instrument panel GMC SIERRA 1500 2011 User Guide

Black plate (13,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-13
Testing the Alarm
To test the alarm:
1. Lower the driver window andopen the driver door.
2. Press lock on the RKE transmitter.
3. Close the door and wait for the security light to go out.
4. Reach in through the window, unlock the door with the manual
door lock, and open the door.
This should set off the alarm.
If the alarm does not sound when
it should but the headlamps flash,
check to see if the horn works. The
horn fuse may be blown. To replace
the fuse, see Fuses and Circuit
Breakers on page 10‑50.
If the alarm does not sound or the
headlamps do not flash, see your
dealer for service.
Immobilizer
See Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑19 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission
(FCC) rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-210/220/310.
Immobilizer Operation
This vehicle has PASS-Key®III+
(Personalized Automotive Security
System) theft-deterrent system.
PASS-Key III+ is a passive
theft-deterrent system.
The system is automatically armed
when the key is removed from the
ignition.
The system is automatically
disarmed when the key is turned
to ON/RUN, ACC/ACCESSORY,
or START from the LOCK/OFF
position. You do not have to manually arm or
disarm the system.
The security light will come on if
there is a problem with arming or
disarming the theft-deterrent
system.
When the PASS-Key III+ system
senses that someone is using the
wrong key, it prevents the vehicle
from starting. Anyone using a
trial-and-error method to start the
vehicle will be discouraged because
of the high number of electrical key
codes.
If the engine does not start and
the security light on the instrument
panel cluster comes on when trying
to start the vehicle, there may be
a problem with the theft-deterrent
system. Turn the ignition off and
try again.

Black plate (14,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-14 Seats and Restraints
or the instrument panel...or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down
as the vehicle does. You get more
time to stop. You stop over more
distance, and your strongest bones
take the forces. That is why safety
belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicleafter a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A: You could be—whether you
are wearing a safety belt or
not. But your chance of being
conscious during and after an
accident, so you canunbuckle
and get out, is muchgreater if
you are belted. And you can
unbuckle a safety belt, even if
you are upside down.

Black plate (29,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-29
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
.A seat‐mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat‐mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger and the person
seated directly behind the right
front passenger. All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for the
driver and on the instrument panel
for the right front passenger.
With seat‐mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job. Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt
—even
if you have airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed
to deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. See When Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑32.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in your
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.

Black plate (30,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-30 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
Airbags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to any airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge
of the seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear a safety belt,
even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on
or sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{WARNING
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag
when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer protection
for adults and older children,
but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle
safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them.
Young children and infants
need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide.
Always secure children properly
in the vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 3‑49or
Infants and Young Children on
page 3‑51.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑20
for more information.

Black plate (31,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-31
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver airbag is in the middle of
the steering wheel.
The right front passenger airbag
is in the instrument panel on the
passenger side.Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has seat‐mounted side
impact airbags for the driver and
right front passenger, they are in
the side of the seatbacks closest
to the door.

Black plate (34,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-34 Seats and Restraints
The vehicle may or may not have
seat‐mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags. SeeAirbag System
on page 3‑29. Seat‐mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags are
intended to inflate in moderate to
severe side crashes. In addition,
these roof-rail airbags are intended
to inflate during a rollover or in a
severe frontal impact. Seat‐mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags will
inflate if the crash severity is above
the system's designed threshold
level. The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not
intended to inflate in rear impacts.
A seat‐mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side
of the vehicle that is struck. Both
roof-rail airbags will deploy when
either side of the vehicle is struck,
or if the sensing system predicts
that the vehicle is about to roll over,
or in a severe frontal impact. In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag should
have inflated simply because of
the damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat‐mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by
the direction of the roll.What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbags modules in the
side of the front seatbacks closest
to the door. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows that have
occupant seating positions.

Black plate (35,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-35
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal collisions, even
belted occupants can contact the
steering wheel or the instrument
panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants
can contact the inside of the
vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts.
Frontal airbags distribute the
force of the impact more evenly
over the occupant's upper body,
stopping the occupant more
gradually. Seat‐mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags
distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body.Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain
the head and chest of occupants
in the outboard seating positions
in the first and second rows.
The rollover capable roof-rail
airbags are designed to help
reduce the risk of full or partial
ejection in rollover events, although
no system can prevent all such
ejections.
But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion
is not toward those airbags.
See
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 3‑32 for more
information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, see What Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑34.
The parts of the airbag that
come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot
to touch. There may be some
smoke and dust coming from
the vents in the deflated airbags.

Black plate (46,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-46 Seats and Restraints
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are
parts of the airbag system in
several places around the vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing
the vehicle and the airbag system.
To purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑15.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might addto or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that
change your vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, overhead console, front
sensors, side impact sensors,
or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Storage 4-1
Storage
Storage Compartments
Instrument Panel Storage . . . . 4-1
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Center Console Storage . . . . . . 4-2
Storage
Compartments
Instrument Panel Storage
For vehicles equipped with an
instrument panel storage area, it is
located above the glove box.
Access the storage area by
pressing and holding in the driver
side of the handle and pull out on
the exposed portion of the handle.
Glove Box
Lift up on the glove box lever to
open it.
Cupholders
Vehicles with cupholders have
them located on and behind the
center console and in the rear seat
armrest. Pull the loop down on the
rear seat armrest to access the
cupholders.
Pull downward on the cover to
access the cupholders behind the
center console.
Armrest Storage
Vehicles with a rear seat
armrest have two cupholders.
Pull the armrest down from the rear
seatback to access the cupholders.

Black plate (12,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
5-12 Instruments and Controls
Ashtrays
The vehicle may have a front
ashtray located near the center of
the instrument panel. Pull on the
door to open it. The ashtray may
have a cigarette lighter.
Notice:If papers, pins, or other
flammable items are put in the
ashtray, hot cigarettes or other
smoking materials could ignite
them and possibly damage the
vehicle. Never put flammable
items in the ashtray.
To remove the ashtray, open the
door and pull the ashtray bin toward
you. To replace the ashtray, insert
the ashtray bin inside the ashtray
door and press down until it
engages.
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges can
signal that something is wrong
before it becomes serious enough
to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to
the warning lights and gauges
could prevent injury.
Warning lights come on when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Some warning lights come
on briefly when the engine is started
to indicate they are working. Gauges can indicate when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Often gauges and warning
lights work together to indicate a
problem with the vehicle.
When one of the warning lights
comes on and stays on while
driving, or when one of the gauges
shows there may be a problem,
check the section that explains what
to do. Follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
and even dangerous.