2016 GMC SIERRA 1500 instrument panel

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
252 Climate Controls
windshield and the side window
vents. The air conditioning
compressor also comes on, unless
the outside temperature is below
freezing.
Do not drive the vehicle until all
windows are clear.
SeeAir Vents 0253.
A/C (Air Conditioning) : Press to
turn the air conditioning system on
or off. An indicator light comes on to
show that the air conditioning is
enabled. If the fan is turned off, the
air conditioner will not run. The A/C
light will stay on even if the outside
temperatures are below freezing.
@(Recirculation) : Press to turn
on recirculation. An indicator light
comes on. Air is recirculated to
quickly cool the inside of the
vehicle. It can also be used to help
reduce outside air and odors that
enter the vehicle. The air
conditioning compressor also comes
on when this mode is activated.
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a
warming grid to remove fog from the
rear window.
K(Rear Window Defogger) :
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. An indicator light
on the button comes on to show that
the rear window defogger is on.
The rear window defogger only
works when the ignition is in ON/
RUN. The defogger turns off if the
ignition is turned to ACC/
ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF.
Caution
Using a razor blade or sharp
object to clear the inside rear
window can damage the rear
window defogger. Repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not clear the inside
rear window with sharp objects.
Heated Mirror : If equipped with
heated outside rearview mirrors, the
mirrors heat to help clear fog or frost from the surface of the mirror when
the rear window defog button is
pressed. See
Heated Mirrors 048.
Sensors
The solar sensor, located in the
defrost grille in the middle of the
instrument panel, monitors the solar
heat. Do not cover the solar sensor
or the system will not work properly.
There is also an exterior
temperature sensor behind the front
grille. This sensor reads the outside
air temperature and helps maintain
the temperature inside the vehicle.
Any cover on the front of the vehicle
including a snow plow, could cause
a false reading in the displayed
temperature.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Climate Controls 253
Some vehicles may have the
exterior temperature sensor in the
passenger side mirror instead of the
front grille area.
The climate control system uses the
information from these sensors to
maintain comfort settings by
adjusting the outlet temperature, fan
speed, and the air delivery mode.
The system may also supply cooler
air to the side of the vehicle facing
the sun. The recirculation mode will
also be used as needed to maintain
cool outlet temperatures.Air Vents
Use the air vents in the center and
on the side of the instrument panel
to direct airflow. Use the
thumbwheels near the air vents to
open or close off the airflow.
Air vents blow warm air on the side
windows in cold weather. If Floor,
Defog, or Defrost modes are
selected, a small amount of air will
come from the vents close to the
window. If the airflow is shut off
using the thumbwheels, warm air
will be directed to the other
instrument panel vents. This is
normal operation.
Use the thumbwheels to turn vent
airflow on or off based on the mode
selected.
Operation Tips
.Clear away any ice, snow,
or leaves from air inlets at the
base of the windshield that could
block the flow of air into the
vehicle. .
Keep the path under the front
seats clear of objects to help
circulate the air inside of the
vehicle more effectively.
. Use of non-GM approved hood
deflectors can adversely affect
the performance of the system.
Check with your dealer before
adding equipment to the outside
of the vehicle.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
268 Driving and Operating
{Warning
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO), which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle is stuck in snow:. Clear snow from the base of
the vehicle, especially any
blocking the exhaust pipe.
. Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the vehicle side
that is away from the wind,
to bring in fresh air.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See“Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0285.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running the engine, push the
accelerator pedal slightly so the
engine runs faster than the idle
speed. This keeps the battery
charged to restart the vehicle and to
signal for help with the headlamps.
Do this as little as possible, to
save fuel.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
See “Rocking the Vehicle to Get It
Out” later in this section.
The Traction Control System (TCS)
can often help to free a stuck
vehicle. See Traction Control/
Electronic Stability Control 0303.
If TCS cannot free the vehicle, see
“Rocking the Vehicle to Get it Out”
following.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other
damage. Spin the wheels as little
as possible and avoid going
above 56 km/h (35 mph).
For information about using tire
chains on the vehicle, see Tire
Chains 0422.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Driving and Operating 323
.The trailer must be equipped
with brakes adequate for the
intended use. A loaded trailer
weighing more than 900 kg
(2,000 lb) must be equipped with
its own brake system, with
brakes working on all axles.
Trailer braking equipment
conforming to Canadian
Standards Association (CSA)
requirement CAN3-D313, or its
equivalent, is recommended.
. Do not tow a trailer during the
first 800 km (500 mi) to prevent
damage to the engine, axle,
or other parts.
. Then during the first 800 km
(500 mi) of trailer towing, do not
drive over 80 km/h (50 mph) and
do not make starts at full throttle.
. Vehicles can tow in D (Drive).
The Tow/Haul Mode may be
used if the transmission shifts
too often. See Tow/Haul
Mode 0292.
. Turn off Park Assist when
towing.{Warning
When towing a trailer, exhaust
gases may collect at the rear of
the vehicle and enter if the
liftgate, trunk/hatch, or rear-most
window is open.
When towing a trailer:
. Do not drive with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch,
or rear-most window open.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Also adjust the climate
control system to a setting
that brings in only outside
air. See “Climate Control
Systems” in the Index.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust 0285.
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. The
combination you are driving is
longer and not as responsive as the vehicle itself. Get acquainted with
the handling and braking of the rig
before setting out for the open road.
