GMC Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234761) - 2016 - crc - 7/24/15
Driving and Operating 163
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 172
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 173
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 175
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Truck-Camper LoadingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 184
Adjustable Throttle and BrakePedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . 192
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 193
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 208
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . 210 Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 214
Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 215
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) (2500/3500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) (1500 Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 224
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
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GMC Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234761) - 2016 - crc - 7/24/15
224 Driving and Operating
Use of Seasonal Fuels
Use summer and winter fuels in the
appropriate season. The fuels
industry automatically modifies the
fuel for the appropriate season.
If fuel is left in the vehicle tank for
long periods of time, driving or
starting could be affected. Drive the
vehicle until the fuel is at one-half
tank or less, then refuel with the
current seasonal fuel.
Prohibited Fuels
Gasolines containing oxygenates
such as ethers and ethanol, as well
as reformulated gasolines, are
available in some cities. If these
gasolines comply with the
previously described specification,
then they are acceptable to use.
However, E85 (85% ethanol) and
other fuels containing more than
15% ethanol must be used only in
FlexFuel vehicles.Caution
Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal
parts in the fuel system and also
damage plastic and rubber parts.
That damage would not be
covered under the vehicle
warranty.
Some gasolines, mainly high octane
racing gasolines, can contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT). Do not use
gasolines and/or fuel additives with
MMT as they can reduce spark plug
life and affect emission control
system performance. The
malfunction indicator lamp may turn
on. If this occurs, see your dealer
for service.
California Fuel
Requirements
If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that meet California specifications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California Emissions
Standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission
control system performance might
be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and the
vehicle may not pass a smog-check
test. See
Malfunction Indicator
Lamp (Check Engine Light) 0115.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized dealer for diagnosis. If it
is determined that the condition is
caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs may not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
If planning to drive in countries
outside the U.S. or Canada, the
proper fuel might be hard to find.
Check regional auto club or fuel
retail brand websites for availability
in the country where driving. Never
use leaded gasoline, fuel containing
methanol, manganese, or any other
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GMC Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 225
fuel not recommended. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper
fuel would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuel Additives
To keep fuel systems clean, TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline is
recommended. SeeFuel0223.
If TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is
not available, one bottle of Fuel
System Treatment PLUS added to
the fuel tank at every engine oil
change can help. Fuel System
Treatment PLUS is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.
Do not use additives with E85 or
FlexFuel.
E85 or FlexFuel
Vehicles with a yellow fuel cap can
use either unleaded gasoline or fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85).
All other vehicles should use only
the unleaded gasoline as described
in Fuel 0223. The use of E85 or FlexFuel is
encouraged when the vehicle is
designed to use it. E85 or FlexFuel
is made from renewable sources.
To help locate fuel stations that
carry E85 or FlexFuel, the U.S.
Department of Energy has an
alternative fuels website. See
www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/
stations.
E85 or FlexFuel should meet ASTM
Specification D 5798 or CAN/
CGSB–3.512 in Canada. Do not use
the fuel if the ethanol content is
greater than 85%. Fuel mixtures that
do not meet ASTM or CGSB
specifications can affect driveability
and could cause the malfunction
indicator lamp to come on.
For the 6.0L V8 engine, after
refueling, the vehicle calculates the
composition of the fuel. It is not
recommended to repeatedly switch
between fuels. If fuels are switched
frequently, add as much fuel as
possible and do not add less than
11 L (3 gal) when refueling. Drive at
least 11 km (7 mi) immediately after
refueling to allow the vehicle to
adapt to the change in ethanol
concentration.
Because E85 or FlexFuel has less
energy per liter (gallon) than
gasoline, the vehicle will need to be
refilled more often. See
Filling the
Tank 0226.
Caution
Some additives are not
compatible with E85 or FlexFuel
and can harm the vehicle's fuel
system. Do not add anything to
E85 or FlexFuel. Damage caused
by additives would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty.
Caution
Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal
parts in the fuel system and also
damage plastic and rubber parts.
That damage would not be
covered under the vehicle
warranty.
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GMC Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234761) - 2016 - crc - 7/24/15
Index 391
Fog LampsBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . 200, 277
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . . 117
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Front Seats Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . . 52
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 121
Management, Active . . . . . . . . . . 192
Requirements, California . . . . . 224
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Fuses (cont'd)
Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288, 290
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . 142Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Gauges
Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 109
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Transmission Temperature . . . . . 111
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 345
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 GM Mobility Reimbursement
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 150
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Headlamps
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 121
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 148
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 122
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . 302
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 173
Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . . . 210
Hill Descent Control Light . . . . . . . 118
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