ESP GMC SIERRA 2004 User Guide

4. To add cargo to the
box, remove all bows
and the back rail
and stow them safely.
To clean the tonneau cover, use mild soap and water. If
necessary, use a soft bristle brush to remove dirt
trapped in the grain of the material.Vehicle Personalization
Memory Seat
If your vehicle has this
feature, then the controls
for the memory function
are located on the
driver's door.
These buttons are used to program and recall memory
settings for the driver's seat, both the driver's and
passenger's outside mirror, and the radio station
presets. The settings for these features can be
personalized for both driver 1 and driver 2. Driver 1 or
driver 2 corresponds to the memory buttons labeled
1 and 2 on the driver's door.
2-69

To store your memory seat, mirrors and radio presets,
do the following:
1. Adjust the driver's seat, including the seatback
recliner, lumbar, and side wing area, both of the
outside mirrors, and the radio station presets to your
preference.
2. Press and hold the 1 or 2 button of the memory
control for three seconds, to correspond to driver
1 or 2. A double chime will sound to let you
know that the position has been stored.
To repeat the procedure for a second driver, follow the
preceding steps, but press the other numbered
memory control button.
Each time button 1 or 2 is pressed and released while
the vehicle is in PARK (P), a single chime will sound and
the memory position will be recalled.
If you use the unlock button on the remote keyless entry
transmitter to enter your vehicle, the preset driver's
seat, mirror positions and the radio station presets will
be recalled if programmed to do so through the
Driver Information Center (DIC). See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-55. The numbers on the
back of the transmitters, 1 or 2, correspond to the
numbers on the memory controls.
The seat and mirror positions can also be recalled when
placing the key in the ignition if programmed to do so
through the Driver Information Center (DIC).To stop recall movement of the memory seat feature at
any time, press one of the memory buttons or power seat
controls.
Easy Exit Seat
The controls for this memory function are located on the
driver's door.
BThis button is used to program and recall the desired
driver's seat position when exiting/entering the vehicle.
The seat position can be personalized for both driver 1
and driver 2.
To store the seat exit position for driver 1 or 2, do the
following:
1. Select the desired driver number by pressing and
releasing the 1 or 2 button. The seat will move to the
stored memory position.
2. Adjust the seat to the desired exit position.
3. Press and hold the exit button of the memory control
for three seconds. A double chime will sound to let
you know that the position has been stored for the
identi®ed driver, 1 or 2.
To use the seat exit position, do one of the following:
·Press the exit button on the memory control.
·If this feature is has been enabled in the DIC,
removing the key from the ignition will cause the seat
to move to the exit position.
2-70

If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system will come on immediately. Once
you leave the garage, it will take approximately
one minute for the automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL if it is bright enough outside. During that
delay, your instrument panel cluster may not be as
bright as usual. Make sure your instrument panel
brightness control is in the full bright position. See
ªInstrument Panel Brightness Controlº under
Interior
Lamps on page 3-19.
To idle your vehicle with the automatic headlamp
system off, turn the control to the off position.
You may be able to turn off your Automatic Headlamp
System. See ªDaytime Running Lamps (DRL)º later
in this section for more information.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need them.
Lamps On Reminder
A reminder chime will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on and your ignition is
off, in LOCK, ACCESSORY, or your door is open. To
disable the chime, turn the light off then back on.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
®rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will come on when the following
conditions are met:
·The ignition is on
·The exterior lamps control is in AUTO
·The automatic transmission is not in PARK (P)
·The light sensor determines it is daytime
When the DRL system is on, only your DRL lamps will
be on. The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps
won't be on. The instrument panel won't be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps or the last
chosen headlamp setting that was used.
When you turn the headlamp switch off, the headlamps
will go off, and your DRL lamps will illuminate,
provided it is not dark outside.
3-16

3. Once the light stops ¯ashing and turns green, load
a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side
up. The player will pull the CD in.
Once the CD is loaded, the light will begin ¯ashing
again. Once the light stops ¯ashing and turns green
you can load another CD. The CD player takes up to
six CDs. Do not try to load more than six.
To load more than one CD but less than six, complete
Steps 1 through 3. When you have ®nished loading
CDs, the radio will begin to play the last CD loaded.
When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on
the display. If more than one CD has been loaded,
a number for each CD will appear on the display. If you
select an equalization setting for your CD, it will be
activated each time you play a CD.
As each new track starts to play, the track number will
appear on the display.
Playing a Speci®c Loaded CD
For every CD loaded, a number will appear on the
display. To play a speci®c CD, ®rst press the CD AUX
button. Then press the numbered pushbutton that
corresponds to the CD you want to play. A small bar will
appear under the CD number that is playing, and the
track number will appear on the display.
If an error appears on the radio display, see ªCD
Messagesº later in this section.LOAD CD
Z(Eject):Press the CD eject side of this
button to eject a single CD or multiple CDs. To eject
the CD that is currently playing, press and release this
button. To eject multiple CDs, press and hold this
button for two seconds. You will hear a beep and the
light will ¯ash to let you know when a CD is being
ejected.
REMOVE CD will appear on the display. You can now
remove the CD. If the CD is not removed, after
25 seconds, the CD will be automatically pulled back
into the receiver. If you try to push the CD back into the
receiver, before the 25 second time period is complete,
the receiver will sense an error and will try to eject
the CD several times before stopping.
Do not repeatedly press the CD eject button to eject a
CD after you have tried to push it in manually. The
receivers 25-second eject timer will reset at each press
of eject, which will cause the receiver to not eject
the CD until the 25-second time period has elapsed.
Once the player stops and the CD is ejected, remove the
CD. After removing the CD, push the PWR knob off
and then on again. This will clear the CD-sensing feature
and enable CDs to be loaded into the player again.
3-111

