GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-13337776) - 2020 - CRC - 4/4/19
118 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 119
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 120
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 120
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 120
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . 136
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 136
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Charging System Light . . . . . . . 138
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 138
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . 142
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . 142
Hill Descent Control Light . . . . 142
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light (2500/3500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light (1500 Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . 143
Pedestrian Ahead Indicator . . . 143
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Traction Control System (TCS)/ Electronic Stability Control
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Driver Mode Control Light . . . . 145
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Engine Oil Pressure Light
(Uplevel Cluster) . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 146
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 147
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . 147
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 147
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 147
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Midlevel and Uplevel) . . . . . . 149
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . . 152
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Engine Power Messages . . . . . 156
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . 156
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 157
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-13337776) - 2020 - CRC - 4/4/19
Instruments and Controls 147
Security Light
The security light should come on
briefly as the engine is started. If it
does not come on, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally, the
indicator light turns off.
If the light stays on and the engine
does not start, there could be a
problem with the theft-deterrent
system. SeeImmobilizer Operation
0 39.
High-Beam On Light
This light comes on when the
high-beam headlamps are in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer 0167.
IntelliBeam Light
This light comes on when the
IntelliBeam system, if equipped, is
enabled. See Exterior Lamp
Controls 0165.
Front Fog Lamp Light
For vehicles with fog lamps, this
light comes on when the fog lamps
are on. The light goes out when the fog
lamps are turned off. See
Fog
Lamps 0170.
Lamps On Reminder
This light comes on when the
exterior lamps are in use, except
when only the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) are active. See
Exterior Lamp Controls 0165.
Cruise Control Light
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-13337776) - 2020 - CRC - 4/4/19
Lighting 165
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . 165
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 169
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Task Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . 171
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Battery Load Management . . . 174
Battery Power Protection . . . . . 174
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
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
Oagain to turn the
automatic headlamps or DRL
back on.
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-13337776) - 2020 - CRC - 4/4/19
Lighting 167
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
2position. The
instrument cluster light will come
on to indicate the IntelliBeam is reactivated. See
Headlamp
High/Low-Beam Changer 0167
and
Flash-to-Pass 0168.
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.
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-13337776) - 2020 - CRC - 4/4/19
168 Lighting
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 theinstrument 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
Oand 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.
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-13337776) - 2020 - CRC - 4/4/19
Lighting 171
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 away
from the vehicle.While the vehicle is parked, press
Kto 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.
If any Task lights are on, if the
button has not been pressed after
approximately 5 seconds, pressing
it again will turn off all Task Lights.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.
If the vehicle is in P (Park),
R (Reverse), or N (Neutral) the
Cargo Lamp Switch causes the
lights to cycle through the following
states for each button press:
- Initial Press:
- CHMSL/Cargo Bed Lights - On
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-13337776) - 2020 - CRC - 4/4/19
174 Lighting
The exterior lamps and dome lamp
remain on for a set amount of time,
then automatically turn off.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamp control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization0157.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM), which
estimates the battery's temperature
and state of charge. It then adjusts
the voltage for best performance
and extended life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. The voltmeter
gauge or the voltage display on the
Driver Information Center (DIC),
if equipped, may show the voltage moving up or down. This is normal.
If there is a problem, an alert will be
displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all the
power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a DIC message might
be displayed and it is recommended
that the driver reduce the electrical
loads as much as possible.
Battery Power Protection
This feature shuts off the dome and
reading lamps, if they are left on for
more than 10 minutes after the
ignition is turned off. The cargo
lamp shuts off after 20 minutes. This
prevents the battery from
running down.
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver
The exterior lamps turn off about
10 minutes after the ignition is
turned off, if the parking lamps or
headlamps have been manually left
on. This protects against draining
the battery. To restart the 10-minute
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-13337776) - 2020 - CRC - 4/4/19
Driving and Operating 255
Lighting Conditions Affecting ACC
The ACC front camera can be
affected by poor lighting conditions,
and ACC may have limited
performance when:
.There are changes in brightness,
such as entering and exiting
tunnels, bridges, and
overpasses.
. Low sun angles cause the
camera to not detect objects,
or it is more difficult to detect
objects in the same traffic lane.
. Lighting is poor in the evening or
early morning
. There are multiple changes in
brightness or shadows along the
vehicle roadway.
. In a tunnel without the
headlamps on, or in a tunnel
when there is a vehicle in front
that does not have its
taillamps on. .
Subjected to strong light from
opposing lane traffic in the front
of the vehicle, such as
high-beam headlamps from
oncoming traffic.
Accessory Installations and
Vehicle Modifications
Do not install or place any object
around the front camera windshield
area that would obstruct the front
camera view.
Do not install objects on top of the
vehicle that overhang and obstruct
the front camera, such as a canoe,
kayak, or other items that can be
transported on the vehicle roof.
Do not modify the hood, headlamps,
or fog lamps, as this may limit the
camera’s ability to detect an object.
Cleaning the Sensing System
The camera sensor on the
windshield behind the rearview
mirror can become blocked by
snow, ice, dirt, mud, or debris. This
area needs to be cleaned for ACC
to operate properly. The vehicle headlamps may need to
be cleaned due to dirt, snow, or ice.
Objects that are not illuminated
correctly may be difficult to detect.
If ACC will not operate, regular
cruise control may be available. See
“Switching Between ACC and
Regular Cruise Control”
previously
in this section. Always consider
driving conditions before using
either cruise control system.
For cleaning instructions, see
“Washing the Vehicle” under
Exterior Care 0429.