2012 GMC SIERRA 1500 Owners Manual

Black plate (7,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Instruments and Controls 5-7
To calibrate the compass, use the
following procedure:
Compass Calibration Procedure
1. Before calibrating the compass,make sure the compass zone is
set to the variance zone in which
the vehicle is located. See
“Compass Variance (Zone)
Procedure” earlier in this
section.
Do not operate any switches
such as window, sunroof,
climate controls, or seats during
the calibration procedure.
2. Press the vehicle information button until PRESS
VTO
CALIBRATE COMPASS
displays. Or, if the vehicle does
not have DIC buttons, press the
trip odometer reset stem until
CALIBRATE COMPASS
displays. 3. Press the set/reset button to
start the compass calibration.
Or, if the vehicle does not have
DIC buttons, press and hold the
trip odometer reset stem for
two seconds to start the
compass calibration.
4. The DIC will display CALIBRATING: DRIVE IN
CIRCLES. Drive the vehicle
in tight circles at less than
8 km/h (5 mph) to complete the
calibration. The DIC will display
CALIBRATION COMPLETE
for a few seconds when the
calibration is complete. The DIC
display will then return to the
previous menu.
Clock
AM-FM Radio and AM‐FM
Radio with CD Player
To set the clock:
1. Turn the ignition key to ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN, then
press the
Obutton to turn the
radio on.
2. Press the
Hbutton until the hour
numbers begin to flash, then
turn the
fknob to increase or
decrease the hour.
3. Press the
Hbutton until the
minute numbers begin to flash,
then turn the
fknob to increase
or decrease the minutes.
4. Press the
Hbutton until the
12HR or 24HR time format
begins to flash, then turn
the
fknob to change the time
format.

Black plate (8,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
5-8 Instruments and Controls
5. Press theHbutton again until
the clock display stops flashing
to set the currently displayed
time, or wait until the flashing
stops after five seconds and the
current time displayed
automatically sets.
MP3 Radios with a Single CD
or a Single CD and DVD Player
To adjust the time and date:
1. Turn the ignition key to ACC/ ACCESSORY or ON/RUN, then
press the
Obutton to turn the
radio on.
2. Press the
Hbutton to display
HR, MIN, MM, DD, YYYY (hour,
minute, month, day, and year).
3. Press the softkey located under any one of the tabs to change
that setting. 4. To increase the time or date, do
one of the following:
.Press the softkey below the
selected tab.
.Press the¨SEEK button.
.Press the\FWD button.
.Turn thefknob clockwise.
5. To decrease the time or date, do one of the following:
.Press the©SEEK button.
.Press thesREV button.
.Turn thefknob
counterclockwise. To change the time default setting
from 12 hour to 24 hour or to change
the date default setting from month/
day/year to day/month/year:
1. Press the
Hbutton and then
the softkey located below the
forward arrow tab. 12H, 24H, the
date MM/DD (month and day),
and DD/MM (day and month)
displays.
2. Press the softkey located below the desired option.
3. Press the
Hbutton again to
apply the desired option, or let
the screen time out.
MP3 Radio with a Six-Disc CD
Player
To set the time and date:
1. Turn the ignition key to ACC/ ACCESSORY or ON/RUN, then
press the
Obutton to turn the
radio on.

Black plate (9,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Instruments and Controls 5-9
2. Press the MENU button andthen the softkey under the
Htab
to display HR, MIN, MM, DD,
YYYY (hour, minute, month, day,
and year).
3. Press the softkey located under any one of the tabs to change
that setting.
4. To increase the time or date, do one of the following:
.Press the softkey below the
selected tab.
.Press the¨SEEK button.
.Press the\FWD button.
.Turn thefknob clockwise.
5. To decrease the time or date, do one of the following:
.Press the©SEEK button.
.Press thesREV button.
.Turn thefknob
counterclockwise. To change the time default setting
from 12 hour to 24 hour or to change
the date default setting from month/
day to day/month:
1. Press the MENU button
and then the softkey under
the
Htab.
2. Press the softkey located below the forward arrow tab. 12H, 24H,
the date MM/DD (month and
day), and DD/MM (day and
month) displays.
3. Press the softkey located below the desired option.
4. Press the MENU button again to apply the desired option, or let
the screen time out.
Power Outlets
Accessory power outlets can
be used to plug in electrical
equipment, such as a cell phone,
MP3 player, etc.
The vehicle may have two
accessory power outlets located
below the climate control system,
or may have one accessory power
outlet and one cigarette lighter. The
cigarette lighter is designed to fit
only in the receptacle closest to the
driver.
There may be another accessory
power outlet in the rear cargo area.
If the vehicle has a floor console,
there is an accessory power outlet
inside the storage bin and one on
the rear of the floor console.
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.

