GMC SIERRA 1500 2012 Owners Manual

Black plate (33,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Instruments and Controls 5-33
Speedometer
The speedometer shows how fast
the vehicle is moving in either
kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles
per hour (mph). The speedometer
cannot be reset.
Timer
Press the trip/fuel button until
TIMER displays. This display can be
used as a timer.
To start the timer, press the
set/reset button while TIMER is
displayed. The display will show the
amount of time that has passed
since the timer was last reset, not
including time the ignition is off.
Time will continue to be counted as
long as the ignition is on, even if
another display is being shown on
the DIC. The timer will record
up to 99 hours, 59 minutes, and
59 seconds (99:59:59) after which
the display will return to zero.
To stop the timer, press the set/reset
button briefly while TIMER is
displayed.To reset the timer to zero, press
and hold the set/reset button while
TIMER is displayed.
Transmission Temperature
Press the trip/fuel button until
TRANS TEMP displays. This
display shows the temperature of
the automatic transmission fluid in
either degrees Celsius (°C) or
degrees Fahrenheit (°F).
Instantaneous Economy and
Active Fuel Management™
Indicator
If the vehicle has this display, press
the trip/fuel button until INST ECON
V8 displays. This display shows the
current fuel economy at a particular
moment and will change frequently
as driving conditions change. This
display shows the instantaneous
fuel economy in liters per
100 kilometers (L/100 km) or miles
per gallon (mpg). Unlike average
economy, this screen cannot be
reset.
An Active Fuel Management
indicator displays on the right side
of the DIC, while INST ECON
displays on the left side. Active Fuel
Management allows the engine to
operate on either four or eight
cylinders, depending on driving
demands. When Active Fuel
Management is active, V4 will
display on the DIC. When Active
Fuel Management is inactive,
V8 will display. See
Active Fuel
Management
®on page 9‑32 for
more information.
Blank Display
This display shows no information.

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5-34 Instruments and Controls
Vehicle Information Menu
Items (with DIC Buttons)
T(Vehicle Information):Press
this button to scroll through the
following menu items:
Oil Life
Press the vehicle information
button until OIL LIFE REMAINING
displays. This display shows an
estimate of the oil's remaining useful
life. If you see 99% OIL LIFE
REMAINING on the display, that
means 99% of the current oil life
remains. The engine oil life system
will alert you to change the oil on a
schedule consistent with your
driving conditions.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See “CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON”
under Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑42. You should change the
oil as soon as you can. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑7. In addition to the
engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual. See
Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3
for more information.
Remember, you must reset the OIL
LIFE display after each oil change.
It will not reset itself. Also, be
careful not to reset the OIL LIFE
display accidentally at any time
other than when the oil has just
been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
To reset the engine oil life system,
see Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑10.
Units
Press the vehicle information button
until UNITS displays. This display
allows you to select between metric
or English units of measurement.
Once in this display, press the set/
reset button to select between
METRIC or ENGLISH units. All of
the vehicle information will then
be displayed in the unit of
measurement selected. Tire Pressure
If the vehicle has the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), the
pressure for each tire can be viewed
in the DIC. The tire pressure will be
shown in either kilopascals (kPa) or
pounds per square inch (psi). Press
the vehicle information button
until the DIC displays FRONT
TIRES kPa (PSI) LEFT ##
RIGHT ##. Press the vehicle
information button again until the
DIC displays REAR TIRES kPa
(PSI) LEFT ## RIGHT ##.
If a low tire pressure condition is
detected by the system while
driving, a message advising you to
add pressure in a specific tire will
appear in the display. See
Tire
Pressure on page 10‑58 andTire
Messages on page 5‑45 for more
information.
If the tire pressure display shows
dashes instead of a value, there
may be a problem with the vehicle.
If this consistently occurs, see your
dealer for service.

