Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
2012 GMC Sierra Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-8
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-35
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10 Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-48
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-56
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9 Infotainment System
. . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 7-37
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-25
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-35
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Black plate (5,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
0:Adjustable Pedals
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
%:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway
Mirrors
O: Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_: Tow/Haul Mode
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (2,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
2-2 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys
{WARNING
Leaving children in a vehicle with
the ignition key is dangerous for
many reasons. Children or others
could be badly injured or even
killed. They could operate the
power windows or other controls
or even make the vehicle move.
The windows will function with the
keys in the ignition and children
could be seriously injured or killed
if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave the keys in
a vehicle with children.
The key is used for the ignition and
all door locks.
The key has a bar-coded key tag
that the dealer or qualified locksmith
can use to make new keys. Store
this information in a safe place, not
in the vehicle.
See your dealer if a replacement
key or additional key is needed.Notice:
If the keys get locked in
the vehicle, it may have to be
damaged to get them out. Always
carry a spare key.
If you are locked out of the vehicle,
call the Roadside Assistance
Center. See Roadside Assistance
Program (U.S. and Canada) on
page 13‑7 orRoadside Assistance
Program (Mexico) on page 13‑9.
With an active OnStar subscription,
an OnStar Advisor may remotely
unlock the vehicle. See OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
See Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑20 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
Black plate (7,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-7
Door Locks
{WARNING
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
.Passengers, especially
children, can easily open the
doors and fall out of a moving
vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not
open it. The chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all
passengers should wear
safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked
whenever the vehicle is
driven.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child can
be overcome by extreme heat
and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from
heat stroke. Always lock the
vehicle whenever leaving it.
.Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when you slow down or stop
the vehicle. Locking the doors
can help prevent this from
happening. There are several ways to lock and
unlock the vehicle.
From outside, use the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter or
the key in the driver door.
From inside, use the power door
locks or manual door locks. To lock
or unlock the door with the manual
locks, push down or pull up on the
manual lock knob.
Black plate (20,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
2-20 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Power Windows
{WARNING
Leaving children in a vehicle with
the keys is dangerous for many
reasons. Children or others could
be badly injured or even killed.
They could operate the power
windows or other controls or even
make the vehicle move. The
windows will function and they
could be seriously injured or killed
if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave keys in a
vehicle with children.
When there are children in the
rear seat use the window lockout
button to prevent unintentional
operation of the windows.
Crew Cab Premium Trim Shown,Others Models Similar
The driver door has a switch
to control all windows. Each
passenger door has a switch to
control that window. The power
windows only work when the
ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY, or when Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) is active.
See Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑29. Push the switch down to lower the
window, and pull up the front of the
switch to raise the window.
Express-down Windows
The express-down feature allow the
driver and front passenger windows
to be lowered without holding the
switch. Push the switch down to the
second detent, then release, to
activate the express-down mode.
The express-down mode can be
canceled at any time by pulling up
on the front of the switch. To open
the window partway, push the switch
down to the first detent until the
window is at the desired position.
Black plate (14,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
3-14 Seats and Restraints
.Wear the lap part of the belt
low and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong
pelvic bones and you would be
less likely to slide under the
lap belt. If you slid under it, the
belt would apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
.Wear the shoulder belt over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are
best able to take belt restraining
forces. The shoulder belt locks if
there is a sudden stop or crash.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly.
.Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted.
.Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back.
.Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
If the vehicle is a regular cab, then
all seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt. If the
vehicle is a crew or extended
cab, then all seating positions
in the vehicle have a lap-shoulder
belt except for the center front
passenger position (if equipped),which has a lap belt. See
Lap Belt
(Crew and Extended Cab) on
page 3‑19 for more information.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it
get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you very
quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a
passenger belt is pulled out
all the way, the child restraint
locking feature may be engaged.
If this happens, let the belt go
back all the way and start again.
Black plate (15,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-15
Engaging the child restraint
locking feature may affect the
passenger sensing system,
if equipped. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑32
for more information.
If the belt stops before it reaches
the buckle, when using the
lap-shoulder belt in a rear center
seating position of a crew-cab,
tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling the safety belt until it can
be buckled.
3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the belt
is not long enough, see Safety
Belt Extender on page 3‑20.
If the latch plate will not go fully
into the buckle, check if the
correct buckle is being used.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary. 4. If equipped with a shoulder belt
height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you. See
“Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster”
later in this section.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.
Black plate (17,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-17
After you move the adjuster to
where you want it, try to move it
down, without squeezing the buttons
for the regular and crew cabs,
or without pushing the release
button for extended cabs, to make
sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near
frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if your
vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help
tighten the safety belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
they will need to be replaced, and
probably other new parts for the
vehicle's safety belt system. See
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts
after a Crash on page 3‑21.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear shoulder
belt comfort guides. If not, they are
available through your dealer. The
guides may provide added safety
belt comfort for older children who
have outgrown booster seats and
for some adults. When installed and
properly adjusted, the comfort guide
positions the belt away from the
neck and head.
Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the shoulder belt:
1. Remove the guide from its
storage clip on the interior body.
2. Place the guide over the beltand insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.