2017 GMC SIERRA DENALI warning

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Seats and Restraints 75The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.
Driver Side Shown, Passenger
Side 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) 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. See Airbag System 0 73 .
Airbags are designed to inflate if the
impact exceeds the specific airbag

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
78 Seats and Restraints Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first and second rows. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the risk of
full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can
prevent all such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See When
Should an Airbag Inflate? 0 75 .
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates? For an eAssist vehicle, see the
Silverado/Sierra eAssist
supplement.
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 0 74 .
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{ Warning
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
(Continued) 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.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Seats and Restraints 79
{ WarningA 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 0 485 and Event Data
Recorders 0 486 .
.
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 turn on or off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag. See
Instrument Panel 0 6 .
If the vehicle does not have an
airbag on-off switch, it may have a
passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System 0 81 .
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;

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
80 Seats and Restraints .
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.
{ WarningIf 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) 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 let

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Seats and Restraints 81you know that the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag is off. See
Airbag On-Off Light 0 141 . The front
outboard passenger airbag will
remain off until you turn it back on
again.
{ WarningIf 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 0 141 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 0 141 .
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 have a passenger sensing system.
See Airbag On-Off Switch 0 79 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
0 143 .

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
82 Seats and Restraints 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 aged
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. { WarningA 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) Warning (Continued) the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure child restraints in the rear
seat. Consider using another
vehicle to transport the child
when a rear seat is not available.
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.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag if:
.
The front outboard passenger
seat is unoccupied.
.
The system determines an infant
is present in a child restraint.
.
A front outboard passenger
takes his/her weight off of the
seat for a period of time.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Seats and Restraints 83.
There is a critical problem with
the airbag system or the
passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag,
the off indicator will light and stay lit
as a reminder that the airbag is off.
See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0 143 .
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
anytime the system senses that a
person of adult size is sitting
properly in the front outboard
passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit as a reminder that the
airbag is active.
For some children, including
children in child restraints, and for
very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn
off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag, depending upon the
person's seating posture and body build. Everyone in the vehicle who
has outgrown child restraints should
wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{ WarningIf the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness
Light 0 141 for more information,
including important safety
information.
If the On Indicator Is Lit for a
Child Restraint
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag if
the system determines that an infant
is present in a child restraint. If a
child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit: 1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from
the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items
from the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint
following the directions
provided by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to
Securing Child Restraints (With
the Safety Belt in the Center
Front Seat) 0 110 or Securing
Child Restraints (With the
Safety Belt in the Rear Seat)
0 106 or Securing Child
Restraints (With the Safety Belt
in the Front Passenger Seat)
0 110 .
Make sure the safety belt
retractor is locked by pulling
the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor when
installing the child restraint,
even if the child restraint is
equipped with a safety belt
lock-off. When the retractor

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Seats and Restraints 85
{ WarningIf the front outboard passenger
airbag is turned off for an
adult-sized occupant, the airbag
will not be able to inflate and help
protect that person in a crash,
resulting in an increased risk of
serious injury or even death. An
adult-sized occupant should not
ride in the front outboard
passenger seat, if the passenger
airbag off indicator is lit.
Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation Safety belts help keep the
passenger in position on the seat
during vehicle maneuvers and
braking, which helps the passenger
sensing system maintain the
passenger airbag status. See
“ Safety Belts ” and “ Child Restraints ”
in the Index for additional
information about the importance of
proper restraint use. A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion,
or aftermarket equipment such as
seat covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers can affect how well the
passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that you
not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. See Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 0 86
for more information about
modifications that can affect how
the system operates.
The on indicator may be lit if an
object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop,
or other electronic device, is put on
an unoccupied seat. If this is not
desired, remove the object from
the seat.
{ Warning
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
(Continued) Warning (Continued) seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are parts
of the airbag system in several
places around the vehicle. Your
dealer and the service manual have
information about servicing the
vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information 0 483 .
{ Warning
For up to 10 seconds after the
vehicle is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
(Continued)