Page 1 of 556

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
Page 9 of 556

Black plate (3,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
In Brief 1-3
A.Air Vents on page 8‑10.
B. Turn and Lane‐Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑5.
Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑4.
C. Driver Information Center (DIC) Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑30.
D. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑5 (Out of View).
E. Instrument Cluster on
page 5‑12.
F. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑35.
Tow/Haul Selector Button (If
Equipped). See Tow/Haul Mode
on page 9‑39. Range Selection Mode (Allison
Transmission and Hydra-Matic®
6‐Speed Button) (If Equipped).
See
Manual Mode on
page 9‑38.
G. Infotainment on page 7‑1.
H. Instrument Panel Storage on
page 4‑1.
I. Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (If Equipped). See
Trailer Towing on page 9‑78.
J. Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
K. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑22.
L. Hood Release. See Hood on
page 10‑5. M.
Parking Brake on page 9‑54.
N. Dome Lamps on page 6‑8.
Fog Lamps on page 6‑6
(If Equipped).
O. Cruise Control on page 9‑58.
P. Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2.
Q. Horn on page 5‑4.
R. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2 (If Equipped).
S. Automatic Transfer Case Control (If Equipped). See
Four-Wheel Drive on
page 10‑30.
T. Ashtray (If Equipped). See Ashtrays on page 5‑11 and
Cigarette Lighter on page 5‑10.
Page 13 of 556

Black plate (7,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
In Brief 1-7
A.Air Vents on page 8‑10.
B. Turn and Lane‐Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑5.
Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑4.
C. Instrument Cluster on
page 5‑12.
D. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑5 (Out of View).
E. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑35.
Range Selection Mode
(If Equipped). See Manual
Mode on page 9‑38.
F. Tow/Haul Mode on page 9‑39
(If Equipped).
G. Driver Information Center (DIC) Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑30. H.
Infotainment on page 7‑1.
I. Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
J. Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (If Equipped). See
Trailer Towing on page 9‑78.
K. Dome Lamps on page 6‑8.
L. Automatic Transfer Case Control (If Equipped). See
Four-Wheel Drive on
page 10‑30.
M. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑22.
N. Hood Release. See Hood on
page 10‑5.
O. Parking Brake on page 9‑54.
P. Cruise Control on page 9‑58. Q.
Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2.
R. Horn on page 5‑4.
S. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2.
T. Climate Control Systems (with
Air Conditioning) on page 8‑1 or
Climate Control Systems (with
Heater Only) on page 8‑4
(If Equipped).
Dual Automatic Climate
Control System on page 8‑5
(If Equipped).
U. Power Outlets on page 5‑9.
Cigarette Lighter (If Equipped).
See Ashtrays on page 5‑11 and
Cigarette Lighter on page 5‑10.
Page 211 of 556

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Infotainment System 7-1
Infotainment
System
Introduction
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . 7-2
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Radio
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Satellite Radio Antenna . . . . . . 7-15
Audio Players
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Rear Seat Infotainment
Rear Seat Entertainment(RSE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Phone
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
Trademarks and License
Agreements
Trademarks and LicenseAgreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
Introduction
Infotainment
Determine which radio the vehicle
has and read the following pages to
become familiar with its features.
{WARNING
Taking your eyes off the road for
extended periods could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death
to you or others. Do not give
extended attention to infotainment
tasks while driving.
This system provides access to
many audio and non‐audio listings.
Page 212 of 556

Black plate (2,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
7-2 Infotainment System
To minimize taking your eyes off the
road while driving, do the following
while the vehicle is parked:
.Become familiar with the
operation and controls of the
audio system.
.Set up the tone, speaker
adjustments, and preset radio
stations.
For more information, see Defensive
Driving on page 9‑3. Notice:
Contact your dealer
before adding any equipment.
Adding audio or communication
equipment could interfere with
the operation of the engine, radio,
or other systems, and could
damage them. Follow federal
rules covering mobile radio and
telephone equipment.
The vehicle has Retained
Accessory Power (RAP). With RAP,
the audio system can be played
even after the ignition is turned off.
See Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑29 for more
information.
Navigation/Radio System
For vehicles with a navigation radio
system, see the separate Navigation
System Manual.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
TheftLock®is designed to
discourage theft of the vehicle's
radio by learning a portion of the
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
The radio does not operate if it is
stolen or moved to a different
vehicle.
Page 213 of 556
Black plate (3,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Infotainment System 7-3
Operation
AM-FM Radio
Page 214 of 556
Black plate (4,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
7-4 Infotainment System
Radio with CD (MP3) Shown; Radio with USB and CD (MP3), Radio withUSB and Six-Disc CD (MP3), and Radio with CD Similar
Page 215 of 556

Black plate (5,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Infotainment System 7-5
Radio with USB, CD, and DVD (MP3)
The vehicle has one of these radios
as its audio system.
Radios with CD and DVD
Vehicles with a USB, CD, and DVD
radio have a Bose®Surround
Sound System. Some of its features are explained later in this section,
“Adjusting the Speakers
(Balance/Fade).”
Vehicles with a USB, CD, and DVD
radio may have a Rear Seat
Entertainment (RSE) system. See
Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE)System on page 7‑37
for more
information on the vehicle's RSE
system.
The DVD player is the top slot
on the radio faceplate. The
player is capable of reading the
DTS‐programmed DVD Audio or
DVD Video media. (DTS and DTS
Digital Surround are registered
trademarks of Digital Theater
Systems, Inc.)
Dolby and the double-D symbol are
trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
Manufactured under license from
Dolby Laboratories.
Using the Radio
O(Power/Volume): Press to turn
the system on and off.
Turn clockwise or counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the volume.
4(Information) (AM-FM Radio and
AM-FM Radio with CD): Press
to switch the display between the
radio station frequency and the
time. While the ignition is off, press
this button to display the time.