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114 Seats and Restraints
6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the
belt, and feed the shoulder belt
back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child
restraint, it may be helpful to
use your knee to push down on
the child restraint as you
tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. If your vehicle does not have a
rear seat and your child
restraint has a top tether, follow
the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 094.
8. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To
check, grasp the child restraint
at the safety belt path and
attempt to move it side to side
and back and forth. When the
child restraint is properly
installed, there should be no
more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of
movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.
If you turned the airbag off with the
switch (if equipped), turn on the
front outboard passenger airbag
when you remove the child restraint from the vehicle unless the person
who will be sitting there is a member
of a passenger airbag risk group.
See
Airbag On-Off Switch 078 for
more information, including
important safety information.
Heavy-Duty Crew Cab Only
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint 092.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front outboard
passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. Always secure a
rear-facing child restraint in a
rear seat.
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 115
If the vehicle does not have a rear
seat that will accommodate a
rear-facing child restraint, a
rear-facing child restraint should not
be installed in the vehicle, even if
the airbag is off.
If a child restraint uses a top tether,
seeLower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) 094 for
top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
When using the lap-shoulder belt to
secure the child restraint in this
position, follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the
following instructions: 1. Move the seat as far back as it
will go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions
of the vehicle's safety belt
through or around the restraint.
The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt
quickly if necessary.
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the
way out of the retractor to set
the lock. When the retractor
lock is set, the belt can be
tightened but not pulled out of
the retractor.
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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116 Seats and Restraints
6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the
belt, and feed the shoulder belt
back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child
restraint, it may be helpful to
use your knee to push down on
the child restraint as you
tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. If your child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 094 for more
information on using the top
tether anchors.
8. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To
check, grasp the child restraint
at the safety belt path and
attempt to move it side to side
and back and forth. When the
child restraint is properly
installed, there should be no
more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of
movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.
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Driving and Operating 257
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 348
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Driving Information
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention away
from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, always
keep your eyes on the road, hands
on the wheel, and mind on the drive.
. Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
. Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices.
. Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions. .
Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
. Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
. Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children.
. Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint.
. Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road too
long or too often could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving.
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Driving and Operating 273
Warning (Continued)
shift forward and come into
the passenger area, injuring
you and others. If you put
things in the bed of your truck,
you should make sure they
are properly secured.
Caution
Overloading the vehicle may
cause damage. Repairs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not overload the
vehicle.
Using heavier suspension
components to get added
durability might not change the
weight ratings. Ask your dealer
to help load the vehicle the
right way.
{Warning
Things you put inside the
vehicle can strike and injure
people in a sudden stop or
turn, or in a crash.
.Put things in the cargo
area of the vehicle. Try to
spread the weight evenly.
.Never stack heavier
things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle so that
some of them are above
the tops of the seats.
.Do not leave an
unsecured child restraint
in the vehicle.
.When you carry
something inside the
vehicle, secure it
whenever you can.
.Do not leave a seat
folded down unless you
need to. There is also important loading
information for off-road driving in
this manual. See
“Loading the
Vehicle for Off-Road Driving“
under Off-Road Driving 0261.
Two-Tiered Loading
Depending on the model of the
pickup, an upper load platform
can be created by positioning
three or four 5 cm (2 in) by
15 cm (6 in) wooden planks
across the width of the pickup
box. The planks must be
inserted in the pickup box
depressions.
When using this upper load
platform, be sure the load is
securely tied down to prevent it
from shifting. The load's center
of gravity should be positioned
in a zone over the rear axle. The
zone is located in the area
between the front of each wheel
well and the rear of each wheel
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Driving and Operating 309
Driver Assistance
Systems
This vehicle may have features that
work together to help avoid crashes
or reduce crash damage while
driving, backing, and parking. Read
this entire section before using
these systems.
{Warning
Do not rely on the Driver
Assistance Systems. These
systems do not replace the need
for paying attention and driving
safely. You may not hear or feel
alerts or warnings provided by
these systems. Failure to use
proper care when driving may
result in injury, death, or vehicle
damage. SeeDefensive
Driving 0258.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Under many conditions, these
systems will not:
. Detect children,
pedestrians, bicyclists,
or animals.
. Detect vehicles or objects
outside the area monitored
by the system.
. Work at all driving speeds.
. Warn you or provide you
with enough time to avoid a
crash.
. Work under poor visibility or
bad weather conditions.
. Work if the detection sensor
is not cleaned or is covered
by ice, snow, mud, or dirt.
Complete attention is always
required while driving, and you
should be ready to take action
and apply the brakes and/or steer
the vehicle to avoid crashes. Audible or Safety Alert Seat
Some driver assistance features
alert the driver of obstacles by
beeping. To change the volume of
the warning chime, see
“Comfort
and Convenience” underVehicle
Personalization 0163.
If equipped with the Safety Alert
Seat, the driver seat cushion may
provide a vibrating pulse alert
instead of beeping. To change this,
see “Collision/Detection Systems”
under Vehicle
Personalization 0163.
Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing
If equipped, the Rear Vision Camera
(RVC), Rear Parking Assist (RPA),
and Front Parking Assist (FPA) may
help the driver park or avoid objects.
Always check around the vehicle
when parking or backing.
The RVC and RPA will not work
properly if the tailgate is down. If the
tailgate is down, do not use these
systems.
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Driving and Operating 311
weather. Blocked sensors will not
detect objects and can also cause
false detections. Keep the sensors
clean of mud, dirt, snow, ice, and
slush; and clean sensors after a car
wash in freezing temperatures.
{Warning
The Parking Assist system does
not detect children, pedestrians,
bicyclists, animals, or objects
located below the bumper or that
are too close or too far from the
vehicle. It is not available at
speeds greater than 8 km/h
(5 mph). To prevent injury, death,
or vehicle damage, even with
parking assist, always check the
area around the vehicle and
check all mirrors before moving
forward or backing.
The instrument cluster may have a
parking assist display with bars that
show“distance to object” and object
location information for the Parking
Assist system. As the object gets
closer, more bars light up and the
bars change color from yellow to
amber to red.
When an object is first detected in
the rear, one beep will be heard
from the rear, or both sides of the
Safety Alert Seat will pulse two
times. When an object is very close
(<0.6 m (2 ft) in the vehicle rear,
or <0.3 m (1 ft) in the vehicle front),
a continuous beep will sound from
the front or rear, or both sides of the Safety Alert Seat will pulse five
times. Beeps for FPA are higher
pitched than for RPA.
Turning the Features On or Off
TheXbutton on the center stack
is used to turn on or off the Front
and Rear Parking Assist. The
indicator light in the button comes
on when the features are on and
turns off when the features have
been disabled.
Front and Rear Parking Assist can
be turned off, on, or on with towbar
through vehicle personalization. See
“Park Assist” underVehicle
Personalization 0163. If the parking
assist is turned off through vehicle
personalization, the parking assist
button on the center stack will be
disabled. To turn the parking assist
on again, select On in the vehicle
personalization menu. The On with
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498 Index
California (cont'd)Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
California
Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .355, 382, 434
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Cargo
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 3
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 118
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Charging
Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 140 Check
Ignition Transmission Lock . . . 387
Malfunction Indicator
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . . . 88
Lower Anchors and Tethersfor Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105, 108
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246, 248
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . 246, 248
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246, 248
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 479
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Connections OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488 Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Traction and Electronic
Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Control Light Hill Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Engine Temperature Gauge . . 135
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 475 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . . . 481
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472