ABS GMC SIERRA 1500 2012 Owner's Manual

Black plate (54,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
9-54 Driving and Operating
Parking Brake
Set the parking brake by holding the
regular brake pedal down, then
pushing down the parking brake
pedal.
If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 5‑25.
Notice: Driving with the parking
brake on can overheat the brake
system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system
parts. Make sure that the parking brake is fully released and the
brake warning light is off before
driving.
To release the parking brake, hold
the regular brake pedal down, then
push down momentarily on the
parking brake pedal until you feel
the pedal release. Slowly pull your
foot up off the parking brake pedal.
If the parking brake is not released
when you begin to drive, the brake
system warning light will flash and a
chime will sound warning you that
the parking brake is still on.
If you are towing a trailer and are
parking on a hill, see
Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips on
page 9‑74.
Brake Assist
If this vehicle has StabiliTrak®, it
also has a Brake Assist feature
designed to assist the driver in
stopping or decreasing vehicle
speed in emergency driving
conditions. This feature uses the
stability system hydraulic brake control module to supplement the
power brake system under
conditions where the driver has
quickly and forcefully applied the
brake pedal in an attempt to quickly
stop or slow down the vehicle. The
stability system hydraulic brake
control module increases brake
pressure at each corner of the
vehicle until the ABS activates.
Minor brake pedal pulsation or
pedal movement during this time
is normal and the driver should
continue to apply the brake pedal
as the driving situation dictates
The Brake Assist feature will
automatically disengage when the
brake pedal is released or brake
pedal pressure is quickly
decreased.Hill Start Assist (HSA)
Non‐hybrid vehicles with StabiliTrak
have a Hill Start Assist (HSA)
feature, which may be useful when
the vehicle is stopped on a grade.

Black plate (57,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Driving and Operating 9-57
It is recommended to leave the
system on for normal driving
conditions, but it may be necessary
to turn the system off if the vehicle
is stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow,
and you want to“rock”the vehicle to
attempt to free it. It may also be
necessary to turn off the system
when driving in extreme off-road
conditions where high wheel spin is
required. See If the Vehicle Is Stuck
on page 9‑15.
When the transfer case is in 4LO,
the stability system is automatically
disabled, the StabiliTrak light comes
on, and the appropriate message
will appear on the DIC. Both
traction control and StabiliTrak
are automatically disabled in this
condition.
Traction Control Operation
The TCS is part of the StabiliTrak
system. Traction control limits wheel
spin by reducing engine power
to the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying brakes to each individual wheel
(brake-traction control) as
necessary.
The TCS is enabled automatically
when the vehicle is started. It will
activate and the StabiliTrak light
will flash if it senses that any of the
wheels are spinning or beginning to
lose traction while driving. If traction
control is turned off, only the
brake-traction control portion of
traction control will work. The
engine speed management will be
disabled. In this mode, engine
power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin
more freely. This can cause the
brake-traction control to activate
constantly.
Notice:
If the wheel(s) of one axle
is allowed to spin excessively
while the StabiliTrak
®, ABS, brake
warning lights, and any relevant
DIC messages are displayed, the
transfer case could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Reduce
engine power and do not spin the wheel(s) excessively while these
lights and messages are
displayed.
The TCS may activate on dry or
rough roads or under conditions
such as heavy acceleration while
turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts
of the transmission. When this
happens, a reduction in acceleration
may be noticed, or a noise or
vibration may be heard. This is
normal.
If cruise control is being used when
the system activates, the StabiliTrak
light will flash and cruise control will
automatically disengage. Cruise
control may be reengaged when
road conditions allow. See
Cruise
Control on page 9‑58.
StabiliTrak may also turn off
automatically if it determines that a
problem exists with the system.
If the problem does not clear itself
after restarting the vehicle, see your
dealer for service.

Black plate (77,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Driving and Operating 9-77
If parking the rig on a hill:
1. Press the brake pedal, but donot shift into P (Park) yet. Turn
the wheels into the curb if facing
downhill or into traffic if facing
uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the regular brakes
until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brake pedal. Then apply the parking brake and shift
into P (Park).
5. If the vehicle is four-wheel-drive, be sure the transfer case is in a
drive gear and not in N (Neutral).
6. Release the brake pedal.{WARNING
It can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the shift lever is not
fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle
can roll.
If the engine has been left
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
not move, even when on fairly
level ground, use the steps that
follow.
Always put the shift lever fully in
P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
If the transfer case on a
four-wheel-drive vehicle is in
N (Neutral), the vehicle will be
free to roll, even if the shift lever
is in P (Park). Be sure the transfer
case is in a drive gear —not in
N (Neutral).
Leaving After Parking on a Hill
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Shift into a gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Let up on the brake pedal.
6. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
7. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.

Black plate (81,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Vehicle Care 10-81
Front Position - All Other ModelsPosition the jack under the
vehicle, as shown. If the flat tire
is on the front of the vehicle (all
other models), position the jack
on the frame behind the flat tire.Rear Position –1500 Models
5. If the flat tire is on the rear, for 1500 models position the jack
under the rear axle about 5 cm
(2 in) inboard of the shock
absorber bracket.Rear Position –All Other Models
For all other models, position the
jack under the rear axle between
the spring anchor and the shock
absorber bracket.
If a snow plow has been added
to the front of the vehicle, lower
the snow plow fully before
raising the vehicle.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . . 9-32
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-105
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-106
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-17
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Airbag System
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-23
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Light On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-21
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Alarm System
Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Antenna Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Anti-theft
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-45 Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-98
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-101
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Assistance Program,
Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Audio System Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
TransmissionFluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11, 10-14

Black plate (8,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
i-8 INDEX
LightsAirbag On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-25
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Four-Wheel-Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-3
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-17
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58 Locks
Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-28
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-16
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-22
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14 Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . 5-45
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-41
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-43
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Starting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48