2016 GMC SIERRA Owner's Manual

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
176 Lighting
The high-beam headlamps remain
on, under the automatic control,
until one of the following situations
occurs:
.The system detects an
approaching vehicle's
headlamps.
. The system detects a preceding
vehicle's taillamps.
. The outside light is bright
enough that high-beam
headlamps are not required.
. The vehicle's speed drops below
20 km/h (12 mph).
. The IntelliBeam system is
disabled by the high/low-beam
changer or the flash-to-pass
feature. If this happens, the high/
low-beam changer must be
activated two times within
two seconds to reactivate the
IntelliBeam system. The
instrument cluster light will come
on to indicate the IntelliBeam is
reactivated. See Headlamp
High/Low-Beam Changer 0176
and Flash-to-Pass 0177. The high beams may not turn off
automatically if the system cannot
detect another vehicle's lamps
because of any of the following:
.
The other vehicle's lamps are
missing, damaged, obstructed
from view, or otherwise
undetected.
. The other vehicle's lamps are
covered with dirt, snow, and/or
road spray.
. The other vehicle's lamps cannot
be detected due to dense
exhaust, smoke, fog, snow, road
spray, mist, or other airborne
obstructions.
. The vehicle's windshield is dirty,
cracked, or obstructed by
something that blocks the view
of the light sensor.
. The vehicle is loaded such that
the front end points upward,
causing the light sensor to aim
high and not detect headlamps
and taillamps.
. Driving on winding or hilly roads. The automatic high-beam
headlamps may need to be disabled
if any of the above conditions exist.
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A reminder chime sounds when the
headlamps or parking lamps are
manually turned on, the ignition is
off, and a door is open. To disable
the chime, turn the lamps off.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
$
(Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer) : Push the turn signal
lever toward the instrument panel to
change the headlamps from low to
high beam.
Pull the turn signal lever toward you
and release it to return to low-beam
headlamps.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Lighting 177
When the high-beam headlamps are
on, this indicator light on the
instrument cluster will also be on.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use the
high-beam headlamps to signal a
driver in front of you that you want
to pass. It works even if the
headlamps are in the automatic
position.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever
toward you, then release it.
If the headlamps are in the
automatic position or on low beam,
the high-beam headlamps will turn
on. Depending on the type of
headlamp, they will either turn off
after a short duration or stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward
you. The high-beam indicator on theinstrument cluster will come on.
Release the lever to return to
normal operation.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
DRL can make it easier for others to
see the front of the vehicle during
the day. Fully functional DRL are
required on all vehicles first sold in
Canada.
The DRL system comes on when
the following conditions are met:
.
The ignition is on.
. The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO.
. The transmission is not in
P (Park).
. The light sensor determines it is
daytime.
When the DRL system is on, only
the DRL are on. The taillamps,
sidemarker lamps, instrument panel
lights, and other lamps will not
be on. When it begins to get dark, the
automatic headlamp system
switches from DRL to the
headlamps.
To turn off the DRL, turn the exterior
lamp control to the off position and
then release. For vehicles first sold
in Canada, off will only work when
the vehicle is in P (Park).
Automatic Headlamp
System
When the exterior lamp control is
set to AUTO and it is dark enough
outside, the headlamps come on
automatically.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
178 Lighting
There is a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Do not cover the
sensor, otherwise the headlamps
will come on when they are not
needed.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel.
If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp
system comes on immediately. If it
is light outside when the vehicle
leaves the garage, there is a slight
delay before the automatic
headlamp system changes to the
DRL. 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
Control0180.
When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps will turn off or may
change to Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL). The automatic headlamp system
turns off when the exterior lamp
control is turned to
Oor the ignition
is off.
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
O
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.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Lighting 179
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
An arrow on the instrument cluster
flashes in the direction of the turn or
lane change.
Move the turn signal lever all the
way up or down to signal a turn.
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 the lever is
released.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 could
be burned out. If equipped with LED
turn signals, see your dealer.
Replace any burned out bulbs. If a
bulb is not burned out, check the
fuse. See
Fuses0392.
Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (0.75 mi), a chime
sounds at each flash of the turn
signal. The message TURN
SIGNAL ON will also appear in the
Driver Information Center (DIC). To
turn the chime and message off,
move the turn signal lever to the off
position.
Fog Lamps
If equipped, the control is on the
center of the exterior lamp control,
to the left of the steering column.
The ignition must be in the ON/RUN
position for the fog lamps to
come on.
#(Fog Lamps) : Press to turn the
fog lamps on or off. A light will come
on in the instrument cluster.
When the fog lamps are turned on,
the parking lamps automatically
turn on.
When the headlamps are changed
to high beam, the fog lamps go off.
When the high-beam headlamps are
turned off, the fog lamps will come
on again.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
180 Lighting
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on with
the fog lamps.
Auxiliary
Roof-Mounted Lamp
If equipped, this button includes
wiring provisions for a dealer or a
qualified service center to install an
auxiliary roof lamp.
This button is on the overhead
console.
When the wiring is connected to an
auxiliary roof-mounted lamp,
pressing the bottom of the button
will activate the lamp and illuminate
an indicator light at the bottom ofthis button. Pressing the top of the
button will turn off the roof-mounted
lamp and indicator.
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
above the overhead console: a dark
green with blue stripe switched
power wire and a black ground wire.
For information on roof-mounted
emergency lamp installation, see
www.gmupfitter.com or contact your
dealer.
If the vehicle has this button, the
vehicle may have the snow plow
prep package. See
Add-On
Electrical Equipment 0349.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
This feature controls the brightness
of the steering wheel and instrument
panel lights. The instrument panel
illumination control is next to the
exterior lamp control.
D(Instrument Panel
Illumination) : Move the
thumbwheel up or down to brighten
or dim the lights.

