
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 LoadingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 273
Adjustable Throttle and BrakePedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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 BrakeSystem (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 FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 316
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
316 Driving and Operating
Prohibited Fuels
Caution
Do not use fuels with any of the
following conditions; doing so
may damage the vehicle and void
its warranty:. For vehicles which are not
FlexFuel, fuel labeled
greater than 15% ethanol by
volume, such as mid-level
ethanol blends (16 –50%
ethanol), E85, or FlexFuel.
. Fuel with any amount of
methanol, methylal, and
aniline. These fuels can
corrode metal fuel system
parts or damage plastic and
rubber parts.
. Fuel containing metals such
as methylcyclopentadienyl
manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT), which can damage
the emissions control
system and spark plugs.
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
.Fuel with a posted octane
rating of less than the
recommended fuel. Using
this fuel will lower fuel
economy and performance,
and may decrease the life of
the emissions catalyst.
California Fuel
Requirements
If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specifications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California Emissions
Standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission
control system performance may be
affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp could turn on and the vehicle
may not pass a smog-check test.
See Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) 0144. If this occurs, return to your authorized
dealer for diagnosis. If it is
determined that the condition is
caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs may not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
The U.S., Canada, and Mexico post
fuel octane ratings in anti-knock
index (AKI). For fuel not to use in a
foreign country, see
“Prohibited
Fuels” inFuel 0315.
Fuel Additives
To keep fuel systems clean, TOP
TIER detergent gasoline is
recommended. See Fuel0315.
If TOP TIER detergent gasoline is
not available, one bottle of GM Fuel
System Treatment Cleaner added to
the fuel tank at every engine oil
change, can help. GM Fuel System
Treatment Cleaner is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
Driving and Operating 317
If your vehicle is able to use E85 or
FlexFuel, GM Fuel System
Treatment Cleaner - FlexFuel is the
only recommended additive for use.
Do not use any other additives with
an E85 or FlexFuel vehicle. See
E85 or FlexFuel0317.
E85 or FlexFuel
Vehicles with a yellow sticker on the
fuel door can use either unleaded
gasoline or fuel containing up to
85% ethanol (E85). All other
vehicles should use only the
unleaded gasoline as described in
Fuel 0315.
The use of E85 or FlexFuel is
encouraged when the vehicle is
designed to use it. E85 or FlexFuel
is made from renewable sources.
To help locate fuel stations that
carry E85 or FlexFuel, the U.S.
Department of Energy has an
alternative fuels website. See
www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/
stations. E85 or FlexFuel should meet ASTM
Specification D 5798 or CAN/
CGSB–3.512 in Canada. Do not use
the fuel if the ethanol content is
greater than 85%. Fuel mixtures that
do not meet ASTM or CGSB
specifications can affect driveability
and could cause the malfunction
indicator lamp to come on.
For the 6.0L V8 engine, after
refueling, the vehicle calculates the
composition of the fuel. It is not
recommended to repeatedly switch
between fuels. If fuels are switched
frequently, add as much fuel as
possible and do not add less than
11 L (3 gal) when refueling. Drive at
least 11 km (7 mi) immediately after
refueling to allow the vehicle to
adapt to the change in ethanol
concentration.
Because E85 or FlexFuel has less
energy per liter (gallon) than
gasoline, the vehicle will need to be
refilled more often. See
Filling the
Tank 0317.
Caution
Some additives are not
compatible with E85 or FlexFuel
and can harm the vehicle's fuel
system. Do not add anything to
E85 or FlexFuel. Damage caused
by additives would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty.
Caution
Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal
parts in the fuel system and also
damage plastic and rubber parts.
That damage would not be
covered under the vehicle
warranty.
Filling the Tank
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax diesel supplement
for more information.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-9955992) - 2017 - crc - 4/18/17
502 Index
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 486
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 178
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 180
F
FanEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Features
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 371
Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 182
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
FlexFuel E85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Floor Console Storage . . . . . . . . . . 121
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Fluid AutomaticTransmission . . . . . . . . . . . 368, 371
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Fluid (cont'd)
Four-Wheel Drive
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Forward Automatic Braking . . . . . 310
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . 289, 383
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . . 147
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Front Seats
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . . 62
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Fuel (cont'd)
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 150
Management, Active . . . . . . . . . . 281
Requirements, California . . . . . 316
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396, 398
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . 174Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Gauges Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 137
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Transmission Temperature . . . . 139
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131