GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 2500 HD/3500 HD Owner Manual (GMNA-
Localizing-U.S./Canada-16908340) - 2024 - CRC - 12/13/22
200 Driving and Operating
.Wait until the vehicle is parked to
retrieve items that have fallen to the
floor.
.Stop or park the vehicle to tend to
children.
.Keep pets in an appropriate carrier or
restraint.
.Avoid stressful conversations while
driving, whether with a passenger or on a
cell phone.
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road too long or
too often could cause a crash resulting in
injury or death. Focus your attention on
driving.
Refer to the infotainment section for more
information on using that system and the
navigation system, if equipped, including
pairing and using a cell phone.
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always expect the
unexpected.” The first step in driving
defensively is to wear the seat belt. See
Seat Belts 057.
.Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers)
are going to be careless and make
mistakes. Anticipate what they may do
and be ready.
.Allow enough following distance between
you and the driver in front of you.
.Focus on the task of driving.
Impaired Driving
Death and injury associated with impaired
driving is a global tragedy.
{Warning
Drinking alcohol or taking drugs and then
driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment
can be affected by even a small amount
of alcohol or drugs. You can have a
serious —or even fatal —collision if you
drive after drinking or taking drugs.
Do not drive while under the influence of
alcohol or drugs, or ride with a driver
who has been drinking or is impaired by
drugs. Find alternate transportation
home; or if you are with a group,
designate a driver who will remain sober.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating are
important factors in helping to control a
vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time. Deciding to push the brake
pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is about
three-quarters of a second. In that time, a
vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph) travels
20 m (66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind include:
.Keep enough distance between you and
the vehicle in front of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops or a brake fault
occurs, the brakes may lose power assist.
More effort will be required to stop the
vehicle. It may take longer to stop.
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Driving and Operating 263
Assist on again, select On in vehicle
personalization. The On with Towbar setting
allows Park Assist to work properly with a
trailer hitch. Some larger trailer hitches may
not be compatible.
Turn off Park Assist when towing a trailer.
To turn the RPA symbols on or off, from the
infotainment screen, touch Settings >
Vehicle > Comfort and Convenience > Rear
Park Assist Symbols.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
System
If equipped, when the vehicle is shifted into
R (Reverse), RCTA shows a red warning
triangle with a left or right pointing arrow
on the infotainment display to warn of
traffic coming from the left or right. This
system detects objects coming from up to
20 m (65 ft) from the left or right side of
the vehicle. When an object is detected,
either three beeps sound from the left or
right or three Safety Alert Seat pulses occur
on the left or right side, depending on the
direction of the detected vehicle.Use caution while backing up when towing
a trailer, as the RCTA detection zones that
extend out from the back of the vehicle do
not move further back when a trailer is
towed.
RCTA is disabled when the trailer connection
status is displayed.
RCTA can be turned off. To view available
settings from the infotainment screen, touch
Settings > Vehicle > Collision/Detection
Systems.
Assistance Systems for Driving
If equipped, when driving the vehicle in a
forward gear, Forward Collision Alert (FCA),
Front Pedestrian Braking, (FPB), Lane
Departure Warning (LDW), Side Blind Zone
Alert (SBZA), Lane Change Alert (LCA), and/or
the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) can
help to avoid a crash or reduce crash
damage.
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System
If equipped, the FCA system may help to
avoid or reduce the harm caused by
front-end crashes. When approaching a
vehicle ahead too quickly, FCA provides ared flashing alert on the windshield and
rapidly beeps or pulses the drivers seat (if
equipped). FCA also lights an amber visual
alert if following another vehicle much too
closely.
FCA detects vehicles within a distance of
approximately 60 m (197 ft) and operates at
speeds above 8 km/h (5 mph).
