Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
2011 GMC Sierra Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-8
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33
Keys, Doors and Windows . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-52
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-61
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 7-39
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-34
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-46
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-70
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-73
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-76
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-84
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-90
Conversions and
Add-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-125
Black plate (17,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-17
SeeManual Mirrors on page 2‑15 or
Power Mirrors on page 2‑16.
If the vehicle has towing mirrors,
they can be adjusted for a clearer
view of the objects behind you.
Manually pull out the mirror head to
extend it for better visibility when
towing a trailer. See Trailer-Tow
Mirrors on page 2‑15.
Power Foldaway Mirrors
To fold the mirrors:
1. Press (C) to fold the mirrors out
to the driving position.
2. Press (D) to fold the mirrors in to the folded position.
Manual Foldaway Mirrors
Manually fold the mirrors inward
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
To fold, pull the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push the mirror outward,
to return to its original position.
See Folding Mirrors on page 2‑16.Interior Mirror
Vehicles with a manual rearview
mirror can be adjusted to see
clearly behind the vehicle. Hold the
mirror in the center to move it up or
down and side to side. To reduce
headlamp glare during nighttime
use, push the tab forward for
daytime use and pull it for
nighttime use.
Vehicles with the automatic dimming
feature will automatically reduce
the glare of lights from behind the
vehicle. The dimming feature comes
on and the indicator light illuminates
each time the vehicle is started.
SeeAutomatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror on page 2‑18 for more
information.
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
The tilt lever is located on the lower
left side of the steering column.
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Hold the steering wheel and pull the lever.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Black plate (19,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-19
Reading Lamps
For vehicles with reading lamps in
the overhead console, press the
button located next to the lamp to
turn it on or off.
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.
For more information about interior
lamps, see:
.Dome Lamps on page 6‑8.
.Reading Lamps on page 6‑9.
.Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑7.
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
O: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:
Automatically turns on
the headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, instrument panel lights,
roof marker lamps (if equipped)
and license plate lamps.
;: Turns on the parking lamps,
taillamps, instrument panel lights,
roof marker lamps (if equipped)
and license plate lamps.
Black plate (4,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
2-4 Keys, Doors and Windows
K(Unlock):Press once to unlock
only the driver door. If
Kis pressed
again within three seconds, all
remaining doors unlock. The interior
lamps may come on and stay on for
20 seconds or until the ignition is
turned on.
If enabled through the DIC, the turn
signal lamps flash twice to indicate
unlocking has occurred. See Vehicle
Personalization (with DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑52. If enabled through
the DIC, the exterior lights may turn
on. See “Approach Lighting” under
Vehicle Personalization (with DIC
Buttons) on page 5‑52.
Pressing
Kon the RKE transmitter
disarms the content theft‐deterrent
system. See Anti-Theft Alarm
System on page 2‑12.
L(Vehicle Locator/Panic
Alarm): Press and release to
locate the vehicle. The turn signal
lamps flash and the horn sounds
three times. Press and hold
Lfor more than
two seconds to activate the panic
alarm. The turn signal lamps flash
and the horn sounds repeatedly
for 30 seconds. The alarm turns
off when the ignition is moved to
ON/RUN or
Lis pressed again.
The ignition must be in LOCK/OFF
for the panic alarm to work.
The vehicle comes with two
transmitters. Each transmitter will
have a number on it: "1" or "2."
These numbers correspond to the
driver of the vehicle. For example,
the memory seat position for
driver 1 will be recalled when
using the transmitter labeled "1",
if enabled through the DIC.
See “Memory Seat, Mirrors,
and Pedals” underPower Seat
Adjustment on page 3‑4 andVehicle
Personalization (with DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑52 for more information.
Programming Transmitters to
the Vehicle
Only RKE transmitters programmed
to this vehicle will work. If a
transmitter is lost or stolen, a
replacement can be purchased and
programmed through your dealer.
When the replacement transmitter
is programmed to this vehicle, all
remaining transmitters must also
be reprogrammed. Any lost or
stolen transmitters will no longer
work once the new transmitter
is programmed. Each vehicle
can have up to eight transmitters
programmed to it. See your dealer
for transmitter programming.
Battery Replacement
Replace the battery if the REPLACE
BATTERY IN REMOTE KEY
message displays in the DIC.
Notice:When replacing the
battery, do not touch any of the
circuitry on the transmitter. Static
from your body could damage the
transmitter.
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 (7,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-7
Auxiliary
Roof-Mounted Lamp
If the vehicle has this feature, this
button includes wiring provisions for
a dealer or a qualified service center
to install an auxiliary roof lamp.
This button is located on the
overhead console.
When the wiring is connected to
an auxiliary roof‐mounted lamp,
pressing the bottom of the buttonwill activate the lamp and illuminate
an indicator light at the bottom of
this button. Pressing the top of the
button will turn off the roof‐mounted
lamp and indicator.
The emergency roof lamp circuit
is fused at 30 amps, so the total
current draw of the attached lamps
should be less than this value.
The attachment points for the roof
lamp circuits are two blunt cut
wires located above the overhead
console, a dark green switched
power wire and a black ground wire.
For more information on roof mount
emergency lamp installation, please
visit the GM Upfitter website at
www.gmupfitter.com or contact your
dealer.
If the vehicle has this button,
the vehicle may have the snow
plow prep package. For further
information, see
Adding a Snow
Plow or Similar Equipment on
page 9‑125.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
D(Instrument Panel
Brightness): This feature controls
the brightness of the instrument
panel lights and is located next
to the exterior lamps control.
Push the knob to extend out and
then it can be turned.
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.