
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Introduction 3
Danger, Warning, and
Caution Warning messages found on vehicle
labels and in this manual describe
hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
{ DangerDanger indicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result
in serious injury or death.
{ WarningWarning indicates a hazard that
could result in injury or death.
Caution
Caution indicates a hazard that
could result in property or vehicle
damage. A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means “ Do
Not, ” “ Do not do this, ” or “ Do not let
this happen. ”
Symbols The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message,
gauge, or indicator.
M : Shown when the owner
manual has additional instructions
or information.
* : Shown when the service
manual has additional instructions
or information.
0 : Shown when there is more
information on another page —
“ see page. ” Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
0 : Adjustable Pedals
9 : Airbag Readiness Light
! : Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g : Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar ®
(if equipped)
$ : Brake System Warning Light
" : Charging System
I : Cruise Control
` : Do Not Puncture
^ : Do Not Service
B : Engine Coolant Temperature
O : Exterior Lamps
_ : Flame/Fire Prohibited
# : Fog Lamps
. : Fuel Gauge
+ : Fuses

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
Seats and Restraints 99Warning (Continued)restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle's
safety belts to secure the
restraint, following the instructions
that came with the child restraint
and the instructions in this
manual.
{ WarningDo not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor,
except for the center top tether
anchors in the crew and double
cabs. Attaching more than one
child restraint to a single anchor
could cause the anchor or
attachment to come loose or even
break during a crash. A child or
others could be injured. To reduce
the risk of serious or fatal injuries
during a crash, attach only one
child restraint per anchor. { WarningChildren can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor,
but it cannot do this if it is
wrapped around a child ’ s neck.
If the shoulder belt is locked and
tightened around a child ’ s neck,
the only way to loosen the belt is
to cut it.
Buckle any unused safety belts
behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull
the shoulder belt all the way out
of the retractor to set the lock,
and tighten the belt behind the
child restraint after the child
restraint has been installed. CautionDo not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle ’ s safety belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled safety belts to
avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments.
Do not fold the rear seatback
when the seat is occupied. Do not
fold the empty rear seat with a
safety belt buckled. This could
damage the safety belt or the
seat. Unbuckle and return the
safety belt to its stowed position,
before folding the seat.
If you need to secure more than one
child restraint in the rear seat, see
Where to Put the Restraint 0 93 .
This system is designed to make
installation of child restraints easier.
When using lower anchors, do not
use the vehicle's safety belts.
Instead use the vehicle's anchors
and child restraint attachments to

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Instruments and Controls 123
Instruments and
Controls Controls Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 124
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 125
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 125
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 126
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Engine Oil Pressure
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Transmission Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 140
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 141
Airbag On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Charging System Light . . . . . . . 143
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 144
Brake System Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . 147
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . 147
Hill Descent Control Light . . . . 147
Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) Light (2500/3500) . . . . 147
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light
(1500 Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . 148
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . 148
Traction Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 150 Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 150
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 151
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . 151
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 151
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 152
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Information Displays Driver Information Center (DIC)
(Base Level Cluster) . . . . . . . . 152
Driver Information Center (DIC)
(Uplevel and Denali
Cluster) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Vehicle Messages Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Brake System Messages . . . . . 158
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . . 158
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 158
Engine Cooling System
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 159
Engine Power Messages . . . . . 160
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . . 160
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 160
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Object Detection System
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
146 Instruments and Controls circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working.
If the warning light comes on, there
is a brake problem. Have the brake
system inspected right away.
Metric English
This light should come on briefly
when the engine is started. If it does
not come on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there is
a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light also comes on
when the parking brake is set. The
light stays on if the parking brake
does not fully release. If it stays on
after the parking brake is fully
released, it means the vehicle has a
brake problem. If the light comes on while driving,
pull off the road and stop carefully.
The pedal might be harder to push,
or the pedal can go closer to the
floor. It may take longer to stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle 0 439 .
{ WarningThe brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service. Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
This light comes on briefly when the
engine is started.
If the light does not come on, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem.
If the light comes on while driving,
stop as soon as it is safely possible
and turn off the vehicle. Then start
the engine again to reset the
system. If the ABS light stays on,
or comes on again while driving, the
vehicle needs service. A chime may
also sound when the light comes on
steady.
If the ABS light is the only light on,
the vehicle has regular brakes, but
the antilock brakes are not
functioning.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Instruments and Controls 147If both the ABS and the brake
system warning light are on, the
vehicle's antilock brakes are not
functioning and there is a problem
with the regular brakes. See your
dealer for service.
See Brake System Warning Light
0 145 and Brake System Messages
0 158 .
Four-Wheel-Drive Light
The four-wheel-drive light comes on
when the manual transfer case is
shifted into four-wheel drive and the
front axle engages. LO or HI will
also be next to this light when the
vehicle is in four-wheel low or
four-wheel high.
Some delay between the shifting
and the light coming on is normal.
See Four-Wheel Drive 0 289 .Tow/Haul Mode Light For vehicles with the Tow/Haul
Mode feature, this light comes on
when the Tow/Haul Mode has been
activated.
See Tow/Haul Mode 0 288 .
Hill Descent Control Light
If equipped, the Hill Descent Control
light comes on when the system is
ready for use. When the light
flashes, the system is active.
See Hill Descent Control (HDC)
0 301 . Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) Light (2500/3500)
If equipped, this light is green if
LDW is on and ready to operate.
This light changes to amber and
flashes to indicate that the lane
marking has been crossed without
using a turn signal in that direction.
On the base cluster, this light comes
on briefly while starting the vehicle.
If it does not come on, have the
vehicle serviced.
See Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
(2500/3500 Series) 0 312 .

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Climate Controls 2511. Open the lower glove box door
completely.
2. Remove the four screws from
around the lower glove box.
The door does not need to be
removed to access the screws.
3. Close the lower glove box door
and pull it from its frame to
remove the entire unit. 4. Release the two tabs holding
the service door. Open the
service door and remove the
old filter.
5. Install the new air filter.
6. Close the service door and
secure the tabs.
7. Reverse the steps to reinstall
the glove box.
See your dealer if additional
assistance is needed. Service All vehicles have a label underhood
that identifies the refrigerant used in
the vehicle. The refrigerant system
should only be serviced by trained
and certified technicians. The air
conditioning evaporator should
never be repaired or replaced by
one from a salvage vehicle.
It should only be replaced by a new
evaporator to ensure proper and
safe operation.
During service, all refrigerants
should be reclaimed with proper
equipment. Venting refrigerants
directly to the atmosphere is harmful
to the environment and may also
create unsafe conditions based on
inhalation, combustion, frostbite,
or other health-based concerns.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
252 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating Driving Information Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 261
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 262
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 264
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Truck-Camper Loading
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Starting and Operating New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 273
Adjustable Throttle and Brake
Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 278
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Active Fuel Management . . . . . 281
Engine Exhaust Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Automatic Transmission Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 283
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Drive Systems Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Brakes Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 298
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . 301
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Cruise Control Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Driver Assistance Systems Driver Assistance Systems . . . 305
Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 306
Assistance Systems for
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Forward Automatic
Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) (2500/3500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) (1500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Fuel Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 316
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319