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Lighting 181
Cargo Lamp
The cargo lamp provides more light
in the cargo area or on the sides of
the vehicle, if needed. The lights
inside the pickup box and/or on the
outside rearview mirrors also turn
on, if equipped.
Press the switch down to turn the
cargo lamp on or off. An indicator
light will turn on when the lamp is
turned on, if equipped. The shift
lever must be in the P (Park)
position to operate the cargo lamp.
The lights on the outside rearviewmirrors turn on if the shift lever is in
the R (Reverse), N (Neutral),
or P (Park) position.
Dome Lamps
There are dome lamps in the
overhead console and the headliner,
if equipped.
To change the dome lamp settings,
press the following:
OFF :
Turns the lamps off, even
when a door is open.
DOOR : The lamps come on
automatically when a door is
opened. ON :
Turns all dome lamps on.
Reading Lamps
There are reading lamps in the
overhead console and the headliner,
if equipped. To operate, the ignition
must be in the ACC/ACCESSORY
or ON/RUN position, or using
Retained Accessory Power (RAP).

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
182 Lighting
Pressmornnext to each reading
lamp to turn it on or off.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
Some exterior lamps and the interior
lamps turn on briefly at night, or in
areas with limited lighting, when
K
is pressed on the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter. When a
door is opened, the interior lamps
come on if the dome lamp control is
in the DOOR position. After about
30 seconds the exterior lamps turn
off. Entry lighting can be disabled
manually by changing the ignition
out of the OFF position, or by
pressing the RKE transmitter
Q
button.
This feature can be changed. See
“Vehicle Locator Lights” under
Vehicle Personalization 0163.
Exit Lighting
Some exterior lamps and the interior
lamps come on at night, or in areas
with limited lighting when the key is
removed from the ignition. The
exterior and interior lamps remain
on for a set amount of time and then automatically turn off. The interior
lamps do not come on if the dome
lamp control is in the Off position.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamps control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization
0163.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM), which
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. The voltmeter
gauge or the voltage display on the
Driver Information Center (DIC),
if equipped, may show the voltage

GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Lighting 183
moving 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 the
power that is 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 and it is recommended
that the driver reduce the electrical
loads as much as possible. See
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages
0153.
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.