2018 GMC SIERRA instrument panel

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
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70 Seats and Restraints
This system may not function
properly if the airbag readiness light
is on. SeeAirbag Readiness Light
0 147.
Why Seat Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the seat belts!
When you wear a seat belt, you and
the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and, when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the seat
belts. That is why wearing seat belts
makes such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Seat Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
seat belt?
A: You could be—whether you are
wearing a seat belt or not. Your
chance of being conscious
during and after a crash, so you
can unbuckle and get out, is
much greater if you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to wear seat
belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental
systems only. They work with
seat belts —not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is
provided, all occupants still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection. Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing seat belts.
How to Wear Seat Belts
Properly
This section is only for people of
adult size.
There are special things to know
about seat belts and children, and
there are different rules for smaller
children and infants. If a child will be
riding in the vehicle, see
Older
Children 092 orInfants and Young
Children 094. Follow those rules for
everyone's protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing seat belts.
There are important things to know
about wearing a seat belt properly.

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Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver
. A frontal airbag for the front
outboard passenger
The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
. A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver
. A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the front outboard
passenger
. A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver
. A roof-rail airbag for the front
outboard passenger and the
person seated directly behind
the front outboard passenger
All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG on the trim
or on a label near the deployment
opening. For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the center of the
steering wheel for the driver and on
the instrument panel for the front
outboard passenger.
For seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the
seatback closest to the door.
For roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the ceiling or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by seat
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{Warning
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your seat belt, even with
airbags. Airbags are designed to
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
work with seat belts, not replace
them. Also, airbags are not
designed to inflate in every crash.
In some crashes seat belts are
the only restraint. See When
Should an Airbag Inflate? 080.
Wearing your seat belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the seat belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a seat belt
properly, whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{Warning
Because airbags inflate with great
force and faster than the blink of
an eye, anyone who is up
against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be
(Continued)

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
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Seats and Restraints 79
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide 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 (Continued)

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82 Seats and Restraints
roll over on its side. The roof-rail
airbags are not designed to inflate in
rear impacts.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
vehicle damage or repair costs.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover. The inflator, the airbag,
and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
For airbag locations, seeWhere Are
the Airbags? 078.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by seat belts by
distributing the force of the impact
more evenly over the
occupant's body.
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? 080.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to seat belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
For an eAssist vehicle, see the
Silverado/Sierra eAssist
supplement.
After frontal and seat-mounted side
impact airbags inflate, they quickly
deflate, so quickly that some people
may not even realize the airbags
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? 078.
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.

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84 Seats and Restraints
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 Panel06.
If the vehicle does not have an
airbag on-off switch, it may have a
passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System 086. 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;
. 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.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
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86 Seats and Restraints
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is now enabled
(may inflate). SeeAirbag On-Off
Light 0147.
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 084 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
0 149.
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 seat 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 inflates.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the passenger frontal
(Continued)

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
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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. SeeAdding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 090
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 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
Information0474.
{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)
Warning (Continued)
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end, or side sheet
metal, may keep the airbag system
from working properly.
The operation of the airbag system
can also be affected by changing
any parts of the front seats, seat
belts, airbag sensing and diagnostic
module, steering wheel, instrument
panel, inner door seals including the
speakers, any of the airbag
modules, ceiling or pillar garnish

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availability in Canada, check with
Transport Canada or the Provincial
Ministry of Transportation office.
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child is not
properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child
properly following the instructions
that came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the
Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in an appropriate
child restraint secured in a rear
seating position.
Whenever possible, children aged
12 and under should be secured in
a rear seating position.If a child restraint is secured in the
front outboard passenger seat, and
the vehicle has a switch on the
passenger side instrument panel
endcap to manually turn off the front
outboard passenger airbag, see
Airbag On-Off Switch
084 and
Securing Child Restraints (With the
Seat Belt in the Center Front Seat)
0 114 orSecuring Child Restraints
(With the Seat Belt in the Front
Passenger Seat) 0115 orSecuring
Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 0111 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front. This is because
the risk to the rear-facing child is so
great if the airbag deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag inflates.
This is because the back of the
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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 front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is
in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system or airbag switch has
turned off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far(Continued)