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Instruments and Controls 5-35
Trailer Gain and Output
On vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
the trailer brake display appears
in the DIC. Press the vehicle
information button until TRAILER
GAIN and OUTPUT display.
TRAILER GAIN shows the trailer
gain setting. This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected.
OUTPUT shows the power output to
the trailer any time a trailer with
electric brakes is connected. Output
is displayed in 0 to 10 bars. Dashes
may appear in the OUTPUT display.
To adjust trailer gain see“Integrated
Trailer Brake Control System” under
Towing Equipment on page 9‑94 for
more information.
Battery
This display shows the current
battery voltage. If the voltage is in
the normal range, the value will
display. For example, the display
may read BATTERY 13 VOLTS. Your vehicle's charging system
regulates voltage based on the state
of the battery. The battery voltage
may fluctuate when viewing this
information on the DIC. This is
normal.
Oil Pressure
This display shows the oil pressure
in either kilopascals (kPa) or pounds
per square inch (psi).
Engine Hours
Press the vehicle information button
until ENGINE HOURS displays. This
display shows the total number of
hours the engine has run.
Compass Zone Setting
This display allows for setting the
compass zone. See
Compass on
page 5‑5 for more information.
Compass Recalibration
This display allows for calibrating
the compass. See Compass on
page 5‑5 for more information. Blank Display
This display shows no information.
Trip Odometer Reset Stem
Menu Items (with DIC Buttons)
Use the trip odometer reset stem
to view the odometer and trip
odometer. The Language selection
and Engine Hours display can also
be accessed with the trip odometer
reset stem.
Odometer
Press the trip odometer reset stem
until ODOMETER displays. This
display shows the distance the
vehicle has been driven in either
kilometers (km) or miles (mi).
Trip Odometer
Press the trip odometer reset stem
until TRIP displays. This display
shows the current distance
traveled in either kilometers (km) or
miles (mi) since the last reset for the
trip odometer.

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5-36 Instruments and Controls
The trip odometer can be reset to
zero by pressing and holding the trip
odometer reset stem while the trip
odometer is displayed.
The trip odometer has a feature
called the retro-active reset. This
can be used to set the trip odometer
to the number of miles (kilometers)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip.
To use the retro-active reset feature,
press and hold the trip odometer
reset stem for at least four seconds.
The trip odometer will display the
number of kilometers (km) or
miles (mi) driven since the ignition
was last turned on and the vehicle
was moving. Once the vehicle
begins moving, the trip odometer
will accumulate mileage. For
example, if the vehicle was driven8 km (5 miles) before it is started
again, and then the retro-active
reset feature is activated, the
display will show 8 km (5 miles).
As the vehicle begins moving, the
display will then increase to 8.2 km
(5.1 miles), 8.4 km (5.2 miles), etc.
Language
This display allows you to select
the language in which the DIC
messages will appear. To select a
language:
1. Press the trip odometer reset
stem until ODOMETER displays.
2. While in the ODOMETER display, press and hold the
trip odometer reset stem for
three seconds until the currently
set language displays. 3. Continue to press and hold the
trip odometer reset stem to scroll
through all of the available
languages.
The available selections
are ENGLISH (default),
FRANCAIS (French),
ESPANOL (Spanish), and
NO CHANGE.
4. Once the desired language is displayed, release the trip
odometer reset stem to set the
choice.
Engine Hours
To display the ENGINE HOURS,
place the ignition in LOCK/OFF or
ACC/ACCESSORY, then press and
hold the trip odometer reset stem
for four seconds while viewing the
ODOMETER. This display shows
the total number of hours the engine
has run.

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Instruments and Controls 5-37
Trip Odometer Reset Stem
Menu Items (without DIC
Buttons)
Language
This display allows you to select
the language in which the DIC
messages will appear. To select a
language:
1. Press the trip odometer resetstem until ODOMETER displays.
2. While in the ODOMETER display, press and hold the
trip odometer reset stem for
three seconds until the currently
set language displays.
3. Continue to press and hold the trip odometer reset stem to scroll
through all of the available
languages.
The available languages
are ENGLISH (default),
FRANCAIS (French),
ESPANOL (Spanish), and
NO CHANGE. 4. Once the desired language is
displayed, release the trip
odometer reset stem to set the
choice.
Trip Odometer
Press the trip odometer reset stem
until TRIP displays. This display
shows the current distance
traveled in either kilometers (km) or
miles (mi) since the last reset for the
trip odometer.
The trip odometer can be reset to
zero by pressing and holding the trip
odometer reset stem while the trip
odometer is displayed.
The trip odometer has a feature
called the retro-active reset. This
can be used to set the trip odometer
to the number of miles (kilometers)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip. To use the retro-active reset feature,
press and hold the trip odometer
reset stem for at least four seconds.
The trip odometer will display the
number of kilometers (km) or
miles (mi) driven since the ignition
was last turned on and the vehicle
was moving. Once the vehicle
begins moving, the trip odometer
will accumulate mileage. For
example, if the vehicle was driven
8 km (5 miles) before it is started
again, and then the retro-active
reset feature is activated, the
display will show 8 km (5 miles). As
the vehicle begins moving, the
display will then increase to 8.2 km
(5.1 miles), 8.4 km (5.2 miles), etc.
Transmission Temperature
Press the trip odometer reset stem
until TRANS TEMP displays. This
display shows the temperature of
the automatic transmission fluid in
either degrees Celsius (°C) or
degrees Fahrenheit (°F) .

