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GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - crc - 5/15/18
176 Lighting
Lighting Exterior Lighting Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . 176
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Automatic Headlamp
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 180
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Task Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . 182
Interior Lighting Instrument Panel Illumination
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Battery Load Management . . . 185
Battery Power Protection . . . . . 185
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Exterior Lighting Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is on the
instrument panel to the left of the
steering wheel.
O : Turns off the automatic
headlamps and Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL). Turn the headlamp
control to
O again to turn the
automatic headlamps or DRL
back on.
Page 178 of 472

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - crc - 5/15/18
Lighting 177For vehicles first sold in Canada, off
will only work when the vehicle is in
P (Park).
AUTO : Automatically turns on the
headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, instrument panel lights,
roof marker lamps (if equipped),
front/rear sidemarker lamps, and
license plate lamps.
; : Turns on the parking lamps
including all lamps, except the
headlamps and fog lamps,
if equipped.
2 : Turns on the headlamps
together with the parking lamps,
taillamps, instrument panel lights,
roof marker lamps (if equipped),
front/rear sidemarker lamps, and
license plate lamps.
When the headlamps are turned on
while the vehicle is on, the
headlamps turn off automatically
10 minutes after the ignition is
turned off. When the headlamps are
turned on while the vehicle is off,
the headlamps will stay on for
10 minutes before turning off to
prevent the battery from being drained. Turn the headlamp control
off and then back to the headlamp
on position to make the headlamps
stay on for an additional 10 minutes.
To keep the lamps on for more than
10 minutes, the ignition must be on
or in ACC/ACCESSORY.
K : If equipped, turns on the task
lighting. See Task Lighting 0 182 .
IntelliBeam System If equipped, this system turns the
vehicle's high-beam headlamps on
and off according to surrounding
traffic conditions.
The system turns the high-beam
headlamps on when it is dark
enough and there is no other traffic
present.
This light
b comes on in the
instrument cluster when the
IntelliBeam system is enabled. Turning On and Enabling
IntelliBeam
To enable the IntelliBeam system,
press the button on the end of the
turn signal lever when the exterior
lamp control is in the AUTO or
2 position. The blue high-beam on
light appears on the instrument
cluster when the high beams are on.
Driving with IntelliBeam
The system only activates the high
beams when driving over 40 km/h
(25 mph).
There is a sensor near the top
center of the windshield that
automatically controls the system.
Page 179 of 472

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - crc - 5/15/18
178 Lighting Keep this area of the windshield
clear of debris to allow for best
system performance.
The high-beam headlamps remain
on, under the automatic control,
until one of the following situations
occurs:
.
The system detects an
approaching vehicle's
headlamps.
.
The system detects a preceding
vehicle's taillamps.
.
The outside light is bright
enough that high-beam
headlamps are not required.
.
The vehicle's speed drops below
20 km/h (12 mph).
.
The IntelliBeam system is
disabled by the button on the
turn signal lever. If this happens,
press the button on the end of
the turn signal lever when the
exterior lamp control is in the
AUTO or
2 position. The
instrument cluster light will come
on to indicate the IntelliBeam is
reactivated. See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer 0 178 and
Flash-to-Pass 0 179 .
The high beams may not turn off
automatically if the system cannot
detect another vehicle's lamps
because of any of the following:
.
The other vehicle's lamps are
missing, damaged, obstructed
from view, or otherwise
undetected.
.
The other vehicle's lamps are
covered with dirt, snow, and/or
road spray.
.
The other vehicle's lamps cannot
be detected due to dense
exhaust, smoke, fog, snow, road
spray, mist, or other airborne
obstructions.
.
The vehicle's windshield is dirty,
cracked, or obstructed by
something that blocks the view
of the light sensor. .
The vehicle is loaded such that
the front end points upward,
causing the light sensor to aim
high and not detect headlamps
and taillamps.
.
Driving on winding or hilly roads.
The automatic high-beam
headlamps may need to be disabled
if any of the above conditions exist.
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder A reminder chime sounds when the
headlamps or parking lamps are
manually turned on, the ignition is
off, and a door is open. To disable
the chime, turn the lamps off.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer Push the turn signal lever toward
the instrument panel to change the
headlamps from low to high beam.
Pull or push the turn signal lever to
return to low-beam headlamps.
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GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - crc - 5/15/18
Lighting 179
When the high-beam headlamps are
on, this indicator light on the
instrument cluster will also be on.
Flash-to-Pass This feature lets you use the
high-beam headlamps to signal a
driver in front of you that you want
to pass. It works even if the
headlamps are in the automatic
position.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever
toward you, then release it.
If the headlamps are in the
automatic position or on low beam,
the high-beam headlamps will turn
on. Depending on the type of
headlamp, they will either turn off
after a short duration or stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward
you. The high-beam indicator on the instrument cluster will come on.
Release the lever to return to
normal operation.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) DRL can make it easier for others to
see the front of the vehicle during
the day. Fully functional DRL are
required on all vehicles first sold in
Canada.
The DRL system comes on when
the following conditions are met:
.
The ignition is on.
.
The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO.
.
The transmission is not in
P (Park).
.
The light sensor determines it is
daytime.
When the DRL system is on, only
the DRL are on. The taillamps,
sidemarker lamps, instrument panel
lights, and other lamps will not
be on. When it begins to get dark, the
automatic headlamp system
switches from DRL to the
headlamps.
To turn off the DRL, turn the exterior
lamp control to
O and then release.
For vehicles first sold in Canada, off
will only work when the vehicle is
parked.
Automatic Headlamp
System When the exterior lamp control is
set to AUTO and it is dark enough
outside, the headlamps come on
automatically.
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GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - crc - 5/15/18
180 Lighting
There is a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Do not cover the
sensor, otherwise the headlamps
will come on when they are not
needed.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel.
If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp
system comes on immediately. If it
is light outside when the vehicle
leaves the garage, there is a slight
delay before the automatic
headlamp system changes to the
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).
During that delay, the instrument cluster may not be as bright as
usual. Make sure the instrument
panel illumination control is in the
full bright position. See Instrument
Panel Illumination Control 0 183 .
When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps will turn off or may
change to DRL.
The automatic headlamp system
turns off when the exterior lamp
control is turned to
O or the ignition
is off.
Lights On with Wipers If the windshield wipers are
activated in daylight with the engine
on, and the exterior lamp control is
in AUTO, the headlamps, parking
lamps, and other exterior lamps
come on. The transition time for the
lamps coming on varies based on
wiper speed. When the wipers are
not operating, these lamps turn off.
Move the exterior lamp control to
Oor
; to disable this feature. Hazard Warning Flashers
| : Press this button to make the
front and rear turn signal lamps
flash on and off. Press again to turn
the flashers off.
When the hazard warning flashers
are on, the vehicle's turn signals will
not work.
Page 182 of 472

