Black plate (16,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
3-16 Seats and Restraints
To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
safety belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger.Adjust the height so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. See
How
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑13.Regular and Crew Cab
To move the adjuster down for
the regular and crew cabs,
squeeze the buttons (A) on the sides of the height adjuster and
move the height adjuster to the
desired position.
Extended Cab
On the extended cab, push down
on the release button (A) and move
the height adjuster to the desired
position.
You can move the adjuster up just
by pushing up on the shoulder belt
guide.
Black plate (25,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Driving and Operating 9-25
Starting and
Operating
New Vehicle Break-In
Notice:The vehicle does not
need an elaborate break-in. But it
will perform better in the long run
if you follow these guidelines:
.Keep the vehicle speed at
88 km/h (55 mph) or less for
the first 805 km (500 miles).
.Do not drive at any one
constant speed, fast or
slow, for the first 805 km
(500 miles). Do not make
full-throttle starts. Avoid
downshifting to brake or
slow the vehicle.
.Avoid making hard stops for
the first 322 km (200 miles) or
so. During this time the new
brake linings are not yet
broken in. Hard stops with
new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement. Follow this
breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake
linings.
.Do not tow a trailer during
break-in. See
Trailer Towing
on page 9‑78 for the trailer
towing capabilities of the
vehicle and more
information.
Following break‐in, engine
speed and load can be gradually
increased.
Adjustable Throttle and
Brake Pedal
On vehicles with this feature, you
can change the position of the
throttle and brake pedals.
No adjustment to the pedals can
be made when the vehicle is in
R (Reverse) or while using cruise
control.
The control used to adjust the
pedals is located on the instrument
panel below the climate control
system.
Press the bottom of the control to
move the pedals closer. Press the
top of the control to move the
pedals away.
Before you start driving, fully
press the brake pedal to confirm
the adjustment is right for you.
While driving, make only small
adjustments.
The vehicle may have a memory
function which lets pedal settings be
saved and recalled. See Memory
Seats on page 3‑7.
Black plate (37,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Vehicle Care 10-37
3. Install the new blade onto thearm connector and make sure
the grooved areas are fully set in
the locked position.
For the proper type and size, see
Maintenance Replacement Parts on
page 11‑15.
Glass Replacement
If the windshield or front side
glass must be replaced, see your
dealer to determine the correct
replacement glass.
Headlamp Aiming
The vehicle has a visual optical
headlamp aiming system. The aim
of the headlamps has been preset
at the factory and should need no
further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged
in a crash, the aim of the headlamps
may be affected and adjustment
may be necessary.
If oncoming vehicles flash their high
beams at you, this may mean the
vertical aim of the headlamps needs
to be adjusted.
It is recommended that the vehicle
be taken to the dealer for service if
the headlamps need to be adjusted.
It is possible, however, to re-aim the
headlamps as described. The vehicle should:.Be placed so the headlamps
are 7.6 m (25 ft) from a
light‐colored wall.
.Have all four tires on a level
surface which is level all the way
to the wall.
.Be placed so it is perpendicular
to the wall.
.Not have any snow, ice, or mud
on it.
.Be fully assembled and all other
work stopped while headlamp
aiming is being performed.
.Be loaded with a full tank of
fuel and one person or 75 kg
(160 lbs) sitting on the
driver seat.
.Have the tires properly inflated.
.Have the spare tire in its proper
location in the vehicle.
Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . . 9-32
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-105
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-106
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-17
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Airbag System
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-23
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Light On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-21
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Alarm System
Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Antenna Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Anti-theft
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-45 Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-98
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-101
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Assistance Program,
Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Audio System Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
TransmissionFluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11, 10-14
Black plate (5,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
INDEX i-5
Engine (cont'd)Cooling System Messages . . . 5-41
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-6
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Overheated Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-34
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-94
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-19
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-2F
Fan Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Features Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-5
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-104
Fluid AutomaticTransmission . . . . . . . 10-11, 10-14
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Four-Wheel Drive Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26 Fog Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 9-40, 10-30
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . 5-26
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-71
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-36
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-73
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-72
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-69
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-28
Black plate (8,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
i-8 INDEX
LightsAirbag On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-25
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Four-Wheel-Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-3
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-17
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58 Locks
Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-28
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-16
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-22
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14 Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . 5-45
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-41
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-43
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Starting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Black plate (10,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
i-10 INDEX
ParkingAssist, Ultrasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-36
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-32
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-32
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Personalization Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
Pick-up Box Identification
and Fender Marker
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-109
Power
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-29 Power (cont'd)
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Privacy Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-20
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-13
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
R
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . . 13-20
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Radios AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32 Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58 Rear Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Rear Seat Audio (RSA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Rear Seat Entertainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) . . . . . . . 7-46
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10, 3-11
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . 9-62
Rear Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18 Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
Records Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-16
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-93
Reimbursement Program,
GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2, 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Black plate (11,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
INDEX i-11
ReplacementGlass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Replacement Parts Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . 3-38
Replacing LATCH System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts after a Crash . . . 3-21
Reporting Safety Defects Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Restraints
Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Ride Control Systems Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Roads Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9 Roof
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22, 2-23
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . 12-6
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . 3-21
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 3-19
Safety Defects Reporting Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11 Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-12
Seats
Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated and Ventilated Front . . . 3-9
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-4
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-4
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10, 3-11
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55, 3-58
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Service Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-16
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1