check engine light GMC SIERRA 2010 User Guide

Oil Pressure Light
{WARNING:
Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low.
The engine can become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check the oil as soon
as possible and have the vehicle serviced.Notice:
Lack of proper engine oil maintenance
can damage the engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty. Always follow the
maintenance schedule in this manual for changing
engine oil.
This light comes on briefly while starting the engine.
If it does not, have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer/retailer. If the system is working normally the
indicator light then goes off.
If the light comes on and stays on, it means that oil is
not flowing through the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and it might have some other
system problem.
4-47

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. SeeCharging System
Light
on page 4‑37. 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/retailer.
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM
This message displays along with the brake system
warning light if there is a problem with the brake
system. See Brake System Warning Light
on
page 4‑39. 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/retailer.
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/retailer.
SERVICE PARK ASSIST
If your vehicle has the Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist
(URPA) system, this message displays if there is a
problem with the URPA system. Do not use this system
to help you park. See Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist
(URPA)
on page 3‑60for more information. See your
dealer/retailer for service.
SERVICE STABILITRAK
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak®and this message
displays, it means there may be a problem with the
StabiliTrak system. If you see this message, try to reset
the system. Stop; turn off the engine for at least
15 seconds; then start the engine again. If this message
still comes on, it means there is a problem. You should
see your dealer/retailer for service. The vehicle is safe
to drive, however, you do not have the benefit of
StabiliTrak, so reduce your speed and drive accordingly.
4-70

SERVICE THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM
This message displays when there is a problem with
the theft-deterrent system. The vehicle may or may not
restart so you may want to take the vehicle to your
dealer/retailer before turning off the engine. See
PASS-Key
®III+ Electronic Immobilizer Operationon
page 3‑19for more information.
SERVICE TIRE MONITOR SYSTEM
If your vehicle has the Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS), this message displays if a part on the system
is not working properly. The tire pressure light also
flashes and then remains on during the same ignition
cycle. See Tire Pressure Light
on page 4‑42. Several
conditions may cause this message to appear. See Tire
Pressure Monitor Operation
on page 6‑76for more
information. If the warning comes on and stays on,
there may be a problem with the TPMS.
See your dealer/retailer.
SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak, this message displays
when there is a problem with the Traction Control
System (TCS). When this message displays, the
system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly. See your dealer/retailer for service.
See StabiliTrak
®Systemon page 5‑6for more
information.
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/retailer.
See “Integrated Trailer Brake Control System” under
Towing a Trailer
on page 5‑50for more information.
4-71

STABILITRAK OFF
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak, this message displays
when you turn off StabiliTrak, or when the stability
control has been automatically disabled. To limit
wheel spin and realize the full benefits of the stability
enhancement system, you should normally leave
StabiliTrak on. However, you should turn StabiliTrak off
if your vehicle gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow and
you want to rock your vehicle to attempt to free it, or if
you are driving in extreme off-road conditions and
require more wheel spin. SeeIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in
Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow
on page 5‑28. To turn the
StabiliTrak system on or off, see StabiliTrak®Systemon page 5‑6.
There are several conditions that can cause this
message to appear.
.One condition is overheating, which could occur if
StabiliTrak®activates continuously for an extended
period of time.
.The message also displays if the brake system
warning light is on. See Brake System Warning
Light on page 4‑39.
.The message could display if the stability system
takes longer than usual to complete its diagnostic
checks due to driving conditions.
.The message displays if an engine or vehicle
related problem has been detected and the vehicle
needs service. See your dealer/retailer.
.The message also displays if the vehicle is shifted
into 4LO.
The message turns off as soon as the conditions
that caused the message to be displayed are no
longer present.
TIGHTEN GAS CAP
This message may display along with the check engine
light on the instrument panel cluster if the vehicle's fuel
cap is not tightened properly. See Malfunction Indicator
Lamp
on page 4‑42. Reinstall the fuel cap fully. See
Filling the Tankon page 6‑11. The diagnostic system
can determine if the fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel cap allows
fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few driving
trips with the cap properly installed should turn this light
and message off.
4-72

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts, heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking,
rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake.
The brakes might not have time to cool between hard
stops. The brakes will wear out much faster with a lot
of heavy braking. Keeping pace with the traffic and
allowing realistic following distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means better braking and
longer brake life.
If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is being
driven, brake normally but do not pump the brakes.
If the brakes are pumped, the pedal could get harder to
push down. If the engine stops, there will still be some
power brake assist but it will be used when the brake is
applied. Once the power assist is used up, it can take
longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder
to push.
Adding non‐dealer/non‐retailer accessories can affect
vehicle performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 6‑4.Antilock Brake System (ABS)
This vehicle has the Antilock Brake System (ABS), an
advanced electronic braking system that helps prevent
a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the vehicle begins to
drive away, ABS checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while this test is going on.
This is normal.
If there is a problem with
ABS, this warning light
stays on. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light
on
page 4‑40.
Along with ABS, the vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights come on
accompanied by a 10‐second chime. The lights and
chime will come on each time the ignition is turned on
until the problem is repaired. See your dealer/retailer
for service.
5-4

