
Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
2013 GMC Sierra Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-7
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-31
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-46
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-54
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 7-38
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
Trademarks and License
Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-56 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 . . . . . . . 9-23
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-32
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-53
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-59
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-71
Conversions and
Add-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-101
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel (Base/UplevelVersion) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Instrument Panel (Premium Version) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-7
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Heated and Ventilated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13 Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Throttle and Brake Pedal Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-18
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-25
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-26
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27 Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 1-28
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
Universal Remote System . . . 1-29
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
Performance and Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 1-31
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-31
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-32
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-32
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33

Black plate (17,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
In Brief 1-17
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Hold the steering wheel and pullthe lever.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Throttle and Brake Pedal
Adjustment
On vehicles with this feature, you
can change the position of the
throttle and brake pedals.
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 to your
body. Press the top of the control to
move the pedals away.
See
Adjustable Throttle and Brake
Pedal on page 9‑23.
Interior Lighting
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. Dome Lamp Override
The dome lamp override button is
located next to the exterior lamps
control.
k:
Press the button in and the
dome lamps remain off when a door
is opened. Press the button again to
return it to the extended position so
that the dome lamps come on when
a door is opened.
Reading Lamps
For vehicles with reading lamps in
the overhead console, press the
button located next to the lamp to
turn it on or off.

Black plate (18,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
1-18 In Brief
The vehicle may also have reading
lamps in other locations. The lamps
are fixed and cannot be adjusted.
For more information about interior
lamps, see:
.Dome Lamps on page 6‑7.
.Reading Lamps on page 6‑8.
.Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑7.
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamp control is on the
instrument panel to the left of the
steering wheel.There are four positions.
O:
Turns off the automatic
headlamps and Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL). Turn the headlamp
control to the off position again to
turn the automatic headlamps or
DRL back on.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
the off position will only work when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
AUTO: Automatically turns on the
headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, instrument panel lights,
roof marker lamps (if equipped), and
license plate lamps.
;: Turns on the parking lamps,
taillamps, instrument panel lights,
roof marker lamps (if equipped), and
license plate lamps.
5: Turns on the headlamps,
parking lamps, taillamps, instrument
panel lights, roof marker lamps (if
equipped), and license plate lamps. See:
.Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1
.Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
on page 6‑3
.Fog Lamps on page 6‑6
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The front wiper control is located on
the turn and lane-change lever.
The windshield wipers are controlled
by turning the band with
zon it.
8:
For a single wipe, turn to8,
then release. For several wipes,
hold the band on
8longer.

Black plate (28,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
1-28 In Brief
3:Press to display the
odometer, trip odometer, fuel range,
average economy, fuel used, timer,
instantaneous economy and Active
Fuel Management
®indicator, and
transmission temperature. The
compass and outside air
temperature will also be shown in
the display. The temperature will be
shown in °C or °F depending on the
units selected.
T: Press to display the oil life,
units, tire pressure readings for
vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), trailer
brake gain and output information
for vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
engine hours, compass zone
setting, and compass recalibration.
U: Press to customize the feature
settings on your vehicle. See
Vehicle Personalization (With DIC
Buttons) on page 5‑46 for more
information.
V: Press to set or reset certain
functions and to turn off or
acknowledge messages on the DIC.
For more information, see Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑28.
Vehicle Customization
Some vehicle features can be
programmed by using the DIC
buttons next to the steering wheel.
These features include:
.Language
.Door Lock and Unlock Settings
.RKE Lock and Unlock Feedback
.Lighting
.Chime Volume
.Memory Features
See Vehicle Personalization (With
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑46.
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC)
If available, the RVC displays a view
of the area behind the vehicle when
the vehicle is shifted into
R (Reverse). This is displayed on
the inside rearview mirror or the
navigation screen, if equipped.
To clean the camera lens, near the
tailgate handle, rinse it with water
and wipe it with a soft cloth.
For more information, see Rear
Vision Camera (RVC) on page 9‑60.
Ultrasonic Parking Assist
If available, this system uses
sensors on the rear bumper to
assist with parking and avoiding
objects while in R (Reverse).
It operates at speeds less than
8 km/h (5 mph). URPA uses audible
beeps to provide distance and
system information.
Keep the sensors on the vehicle's
rear bumper clean to ensure proper
operation.

Black plate (3,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-3
With Remote Start (withoutRemote Start Similar)
/(Remote Vehicle Start): For
vehicles with this feature, press
/
to start the engine from outside the
vehicle using the RKE transmitter.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑4 for additional information.
Q(Lock):Press to lock all the
doors. If enabled through the Driver
Information Center (DIC), the turn
signal lamps flash once to indicate
locking has occurred. If enabled
through the DIC, the horn chirps
when
Qis pressed again within
three seconds. See Vehicle
Personalization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑46 for additional
information.
Pressing
Qarms the content
theft-deterrent system. See Vehicle
Alarm System on page 2‑10.
K(Unlock): Press once to unlock
only the driver door. If
Kis pressed
again within three seconds, all
remaining doors unlock. The interior
lamps may come on and stay on for
20 seconds or until the ignition is
turned on.
If enabled through the DIC, the turn
signal lamps flash twice to indicate
unlocking has occurred. See Vehicle
Personalization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑46. If enabled through the
DIC, the exterior lights may turn on. See
“Approach Lighting” under
Vehicle Personalization (With DIC
Buttons) on page 5‑46.
Pressing
Kon the RKE transmitter
disarms the content theft-deterrent
system. See Vehicle Alarm System
on page 2‑10.
L(Vehicle Locator/Panic
Alarm): Press and release to
locate the vehicle. The turn signal
lamps flash and the horn sounds
three times.
Press and hold
Lfor more than
two seconds to activate the panic
alarm. The turn signal lamps flash
and the horn sounds repeatedly for
30 seconds. The alarm turns off
when the ignition is moved to ON/
RUN or
Lis pressed again. The
ignition must be in LOCK/OFF for
the panic alarm to work.

Black plate (50,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
5-50 Instruments and Controls
Press the customization button until
DELAY DOOR LOCK appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF:There will be no delayed
locking of the vehicle's doors.
ON (default): The doors will not
lock until five seconds after the last
door is closed.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
EXIT LIGHTING
This feature allows you to select the
amount of time you want the
exterior lamps to remain on when it
is dark enough outside. This
happens after the key is turned from
ON/RUN to LOCK/OFF. Press the customization button until
EXIT LIGHTING appears on the DIC
display. Press the set/reset button
once to access the settings for this
feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF:
The exterior lamps will not
turn on.
30 SECONDS (default): The
exterior lamps will stay on for
30 seconds.
1 MINUTE: The exterior lamps will
stay on for one minute.
2 MINUTES: The exterior lamps will
stay on for two minutes.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC. APPROACH LIGHTING
This feature allows you to select if
the exterior lights turn on briefly
during low light periods after
unlocking the vehicle using the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter.
Press the customization button until
APPROACH LIGHTING appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF:
The exterior lights will not
turn on when you unlock the vehicle
with the RKE transmitter.
ON (default): If it is dark enough
outside, the exterior lights will turn
on briefly when you unlock the
vehicle with the RKE transmitter.
The lights will remain on for
20 seconds, until the lock button on
the RKE transmitter is pressed,
or until the vehicle is no longer off.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 8/14/12
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-5
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Auxiliary Roof-Mounted Lamp . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel IlluminationControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-9
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-9
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
There are four positions:
O(Off): Turns off the automatic
headlamps and Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL). Turn the headlamp
control to the off position again to
turn the automatic headlamps or
DRL back on.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
the off position will only work when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).