GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
In Brief 23
Automatic Transfer Case
This transfer case knob is to the left
of the steering column.
The different drive options that may
be available are described following.
2
m(Two-Wheel Drive High) :This
setting is used for driving in most
street and highway situations.
AUTO (Automatic Four-Wheel
Drive) : This setting is ideal for use
when road surface traction
conditions are variable.
Do not use AUTO mode to park on
a steep grade with poor traction
such as ice, snow, mud or gravel. In AUTO mode only the rear wheels
will hold the vehicle from sliding
when parked. If parking on a steep
grade, use 4
mto keep all four
wheels engaged.
4
m(Four-Wheel Drive High) : Use
this setting when extra traction is
needed, such as on snowy or icy
roads or in most off-road situations.
N (Neutral) : Shift to this setting
only when towing the vehicle. See
Recreational Vehicle Towing 0439
or Trailer Towing 0325.
4
n(Four-Wheel Drive Low) : This
setting sends maximum power to all
four wheels. Choose 4
nwhen
driving in deep sand, mud, or snow,
and while climbing or descending
steep hills.
See Four-Wheel Drive 0293.
Vehicle Features
Infotainment System
The base radio and base radio with
connectivity information is included
in this manual. See the infotainment
manual for information on the
uplevel radios, audio players,
phone, navigation system, Rear
Seat Entertainment (RSE), and
voice or speech recognition,
if equipped.
Radio(s)
Base Radio
O:Press to turn the system on.
Press and hold to turn it off. When
on, press to mute; press again to
unmute. Turn to increase or
decrease the volume.
RADIO : Press to choose between
FM, AM, and SiriusXM
®,
if equipped.
MEDIA : Press to change the audio
source between CD, USB, AUX,
and Bluetooth
®Audio, if equipped.
{: Press to go to the Home Page.
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
In Brief 25
The Bluetooth-enabled cell phone
must be paired with the in-vehicle
Bluetooth system before it can be
used in the vehicle. Not all phones
will support all functions.
SeeBluetooth (Voice Recognition -
Base Radio) 0223 orBluetooth
(Infotainment Controls - Base
Radio) 0219 orBluetooth
(Overview) 0218 orBluetooth
(Infotainment Controls - Base Radio
with Touchscreen) 0228.
Steering Wheel Controls
If equipped, some audio controls
can be adjusted at the steering
wheel.
g:For vehicles with OnStar®or a
Bluetooth®system, press to interact
with those systems. See OnStar
Overview 0486 or“Bluetooth
(Overview)” in the infotainment
manual.
i: Press to reject an incoming
call, or end a current call. Press to
mute or unmute the infotainment
system when not on a call.
oorp: Press to go to the
previous or next menu option.
worx: Press to go to the next or
previous selection.
V: Press to select a highlighted
menu option.
The favorite and volume switches
are on the back of the steering
wheel.
1. Favorite: When on a radio source, press to select the next
or previous favorite. When on a
media source, press to select
the next or previous track.
2. Volume: Press to increase or decrease the volume.
See Steering Wheel Controls 0123.
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
26 In Brief
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC display is in the instrument
cluster. It shows the status of many
vehicle systems.
If the vehicle has the base level
instrument cluster, the trip odometer
reset stem is used to operate
the DIC.
If the vehicle has the uplevel
instrument cluster, the right steering
wheel controls are used to operate
the DIC.
worx:Press to move up or
down in a list.
oorp: Press to move between
the interactive display zones in the
cluster.
V: Press to open a menu or select
a menu item. Press and hold to
reset values on certain screens.
See Driver Information Center (DIC)
(Base Level) 0148 orDriver
Information Center (DIC)
(Uplevel) 0150.
Forward Collision Alert
(FCA) System
If equipped, FCA may help avoid or
reduce the harm caused by
front-end crashes. FCA provides a
green indicator,
V, when a vehicle
is detected ahead. This indicator
displays amber if you follow a
vehicle much too closely. When
approaching a vehicle ahead too
quickly, FCA provides a flashing red
alert on the windshield and rapidly
beeps or pulses the driver seat. See
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System 0312.
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW)
If equipped, LDW may help avoid
unintentional lane departures at
speeds of 56 km/h (35 mph) or
greater. LDW uses a camera sensor
to detect the lane markings. The
LDW light,
@, is green if a lane
marking is detected. If the vehicle
departs the lane, the light will
change to amber and flash. In
addition, beeps will sound or the
driver seat will pulse.
See Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
(2500/3500 Series) 0314.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
If equipped, LKA may help avoid
crashes due to unintentional lane
departures. It may assist by gently
turning the steering wheel if the
vehicle approaches a detected lane
marking without using a turn signal
in that direction. It may also provide
a Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
In Brief 27
alert as the lane marking is crossed.
The system will not assist or alert if
it detects that you are actively
steering. Override LKA by turning
the steering wheel. LKA uses a
camera to detect lane markings
between 60 km/h (37 mph) and
180 km/h (112 mph).
