airbag GMC SIERRA 1500 2015 User Guide

Black plate (24,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
7299746) - 2015 - crc - 11/11/13
3-24 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has seat-mounted side
impact airbags for the driver and
front outboard passenger, they are
in the side of the seatbacks closest
to the door.Driver Side Crew Cab Shown, Passenger Side Double and Regular Cabs Similar
If the vehicle has roof-rail airbags
for the driver, front outboard
passenger, and second row
outboard passengers, they are in
the ceiling above the side windows.
{Warning
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie‐down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.

Black plate (25,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 3-25
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
This vehicle is equipped with
airbags. SeeAirbag System on
page 3-21. Airbags are designed to
inflate if the impact exceeds the
specific airbag system's deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants. The vehicle has
electronic sensors which help the
airbag system determine the
severity of the impact. Deployment
thresholds can vary with specific
vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries, mainly to the driver's or
front outboard passenger's head
and chest.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should inflate is not based primarily
on how fast the vehicle is traveling. It depends on what is hit, the
direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at
different crash speeds depending on
whether the vehicle hits an object
straight on or at an angle, and
whether the object is fixed or
moving, rigid or deformable, narrow
or wide.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, in
rear impacts, or in many side
impacts.
In addition, if the GVWR (Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating) is at or
below 3 855 kg (8,500 lb), the
vehicle has advanced technology
frontal airbags. You can find the
GVWR on the Certification/Tire label
on the center pillar of the vehicle.
See
Vehicle Load Limits on
page 9-15 for more information.
Advanced technology frontal airbags
adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. Vehicles with
advanced technology frontal airbags have a seat position sensor that
enables the sensing system to
monitor the position of the driver
seat. The seat position sensor
provides information that is used to
adjust the deployment of the driver
frontal airbag.
If the GVWR is at or below 4 536 kg
(10,000 lb), the vehicle has
seat-mounted side impact airbags.
Vehicles with a GVWR above
4 536 kg (10,000 lb) may or may not
have seat-mounted side impact
airbags. Seat-mounted side impact
airbags, if equipped, are designed
to inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes depending on the location
of the impact. Seat-mounted side
impact airbags are not designed to
inflate in frontal impacts, near frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is designed to inflate on the side of
the vehicle that is struck.
Vehicles with a GVWR at or below
3 855 kg (8,500 lb) have roof-rail
airbags. These roof-rail airbags are
designed to inflate in moderate to

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3-26 Seats and Restraints
severe side crashes depending on
the location of the impact. In
addition, these roof-rail airbags are
designed to inflate during a rollover
or in a severe frontal impact. The
roof-rail airbags are not designed to
inflate in rear impacts. Both roof-rail
airbags will inflate when either side
of the vehicle is struck or if the
sensing system predicts that the
vehicle is about to roll over on its
side, or in a severe frontal impact.
Vehicles with a GVWR above
3 855 kg (8,500 lb) up to and
including 4 536 kg (10,000 lb) also
have roof-rail airbags. These
roof-rail airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes depending on the location
of the impact. Both roof-rail airbags
will inflate when either side of the
vehicle is struck. In addition, these
roof-rail airbags are designed to
inflate in a severe frontal impact.
The roof-rail airbags are also
rollover capable except on models
sold as an incomplete vehicle with
the pickup box removed. If theroof-rail airbags are rollover
capable, both roof-rail airbags will
also inflate if the sensing system
predicts that the vehicle is about to
roll over on its side. The roof-rail
airbags are not designed to inflate in
rear impacts.
Vehicles with a GVWR above
4 536 kg (10,000 lb) may or may not
be equipped with roof-rail airbags.
These roof-rail airbags, if equipped,
are designed to inflate in moderate
to severe side crashes depending
on the location of the impact. Both
roof-rail airbags will inflate when
either side of the vehicle is struck.
In addition, these roof-rail airbags
are designed to inflate in a severe
frontal impact. If the vehicle has
single rear wheels and has a
factory-installed pickup box and
roof-rail airbags, the roof-rail airbags
are rollover capable. If the vehicle
has dual rear wheels, or is sold as
an incomplete vehicle, as a chassis
cab, or with the pickup box
removed, and has roof-rail airbags,
the roof-rail airbags are not rollovercapable. If the airbags are rollover
capable, both roof-rail airbags will
also inflate if the sensing system
predicts that the vehicle is about to
roll over on its side. The roof-rail
airbags are not designed to inflate in
rear impacts.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
vehicle damage or repair costs.
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. The inflator, the airbag,
and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
For airbag locations, see
Where Are
the Airbags? on page 3-23.

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Seats and Restraints 3-27
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 by
distributing the force of the impact
more evenly over the
occupant's 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 3-25.
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 inflate. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? on page 3-23.
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. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{Warning
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.

Black plate (28,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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3-28 Seats and Restraints
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate.
The feature may also activate,
without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined
threshold. You can lock the doors,
and turn off the interior lamps, and
turn off the hazard warning flashers
by using the controls for those
features.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the front outboard
passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts. The service manual
for the vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13-14 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13-14.
.Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.
Airbag On-Off Switch
If the passenger side instrument
panel endcap has the switch
pictured in the following illustration,
the vehicle has an airbag on-off
switch that you can use to manually
turn on or off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag. See
Instrument Panel on page 1-2.

