GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
In Brief 7
1.Instrument Panel Illumination
Control 0180.
2. Integrated Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) System (If Equipped).
See Towing Equipment 0339.
3. Exterior Lamp Controls 0174.
Fog Lamps 0179 (If
Equipped).
4. Air Vents 0253.
5. Turn Signal Lever. See Turn
and Lane-Change
Signals 0179.
Windshield Wiper/
Washer 0124.
6. Favorite Switches (Out of View). See Steering Wheel
Controls 0123.
Volume Switches (Out of View).
See Steering Wheel
Controls 0123.
7. Instrument Cluster 0130.
8. Hazard Warning
Flashers 0178.
9. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission 0286. Tow/Haul Selector Button (If
Equipped). See
Tow/Haul
Mode 0292.
Range Selection Mode (If
Equipped). See Manual
Mode 0289.
10. Light Sensor. See Automatic
Headlamp System 0177.
11. Infotainment 0185.
12. Passenger Airbag On-Off Switch (If Equipped) (Out of
View). See Airbag On-Off
Switch 078.
13. Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats 061 (If Equipped).
14. Power Outlet 110/120V Alternating Current (If
Equipped). See Power
Outlets 0126.
15. Power Outlets 0126 (If
Equipped).
16. USB Port (Base Radio) 0205
or USB Port (Base Radio with
Touchscreen) 0208 (If
Equipped). 17.gTraction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0303.
0Pedal Adjust Switch (If
Equipped). See Adjustable
Throttle and Brake
Pedal 0277.
{Cargo Lamp 0181.
XParking Assist Button (If
Equipped). See Assistance
Systems for Parking or
Backing 0309.
ALane Keep Assist (LKA)
(1500 Series) 0315 (If
Equipped).
5Hill Descent Control Switch
(If Equipped). See Hill Descent
Control (HDC) 0305.
qExhaust Brake (If
Equipped). See “Exhaust
Brake” in the Duramax diesel
supplement.
gPower Take Off (PTO)
Switch (If Equipped). See the
Duramax diesel supplement.
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
14 In Brief
Safety Belts
Refer to the following sections for
important information on how to use
safety belts properly.
.Safety Belts 064.
. How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly 066.
. Lap-Shoulder Belt 066.
. Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) 094.
Passenger Sensing
System
The passenger sensing system,
if equipped, turns off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions. No other
airbag is affected by the passenger
sensing system.
If the vehicle has one of the
indicators pictured in the following
illustrations, then the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
front outboard passenger position
unless there is an airbag off switch
on the instrument panel endcap.
If there is an airbag off switch, the
vehicle does not have a passenger
sensing system. See Airbag On-Off
Switch 078 for more information.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will be visible on the
overhead console when the vehicle
is started.
United States
Canada and Mexico
See Passenger Sensing System
0 80 for important information.
Mirror Adjustment
Using hood-mounted air deflectors
and add-on convex mirror
attachments could decrease mirror
performance.
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
Seats and Restraints 55
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . 58
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Heated and Ventilated FrontSeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Rear Seats
Rear Seats (Double Cab FullBench) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Rear Seats (Split Bench) . . . . . . 63
Safety Belts
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 71
Safety Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . 74
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Airbag On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . 78
Passenger Sensing System . . . 80
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 85
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . 86
Replacing Airbag System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Infants and Young Children . . . . 88
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . . . 91 Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . 92
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) . . . . 94
Replacing LATCH System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 104
Securing Child Restraints (Center Front Seat) . . . . . . . . . 105
Securing Child Restraints (Rear Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Securing Child Restraints (Front Passenger Seat) . . . . . 108
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
78 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate.
The feature may also activate,
without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined
threshold. You can lock the doors,
and turn off the interior lamps, and
turn off the hazard warning flashers
by using the controls for those
features.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the front outboard
passenger airbag.
. Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly
other parts. The service manual
for the vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
. The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy 0484
and Event Data
Recorders 0484.
. Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.
Airbag On-Off Switch
If the passenger side instrument
panel endcap has the switch
pictured in the following illustration,
the vehicle has an airbag on-off
switch that you can use to manually
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Seats and Restraints 79
turn on or off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag. See
Instrument Panel06.
If the vehicle does not have an
airbag on-off switch, it may have a
passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System 080.
This switch should only be turned to
the off position if the person in the
front outboard passenger position is
a member of a passenger risk group
identified by the national
government as follows:
Infant. An infant (less than 1 year
old) must ride in the front seat
because:
. My vehicle has no rear seat; .
My vehicle has a rear seat too
small to accommodate a
rear-facing infant seat; or
. The infant has a medical
condition which, according to the
infant's physician, makes it
necessary for the infant to ride in
the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the
child's condition.
Child age 1 to 12. A child
age 1 to 12 must ride in the front
seat because:
. My vehicle has no rear seat;
. Although children ages 1 to 12
ride in the rear seat(s) whenever
possible, children ages 1 to 12
sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in
the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
. The child has a medical
condition which, according to the
child's physician, makes it
necessary for the child to ride in
the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the
child's condition. Medical Condition. A passenger
has a medical condition which,
according to his or her physician:
.
Causes the passenger airbag to
pose a special risk for the
passenger; and
. Makes the potential harm from
the passenger airbag in a crash
greater than the potential harm
from turning off the airbag and
allowing the passenger, even if
belted, to hit the instrument
panel or windshield in a crash.
{Warning
If the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is turned off for a
person who is not in a risk group
identified by the national
government, that person will not
have the extra protection of an
airbag. In a crash, the airbag will
not be able to inflate and help
protect the person sitting there.
Do not turn off the front outboard
(Continued)
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
80 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
passenger frontal airbag unless
the person sitting there is in a risk
group.
To turn off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag, insert the
ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the off
position.
The word OFF or the off symbol will
come on in the passenger airbag
status indicator located in the
overhead console to let you know
that the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is off, after the system
check is completed. The airbag off
light will come on and stay on to letyou know that the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag is off. See
Airbag On-Off Light
0138. The front
outboard passenger airbag will
remain off until you turn it back on
again.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. For
example, the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag could
inflate even though the airbag
on-off switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have the vehicle serviced
right away. See Airbag Readiness
Light 0137 for more information,
including important safety
information.To turn the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag on again, insert the
ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the on
position.
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is now enabled
(may inflate). See Airbag On-Off
Light 0138.
Passenger Sensing
System
If the vehicle has one of the
following indicators, then the vehicle
has a passenger sensing system for
the front outboard passenger
position, unless there is an airbag
on-off switch on the instrument
panel endcap. If there is an airbag
on-off switch, the vehicle does not
GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234758) - 2016 - crc - 11/9/15
Seats and Restraints 81
have a passenger sensing system.
SeeAirbag On-Off Switch 078 for
more information.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will light on the overhead
console when the vehicle is started.
United States
Canada and Mexico
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, will be visible
during the system check. When the
system check is complete, either the
word ON or OFF, or the symbol for
on or off, will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0139. The passenger sensing system
turns off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. No other airbag
is affected by the passenger
sensing system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the front outboard passenger seat
and safety belt. The sensors are
designed to detect the presence of
a properly seated occupant and
determine if the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag should be
allowed to inflate or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
Whenever possible, children age
12 and under should be secured in
a rear seating position.
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 passenger frontal
airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
passenger frontal airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag is turned off.
Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front seat, even if
the airbag is off. If securing a
forward-facing child restraint in
(Continued)