
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
158 Instruments and Controls
Cruise Control Light For vehicles with cruise control, the
cruise control light is white when the
cruise control is on and ready, and
turns green when the cruise control
is set and active.
The light turns off when the cruise
control is turned off. See Cruise
Control 0 285 . Door Ajar Light This light comes on when a door is
open or not securely latched. Before
driving, check that all doors are
properly closed.
Information Displays Driver Information Center
(DIC) (Base Level Cluster) The DIC displays are shown in the
center of the instrument cluster. The
displays show the status of many
vehicle systems. The trip odometer
reset stem in the instrument cluster
is used to access the DIC menu
items.
DIC Menu Items Turn the trip odometer reset stem to
scroll through the following menu
items:
.
Digital Speedometer
.
Trip
.
Fuel Range
.
Average Fuel Economy
.
Tire Pressure
.
Remaining Oil Life
.
Transmission Fluid Temperature
.
Trailer Brake
.
Hourmeter 

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
Instruments and Controls 159.
Unit
Digital Speedometer
The speedometer shows how fast
the vehicle is moving in either
kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles
per hour (mph). The speedometer
cannot be reset. If equipped, press
the reset stem and select to display
speed limit signs.
Trip
Turn the trip odometer reset stem
until TRIP displays. The current
distance traveled, in either
kilometers (km) or miles (mi), since
the last reset for the trip odometer is
shown. The trip odometer can be
reset to zero by pressing and
holding the trip odometer reset stem
while the trip odometer is displayed.
Fuel Range
This display shows the approximate
distance the vehicle can be driven
without refueling. The fuel range
estimate is based on an average of
the vehicle's fuel economy over recent driving history and the
amount of fuel remaining in the fuel
tank. Fuel range cannot be reset.
Average Fuel Economy
The Average Fuel Economy display
shows the approximate average
liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km)
or miles per gallon (mpg). This
number reflects only the
approximate average fuel economy
that the vehicle has right now, and
will change as driving conditions
change. This number is based on
the number of L/100 km (mpg)
recorded since the last time this
menu item was reset. Reset this
display by pressing the trip
odometer reset stem.
Tire Pressure
Turn the trip odometer reset stem
until a vehicle with the approximate
pressures of all four tires displays.
Tire pressure is displayed in either
kilopascal (kPa) or in pounds per
square inch (psi).
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
0 399 and Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation 0 400 . Remaining Oil Life
Turn the trip odometer reset stem
until REMAINING OIL LIFE
displays. An estimate of the oil's
remaining useful life is shown.
REMAINING OIL LIFE 99% means
99% of the current oil life remains.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
The oil should be changed as soon
as possible. See Engine Oil 0 350 .
In addition to the engine oil life
system monitoring the oil life,
additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule. See Maintenance
Schedule 0 448 .
The Oil Life display must be reset
after each oil change. It will not
reset itself. Do not reset the Oil Life
display at any time other than when
the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system, see Engine
Oil Life System 0 353 . 

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
Instruments and Controls 1612. Press
w or
x to scroll to the
Options application.
3. Press
V to enter the
Options menu.
4. Scroll to Info Pages and
press
p .
5. Press
w or
x to move
through the list of possible
information displays.
6. Press
V while an item is
highlighted to select or
deselect that item. When an
item is selected, a checkmark
will appear next to it.
DIC Info Pages The following is the list of all
possible DIC info page displays.
Some may not be available for your
particular vehicle. Some items may
not be turned on by default but can
be turned on through the Options
app. See “ DIC Info Page Options ”
earlier in this section. Speed : Shows the vehicle speed in
either kilometers per hour (km/h) or
miles per hour (mph). The vehicle
odometer is also shown on this
page. If equipped, press
p to open
the menu and select to display
speed limit signs.
Trip A or Trip B, Average Fuel
Economy, and Average Speed :
Shows the current distance traveled,
in either kilometers (km) or
miles (mi), since the trip odometer
was last reset.
The Average Fuel Economy display
shows the approximate average
liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km)
or miles per gallon (mpg). This
number is calculated based on the
number of L/100 km (mpg) recorded
since the last time this menu item
was reset. This number reflects only
the approximate average fuel
economy that the vehicle has right
now, and will change as driving
conditions change.
The Average Speed display shows
the average speed of the vehicle in
kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles per hour (mph). This average is
calculated based on the various
vehicle speeds recorded since the
last reset of this value.
Press and hold
V while this display
is active to reset the trip odometer,
the average fuel economy, and the
average speed. Or press
p and
select reset in the menu.
Fuel Range and Instantaneous
Fuel Economy : Shows the
approximate distance the vehicle
can be driven without refueling.
LOW will be displayed when the
vehicle is low on fuel. The fuel
range estimate is based on an
average of the vehicle's fuel
economy over recent driving history
and the amount of fuel remaining in
the fuel tank. It also shows if the
Active Fuel Management is active
and in V4 mode, or inactive and in
V8 mode. See Active Fuel
Management 0 264 .
The Instantaneous Fuel Economy
display shows the approximate
current fuel economy in either liters
per 100 kilometers (L/100 km) or 

