2009 GMC SIERRA 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
.........................................1-73
Restraint System Check
............................1-90
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
..........................2-62
OnStar
®System
......................................2-71
Universal Home Remote System
................2-74
Storage Areas
.........................................2-81
Sunroof
..................................................2-85Instrument 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)
.......................................3-85
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle
....... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-45
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-4
Fuel
......................................................... 5-6
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-12
Rear Axle
...............................................5-49
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-51
Front Axle
...............................................5-53
Noise Control System
...............................5-54
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-55
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-58
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.
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 when
you have turned off the airbag, it means that
something may be wrong with the airbag system.
The right front passenger’s airbag could inate
even though the switch is off. If this ever happens,
do not let anyone whom the national government
has identied as a member of a passenger airbag
risk group sit in the right front passenger’s position
(for example, do not secure a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front passenger’s seat) until
you have your vehicle serviced. SeeAirbag Off
Switch on page 1-81andAirbag Readiness Light
on page 3-37for more on this, 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 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 usingLATCH. 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 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.
1-63

CAUTION: (Continued)
Even if the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that an
airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat,
always move the front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure the child restraint
in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-84for
additional 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 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 beltand 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

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 4-32for 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.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-73. 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