DVD Distortion
You may experience audio distortion in the
IR headphones when operating cellular phones,
scanners, CB radios, Global Positioning Systems
(GPS)*, two-way radios, mobile fax, or walkie talkies.
It may be necessary to turn off the DVD player
when operating one of these devices in or near the
vehicle.
* Excludes the OnStar
žSystem.
Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
XMŸ Satellite Radio Service
(48 Contiguous US States)
XMŸ Satellite Radio gives you digital radio reception
from coast to coast. Just as with FM, tall buildings
or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals, causing
the sound to come and go. Your radio may display
NO SIGNAL to indicate interference.
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes, or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight, and
extreme heat. If they are not, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN to
indicate that you have used your tape player for
50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If this
message appears on the display, your cassette
tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes,
but you should clean it as soon as possible to
prevent damage to your tapes and player. If you notice
a reduction in sound quality, try a known good
cassette to see if the tape or the tape player is at fault.
If this other cassette has no improvement in sound
quality, clean the tape player.
3-129

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. See
Safety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-11.
Defensive driving really means ªbe ready for anything.º
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
ªalways expect the unexpected.º
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It is the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know when
the vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn
suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving
task Ð such as concentrating on a cellular telephone call,
reading, or reaching for something on the ¯oor Ð makesproper defensive driving more difficult and can even
cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to
help do things like this, or pull off the road in a safe place
to do them yourself. These simple defensive driving
techniques could save your life.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
·Judgment
·Muscular Coordination
·Vision
·Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
4-2

There is a gender difference, too. Women generally
have a lower relative percentage of body water
than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water, this
means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC
level than a man of her same body weight will when
each has the same number of drinks.
The law in an increasing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada, sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent.
In some other countries, the limit is even lower. For
example, it is 0.05 percent in both France and Germany.
The BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the United
States is 0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we have seen,
it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and
how quickly the person drinks them.
But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance
of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. ªI will be carefulº is not the
right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need
to take sudden action, as when a child darts into
the street? A person with even a moderate BAC might
not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the
collision.
There is something else about drinking and driving that
many people do not know. Medical research shows
that alcohol in a person's system can make crash
injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal
cord or heart. This means that when anyone who has
been drinking Ð driver or passenger Ð is in a crash,
that person's chance of being killed or permanently
disabled is higher than if the person had not been
drinking.
4-4

Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it
is easy to ask more of those control systems than
the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle. Also see
Traction Assist
System (TAS) on page 4-9.
Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and others is
important.And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
4-6

Traction Assist System (TAS)
Your vehicle may have a Traction Assist System (TAS)
that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it
senses that one or both of the rear wheels are
spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this
happens, the system reduces engine power to limit
wheel spin.
The traction control system is enabled every time your
vehicle is started. The system will activate if it senses
that any of the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose
traction.
You may hear or feel the system working or notice a
lack of accelerator response, but this is normal.
The Traction Assist System may operate on dry roads
under some conditions. When this happens, you
may notice a reduction in acceleration. This is normal
and doesn't mean there's a problem with your vehicle.
Examples of these conditions include a hard
acceleration in a turn, an abrupt upshift or downshift of
the transmission or driving on rough roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the TAS begins
to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically
disengage. When road conditions allow you to safelyuse it again, you may re-engage the cruise control. See
Cruise ControlunderTurn Signal/Multifunction Lever
on page 3-7.
When the traction off light
is on, the TAS is off and
will not limit wheel
spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
The traction off light will come on under the following
conditions:
·The Traction Assist System is turned off, either by
pressing the TAS on/off button or by turning off
the automatic engagement feature of the TAS.
·The transmission is in FIRST (1); TAS will not
operate in this gear. This is normal.
·The vehicle is driven on an extremely rough road.
When the vehicle leaves the rough surface, slows
down or stops, the light will go off and TAS will
be on again. This is normal.
4-9

·A Traction Assist System, Anti-Lock Brake System
or engine-related problem has been detected and
the vehicle needs service.
·If the vehicle has been driven with the TAS system
on for long periods of time, or if the vehicle has
gone through many several high speed braking
maneuvers the system may be automatically
disabled. The system will automatically re-enable
after approximately two minutes of not using
the brakes.
See
Traction Off Light on page 3-45.
The Traction Assist System, as delivered from the
factory, will automatically come on whenever you start
your vehicle. To limit wheel spin, especially in
slippery road conditions, you should always leave the
system on. But you can turn the TAS off if you ever need
to. You should turn the TAS off if your vehicle ever
gets stuck in sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle
is required. See
Rocking Your VehicleunderIf You
Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-51.To turn the system on or
off press the TAS on/off
button located on the
instrument panel.
If you used the button to turn the system off, the traction
off light will come on and stay on. You can turn the
system back on at any time by pressing the button
again. The traction off light should go off.
If desired, you can change the TAS automatic
engagement feature so that the system will not come on
automatically when the engine is started. To do so:
1. Park the vehicle with the ignition off and the
transmission in PARK (P).
2. Turn the ignition to RUN; do not start the engine.
3. Apply the brake pedal, shift into NEUTRAL (N),
press the accelerator pedal to the ¯oor, then
press the TAS on/off button and hold it down for at
least six seconds.
4. Release the TAS button and both pedals.
5. Turn off the ignition and wait a few seconds.
4-10