GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
214 Driving and Operating
Steering
Caution
To avoid damage to the steering system,
do not drive over curbs, parking barriers,
or similar objects at speeds greater than
3 km/h (1 mph). Use care when driving
over other objects such as lane dividers
and speed bumps. Damage caused by
misuse of the vehicle is not covered by
the vehicle warranty.
Electric Power Steering
The vehicle has electric power steering.
It does not have power steering fluid.
Regular maintenance is not required.If power steering assist is lost due to a
system malfunction, the vehicle can be
steered, but may require increased effort.
If the steering assist is used for an extended
period of time while the vehicle is not
moving, power assist may be reduced.
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel and is held
against that position for an extended period
of time, power steering assist may be
reduced.
Normal use of the power steering assist
should return when the system cools down.
See your dealer if there is a problem.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable speed.
.Reduce speed before entering a curve.
.Maintain a reasonable steady speed
through the curve.
.Wait until the vehicle is out of the curve
before accelerating gently into the
straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when steering
around a problem may be more effective
than braking.
.Holding both sides of the steering wheel
allows you to turn 180 degrees without
removing a hand.
.The Antilock Brake System (ABS) allows
steering while braking.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop off the
edge of a road onto the shoulder while
driving. Follow these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer the
vehicle so that it straddles the edge of
the pavement.
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
410 Service and Maintenance
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
The passenger compartment air filter
removes dust, pollen, and other airborne
irritants from outside air that is pulled into
the vehicle. The filter should be replaced as
part of routine scheduled maintenance.
Inspect the passenger compartment air filter
every 36 000 km/22,500 miles or two years,
whichever comes first. Replace if necessary.
More frequent replacement may be needed
if the vehicle is driven in areas with heavy
traffic, areas with poor air quality, or areas
with high dust levels. Replacement may also
be needed if there is a reduction in air flow,
excessive window fogging, or odors.
Extended Idle Use
When the vehicle is used in a way that
requires extended idle time, one hour of use
shall be deemed the same as 53 km (33 mi).
SeeDriver Information Center (DIC) (Base
Level) 0124 or
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Midlevel and
Uplevel) 0125 for hourmeter, if equipped.
Air Conditioning Desiccant (Replace Every
Seven Years)
The air conditioning system requires
maintenance every seven years. This service
requires replacement of the desiccant to
help the longevity and efficient operation of
the air conditioning system. This service can
be complex. See your dealer.
Tire Rotation and Required Services
Every 12 000 km/7,500 mi
Rotate the tires, if recommended for the
vehicle, and perform the following services.
See Tire Rotation 0374.
.Check engine oil level and oil
life percentage. If needed, change engine
oil and filter, and reset oil life system.
See Engine Oil 0330 and
Engine Oil Life System 0332.
.If equipped with the engine air filter life
system, check the air filter
life percentage. If necessary, replace the
engine air filter and reset the engine air
filter life system. See Engine Air Filter Life
System 0333. If the vehicle is not
equipped with the engine air filter life
system, inspect the engine air cleaner
filter. See Engine Air Cleaner/Filter 0334.
.Check engine coolant level. See Cooling
System 0335.
.Check windshield washer fluid level. See
Washer Fluid 0340.
.Check tire inflation pressures, including
the spare. See Tire Pressure0367.
.Inspect tire wear. See Tire Inspection
0 373.
.Visually check for fluid leaks.
.Inspect brake system. See Exterior Care
0 398.
.Visually inspect steering, suspension, and
chassis components for damage, including
cracks or tears in the rubber boots, loose
or missing parts, or signs of wear at least
once a year. See Exterior Care0398.
If equipped with grease fittings, lubricate
the suspension and steering components
every other oil change for normal usage
and every oil change for severe usage.
.Inspect power steering for proper
attachment, connections, binding, leaks,
cracks, chafing, etc.
.Visually inspect drive shafts for excessive
wear, lubricant leaks or damage including:
tube dents, cracks, constant velocity joint
or universal joint looseness, cracked or
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Cana-
da/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
454 Index
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
LightingEntry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Lights Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Antilock Brake System (ABS)Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Check Engine (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Four-Wheel-Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Lights (cont'd)
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Hill Descent Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Lane Keep Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Service Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Lock
Steering Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Maintenance and Care Additional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409 Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Map Data Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Media
Avoiding Untrusted Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Messages Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Mirror Rear Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Mirrors Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Automatic Dimming Rearview . . . . . . . . . . 38
Blind Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Cana-
da/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
Index 459
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Turn SignalBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
U
Underseat Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Universal Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Updates Map Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
Using the Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Using the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
V
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Identification Number (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Vehicle (cont'd)
Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Vehicle Care Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . 437
Vehicle Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Vehicle Security
Steering Column Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Voice Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
W
Warning Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Caution and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Warnings
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Wheels Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Windshield
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103