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
162 Instruments and Controls miles per gallon (mpg). This number
reflects only the approximate fuel
economy that the vehicle has right
now and changes frequently as
driving conditions change.
Timer and Fuel Used : This display
can be used as a timer. To start the
timer, press
V while this display is
active. The display will show the
amount of time that has passed
since the timer was last reset. To
stop the timer, press
V briefly while
this display is active and the timer is
running.
This also shows the number of
liters (L) or gallons (gal) of fuel used
since the last reset of this
menu item.
Press and hold
V while this display
is active to reset the timer and fuel
used. Each of these items can be
reset individually by pressing
pwhile this display is active. Oil Life : Shows an estimate of the
oil's remaining useful life.
If REMAINING OIL LIFE 99% is
displayed, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
The oil should be changed as soon
as possible. See Engine Oil 0 350 .
In addition to the engine oil life
system monitoring the oil life,
additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule. See Maintenance
Schedule 0 448 .
The Oil Life display must be reset
after each oil change. It will not
reset itself. Do not to reset the Oil
Life display at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system, press and
hold
V for several seconds while
the Oil Life display is active. See
Engine Oil Life System 0 353 . Tire Pressure : Shows the
approximate pressures of all four
tires. Tire pressure is displayed in
either kilopascal (kPa) or in pounds
per square inch (psi). If the pressure
is low, the value for that tire is
shown in amber. See Tire Pressure
Monitor System 0 399 and Tire
Pressure Monitor Operation 0 400 .
Best Fuel Economy : Displays
average fuel economy, the best fuel
economy over the selected
distance, and a bar graph showing
instantaneous fuel economy.
Press
p to change the selected
distance. Press and hold
V while
this display is active to reset the
best fuel economy and average fuel
economy. This display can also be
reset by selecting reset in the menu.
Top Consumers : Shows a list of
the features that are currently
impacting the fuel economy, in order
from highest to lowest. If a feature is
turned off, it will be removed from
the list. 

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
Instruments and Controls 163Economy Trend : Shows history of
the Average Fuel Economy from the
last 50 km (30 mi). Each bar
represents about 5 km (3 mi) of
driving. During driving the bars will
shift to always reflect the most
recent distance on the right side.
Press and hold
V to clear the graph
or press
p to reset through
the menu.
ECO Index : The bar graph
provides feedback on the efficiency
of current driving behavior. The
graph shows a value that is based
on current fuel consumption
compared to what is expected from
the vehicle with good and bad
driving habits. It also shows if the
Active Fuel Management is active
and in V4 mode, or inactive and in
V8 mode. See Active Fuel
Management 0 264 . Engine Hours : Shows the total
number of hours the engine has run.
This display also shows the engine
idle hours.
Trailer Brake : On vehicles with the
Integrated Trailer Brake Control
(ITBC) system, the trailer brake
display appears in the DIC.
TRAILER GAIN shows the trailer
gain setting. This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected.
OUTPUT shows the power output to
the trailer any time a trailer with
electric brakes is connected. Output
is displayed as a bar graph. Dashes
may appear in the OUTPUT display.
Speed Signs : Shows sign
information, which comes from a
roadway database in the onboard
navigation. Following Distance : Used to
select the alert timing for the
Forward Collision Alert (FCA). See
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System 0 292 .
Blank Page : Shows no
information.
Transmission Fluid Temperature
Gauge : Shows the temperature of
the automatic transmission fluid in
either degrees Celsius (°C) or
degrees Fahrenheit (°F).
Off Road : Displays vehicle pitch
and roll information, road wheel
angle, and four-wheel drive (4WD)
status. 

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
228 Climate Controls
Dual Automatic Climate Control System With this system the heating, cooling, and ventilation in the vehicle can be
controlled.
For an eAssist vehicle, see the Silverado/Sierra eAssist supplement.
1. Driver Temperature Control
2. A/C (Air Conditioning)
3. Air Delivery Mode Controls
4. Fan Control
5. Defrost
6. Passenger Temperature
Control 7. SYNC (Synchronized
Temperature)
8. Rear Window Defogger
9. Power Button
10. Air Recirculation
11. AUTO (Automatic Operation) Automatic Operation
The system automatically controls
the fan speed, air delivery, air
conditioning, and recirculation in
order to heat or cool the vehicle to
the desired temperature.
When the indicator light is on, the
system is in full automatic operation.
If the air delivery mode or fan
setting is manually adjusted, the
auto indicator turns off and displays
will show the selected settings.
To place the system in
automatic mode:
1. Press AUTO.
2. Set the driver and passenger
temperature.
To find your comfort setting,
start with 22 °C (72 °F) and
allow the system time to
stabilize. Then adjust the
temperature as needed for best
comfort.
To improve fuel efficiency and to
cool the vehicle faster, recirculation
may be automatically selected in
warm weather. 

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
234 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating Driving Information Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 244
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 245
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 247
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Truck-Camper Loading
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Starting and Operating New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 255
Adjustable Throttle and Brake
Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 260
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Active Fuel Management . . . . . 264
Engine Exhaust Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Automatic Transmission Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 265
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Drive Systems Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Brakes Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 282
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . 284
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Cruise Control Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Driver Assistance Systems Driver Assistance Systems . . . 288
Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 289
Assistance Systems for
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Forward Automatic
Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) (2500/3500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) (1500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Fuel Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 300
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
Driving and Operating 235Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Trailer Towing General Towing
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 334
Conversions and Add-Ons Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Pickup Conversion to
Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 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.