length GMC SIERRA 1500 2009 Owners Manual

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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.The manufacturer’s instructions that come with the
booster seat state the weight and height limitations for
that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder belt
until the child passes the below t test:
Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees bend
at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder belt
rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no, try
using the rear safety belt comfort guide. See “Rear
Safety Belt Comfort Guides” underLap-Shoulder
Belt on page 1-30for more information. If the
shoulder belt still does not rest on the shoulder,
then return to the booster seat.
Does the lap belt t low and snug on the hips,
touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
Can proper safety belt t be maintained for the
length of the trip? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a
position with a lap-shoulder belt and get the
additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
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The vehicle may have a memory function which lets
pedal settings be saved and recalled. SeeMemory Seat,
Mirrors, and Pedals on page 1-8for more information.
Engine Coolant Heater
The engine heater can provide easier starting and better
fuel economy during engine warm-up in cold weather
conditions at or below 0°F (−18°C). Vehicles with an
engine heater should be plugged in at least four hours
before starting. An internal thermostat in the plug-end of
the cord may exist which will prevent engine coolant
heater operation at temperatures above 0°F (−18°C).
If the vehicle has the DURAMAX
®Diesel engine, see
the DURAMAX®Diesel manual for more information.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
The cord is located on the driver’s side of the
engine compartment, near the power steering uid
reservoir.
3. Plug the cord into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC
outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
a re. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will not reach,
use a heavy-duty three-prong extension cord
rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts. If you do not, it could be
damaged.
The length of time the heater should remain plugged in
depends on several factors. Ask a dealer/retailer in
the area where you will be parking the vehicle for the
best advice on this.
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The passenger’s temperature setting can be set to
match the driver’s temperature setting by pressing the
PASS button and turning off the PASS indicator.
When the passenger’s temperature setting is set
different than the driver’s setting, the indicator on the
PASS button illuminates and both the driver side
and passenger side temperature displays are shown.
Automatic Operation
AUTO (Automatic):When automatic operation is active
the system controls the inside temperature, the air
delivery, and the fan speed.
Use the steps below to place the entire system in
automatic mode:
1. Press the AUTO button.
When AUTO is selected, the display changes to
show the current temperature(s) and AUTO is lit on
the display. The current air delivery mode and fan
speed are also displayed for about 5 seconds.
When AUTO is selected, the air conditioning
operation and air inlet are automatically controlled.
The air conditioning compressor may run when the
outside temperature is above freezing. The air inlet
will normally be set to outside air. If it is hot outside,
the air inlet may automatically switch to the
recirculate mode to help quickly cool down the air
inside the vehicle. The light on the button comes on
in recirculation.2. Set the driver’s and passenger’s temperature.
To nd your comfort setting, start with a 74°F (23°C)
temperature setting and allow about 20 minutes for
the system to regulate. Use the driver or passenger
temperature buttons to adjust the temperature setting
as necessary. If a temperature setting of 60°F (15°C)
is chosen, the system remains at the maximum
cooling setting. If a temperature setting of 90°F
(32°C) is chosen, the system remains at the
maximum heat setting. Choosing either maximum
setting will not cause the vehicle to heat or cool
any faster.
Do not cover the solar sensor located on the top of the
instrument panel near the windshield. This sensor
regulates air temperature based on sun load. For more
information on the solar sensor, see “Sensors” later in
this section.
To avoid blowing cold air in cold weather, the system
delays turning the fan on until warm air is available.
The length of delay depends on the engine coolant
temperature. Pressing the fan switch overrides this
delay and changes the fan to a selected speed.
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Compressed Audio
The radio also plays discs that contain both
uncompressed CD audio (.CDA les) and MP3 les.
By default the radio shows the MP3 label on the left side
of the screen but plays both le formats in the order
in which they were recorded to the disc.
MP3 Format
Burning an MP3 disc on a personal computer:
Make sure the MP3 les are recorded on a CD-R or
CD-RW disc.
Do not mix standard audio and MP3 les on one disc.
Make sure the CD does not have more than a
maximum of 50 folders, 15 playlists, and 512 folders
and les to read and play.
Create a folder structure that makes it easy to nd
songs while driving. Organize songs by albums using
one folder for each album. Each folder or album
should contain 18 songs or less.
Avoid subfolders. The system can support up to
eight subfolders deep, however, keep the total
number of folders to a minimum in order to reduce
the complexity and confusion in trying to locate a
particular folder during playback.
Make sure playlists have a .m3u extension as other
le extensions might not work.
Minimize the length of the le, folder, or playlist
names. Long le, folder, or playlist names, or a
combination of a large number of les and folders, or
playlists could cause the player to be unable to play
up to the maximum number of les, folders, playlists,
or sessions. To play a large number of les, folders,
playlists or sessions, minimize the length of the le,
folder, or playlist name. Long names also take up
more space on the display, potentially getting cut off.