The structure, tires, and brakes of
the trailer must be rated to carry the
load. Inadequate trailer equipment
can cause the combination to
operate in an unexpected or unsafe
manner.
Before starting, check all trailer hitch
parts and attachments, safety
chains, electrical connectors, lamps,
tires, and mirrors. Get familiar with
the handling and braking of the rig.
If the trailer has electric brakes, start
the combination moving and then
apply the trailer brake controller by
hand to be sure the brakes work.
During the trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure
and the lamps and any trailer
brakes still work.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving the vehicle without a trailer.
This can help to avoid heavy
braking and sudden turns.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Driving and Operating 345
Trailer Brake Control Panel
1. Manual Trailer Brake ApplyLever
2. Trailer Gain Adjustment Buttons
The ITBC system has a control
panel on the instrument panel to the
left of the steering column. See
Instrument Panel 06. The control
panel allows adjustment to the
amount of output, referred to as
Trailer Gain, available to the trailer
brakes and allows manual
application of the trailer brakes. The
Trailer Brake Control Panel is used
along with the Trailer Brake Display Page on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) to adjust and display
power output to the trailer brakes.
Trailer Brake DIC Display Page
The ITBC system displays
messages in the DIC.
The display page indicates Trailer
Gain setting, power output to the
trailer brakes, trailer connection, and
system operational status.
To display the Trailer Brake Display
Page, do any of the following:
.
Scroll through the DIC menu
pages.
. Press a Trailer Gain button.
If the Trailer Brake Display Page
is not currently displayed, press
a Trailer Gain button to recall the
current Trailer Gain setting.
Each press and release of the
gain buttons will then change the
Trailer Gain setting.
. Activate the Manual Trailer
Brake Apply Lever.
TRAILER GAIN: This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected. To adjust the Trailer Gain, press one
of the Trailer Gain Adjustment
buttons. Press and hold a gain
button to continuously adjust the
Trailer Gain. To turn the output to
the trailer off, adjust the Trailer Gain
setting to 0.0 (zero).
TRAILER OUTPUT: This displays
anytime a trailer with electric brakes
is connected. Output to the trailer
brakes is based on the amount of
vehicle braking present and relative
to the Trailer Gain setting. Output is
displayed from 0 to 100% for each
gain setting.
The Trailer Output will indicate
“- - -
- - -” on the Trailer Brake Display
Page whenever the following occur:
. No trailer is connected.
. A trailer without electric brakes
is connected (no DIC message
will display).
. A trailer with electric brakes has
become disconnected (a
CHECK TRAILER WIRING
message will also display on
the DIC).

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
354 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 355
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 356
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 366
Automatic Transmission Fluid (6 Speed Transmission) . . . . . 367
Automatic Transmission Fluid (8 Speed Transmission) . . . . . 370
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 370
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 375
Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Power Steering Fluid (1500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Power Steering Fluid (2500/ 3500 Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Battery - North America . . . . . . 382
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Noise Control System . . . . . . . . 385
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 386
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 387
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 387
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 388
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Electrical System Overload . . . 391
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Instrument Panel Fuse Block
(Right) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Left) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
All-Terrain Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 401
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Vehicle Care 391
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Remove the two screws and liftoff the lamp assembly.
2. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise and pull it
straight out.
3. Pull the bulb straight out from the socket.
Replacement Bulbs
For replacement bulbs, contact your
dealer.
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices and
Wiring
For an eAssist vehicle, see the
Silverado/Sierra eAssist
supplement.
Electrical System
Overload
The vehicle has fuses to protect
against an electrical system
overload. Fuses also protect power
devices in the vehicle.
Replace a bad fuse with a new one
of the identical size and rating.
If there is a problem on the road and
a fuse needs to be replaced, there
are some spare fuses and a fuse
puller in the Instrument Panel Fuse
Block. The same amperage fuse
can also be borrowed. Choose
some feature of the vehicle that is
not needed to use and replace it as
soon as possible.
Headlamp Wiring
An electrical overload may cause
the lamps to go on and off, or in
some cases to remain off. Have the
headlamp wiring checked right away
if the lamps go on and off or
remain off.
Windshield Wipers
If the wiper motor overheats due to
heavy snow or ice, the windshield
wipers will stop until the motor cools
and will then restart.
Although the circuit is protected
from electrical overload, overload
due to heavy snow or ice may
cause wiper linkage damage.
Always clear ice and heavy snow
from the windshield before using the
windshield wipers.
If the overload is caused by an
electrical problem and not snow or
ice, be sure to get it fixed.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
392 Vehicle Care
Fuses
The wiring circuits in the vehicle are
protected from short circuits by
fuses. This greatly reduces the
chance of fires caused by electrical
problems.
Look at the silver-colored band
inside the fuse. If the band is broken
or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure
you replace a bad fuse with a new
one of the identical size and rating.
Fuses of the same amperage can
be temporarily borrowed from
another fuse location, if a fuse goes
out. Replace the fuse as soon as
you can.
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax diesel
supplement.
The engine compartment fuse block
is in the engine compartment, on
the driver side of the vehicle.
Lift the cover to access the fuse
block.
Caution
Spilling liquid on any electrical
component on the vehicle may
damage it. Always keep the
covers on any electrical
component.
A fuse puller is available in the left
instrument panel fuse block.
The vehicle may not be equipped
with all of the fuses, relays, and
features shown.