2010 GMC SIERRA Owner's Manual

2010 GMC Sierra Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-31
Seats and Restraint System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-39
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-73
Restraint System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-93 Features and Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Doors and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Object Detection Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-60
Universal Home Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-69
Storage Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-75
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-80

2010 GMC Sierra Owner ManualM
Instrument Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-51
Audio System(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-84
Driving Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Service and Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-50
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52 Noise Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-53
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-54
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-57
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 6-63
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-64
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-110
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-117
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-117
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-126
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Customer Assistance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Customer Assistance and Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, GMC, the
GMC Truck Emblem, and the name SIERRA are
registered trademarks of General Motors.
This manual describes features that may or may
not be on your specific vehicle either because they are
options that you did not purchase or due to changes
subsequent to the printing of this owner manual. Please
refer to the purchase documentation relating to your
specific vehicle to confirm each of the features found
on your vehicle. For vehicles first sold in Canada,
substitute the name“General Motors of Canada
Limited” for GMC Division wherever it appears in
this manual.
If the vehicle has the DURAMAX
®Diesel engine, refer
to the DURAMAX®Diesel supplement for additional and
specific information on this engine.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.
Canadian Owners
Propriétaires Canadiens
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer/retailer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français
auprès du concessionnaire ou à l'adresse suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue française www.helminc.com
Index
To quickly locate information about the vehicle, use the
index in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list
of what is in the manual and the page number where it
can be found.
iii
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 25854759 A First Printing©2009 General Motors. All Rights Reserved.

Safety Warnings and Symbols
Warning messages found on vehicle labels and in this
manual describe hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
Dangerindicates a hazard with a high level of risk
which will result in serious injury or death.
Warning orCaution indicates a hazard that could result
in injury or death.
{WARNING:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
Notice: This means there is something that could
result in property or vehicle damage. This would
not be covered by the vehicle's warranty.
A circle with a slash
through it is a safety
symbol which means
“Do Not,” “Do not do this,”
or “Do not let this
happen.”
Vehicle Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or information relating
to a specific component, control, message, gage,
or indicator.
M: This symbol is shown when you need to see your
owner manual for additional instructions or information.
*: This symbol is shown when you need to see a
service manual for additional instructions or information.
iv

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

2NOTES
vi

Section 1 In Brief
Instrument Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Instrument Panel (Base/Uplevel Version) . . . . . . . . 1-2
Instrument Panel (Premium Version) . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Sensing System for Passenger Airbag . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Throttle and Brake Pedal Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21 Vehicle Features
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
Universal Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-30
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-30
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-31
StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-31
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-32
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-32
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-34
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-34
1-1

Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel (Base/Uplevel Version)
1-2