Finalize the audio disc before burning it. Trying to
add music to an existing disc could cause the disc
not to function in the player.
Playlists can be changed by using the
Sc(previous)
and
cT(next) folder buttons, thefknob, or the
©SEEK¨arrows. MP3 CD-R or CD-RW that have
been recorded without using le folders can be played.
If a CD-R or CD-RW contains more than the maximum
of 50 folders, 15 playlists, and 512 folders and les,
the player allows access and navigates up to the
maximum, but all items over the maximum are not
accessible.
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MP3/WMA Format
Burning an MP3/WMA disc on a personal computer:
Make sure the MP3/WMA les are recorded
on a CD-R or CD-RW disc.
Do not mix standard audio and MP3/WMA les on
one disc.
The CD player (lower slot) is able to read and play
a maximum combination of 512 les and folders.
The DVD player (upper slot) is able to read
255 folders, 15 playlists and 40 sessions.
Create a folder structure that makes it easy to nd
songs while driving. Organize songs by albums
using one folder for each album. Each folder
or album should contain 18 songs or less.
Avoid subfolders. The system can support up to
eight subfolders deep, however, keep the total
number of folders to a minimum in order to reduce
the complexity and confusion in trying to locate
a particular folder during playback.
Make sure playlists have a .m3u extension as other
le extensions might not work.
Minimize the length of the le, folder, or playlist
names. Long le, folder, or playlist names, or a
combination of a large number of les and folders, or
playlists could cause the player to be unable to play
up to the maximum number of les, folders, playlists,
or sessions. To play a large number of les, folders,
playlists, or sessions, minimize the length of the le,
folder, or playlist name. Long names also take up
more space on the display, potentially getting cut off.
Finalize the audio disc before burning it. Trying to
add music to an existing disc could cause the disc
not to function in the player.
Root Directory
The root directory of the CD-R or CD-RW is treated as a
folder. If the root directory has compressed audio les,
the directory is displayed as F1 ROOT. All les contained
directly under the root directory are accessed prior to any
root directory folders. However, playlists (Px) are always
accessed before root folders or les.
Empty Directory or Folder
If a root directory or a folder exists somewhere in the le
structure that contains only folders/subfolders and no
compressed les directly beneath them, the player
advances to the next folder in the le structure that
contains compressed audio les. The empty folder does
not display.
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Page 348 of 602

Vehicles are much more likely to stall when going uphill,
but if it happens when going downhill:
1. Stop the vehicle by applying the regular brakes and
apply the parking brake.
2. Shift to P (Park) and, while still braking, restart the
engine.
3. Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
4. If the engine will not start, get out and get help.Driving Across an Incline
An off-road trail will probably go across the incline of a
hill. To decide whether to try to drive across the
incline, consider the following:
{CAUTION:
Driving across an incline that is too steep will
make your vehicle roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. If you have any doubt
about the steepness of the incline, do not drive
across it. Find another route instead.
A hill that can be driven straight up or down
might be too steep to drive across. When going
straight up or down a hill, the length of the wheel
base — the distance from the front wheels to the rear
wheels — reduces the likelihood the vehicle will
tumble end over end. But when driving across an
incline, the narrower track width — the distance
between the left and right wheels — might not
prevent the vehicle from tilting and rolling over.
Driving across an incline puts more weight on the
downhill wheels which could cause a downhill slide
or a rollover.
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{CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or
in a crash.
Put things in the cargo area of your
vehicle. Try to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like
suitcases, inside the vehicle so that some
of them are above the tops of the seats.
Do not leave an unsecured child restraint
in your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Do not leave a seat folded down unless
you need to.
There is also important loading information for
off-road driving in this manual. See “Loading Your
Vehicle for Off-Road Driving“ underOff-Road
Driving on page 4-13.Two-Tiered Loading
Depending on the model of your pick-up, you can
create an upper load platform by positioning
two or four 2 inches (5 cm) by 6 inches (15 cm)
wooden planks across the width of the pickup box.
The planks must be inserted in the pickup box
depressions. The length of the planks must allow
for at least a 3/4 inch (2 cm) bearing surface
on each end of the plank.
When using this upper load platform, be sure the
load is securely tied down to prevent it from
shifting. The load’s center of gravity should be
positioned in a zone over the rear axle. The zone
is located in the area between the front of each
wheel well and the rear of each wheel well.
The center of gravity height must not extend above
the top of the pickup box areboard.
Any load that extends beyond the vehicle’s
taillamp area must be properly marked according
to local laws and regulations.
Remember not to exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR) of the front or rear axle.
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