Black plate (10,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
5-10 Instruments and Controls
The accessory power outlets are
powered, even when the ignition is
in LOCK/OFF. Continuing to use
power outlets while the ignition is in
LOCK/OFF may cause the vehicle's
battery to run down.
{WARNING
Power is always supplied to the
outlets. Do not leave electrical
equipment plugged in when the
vehicle is not in use because the
vehicle could catch fire and cause
injury or death.
Notice: Leaving electrical
equipment plugged in for an
extended period of time while
the vehicle is off will drain the
battery. Always unplug electrical
equipment when not in use and
do not plug in equipment that
exceeds the maximum 20 ampere
rating. Certain power accessory plugs may
not be compatible to the accessory
power outlet and could overload
vehicle or adapter fuses. If a
problem is experienced, see your
dealer.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the proper
installation instructions included
with the equipment. See
Add-On
Electrical Equipment on page 9‑105.
Notice: Hanging heavy
equipment from the power outlet
can cause damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for
accessory power plugs only, such
as cell phone charge cords.
Cigarette Lighter
To use the cigarette lighter, push it
in all the way, and let go. When it is
ready for use, the lighter pops
back out.
Notice: Holding a cigarette lighter
in while it is heating does not let
the lighter back away from the
heating element when it is hot.
Damage from overheating can
occur to the lighter or heating
element, or a fuse could be
blown. Do not hold a cigarette
lighter in while it is heating.

Black plate (11,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Instruments and Controls 5-11
Ashtrays
The vehicle may have a front
ashtray located near the center of
the instrument panel. Pull on the
door to open it. The ashtray may
have a cigarette lighter.
Notice:If papers, pins, or other
flammable items are put in the
ashtray, hot cigarettes or other
smoking materials could ignite
them and possibly damage the
vehicle. Never put flammable
items in the ashtray.
To remove the ashtray, open the
door and pull the ashtray bin toward
you. To replace the ashtray, insert
the ashtray bin inside the ashtray
door and press down until it
engages.
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges can
signal that something is wrong
before it becomes serious enough
to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to the
warning lights and gauges could
prevent injury.
Warning lights come on when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Some warning lights come
on briefly when the engine is started
to indicate they are working. Gauges can indicate when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Often gauges and warning
lights work together to indicate a
problem with the vehicle.
When one of the warning lights
comes on and stays on while
driving, or when one of the gauges
shows there may be a problem,
check the section that explains what
to do. Follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
and even dangerous.

Black plate (12,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
5-12 Instruments and Controls
Instrument Cluster
English Light Duty Premium Shown. Metric, Uplevel, Base and Heavy Duty Similar.

Black plate (13,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Instruments and Controls 5-13
For vehicles with a DURAMAX®
Diesel engine, see the DURAMAX®
Diesel Supplement for more
information.
For vehicles with a Hybrid, see the
Hybrid Supplement for more
information.
Speedometer
The speedometer shows the
vehicle's speed in either kilometers
per hour (km/h) or miles per
hour (mph).
Odometer
The odometer shows how far the
vehicle has been driven, in either
kilometers or miles.
Engine Hour Meter Display
The Driver Information Center (DIC)
can also display the number of
hours the engine has run. To display
the engine hours, turn the ignition
off, then press and hold the reset
button for at least four seconds.The hour meter displays for up to
30 seconds, or until the ignition is
turned on. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑30 for more
information.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer shows how far
the vehicle has been driven since
the trip odometer was last set
to zero.
Press the reset button, located on
the instrument panel cluster next to
the voltmeter, to toggle between
the trip odometer and the regular
odometer. Holding the reset button
for approximately one second while
the trip odometer is displayed will
reset it. To display the odometer reading
with the ignition off, press the reset
button.
See
Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑30 for more information.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine
speed in revolutions per minute
(rpm). For a description of how
Grade Braking affects vehicle
speed while the Tow/Haul Mode is
activated, see Tow/Haul Mode on
page 9‑39 for more information.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see the
hybrid supplement for more
information.

Black plate (14,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
5-14 Instruments and Controls
Fuel Gauge
Metric
EnglishWhen the ignition is on, the fuel
gauge shows about how much fuel
is left in the fuel tank.
An arrow on the fuel gauge
indicates the side of the vehicle the
fuel door is on.
The gauge will first indicate empty
before the vehicle is out of fuel, but
the vehicle's fuel tank should be
filled soon.
When the fuel tank is low the
FUEL LEVEL LOW message
appears. See
Fuel System
Messages on page 5‑43 for more
information.
Here are some situations owners
can experience with the fuel gauge.
None of these indicate a problem
with the fuel gauge.
.At the gas station, the fuel pump
shuts off before the gauge
reads full.
.It takes a little more or less fuel
to fill up than the fuel gauge
indicated. For example, the
gauge may have indicated the
tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than
half the fuel tank's capacity to
fill it.
.The gauge goes back to empty
when the ignition is turned off.
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax diesel supplement
for more information.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see the
hybrid supplement for more
information.