{Warning
FCA is a warning system and does not
apply the brakes. When approaching a
slower-moving or stopped vehicle ahead
too rapidly, or when following a vehicle
too closely, FCA may not provide a
warning with enough time to help avoid
a crash. It also may not provide any
warning at all. FCA does not warn of
pedestrians, animals, signs, guardrails,
bridges, construction barrels, or other
objects. Be ready to take action and
apply the brakes. See
Defensive Driving
0 200.
FCA can be disabled. To view available
settings from the infotainment screen, touch
Settings > Vehicle > Collision/Detection
Systems.
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shows the current setting on the DIC.
Additional button presses will change this
setting. The chosen setting will remain until
it is changed and will affect the timing of
both the Collision Alert and the Tailgating
Alert features. The timing of both alerts will
vary based on vehicle speed. The faster the
vehicle speed, the farther away the alert will
occur. Consider traffic and weather
conditions when selecting the alert timing.
The range of selectable alert timings may
not be appropriate for all drivers and driving
conditions.
If your vehicle is equipped with Adaptive
Cruise Control (ACC), changing the FCA
timing setting automatically changes the
following gap setting (Far, Medium,
or Near).
Following Distance Indicator
If equipped, the following distance to a
moving vehicle ahead in your path is
indicated in following time in seconds on
the Driver Information Center (DIC). See
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base Level)
0131 or
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel)
0 133. The minimum following time is
0.5 seconds away. If there is no vehicle detected ahead, or the
vehicle ahead is out of sensor range, dashes
will be displayed.
Unnecessary Alerts
FCA may provide unnecessary alerts for
turning vehicles, vehicles in other lanes,
objects that are not vehicles, or shadows.
These alerts are normal operation and the
vehicle does not need service.
Cleaning the System
If the FCA system does not seem to operate
properly, this may correct the issue:
.Clean the outside of the windshield in
front of the rearview mirror.
.Clean the entire front of the vehicle.
.Clean the headlamps.
Automatic Emergency
Braking (AEB)
If equipped, AEB may help avoid or reduce
the harm caused by front-end crashes. AEB
also includes Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA).
When the system detects a vehicle ahead in
your path that is traveling in the same
direction that you may be about to crash
into, it can provide a boost to braking or
automatically brake the vehicle. This canhelp avoid or lessen the severity of crashes
when driving in a forward gear. Depending
on the situation, the vehicle may
automatically brake moderately or hard. This
automatic emergency braking can only occur
if a vehicle is detected. This is shown by the
FCA vehicle ahead indicator being lit. See
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System
0263.
The system works when driving in a forward
gear between 8 km/h (5 mph) and 80 km/h
(50 mph). It can detect vehicles up to
approximately 60 m (197 ft).
{Warning
AEB is an emergency crash preparation
feature and is not designed to avoid
crashes. Do not rely on AEB to brake the
vehicle. AEB will not brake outside of its
operating speed range and only responds
to detected vehicles.
AEB may not:
.Detect a vehicle ahead on winding or
hilly roads.
.Detect all vehicles, especially vehicles
with a trailer, tractors, muddy
vehicles, etc. (Continued)
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 2500 HD/3500 HD Owner Manual (GMNA-
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268 Driving and Operating
8 km/h (5 mph) and 80 km/h (50 mph).
Automatic braking levels may be reduced
under certain conditions, such as higher
speeds.
FPB may slow the vehicle to a complete
stop to try and avoid a potential collision
with a pedestrian. If this happens, Automatic
Braking may hold the vehicle at a stop
momentarily. Firmly press the accelerator
pedal to release Automatic Braking.
{Warning
FPB may alert or automatically brake the
vehicle suddenly in situations where it is
unexpected and undesired. It could falsely
alert or brake for objects similar in shape
or size to pedestrians, including shadows.
This is normal operation and the vehicle
does not need service. To override
Automatic Braking, firmly press the
accelerator pedal, if it is safe to do so.
Automatic Braking can be disabled through
vehicle settings. To view available settings
from the infotainment screen, touch
Settings > Vehicle > Collision/Detection
Systems > Front Pedestrian Detection.