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5-38 Instruments and Controls
Trailer Gain and Output
On vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
the trailer brake display appears in
the DIC. Press the trip odometer
reset stem until TRAILER GAIN and
OUTPUT display.
TRAILER GAIN shows the trailer
gain setting. This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected.
OUTPUT shows the power output to
the trailer any time a trailer with
electric brakes is connected. Output
is displayed in 0 to 10 bars. Dashes
may appear in the OUTPUT display.
To adjust trailer gain see“Integrated
Trailer Brake Control System” under
Towing Equipment on page 9‑94 for
more information.
Speedometer
The speedometer shows how fast
the vehicle is moving in either
kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles
per hour (mph). The speedometer
cannot be reset. Battery
This display shows the current
battery voltage. If the voltage is in
the normal range, the value will
display. For example, the display
may read BATTERY 13 VOLTS.
Your vehicle's charging system
regulates voltage based on the state
of the battery. The battery voltage
may fluctuate when viewing this
information on the DIC. This is
normal.
Oil Pressure
This display shows the oil pressure
in either kilopascals (kPa) or pounds
per square inch (psi).
Compass Zone Setting
This display allows for setting the
compass zone. See
Compass on
page 5‑5 for more information.
Compass Recalibration
This display allows for calibrating
the compass. See Compass on
page 5‑5 for more information. Oil Life
To access this display, the vehicle
must be in P (Park). Press the trip
odometer reset stem until OIL LIFE
REMAINING displays. This display
shows an estimate of the oil's
remaining useful life. If you see
99% OIL LIFE REMAINING on the
display, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains. The engine
oil life system will alert you to
change the oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving
conditions.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See
“CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON”
under Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑42. You should change the
oil as soon as you can. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑7. In addition to the
engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual. See
Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3 for more information.

Black plate (39,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Instruments and Controls 5-39
Remember, you must reset the OIL
LIFE display after each oil change.
It will not reset itself. Also, be
careful not to reset the OIL LIFE
display accidentally at any time
other than when the oil has just
been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
To reset the engine oil life system,
seeEngine Oil Life System on
page 10‑10.Vehicle Messages
Messages displayed on the DIC
indicate the status of the vehicle or
some action may be needed to
correct a condition. Multiple
messages may appear one after
another.
The messages that do not
require immediate action can be
acknowledged and cleared by
pressing
V(Set/Reset) or the trip
odometer reset stem.
The messages that require
immediate action cannot be cleared
until that action is performed.
All messages should be taken
seriously and clearing the message
does not correct the problem.
The following are the possible
messages and some information
about them. If the vehicle has a diesel
engine, see the Duramax
®diesel
supplement for more information.
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages
BATTERY LOW START
VEHICLE
When the vehicle’ s battery is
severely discharged, this message
will display and four chimes
will sound. Start the vehicle
immediately. If the vehicle is not
started and the battery continues to
discharge, the climate controls,
heated seats, and audio systems
will shut off and the vehicle may
require a jump start. These systems
will function again after the vehicle
is started.

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5-40 Instruments and Controls
SERVICE BATTERY
CHARGING SYSTEM
On some vehicles, this message
displays if there is a problem with
the battery charging system. Under
certain conditions, the charging
system light may also turn on in
the instrument panel cluster. See
Charging System Light on
page 5‑22. Driving with this problem
could drain the battery. Turn off all
unnecessary accessories. Have the
electrical system checked as soon
as possible. See your dealer.
Brake System Messages
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM
This message displays along with
the brake system warning light if
there is a problem with the brake
system. SeeBrake System Warning
Light on page 5‑25. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible
and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message
is still displayed or appears again when you begin driving, the brake
system needs service as soon as
possible. See your dealer.
SERVICE BRAKES SOON
On some vehicles, this message
displays if there is a problem with
the brake system. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible
and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message
is still displayed or appears again
when you begin driving, the brake
system needs service. See your
dealer.
SERVICE TRAILER BRAKE
SYSTEM
On vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
this message displays and a chime
may sound when there is a problem
with the ITBC system.
When this message displays, power
is no longer available to the trailer
brakes.
As soon as it is safe to do so,
carefully pull your vehicle over to
the side of the road and turn the
ignition off. Check the wiring
connection to the trailer and turn the
ignition back on. If this message still
displays, either your vehicle or the
trailer needs service. See your
dealer.
See
“Integrated Trailer Brake
Control System” underTowing
Equipment on page 9‑94 for more
information.
Door Ajar Messages
DRIVER DOOR OPEN
This message displays and a chime
may sound if the driver door is not
fully closed and the vehicle is
shifted out of P (Park). Stop and turn
off the vehicle, check the door for
obstructions, and close the door
again. Check to see if the message
still appears on the DIC.

