2019 GMC SIERRA check engine light

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
Driving and Operating 311
Tow/Haul Mode Reminder
This is a reminder to turn on the
Tow/Haul Mode when towing a
trailer. SeeTow/Haul Mode 0238.
Touch Tow/Haul Mode Reminder in
Settings to view the Tow/Haul Mode
Reminder settings page. These
alerts are based on the Trailer
Profile, so the settings for each
Trailer Profile must be turned on or
off. Touch a profile to view more
information or to adjust the setting
for that profile.
This setting will default to OFF for
each Trailer Profile, including the
Guest Trailer Profile.
If Tow/Haul Mode is off and this
setting is on for a Trailer Profile,
each time the ignition is turned on a
reminder will appear to turn on Tow/
Haul Mode when the Trailer Profile
is active.
If Tow/Haul Mode is on and this
setting is on for a Trailer Profile, the
reminder will not appear when the
Trailer Profile is active.
Conversions and
Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment
{Warning
The Data Link Connector (DLC) is
used for vehicle service and
Emission Inspection/Maintenance
testing. See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp (Check Engine
Light) 0151. A device connected
to the DLC —such as an
aftermarket fleet or
driver-behavior tracking device —
may interfere with vehicle
systems. This could affect vehicle
operation and cause a crash.
Such devices may also access
information stored in the vehicle’s
systems.
Caution
Some electrical equipment can
damage the vehicle or cause
components to not work and
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Always check
with your dealer before adding
electrical equipment.
Add-on equipment can drain the
vehicle's 12-volt battery, even if the
vehicle is not operating.
The vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to add anything
electrical to the vehicle, see
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle 097 and
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 098.
For information on wiring auxiliary
switches, see www.gmupfitter.com
or contact your dealer.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
316 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 317
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 318
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 328
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 331
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 336
Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338 Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Brake Pad Life System . . . . . . . 340
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Battery - North America . . . . . . 342
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Noise Control System . . . . . . . . 347
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 348
Ignition Transmission Lock
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 348
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 349
Windshield Replacement . . . . . 350
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Headlamp Aiming
Front Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . 351
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352 Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 354
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . 354
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 355
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Right) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Left) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
All-Terrain Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 365
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Tire Pressure Monitor
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
402 Vehicle Care
4. Turn the ignition off on bothvehicles. Unplug unnecessary
accessories plugged into the
accessory power outlets. Turn
off the radio and all the lamps
that are not needed. This will
avoid sparks and help save
both batteries. And it could
save the radio!
5. Open the hood on the other vehicle and locate the
positive (+) and negative (−)
terminal locations on that
vehicle.
The positive (+) terminal is
under a red plastic cover at the
positive battery post. To
uncover the positive (+)
terminal, open the red plastic
cover.
For more information on the
location of the remote
positive (+) and remote
negative (−) terminals, see
Engine Compartment Overview
0321.{Warning
An electric fan can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing, and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{Warning
Using a match near a battery can
cause battery gas to explode.
People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded.
Use a flashlight if you need more
light.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
{Warning
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
6. Check that the jumper cables do not have loose or missing
insulation. If they do, you could
get a shock. The vehicles
could be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables,
here are some basic things you
should know. Positive (+) will
go to positive (+) or to a remote
positive (+) terminal if the
vehicle has one. Negative (−)
will go to a heavy, unpainted
metal engine part or to a
remote negative (−) terminal if
the vehicle has one.
Do not connect positive (+) to
negative (−) or you will get a
short that would damage the
battery and maybe other parts
too. And do not connect the
negative (−) cable to the

