Black plate (3,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Service and Maintenance 11-3
Maintenance
Schedule
Owner Checks and Services
At Each Fuel Stop
.Check the engine oil level. See
Engine Oil on page 10‑7.
Once a Month
.Check the tire inflation
pressures. See Tire Pressure on
page 10‑58.
.Inspect the tires for wear. See
Tire Inspection on page 10‑65.
.Check the windshield washer
fluid level. See Washer Fluid on
page 10‑26.
Engine Oil Change
When the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message displays, have the
engine oil and filter changed within
the next 1 000 km/600 mi. If driven
under the best conditions, the
engine oil life system might not
indicate the need for vehicle service for more than a year. The engine oil
and filter must be changed at least
once a year and the oil life system
must be reset. Your trained dealer
technician can perform this work.
If the engine oil life system is reset
accidentally, service the vehicle
within 5 000 km/3,000 mi since
the last service. Reset the oil life
system when the oil is changed.
See
Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑10.
Tire Rotation and Required
Services Every 12 000 km/
7,500 mi
Rotate the tires, if recommended
for the vehicle, and perform the
following services. See Tire
Rotation on page 10‑65.
.Check engine oil level and oil
life percentage. If needed,
change engine oil and filter, and
reset oil life system. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑7 andEngine Oil
Life System on page 10‑10.
.Check engine coolant level. See
Engine Coolant on page 10‑19.
.Check windshield washer fluid
level. See Washer Fluid on
page 10‑26.
.Visually inspect windshield
wiper blades for wear, cracking,
or contamination. See Exterior
Care on page 10‑98. Replace
worn or damaged wiper blades.
See Wiper Blade Replacement
on page 10‑36.
.Check tire inflation pressures.
See Tire Pressure on
page 10‑58.
.Inspect tire wear. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑65.
.Visually check for fluid leaks.
.Inspect engine air cleaner filter.
See Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on
page 10‑17.
.Inspect brake system.
Black plate (10,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
11-10 Service and Maintenance
Hoses
Hoses transport fluids and should
be regularly inspected to ensure
that there are no cracks or leaks.
With a multi‐point inspection, your
dealer can inspect the hoses and
advise if replacement is needed.
Lamps
Properly working headlamps,
taillamps, and brake lamps are
important to see and be seen on
the road.
.Signs that the headlamps need
attention include dimming, failure
to light, cracking, or damage.
The brake lamps need to be
checked periodically to ensure
that they light when braking.
.With a multi‐point inspection,
your dealer can check the lamps
and note any concerns.Shocks and Struts
Shocks and struts help aid in control
for a smoother ride.
.Signs of wear may include
steering wheel vibration,
bounce/sway while braking,
longer stopping distance,
or uneven tire wear.
.As part of the multi‐point
inspection, trained dealer
technicians can visually inspect
the shocks and struts for
signs of leaking, blown seals,
or damage, and can advise
when service is needed.
Tires
Tires need to be properly inflated,
rotated, and balanced. Maintaining
the tires can save money, fuel, and
can reduce the risk of tire failure.
.Signs that the tires need to be
replaced include three or more
visible treadwear indicators; cord
or fabric showing through the rubber; cracks or cuts in the
tread or sidewall; or a bulge or
split in the tire.
.Trained dealer technicians can
inspect and recommend the
right tires. Your dealer can also
provide tire/wheel balancing
services to ensure smooth
vehicle operation at all speeds.
Your dealer sells and services
name brand tires.
Vehicle Care
To help keep the vehicle looking
like new, vehicle care products are
available from your dealer. For
information on how to clean and
protect the vehicle’s interior and
exterior, see Interior Care on
page 10‑101 andExterior Care on
page 10‑98.
Black plate (8,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
13-8 Customer Information
Roadside Assistance is not a part of
the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
GMC and General Motors of
Canada Limited reserve the right to
make any changes or discontinue
the Roadside Assistance program at
any time without notification.
GMC and General Motors of
Canada Limited reserve the right to
limit services or payment to an
owner or driver if they decide the
claims are made too often, or the
same type of claim is made many
times.