WARNING: (Continued)
If the vehicle is stuck in the snow:
.Clear away snow from around the base of
your vehicle, especially any that is blocking
the exhaust pipe.
.Check again from time to time to be sure
snow does not collect there.
.Open a window about 5 cm (two inches) on
the side of the vehicle that is away from the
wind to bring in fresh air.
.Fully open the air outlets on or under the
instrument panel.
.Adjust the Climate Control system to a setting
that circulates the air inside the vehicle and
set the fan speed to the highest setting.
See Climate Control System in the Index.
For more information about carbon monoxide, see
Engine Exhaust on page 3‑54.
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside. CO could overcome you and kill you. (Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
You cannot see it or smell it, so you might not
know it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking the exhaust.
Run the engine for short periods only as needed to
keep warm, but be careful.
To save fuel, run the engine for only short periods as
needed to warm the vehicle and then shut the engine
off and close the window most of the way to save heat.
Repeat this until help arrives but only when you feel
really uncomfortable from the cold. Moving about to
keep warm also helps.
If it takes some time for help to arrive, now and then
when you run the engine, push the accelerator pedal
slightly so the engine runs faster than the idle speed.
This keeps the battery charged to restart the vehicle
and to signal for help with the headlamps. Do this as
little as possible to save fuel.
5-27

Maintenance When Trailer Towing
The vehicle needs service more often when pulling a
trailer. See this manual's Maintenance Schedule or
Index for more information. Things that are especially
important in trailer operation are automatic transmission
fluid, engine oil, axle lubricant, belts, cooling system
and brake system. It is a good idea to inspect these
before and during the trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Trailer Wiring Harness
The vehicle is equipped with one of the following wiring
harnesses for towing a trailer or hauling a slide-in
camper.
Basic Trailer Wiring
All regular, extended cab and crew cab pickups have a
seven‐wire trailer towing harness.
For vehicles not equipped with heavy duty trailering, the
harness is secured to the vehicle's frame behind the
spare tire mount. The harness requires the installation
of a trailer connector, which is available through your
dealer/retailer.
If towing a light‐duty trailer with a standard four‐way
round pin connector, an adapter is available from your
dealer/retailer.
Heavy-DutyTrailer Wiring Harness
Package
For vehicles equipped with heavy duty trailering, the
harness is connected to a bracket on the hitch platform.
The seven-wire harness contains the following trailer
circuits:
.Yellow: Left Stop/Turn Signal
.Dark Green: Right Stop/Turn Signal
.Brown: Taillamps
.White: Ground
.Light Green: Back-up Lamps
.Red: Battery Feed*
.Dark Blue: Trailer Brake*
5-74

A
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-4
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Accessory Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17
Active Fuel Management™. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-117
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . 5-36
Additives, Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-8
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18, 4-20
Airbag Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-EquippedVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-91
Airbag System Airbag Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-82
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-79
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-85
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 2-91
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-79
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . 2-80
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-78
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-75 Airbags
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34
Passenger Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-73
Antenna Fixed Mast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-149
Antenna, XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-149
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-4 Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-40
Appearance Care Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-115
Care of Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-112
Chemical Paint Spotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-116
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-113
Fabric/Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-111
Finish Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-114
Finish Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-116
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other PlasticSurfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-112
Interior Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-110
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-112
i - 1

Bulb Replacement (cont.)License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-62
Pickup Box Identification and Fender Marker
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-59
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-60
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-83
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-62
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-8
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-63
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-126
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Care of Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-112
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15 Cargo Management System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-78
CD, MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-107, 4-114
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-76
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-58
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-89
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Check Engine Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-42
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Chemical Paint Spotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-116
Child Restraints
Infants and Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-42
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 2-50
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-39
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear SeatPosition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-58
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-61
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-62, 2-66, 2-70
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-46
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-48
i - 3

Headlamps (cont.)Exterior Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Pickup Box Identification and Fender Marker
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-59
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-8
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18, 4-20 Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
High-Speed Operation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-74
Highbeam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Hood Checking Things Under . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-42
Inflation - Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-72 Instrument Panel
Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-76
Instrument Panel Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30
Integrated Trailer Brake Control System (ITBC) . . . . 5-50
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-2
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-44
K
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Keyless Entry System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-3
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-65
Lamps Auxiliary Roof Mounted Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
i - 8