2013 GMC SIERRA See i

Black plate (4,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
6-4 Lighting
in the P (Park) position before the
automatic headlamp system can be
turned off.
The vehicle has a light sensor
located on the top of the instrument
panel which regulates when the
automatic headlamps turn on. Do
not cover the sensor, otherwise the
headlamps will come on whenever
the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or heavy overcast
weather. This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition
between the daytime and nighttime
operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automaticheadlamp systems so that driving
under bridges or bright overhead
street lights does not affect the
system. The DRL and automatic
headlamp system are only affected
when the light sensor detects a
change in lighting lasting longer
than the delay.
If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp
system comes on immediately.
Once the vehicle leaves the garage,
it takes approximately one minute
for the automatic headlamp system
to change to DRL if it is bright
enough outside. During that delay,
the instrument cluster may not be as
bright as usual. Make sure the
instrument panel brightness control
is in the full bright position. See
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑7.
To idle the vehicle with the
automatic headlamp system off, turn
the control to the off position.
The headlamps will also stay on
after you exit the vehicle. This
feature can be programmed using
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
See
Vehicle Personalization (With
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑46.
If the vehicle is not equipped with
DIC buttons, exit lighting is
automatic. When it is dark enough
outside, the exterior lamps remain
on for 30 seconds after the ignition
is moved from ON/RUN to
LOCK/OFF.
For vehicles without a radio, the
instrument panel light remains on for
30 seconds with the driver door
closed. For vehicles with a radio,
the instrument panel light remains
on for 10 minutes with the driver
door closed. See Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑27.
The regular headlamp system can
be turned on when needed.

Black plate (5,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
Lighting 6-5
Lights On with Wipers
If the windshield wipers are
activated in daylight with the engine
on, and the exterior lamp control is
in AUTO, the headlamps, parking
lamps, and other exterior lamps
come on. The transition time for the
lamps coming on varies based on
wiper speed. When the wipers are
not operating, these lamps turn off.
Move the exterior lamp control to
P
or;to disable this feature.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|(Hazard Warning Flashers):
Press this button to make the front
and rear turn signal lamps flash on
and off. Press again to turn the
flashers off.
When the hazard warning flashers
are on, the vehicle's turn signals will
not work.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument cluster
flashes in the direction of the turn or
lane change. Raise or lower the lever for less
than one second until the arrow
starts to flash to signal a lane
change. This causes the turn
signals to automatically flash three
times. It will flash six times if
tow-haul mode is active. Holding the
turn signal lever for more than
one second will cause the turn
signals to flash until you release the
lever.
The lever returns to its starting
position whenever it is released.
If after signaling a turn or a lane
change the arrows flash rapidly or
do not come on, a signal bulb may
be burned out.
Have any burned out bulbs
replaced. If a bulb is not burned out,
check the fuse. See
Fuses and
Circuit Breakers on page 10‑39.
Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (0.75 mi), a chime will
sound at each flash of the turn
signal and the message TURN

Black plate (7,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
Lighting 6-7
The emergency roof lamp circuit is
fused at 30 amps, so the total
current draw of the attached lamps
should be less than this value. The
attachment points for the roof lamp
circuits are two blunt cut wires
located above the overhead
console, a dark green switched
power wire and a black ground wire.
For more information on roof mount
emergency lamp installation, please
visit the GM Upfitter website at
www.gmupfitter.com or contact your
dealer.
If the vehicle has this button, the
vehicle may have the snow plow
prep package. SeeAdding a Snow
Plow or Similar Equipment on
page 9‑101.Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
D(Instrument Panel
Brightness): This feature controls
the brightness of the instrument
panel lights and is located next to
the exterior lamps control.
Push the knob to extend out and
then it can be turned.
Turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or dim
the instrument panel lights. Turning
the knob to the farthest clockwise
position turns on the dome lamps.
Cargo Lamp
The cargo lamps come on by
turning the instrument panel
brightness control knob to the
farthest clockwise position. This
knob is located on the instrument
panel and also turns on the dome
lamps.
The cargo lamps can be used if
more light is needed in the cargo
area of the vehicle.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps are located in the
overhead console.
They come on when any door is
opened and turn off after all the
doors are closed.
Turn the instrument panel
brightness knob located below the
dome lamp override button,
clockwise to the farthest position to
manually turn on the dome lamps.
The dome lamps remain on until the
knob is turned counterclockwise.

Black plate (9,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
Lighting 6-9
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all of the
power needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a DIC message might
be displayed, such as BATTERY
SAVER ACTIVE, BATTERY
VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW BATTERY.
If one of these messages displays, it
is recommended that the driver
reduce the electrical loads as much
as possible. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑28.
Battery Power Protection
This feature shuts off the dome and
reading lamps, if they are left on for
more than 10 minutes after the
ignition is turned off. The cargo
lamp shuts off after 20 minutes. This
prevents the battery from
running down.

Black plate (2,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
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 9‑27 for more
information.
Navigation/Radio System
For vehicles with a navigation radio
system, see the navigation 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.

Black plate (3,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
Infotainment System 7-3
Overview (AM-FM Radio)
Overview (AM-FM Radio)
A.
4(Information)
.Press to show information
on the current station or
track. B. Buttons 1 - 6.Saves and selects favorite
stations.C.
f(Tone/Tune)
.Press to set the bass or
treble.
.Turn to manually select
radio stations.
D. BAND
.Press to scroll through the
available bands AM, FM,
or XM if equipped.
E.
©SEEK
.Seeks the previous station.
F.
¨SEEK
.Seeks the next station.
G.
P(Power/Volume)
.Press to turn the
infotainment system on
or off.
.Turn to adjust the volume.
H.
H(Clock)
.Press to set the clock.

Black plate (5,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
Infotainment System 7-5
C. MENU
.Press to open the tone
menu to adjust the bass,
midrange, treble, fade, and
balance.
D. Buttons 1 - 6
.Saves and selects favorite
stations.
E. EQ (Equalizer)
.Press to adjust the
equalizer.
F.
f(Tone/Tune)
.Press to set the bass or
treble.
.Turn to manually select
radio stations.
G. CAT (Category)
.Press to display a list of
XM categories. H.
H(Clock)
.Press to set the clock.
I. BAND
.Press to scroll through the
available bands AM, FM,
or XM if equipped.
J.
©SEEK
.Seeks the previous station.
K.
¨SEEK
.Seeks the next station.
L.
P(Power/Volume)
.Press to turn the
infotainment system on
or off.
.Turn to adjust the volume. M.
sREV (Reverse)
.Press to and hold to go
backward fast through a
track.
N.
\FWD (Forward)
.Press to and hold to fast
forward through a track.
O. CD/AUX
.Press to scroll through
selecting the CD or a
auxiliary device.
P.
ZEject
.Press to eject the
loaded CD.

Black plate (7,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
Infotainment System 7-7
I. CAT (Category)
.Press to display a list of
XM categories.
J.
H(Clock)
.Press to set the clock.
K. BAND
.Press to scroll through the
available bands AM, FM,
or XM if equipped.
L.
©SEEK
.Seeks the previous station.
M.
¨SEEK
.Seeks the next station.
N.
P(Power/Volume)
.Press to turn the
infotainment system on
or off.
.Turn to adjust the volume.
O. CD Slot P.
sREV (Reverse)
.Press to and hold to go
backward fast through a
track.
Q.
\FWD (Forward)
.Press to and hold to fast
forward through a track.
R.
ZCD
.Press to eject the
loaded CD.
S. DVD/CD/AUX
.Press to scroll through
selecting the DVD, CD,
or an auxiliary device.
Operation
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 7‑38
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.