SeeLane Departure Warning (LDW)
(2500/3500 Series) 0314 andLane
Keep Assist (LKA) (1500
Series) 0315.
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC)
If equipped, RVC displays a view of
the area behind the vehicle on the
center stack display when the
vehicle is shifted into R (Reverse) to
aid with parking and low-speed
backing maneuvers.
See Assistance Systems for Parking
or Backing 0309.
Parking Assist
If equipped, Rear Parking
Assist (RPA) 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). RPA may
display a warning triangle on the
Rear Vision Camera screen and a
graphic on the instrument cluster to
provide the object distance. In
addition, multiple beeps or seat
pulses may occur if very close to an
object.
The vehicle may also have the Front
Parking Assist system.
See
Assistance Systems for Parking
or Backing 0309.
Power Outlets
Accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone, MP3
player, etc.
The vehicle may have up to four
accessory power outlets.
Vehicles with a Center Console
.
One or two in front of the
cupholders on the center
console.
. One inside the center console. .
One on the rear of the center
console.
Vehicles with Bench Seats
. One on the center stack below
the climate control system.
. One or two in the storage area
on the bench seat.
Lift the cover to access and replace
when not in use.
See Power Outlets 0126.
Universal Remote System
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Keys, Doors, and Windows 33
{Warning
If the key is unintentionally
rotated while the vehicle is
running, the ignition could be
moved out of the RUN position.
This could be caused by heavy
items hanging from the key ring,
or by large or long items attached
to the key ring that could be
contacted by the driver or
steering wheel. If the ignition
moves out of the RUN position,
the engine will shut off, braking
and steering power assist may be(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
impacted, and airbags may not
deploy. To reduce the risk of
unintentional rotation of the
ignition key, do not change the
way the ignition key and Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter,
if equipped, are connected to the
provided key rings.
The ignition key and key rings, and
RKE transmitter, if equipped, are
designed to work together as a
system to reduce the risk of
unintentionally moving the key out
of the RUN position. The ignition
key has a small hole to allow
attachment of the provided key ring.
It is important that any replacement
ignition keys have a small hole. See
your dealer if a replacement key is
required.
The combination and size of the
rings that came with your keys were
specifically selected for your
vehicle. The rings are connected to
the key like two links of a chain to
reduce the risk of unintentionally moving the key out of the RUN
position. Do not add any additional
items to the ring attached to the
ignition key. Attach additional items
only to the second ring, and limit
added items to a few essential keys
or small, light items no larger than
an RKE transmitter.
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
72 Seats and Restraints
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the vehicle
or while you are driving. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light 0137.Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.
A frontal airbag for the driver.
. A frontal airbag for the front
outboard passenger.
The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
. A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
. A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the front outboard
passenger.
. A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
. A roof-rail airbag for the front
outboard passenger and the
person seated directly behind
the front outboard passenger.
All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG on the trim
or on a label near the deployment
opening. For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the center of the
steering wheel for the driver and on
the instrument panel for the front
outboard passenger.
For seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the
seatback closest to the door.
For roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the ceiling or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{Warning
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt, even
with airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
(Continued)
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
74 Seats and Restraints
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
center of the steering wheel.
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has seat-mounted side
impact airbags for the driver and
front outboard passenger, they are
in the side of the seatbacks closest
to the door.
Driver Side Crew Cab Shown, Passenger Side Double and Regular Cabs Similar
If the vehicle has roof-rail airbags
for the driver, front outboard
passenger, and second row
outboard passengers, they are in
the ceiling above the side windows.
{Warning
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury (Continued)
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 75
Warning (Continued)
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie‐down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
This vehicle is equipped with
airbags. SeeAirbag System 072.
Airbags are designed to inflate if the
impact exceeds the specific airbag system's deployment threshold.
Deployment thresholds are used to
predict how severe a crash is likely
to be in time for the airbags to
inflate and help restrain the
occupants. The vehicle has
electronic sensors which help the
airbag system determine the
severity of the impact. Deployment
thresholds can vary with specific
vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries, mainly to the driver's or
front outboard passenger's head
and chest.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should inflate is not based primarily
on how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends on what is hit, the
direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at
different crash speeds depending on
whether the vehicle hits an object
straight on or at an angle, and
whether the object is fixed or
moving, rigid or deformable, narrow
or wide.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, in
rear impacts, or in many side
impacts.
In addition, if the GVWR (Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating) is at or
below 3 855 kg (8,500 lb), the
vehicle has advanced technology
frontal airbags. You can find the
GVWR on the Certification/Tire label
on the center pillar of the vehicle.
See
Vehicle Load Limits 0269 for
more information.
Advanced technology frontal airbags
adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. Vehicles with
advanced technology frontal airbags
have a seat position sensor that
enables the sensing system to
monitor the position of the driver
seat. The seat position sensor
provides information that is used to
adjust the deployment of the driver
frontal airbag.