
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Driving and Operating 253
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 349
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
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, keep
your eyes on the road, keep your
hands on the steering wheel, and
focus your attention on driving.
. 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.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Driving and Operating 269
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 0257.
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

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
500 Index
California (cont'd)Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
California
Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .357, 383, 435
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Cargo
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 3
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 120
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Charging
Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 143 Check
Engine Light (Malfunction
Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Ignition Transmission Lock . . . 388
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . . . 89
Lower Anchors and Tethersfor Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 110
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243, 245
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . 243, 245
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243, 245
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 481
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Connections OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Traction and Electronic
Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Control Light Hill Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Engine Temperature Gauge . . 138
Engine TemperatureWarning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243, 245, 246
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Courtesy Transportation
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
Customer Information
Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . . . 483

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Index 503
General InformationService and Maintenance . . . . . 454
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 182
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 151
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 180
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 151
Heated
Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Heater
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243, 245, 246
High Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . 410
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 262
Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . . . 301
Hill Descent Control Light . . . . . . . 147
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . 298
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194, 196
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
HVAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243, 245, 246
I
Idle System Fast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Indicator
Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Infants and Young Children,
Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Interior Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . 50
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
J
Jack Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . . 160
Keyless EntryRemote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . 36
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . . . 402
Lamps Auxiliary RoofMounted Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . 181
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Index 505
Maintenance Schedule (cont'd)Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . 144
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Messages Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 159
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Object Detection System . . . . . 161
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 161
Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Steering System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Messages (cont'd)
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Mirrors Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Automatic Dimming
Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Blind Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Tilt in Reverse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Trailer Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Mirrors, Interior Rearview . . . . . . . . 50
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203N
Navigation OnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Noise Control System . . . . . . . . . . 386
O
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Oil
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 367
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . 137
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . . . 87
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . . 477
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
OnStar
®Additional
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493
OnStar
®Connections . . . . . . . . . . . 491
OnStar®Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
OnStar®Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
OnStar®Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Index 507
RecordsMaintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . 440
Reimbursement Program, GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Replacement Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Replacement Parts
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . . . 87
Replacing LATCH System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Reporting Safety Defects Canadian Government . . . . . . . . 485
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Restraints Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Reverse Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Ride Control Systems
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Roads Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
Roof
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . . 473
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . . . 72
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . 70
Safety Defects Reporting
Canadian Government . . . . . . . . 485
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 Safety Defects Reporting (cont'd)
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200, 201
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . . 480
Seats Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Heated and Ventilated Front . . . . 62
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 58
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . 58
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63, 64
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 110
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Vehicle Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357