
Black plate (64,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
5-64 Instruments and Controls
Programming Universal Home
Remote—Fixed Code
For questions or help programming
the Universal Home Remote
System, call 1-866-572-2728
or go to www.learcar2u.com.
Most garage door openers sold
before 1996 are Fixed Code units.
Programming a garage door opener
involves time-sensitive actions, so
read the entire procedure before
starting. Otherwise, the device will
time out and the procedure will have
to be repeated.
To program up to three devices:
1. To verify that the garage door
opener is a Fixed Code unit,
remove the battery cover on the
hand-held transmitter supplied
by the manufacturer of the
garage door opener motor.
If there is a row of dip switches
similar to the graphic above,
the garage door opener is a
Fixed Code unit. If you do
not see a row of dip switches, return to the previous section
for Programming Universal
Home Remote
—Rolling Code.
Your hand-held transmitter
can have between 8 to 12 dip
switches depending on the
brand of transmitter.
The garage door opener receiver
(motor head unit) could also
have a row of dip switches that
can be used when programming
the Universal Home Remote.
If the total number of switches
on the motor head and
hand-held transmitter are
different, or if the dip switch
settings are different, use
the dip switch settings on the
motor head unit to program
the Universal Home Remote.
The motor head dip switch
settings can also be used
when the original hand-held
transmitter is not available.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-5
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Auxiliary Roof-Mounted Lamp . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel IlluminationControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-9
Battery Power Protection . . . . 6-10
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
.Headlamps
.Taillamps
.Parking Lamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Roof Marker Lamps
(If Equipped)

Black plate (2,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
6-2 Lighting
The exterior lamps control has four
positions:
O(Off):Turns off the automatic
headlamps and daytime running
lamps (DRL). Turn the headlamp
control to the off position again to
turn the automatic headlamps or
DRL back on.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
the off position will only work when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
AUTO (Automatic): Automatically
turns on the headlamps at normal
brightness, together with the
following:
.Parking Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Roof Marker Lamps
(If Equipped) When the vehicle is turned off
and the headlamps are in AUTO,
the headlamps may automatically
remain on for a set time. The time of
the delay can be changed using the
DIC. See
Driver Information Center
(DIC) on page 5‑33.
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on
the parking lamps together with
the following:
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Roof Marker Lamps
(If Equipped)
2(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps together with the
following:
.Parking Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Roof Marker Lamps
(If Equipped)
When the headlamps are turned
on while the vehicle is on, the
headlamps turn off automatically
10 minutes after the ignition is
turned off. When the headlamps
are turned on while the vehicle
is off, the headlamps will stay
on for 10 minutes before
automatically turning off to prevent
the battery from being drained.

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.

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.

Black plate (14,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
7-14 Infotainment System
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.
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
boost 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 the radio.
FM Stereo
FM signals only reach about
16 to 65 km (10 to 40 miles).
Although the radio has a built-in
electronic circuit that automatically
works to reduce interference, some
static can occur, especially around
tall buildings or hills, 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 may
cause loss of the XM signal for a
period of time.
Cellular Phone Usage
Cellular phone usage may cause
interference with the vehicle's
radio. This interference may occur
when making or receiving phone
calls, charging the phone's battery,
or simply having the phone on.
This interference causes an
increased level of static while
listening to the radio. If static is
received while listening to the
radio, unplug the cellular phone
and turn it off.

Black plate (34,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
7-34 Infotainment System
Player Error:This message
displays if there are disc load or
disc eject problems.
.It is very hot. When the
temperature returns to normal,
the disc should play.
.The road is very rough. When
the road becomes smoother, the
disc should play.
.The disc is dirty, scratched, wet,
or upside down.
.The air is very humid. If so, wait
about an hour and try again.
.There was a problem while
burning the disc.
.The label is caught in the
CD/DVD player.
If the disc is not playing correctly,
for any other reason, try a known
good disc. If any error occurs repeatedly
or if an error cannot be corrected,
contact your dealer. If the radio
displays an error message, write it
down and provide it to your dealer
when reporting the problem.
Auxiliary Devices
Using the Auxiliary Input Jack
Radios with an auxiliary input jack
located on the lower right side of the
faceplate can connect to an external
audio device such as an iPod
®,
MP3 player, or CD player, for use as
another source for audio listening.
This input jack is not an audio
output; do not plug headphones
into the front auxiliary input jack.
Drivers are encouraged to
set up any auxiliary device
while the vehicle is in P (Park).
See Defensive Driving on page 9‑2
for more information on driver
distraction. To use a portable audio player,
connect a 3.5 mm (1/8 in) cable to
the radio's front auxiliary input jack.
When a device is connected, press
the radio CD/AUX button to begin
playing audio from the device over
the vehicle speakers.
For optimal sound quality, increase
the portable audio device's volume
to the loudest level.
It is always best to power the
portable audio device through its
own battery while playing.O(Power/Volume):
Turn clockwise
or counterclockwise to increase
or decrease the volume of the
portable player. Additional volume
adjustments might have to be made
from the portable device if the
volume is not loud or soft enough.
BAND: Press to listen to the radio
when a portable audio device is
playing. The portable audio device
continues playing.

Black plate (36,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
7-36 Infotainment System
USB‐Supported File and Folder
Structure
The radio supports:
.Up to 700 folders
.Up to 8 folders in depth
.Up to 65,535 files.
.Folder and file names up to
64 bytes
.Files with an .mp3 or .wma file
extension
.AAC files stored on an iPod
.FAT16
.FAT32
Connecting a USB Storage
Device or iPod®
The USB port can be used to
control an iPod or a USB storage
device.
To connect a USB storage device,
connect the device to the USB port
located in the center console or on
the instrument panel.To connect an iPod, connect one
end of the USB cable that came
with the iPod to the iPod’s dock
connector and connect the other
end to the USB port located in the
center console or on the instrument
panel. If the vehicle is on and the
USB connection works,
“OK to
disconnect” and a GM logo may
appear on the iPod, and iPod
appears on the radio display.
The iPod music appears on the
radio’s display and begins playing.
The iPod charges while it is
connected to the vehicle if the
vehicle is in the ACC/ACCESSORY
or ON/RUN position. When the
vehicle is turned off, the iPod
automatically powers off and
will not charge or draw power
from the vehicle's battery.
If you have an older iPod model
that is not supported, it can still
be used by connecting it to the
auxiliary input jack using a standard
3.5 mm (1/8 in) stereo cable. See
“Using the Auxiliary Input Jack”
earlier for more information.
Using the Radio to Control a
USB Storage Device or iPod
The radio can control a USB
storage device or an iPod using
the radio buttons and knobs, and
display song information on the
radio’s display.
f(Tune): Turn to select files.
©SEEK:Press to go to the start of
the track, if more than 10 seconds
have played. Press and hold or
press multiple times to continue
moving backward through tracks.
¨SEEK: Press to go to the next
track. Press and hold or press
multiple times to continue moving
forward through tracks.
sREV (Reverse): Press and hold
to reverse playback quickly. Sound
is heard at a reduced volume.
Release
sREV to resume playing.
The elapsed time of the file
displays.