Cleaning the System
If FPB does not seem to operate properly,
cleaning the outside of the windshield in
front of the rearview mirror may correct the
issue.
Lane Change Alert (LCA)
If equipped, the Lane Change Alert (LCA)
system is a lane-changing aid that can assist
drivers with avoiding lane change crashes
with moving vehicles in the side blind zone,
or blind spot areas or with vehicles rapidly
approaching these areas from behind. When
a vehicle is detected in the blind zone, the
LCA warning display will light up in the
corresponding side mirror and will flash if
the turn signal is on. The Side Blind Zone
Alert (SBZA) system is included as part of
the LCA system.
{Warning
LCA does not alert the driver to vehicles
outside of the system detection zones,
pedestrians, bicyclists, or animals. It may
not provide alerts when changing lanes
under all driving conditions. Failure to use
proper care when changing lanes may (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
result in injury, death, or vehicle damage.
Before making a lane change, always
check mirrors, glance over your shoulder,
and use the turn signals.
LCA Detection Zones
1. SBZA Detection Zone
2. LCA Detection Zone
When towing a trailer, LCA feature is
disabled. When not towing a trailer, the LCA
sensor covers a zone of approximately one
lane over from both sides of the vehicle,
or 3.5 m (11 ft). The height of the zone is
approximately between 0.5 m (1.5 ft) and
2 m (6 ft) off the ground. Drivers are also
GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 2500 HD/3500 HD Owner Manual (GMNA-
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Driving and Operating 269
warned of vehicles rapidly approaching this
area up to approximately 70 m (230 ft)
behind the vehicle.
Trailer Side Blind Zone Area (TSBZA)
If equipped, the TSBZA system is a
lane-changing aid that assists drivers with
avoiding crashes that occur with moving
vehicles in the side blind zone, or blind spot
areas. The trailer side blind zone area adds
the blind zone area along the side of a
trailer that the host vehicle is pulling.
When the vehicle is in a forward gear, the
left or right side mirror display will light up
if a moving vehicle is detected in that trailer
blind zone. If the turn signal is activated and
a vehicle is also detected on the same side,
the display will flash as an extra warning
not to change lanes. Since this system is
part of the Lane Change Alert system, read
the entire Lane Change Alert section before
using this feature.
{Warning
TSBZA does not alert the driver to
vehicles outside of the system detection
zones, pedestrians, bicyclists, or animals.
It may not provide alerts when changing(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
lanes under all driving conditions. Failure
to use proper care when changing lanes
may result in injury, death, or vehicle
damage. Before making a lane change,
always check mirrors, glance over your
shoulder, and use the turn signals.
TSBZA Detection Zones
1. SBZA Detection Zone
2. TSBZA Detection Zone
3. LCA Detection Zone
The Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) warning
area starts at approximately the middle of
the vehicle and goes back 5 m (16 ft). The
Trailer Side Blind Zone Alert (TSBZA) warning
area starts at approximately 3 m (10 ft) to
the trailing edge of the vehicle and goes
back up to 21 m (69 ft) behind the vehicle.
The maximum trailer length is 18 m (59 ft).
How the System Works
The LCA/TSBZA symbol lights up in the side
mirrors when the system detects a moving
vehicle in the next lane over that is in the
trailer side blind zone. This indicates it may
be unsafe to change lanes. Before making a
lane change, check the SBZA display, check
mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and use
the turn signals.
Left Side Mirror DisplayRight Side Mirror Display
When the vehicle is started, both outside
mirror LCA/TSBZA displays will briefly come
on to indicate the system is operating.
When the vehicle is in a forward gear, the
left- or right-side mirror display will light up
if a moving vehicle is detected in that blind
zone. If the turn signal is activated in the
same direction as a detected vehicle, this
display will flash as an extra warning not to
change lanes.