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
Vehicle Care 407
3. Turn on the ignition with theengine off. For vehicles with a
key, turn the ignition to ON/
RUN with the engine off. If the
vehicle is equipped with
Keyless Access, with your foot
off the brake pedal, press and
hold ENGINE START/STOP for
five seconds until the green
light comes on in the button.
See Ignition Positions (Key
Access) 0220 or
Ignition Positions (Keyless
Access) 0222.
4. Set the parking brake. See Electric Parking Brake 0245.
5. Disconnect from the tow vehicle.
6. Shift the transmission to N (Neutral).
7. Shift the transfer case to 2
m
(Two-Wheel Drive High). When
the shift to 2
m(Two-Wheel
Drive High) is complete, the
light in the instrument cluster
will stop flashing and stay lit.
See Four-Wheel-Drive Light
0 155. 8. Start the engine. Check that
the vehicle is in 2
m
(Two-Wheel Drive High) by
starting the engine and shifting
the transmission to D (Drive)
and then to R (Reverse). There
should be movement of the
vehicle while shifting.
9. Shift the transmission to P (Park) and turn off the
ignition.
10. Release the parking brake and remove the wheel blocks.
11. Reset any lost presets. The outside temperature
display will default to 0 °C
(32 °F) but will reset with
normal usage.
Dolly Towing

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/13/19
Service and Maintenance 427
Additional
Maintenance and Care
Your vehicle is an important
investment and caring for it properly
may help to avoid future costly
repairs. To maintain vehicle
performance, additional
maintenance services may be
required.
It is recommended that your dealer
perform these services—their
trained dealer technicians know
your vehicle best. Your dealer can
also perform a thorough
assessment with a multi-point
inspection to recommend when your
vehicle may need attention.
The following list is intended to
explain the services and conditions
to look for that may indicate
services are required.
Battery
The 12-volt battery supplies power
to start the engine and operate any
additional electrical accessories. .
To avoid break-down or failure to
start the vehicle, maintain a
battery with full cranking power.
. Trained dealer technicians have
the diagnostic equipment to test
the battery and ensure that the
connections and cables are
corrosion-free.
Belts
. Belts may need replacing if they
squeak or show signs of
cracking or splitting.
. Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the belts and
recommend adjustment or
replacement when necessary.
Brakes
Brakes stop the vehicle and are
crucial to safe driving.
. Signs of brake wear may include
chirping, grinding, or squealing
noises, or difficulty stopping. .
Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the brakes and
recommend quality parts
engineered for the vehicle.
Fluids
Proper fluid levels and approved
fluids protect the vehicle’s systems
and components. See
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants 0430 for GM approved
fluids.
. Engine oil and windshield
washer fluid levels should be
checked at every fuel fill.
. Instrument cluster lights may
come on to indicate that fluids
may be low and need to be
filled.
Hoses
Hoses transport fluids and should
be regularly inspected to ensure
that there are no cracks or leaks.
With a multi-point inspection, your
dealer can inspect the hoses and
advise if replacement is needed.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/-
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/13/19
464 Index
IndexA
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Active Fuel Management . . . . . . . 231
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . 311
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Additional Information OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Additional Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . . . 331
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . 191, 193
Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Air Filter, Passenger
Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Passenger Sensing System . . . . 93
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . . 89
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 150
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Alarm Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Alert Lane Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Side Blind Zone (SBZA) . . . . . . 271
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
All-Terrain Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . 244 Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/-
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/13/19
466 Index
ChargingWireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 151
Check Engine Light (MalfunctionIndicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Ignition Transmission Lock . . . 348
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . 101
Lower Anchors and Tethersfor Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118, 122
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 191 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 445
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Connected Services
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Connections Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . 461
Control
Hill Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Traction and ElectronicStability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Control Light
Hill Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Coolant Engine Temperature Gauge . . 147
Engine Temperature
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191, 193
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Customer Assistance (cont'd)
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Customer Information
Publications OrderingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . 445
Danger, Warning, and Caution . . . . 3
Data CollectionInfotainment System . . . . . . . . . . 451
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . 450
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Diagnostics
Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . 463
Differential, Limited-Slip . . . . . . . . 255
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/-
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/13/19
Index 467
Door (cont'd)Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . 437
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . 258
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161, 163
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Driver Mode Control Light . . . . . . 158
Driving Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . 265
Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 30
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 209
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . .211
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193E
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . 245
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . 154
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Electrical System Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 355
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359, 361
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Check Light (Malfunction
Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 321
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 437 Engine (cont'd)
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 146
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Overheated Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 232
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . 330
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 450
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . . 185
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 179
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 181
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188