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Seats and Restraints 3-29
If the vehicle does not have an
airbag on-off switch, it may have a
passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3-30.
This switch should only be turned to
the off position if the person in the
front outboard passenger position is
a member of a passenger risk group
identified by the national
government as follows:
Infant. An infant (less than 1 year
old) must ride in the front seat
because:
.My vehicle has no rear seat;
.My vehicle has a rear seat too
small to accommodate a
rear-facing infant seat; or
.The infant has a medical
condition which, according to the
infant's physician, makes it
necessary for the infant to ride in
the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the
child's condition.
Child age 1 to 12. A child
age 1 to 12 must ride in the front
seat because:
.My vehicle has no rear seat;
.Although children ages 1 to 12
ride in the rear seat(s) whenever
possible, children ages 1 to 12
sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in
the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
.The child has a medical
condition which, according to the
child's physician, makes it
necessary for the child to ride in
the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the
child's condition. Medical Condition. A passenger
has a medical condition which,
according to his or her physician:
.Causes the passenger airbag to
pose a special risk for the
passenger; and
.Makes the potential harm from
the passenger airbag in a crash
greater than the potential harm
from turning off the airbag and
allowing the passenger, even if
belted, to hit the instrument
panel or windshield in a crash.
{Warning
If the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is turned off for a
person who is not in a risk group
identified by the national
government, that person will not
have the extra protection of an
airbag. In a crash, the airbag will
not be able to inflate and help
protect the person sitting there.
(Continued)

Black plate (30,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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3-30 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
Do not turn off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag unless
the person sitting there is in a risk
group.
To turn off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag, insert the
ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the off
position.
The word OFF or the off symbol will
come on in the passenger airbag
status indicator located in the
overhead console to let you know
that the front outboard passengerfrontal airbag is off, after the system
check is completed. The airbag off
light will come on and stay on to let
you know that the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag is off. See
Airbag On-Off Light on page 5-18.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. For
example, the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag could
inflate even though the airbag
on-off switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have the vehicle serviced
right away. See
Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5-18 for more
information, including important
safety information.To turn the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag on again, insert the
ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the on
position.
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is now enabled
(may inflate). See Airbag On-Off
Light on page 5-18.
Passenger Sensing
System
If the vehicle has one of the
following indicators, then the vehicle
has a passenger sensing system for
the front outboard passenger
position, unless there is an airbag
on-off switch on the instrument

Black plate (31,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 3-31
panel endcap. If there is an airbag
on-off switch, the vehicle does not
have a passenger sensing system.
SeeAirbag On-Off Switch on
page 3-28 for more information.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will light on the overhead
console when the vehicle is started.
United States
Canada and Mexico
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, will be visible
during the system check. When the
system check is complete, either the word ON or OFF, or the symbol for
on or off, will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5-20.
The passenger sensing system
turns off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. No other airbag
is affected by the passenger
sensing system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the front outboard passenger seat
and safety belt. The sensors are
designed to detect the presence of
a properly seated occupant and
determine if the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag should be
allowed to inflate or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
Whenever possible, children age
12 and under should be secured in
a rear seating position.Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the passenger frontal
airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
passenger frontal airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
(Continued)

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3-32 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
inflate under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag is off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
If the vehicle does not have a rear
seat that will accommodate a
rear-facing child restraint, a
rear-facing child restraint should not
be installed in the vehicle, even if
the airbag is off.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag if:
.The front outboard passenger
seat is unoccupied.
.The system determines an infant
is present in a child restraint.
.A front outboard passenger
takes his/her weight off of the
seat for a period of time.
.There is a critical problem with
the airbag system or the
passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag,
the off indicator will light and stay lit
as a reminder that the airbag is off.
See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5-20.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
anytime the system senses that a
person of adult size is sitting
properly in the front outboard
passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit as a reminder that the
airbag is active. For some children, including
children in child restraints, and for
very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn
off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag, depending upon the
person's seating posture and body
build. Everyone in the vehicle who
has outgrown child restraints should
wear a safety belt
properly
—whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5-18 for more
information, including important
safety information.

Black plate (33,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual (GMNA Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 3-33
If the On Indicator Is Lit for a
Child Restraint
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag if
the system determines that an infant
is present in a child restraint. If a
child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint fromthe vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided
by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to
Securing Child Restraints
(Center Front Seat) on
page 3-58 orSecuring Child
Restraints (Front Passenger
Seat) on page 3-58 orSecuring
Child Restraints (Rear Seat) on page 3-67. Even if the child
restraint is equipped with a
safety belt lock-off, make sure
the safety belt retractor is locked
by pulling the shoulder belt all
the way out of the retractor
before tightening the safety belt.
When the retractor lock is set,
the belt can be tightened but not
pulled out of the retractor.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit,
turn the vehicle off. Then slightly
recline the vehicle seatback and
adjust the seat cushion,
if adjustable, to make sure that
the vehicle seatback is not
pushing the child restraint into
the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped under the
vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head
restraint. See Head Restraints
on page 3-2.
6. Restart the vehicle. The passenger sensing system may
or may not turn off the airbag for a
child in a child restraint depending
upon the child’s size. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
If the Off Indicator Is Lit for an
Adult-Sized Occupant
If a person of adult size is sitting in
the front outboard passenger seat,
but the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting
properly in the seat or that the child