Page 225 of 594

Black plate (9,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-9
Reading Lamps
For vehicles with reading lamps,
they are located on the overhead
console.
To turn on the reading lamps, press
the button located next to each
lamp. To turn them off, press the
button again.
The vehicle may also have reading
lamps in other locations. To turn the
lamps on or off, press the button
located next to the lamp.
If the vehicle has a DVD Rear Seat
Entertainment (RSE) system, press
the lamp lenses to turn the lamps on
or off.
The lamps are fixed and cannot be
adjusted.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
The vehicle has an illuminated entry
feature.
When the doors are opened, the
dome lamps will come on if the
dome override button is in the
extended position. If the dome
override button is pressed in,
the lamps will not come on.
Exit Lighting
The interior lamps come on when
the key is removed from the ignition.
They turn off automatically in
20 seconds. The lights do not come
on if the dome override button is
pressed in.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
Page 226 of 594

Black plate (10,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
6-10 Lighting
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning
fast enough at idle to produce all
the power that is needed for very
high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on,
such as: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed
to generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.Normally, these actions occur
in steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information
Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as BATTERY
SAVER ACTIVE, BATTERY
VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW BATTERY.
If one of these messages displays,
it is recommended that the driver
reduce the electrical loads as much
as possible. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑33.
Battery Power Protection
This feature shuts off the dome and
reading lamps, if they are left on
for more than 10 minutes after the
ignition is turned off. The cargo
lamp shuts off after 20 minutes.
This prevents the battery from
running down.
Page 227 of 594

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-1
Infotainment
System
Introduction
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . 7-2
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Radio
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Satellite Radio Antenna . . . . . . 7-15
Audio Players
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Rear Seat Infotainment
Rear Seat Entertainment(RSE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
Phone
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
Introduction
Infotainment
Determine which radio the vehicle
has and read the following pages to
become familiar with its features.
{WARNING
Taking your eyes off the road
for extended periods could
cause a crash resulting in
injury or death to you or others.
Do not give extended attention to
entertainment tasks while driving.
This system provides access to
many audio and non‐audio listings. To minimize taking your eyes off the
road while driving, do the following
while the vehicle is parked:
.Become familiar with the
operation and controls of
the audio system.
.Set up the tone, speaker
adjustments, and preset
radio stations.
For more information, see Defensive
Driving on page 9‑2.
Notice: Contact your dealer
before adding any equipment.
Adding audio or communication
equipment could interfere with
the operation of the engine, radio,
or other systems, and could
damage them. Follow federal
rules covering mobile radio
and telephone equipment.
Page 228 of 594
Black plate (2,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
7-2 Infotainment System
The vehicle has Retained
Accessory Power (RAP). With RAP,
the audio system can be played
even after the ignition is turned off.
SeeRetained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑40 for more
information.
Navigation/Radio System
For vehicles with a navigation radio
system, see the separate Navigation
System Manual.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
TheftLock®is designed to
discourage theft of the vehicle's
radio by learning a portion of the
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
The radio does not operate if it
is stolen or moved to a different
vehicle.
Operation
AM-FM Radio
Page 229 of 594
Black plate (3,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-3
Radio with CD (MP3) Shown; Radio with USB and CD (MP3), Radio withUSB and Six-Disc CD (MP3), and Radio with CD Similar
Page 230 of 594
Black plate (4,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
7-4 Infotainment System
Radio with USB, CD, and DVD (MP3)
The vehicle has one of these radios
as its audio system.
Radios with CD and DVD
Vehicles with a USB, CD, and
DVD radio have a Bose®Surround
Sound System. Some of its
features are explained later
in this section, “Adjusting the
Speakers (Balance/Fade).” Vehicles with a USB, CD, and
DVD radio may have a Rear
Seat Entertainment (RSE) system.
See
Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE)
System on page 7‑39 for more
information on the vehicle's RSE
system.
The DVD player is the top
slot on the radio faceplate.
The player is capable of reading
the DTS‐programmed DVD Audio
or DVD Video media. (DTS and
DTS Digital Surround are registered
trademarks of Digital Theater
Systems, Inc.)
Dolby and the double-D symbol are
trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
Manufactured under license from
Dolby Laboratories.
Page 231 of 594

Black plate (5,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-5
Using the Radio
O(Power/Volume):Press to turn
the system on and off.
Turn clockwise or counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the volume.
4(Information) (AM-FM Radio and
AM-FM Radio with CD): Press to
switch the display between the radio
station frequency and the time.
While the ignition is off, press this
button to display the time. Press to
display additional text information
related to the current FM-RDS or
XM station; or CD, MP3, or WMA
song. If information is available
during XM, CD, MP3, or WMA
playback, the song title information
displays on the top line of the
display and artist information
displays on the bottom line.
When information is not available,
“NO INFO” displays. Speed Compensated Volume
(SCV):
Radios with Speed
Compensated Volume (SCV)
automatically adjust the radio
volume to compensate for road
and wind noise as the vehicle's
speed changes while driving, so that
the volume level stays consistent.
To activate SCV:
1. Set the radio volume to the desired level.
2. Press the MENU button to display the radio setup menu.
3. Press the softkey under the AUTO VOLUM (automatic
volume) tab on the radio display.
4. Press the softkey under the desired Speed Compensated
Volume setting (OFF, Low, Med,
or High) to select the level of
radio volume compensation.
The display times out after
approximately 10 seconds. Each
higher setting allows for more
radio volume compensation at
faster vehicle speeds.
Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)
(AM-FM Radio and AM-FM
Radio with CD)
To adjust the bass or treble:
1. Press the
fknob until Bass or
Treble displays.
2. To adjust the setting, do one of the following:
.Turn thefknob.
.Press either¨SEEK,
or
©SEEK.
.Press either\FWD,
or
sREV.
EQ (Equalization): Press this
button to choose bass and treble
equalization settings designed for
different types of music. Selecting
MANUAL, or changing bass or
treble, returns the EQ to the manual
bass and treble settings.
Unique EQ settings can be saved
for each source.
Page 232 of 594

Black plate (6,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
7-6 Infotainment System
Setting the Tone
(Bass/Midrange/Treble)
(All Except AM-FM Radio
and Radio with CD)
BASS/MID/TREB (Bass, Midrange,
or Treble):To adjust the bass,
midrange, or treble:
1. Press the
fknob until the tone
control tabs display.
2. Highlight the desired tone control tab by doing one of
the following:
.Press thefknob.
.Press the softkey under the
desired tab. 3. Adjust the setting by doing one
of the following:
.Turn thefknob clockwise
or counterclockwise.
.Press the¨SEEK,
or
©SEEK.
.Press the\FWD,
or
sREV.
If a station's frequency is weak or if
there is static, decrease the treble.
To quickly adjust bass, midrange,
or treble to the middle position,
press the softkey positioned under
the BASS, MID, or TREB tab for
more than two seconds. A beep
sounds and the level adjusts to
the middle position. To quickly adjust all tone and
speaker controls to the middle
position, press the
fknob for
more than two seconds until a
beep sounds.
EQ (Equalization): Press this
button to choose bass and treble
equalization settings designed for
different types of music. Selecting
MANUAL, or changing bass or
treble, returns the EQ to the manual
bass and treble settings.
Unique EQ settings can be saved
for each source.
If the radio has a Bose
®audio
system, the EQ settings are either
MANUAL or TALK.