airbags. Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint according
to crash severity. The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage
airbags inate at a level less than full deployment. For
more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
Vehicles with dual stage airbags also have seat position
sensors which enable the sensing system to monitor the
position of the driver seat (all models) and the right front
passenger seat (light-duty regular cab and light-duty
extended cab models only). The seat position sensor
provides information that is used to determine if the
airbags should deploy at a reduced level or at full
deployment.The vehicle may or may not have roof-rail airbags. See
Airbag System on page 1-72. Roof-rail airbags are
intended to inate in moderate to severe side crashes.
In addition, these roof-rail airbags are intended to inate
during a rollover or in a severe frontal impact. Roof-rail
airbags will inate if the crash severity is above the
system’s designed threshold level. The threshold level
can vary with specic vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not intended to inate in rear
impacts. Both roof-rail airbags will deploy when either
side of the vehicle is struck, or if the sensing system
predicts that the vehicle is about to roll over, or in a
severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag
should have inated simply because of the damage to
a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, ination is determined by what the
vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how quickly the
vehicle slows down. For roof-rail airbags, deployment
is determined by the location and severity of the side
impact. In a rollover event, roof-rail airbag deployment
is determined by the direction of the roll.
1-78