Services Provided
.Emergency Fuel Delivery:
Delivery of enough fuel for the
vehicle to get to the nearest
service station.
.Lock‐Out Service:Service to
unlock the vehicle if you are
locked out. A remote unlock
may be available if you have
OnStar
®. For security reasons,
the driver must present
identification before this service
is given.
.Emergency Tow From a Public
Road or Highway: Tow to the
nearest GMC dealer for warranty
service, or if the vehicle was in
a crash and cannot be driven.
Assistance is also given when
the vehicle is stuck in the sand,
mud, or snow.
.Flat Tire Change: Service to
change a flat tire with the spare
tire. The spare tire, if equipped,
must be in good condition and
properly inflated. It is the owner's
responsibility for the repair or
replacement of the tire if it is not
covered by the warranty.
.Battery Jump Start: Service to
jump start a dead battery.
.Trip Routing Service: Detailed
maps of North America when
requested either with the
most direct route or the most
scenic route. Additional travel
information is also available.
Allow three weeks for delivery.
.Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: If your trip is
interrupted due to a warranty
failure, incidental expenses
may be reimbursed during the
5 years/(160 000 km) 100,000 mi
Powertrain warranty period.
Items considered are hotel,
meals, and rental car.
Services Not Included in
Roadside Assistance
.Impound towing caused by
violation of any laws.
.Legal fines.
.Mounting, dismounting,
or changing of snow tires,
chains, or other traction devices.
.Towing or services for vehicles
driven on a non-public road or
highway.
Black plate (10,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
13-10 Customer Information
Services Provided
.Flat Tire Change: If unable to
change a flat tire, Roadside
Assistance will provide towing
service to the nearest authorized
GMC dealership. It is the
owner's responsibility for the
repair or replacement of the tire.
This service is limited to the
transfer of the vehicle to the
repair facility.
.Emergency Fuel Delivery:
Delivery of enough fuel for the
vehicle to get to the nearest
service station.
.Lock-Out Service: Service to
unlock the vehicle if you are
locked out.
.Battery Jump Start: Service to
jump start a dead battery.
.*Emergency Messages:
Transmission of urgent phone
messages.
.*Emergency Calls: Call for
emergency services.
.*Dealership Location
Assistance: Information
regarding addresses and
telephone numbers for GMC
dealers.
.Emergency Towing: Tow to
the nearest dealer for warranty
service if the vehicle cannot be
driven.
If the vehicle is involved in an
accident during the commission
of a crime, administrative
violation, or breach of traffic
regulations, Roadside
Assistance will not provide
service. When the vehicle is
not accessible to be towed, all
maneuvers required to access it
will be at the owner's expense.
If the vehicle is in another city
outside of your residence,
Roadside Assistance is limited
to moving the vehicle to the
nearest dealer. If you would like
the vehicle moved to a different
dealer, you will be asked to
cover the difference in cost at
the time of the move.If the vehicle cannot be received
by the nearest GMC dealer due
to scheduling conflicts, the
vehicle will be taken to a safe
place where it will remain for up
to 48 hours until it can be taken
to the dealer. If the storage costs
exceed the amount authorized,
the owner is responsible to pay
the difference at the time of
service. Contact Roadside
Assistance for more information
on authorized amounts.
.*Trip Interruption: This service
is provided if you are prevented
from further usage of your
vehicle while traveling and it is
not possible for the nearest
GMC dealership to repair the
vehicle the same day, requiring
the vehicle to stay at the
dealership for a night or more.
If this happens, in addition to the
previously listed services and
prior to confirmation by the
dealership, you are entitled to
choose one of the following
alternatives, within the limits of
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 (12,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
i-12 INDEX
Service (cont'd)Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-16
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-12
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Snow Plow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-106
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
StabiliTrak
OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5 Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Starting the Vehicle
Messsages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4 Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Storage Areas
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22, 2-23
Switches Airbag On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Noise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-13 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Throttle, Adjustable . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Tires Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-70
Dual Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Full-Size Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-62
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60