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Instruments and Controls 5-41
HOOD OPEN
This message displays and a chime
may sound if the hood is not fully
closed. Stop and turn off the
vehicle, check the hood for
obstructions, and close the hood
again. Check to see if the message
still appears on the DIC.
LEFT REAR DOOR OPEN
(Crew Cab)
This message displays and a chime
may sound if the driver side rear
door is not fully closed and the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
Stop and turn off the vehicle, check
the door for obstructions, and close
the door again. Check to see if the
message still appears on the DIC.
PASSENGER DOOR OPEN
This message displays and a chime
may sound if the front passenger
door is not fully closed and the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
Stop and turn off the vehicle, checkthe door for obstructions, and close
the door again. Check to see if the
message still appears on the DIC.
RIGHT REAR DOOR OPEN
(Crew Cab)
This message displays and a chime
may sound if the passenger side
rear door is not fully closed and the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
Stop and turn off the vehicle, check
the door for obstructions, and close
the door again. Check to see if the
message still appears on the DIC.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
Notice:
If you drive the vehicle
while the engine is overheating,
severe engine damage may
occur. If an overheat warning
appears on the instrument panel
cluster and/or DIC, stop the
vehicle as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑22 for more information.
ENGINE HOT A/C (Air
Conditioning) TURNED OFF
This message displays when the
engine coolant becomes hotter than
the normal operating temperature.
SeeEngine Coolant Temperature
Gauge on page 5‑16. To avoid
added strain on a hot engine,
the air conditioning compressor
automatically turns off. When the
coolant temperature returns to
normal, the air conditioning
compressor turns back on. You can
continue to drive your vehicle.
If this message continues to appear,
have the system repaired by your
dealer as soon as possible to avoid
damage to the engine.
ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
hot. Stop and allow the vehicle to
idle until it cools down. See Engine
Coolant Temperature Gauge on
page 5‑16.

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5-42 Instruments and Controls
SeeOverheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode on page 10‑24 for
information on driving to a safe
place in an emergency.
ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP
ENGINE
This message displays and a
chime may sound if the engine
cooling system reaches unsafe
temperatures for operation. Stop
and turn off the vehicle as soon as
it is safe to do so to avoid severe
damage. This message clears when
the engine has cooled to a safe
operating temperature.
Engine Oil Messages
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when the
engine oil needs to be changed.
When you change the engine oil, be
sure to reset the CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON message. See Engine
Oil Life System on page 10‑10 for
information on how to reset the
message. See Engine Oil on page 10‑7
andMaintenance
Schedule on page 11‑3 for more
information.
ENGINE OIL HOT IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays when the
engine oil becomes hotter than the
normal operating temperature. Stop
and allow the vehicle to idle until it
cools down. See Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge on page 5‑16.
OIL PRESSURE LOW STOP
ENGINE
Notice: If you drive the vehicle
while the engine oil pressure is
low, severe engine damage may
occur. If a low oil pressure
warning appears on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), stop the
vehicle as soon as possible. Do
not drive the vehicle until the
cause of the low oil pressure is
corrected. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑7 for more information. This message displays if low oil
pressure levels occur. Stop the
vehicle as soon as safely possible
and do not operate it until the cause
of the low oil pressure has been
corrected. Check the oil as soon
as possible and have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. See
Engine
Oil on page 10‑7.
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays and a chime
may sound when the cooling system
temperature gets too hot and the
engine further enters the engine
coolant protection mode. See
Engine Overheating on page 10‑22
for more information.
This message also displays when
the vehicle's engine power is
reduced. Reduced engine power
can affect the vehicle's ability to
accelerate. If this message is
on, but there is no reduction in
performance, proceed to your
destination. The performance may