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - crc - 5/15/18
Lighting 181
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
An arrow on the instrument cluster
flashes in the direction of the turn or
lane change.
Move the turn signal lever all the
way up or down to signal a turn.
Partially raise or lower the lever for
less than one second until the arrow
starts to flash to signal a lane
change. This causes the turn
signals to automatically flash three
times. It will flash six times if Tow/
Haul Mode is active. Holding the
turn signal lever for more than
one second will cause the turn
signals to flash until the lever is
released. The lever returns to its starting
position whenever it is released.
If after signaling a turn or a lane
change the arrows flash rapidly or
do not come on, a signal bulb could
be burned out. If equipped with LED
turn signals, see your dealer.
Replace any burned out bulbs. If a
bulb is not burned out, check the
fuse. See Fuses and Circuit
Breakers 0 350 .
Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (0.75 mi), a chime
sounds at each flash of the turn
signal. A message may appear in
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
See Vehicle Messages 0 166 . To
turn the chime and message off,
move the turn signal lever to the off
position. Fog Lamps
If equipped, the fog lamp control is
near the exterior lamp control to the
left of the steering column.
The ignition must be on for the fog
lamps to come on.
# : Press to turn the fog lamps on
or off. A light will come on in the
instrument cluster.
When the fog lamps are turned on,
the parking lamps automatically
turn on.
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GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - crc - 5/15/18
182 Lighting When the headlamps are changed
to high beam, the fog lamps also go
off. When the high-beam headlamps
are turned off, the fog lamps will
come on again.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on with
the fog lamps.
Task Lighting
If equipped, task lighting projects
light from the outside mirrors to the
sides of the vehicle. While the vehicle is parked,
press
K to select one of the
following options:
.
Left and Right Task Lights
Illuminated
.
Left Task Light Illuminated
.
Right Task Light Illuminated
.
Left and Right Task Lights Off
If the vehicle leaves a parked
position, the lights will immediately
turn off.
If the vehicle is off, the lights will
stay on for approximately
10 minutes. Exterior Cargo Lamps
The cargo lamps provide more light
in the cargo area or on the sides of
the vehicle, if needed. The lamps
inside the pickup box, in the tailgate
handle, for the hitch, and/or the
cargo mirror lamps also turn on,
if equipped.
Press the button once to turn on
the cargo lamps and cargo mirror
lamps. An indicator light will come
on when the lamps are turned on,
if equipped. The shift lever must be
in P (Park), R (Reverse),
or N (Neutral) to operate the cargo
lamps and cargo mirror lamps.
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GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - crc - 5/15/18
Lighting 183Press the button again within
five seconds to turn the cargo mirror
lamps off. The cargo lamps will
remain on.
Press the button again to turn off all
the cargo lamps.
Become familiar with and follow all
state and local laws that apply to
cargo lamp operation.
Interior Lighting Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
This feature controls the brightness
of the steering wheel and instrument
panel lights. The instrument panel
illumination control is next to the
exterior lamp control.
D : Press
D + to brighten or
D −
to dim the lights. Dome Lamps
The dome lamp controls are in the
overhead console.
To operate, press the following
buttons:
j OFF : Press to turn off the
dome lamps when a door is open.
An indicator light on the button will
turn on when the dome lamp
override is activated. Press
j OFF again to deactivate this feature
and the indicator light will turn off.
The dome lamps will come on when
doors are opened.