steering GMC SIERRA 2011 User Guide

Black plate (30,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
1-30 In Brief
Navigation System
If the vehicle has a navigation
system, there is a separate
Navigation System Manual that
includes information on the radio,
audio players, and navigation
system.
The navigation system provides
detailed maps of most major
freeways and roads. After a
destination has been set, the
system provides turn-by-turn
instructions for reaching the
destination. In addition, the system
can help locate a variety of points
of interest (POI), such as banks,
airports, restaurants, and more.
See the Navigation System Manual
for more information.
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located at
the bottom of the instrument
panel cluster. It shows the status of
many vehicle systems and enables
access to the personalization menu.
The DIC buttons are located on
the instrument panel, next to the
steering wheel.
Some vehicles do not have the
buttons shown, however some of
the menus can be viewed by using
the trip odometer reset stem.
3:Press to display the
odometer, trip odometer, fuel
range, average economy, fuel
used, timer, instantaneous economy
and Active Fuel Management™
indicator, and transmission
temperature. The compass
and outside air temperature
will also be shown in the display.
The temperature will be shown
in °C or °F depending on the
units selected.
T: Press to display the oil life,
units, tire pressure readings for
vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), trailer
brake gain and output information
for vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
engine hours, compass zone
setting, and compass recalibration.
U: Press to customize the
feature settings on your vehicle.
See Vehicle Personalization (with
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑52 for more
information.

Black plate (31,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-31
V:Press to set or reset
certain functions and to turn
off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
For more information, see Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑33.
Vehicle Customization
Some vehicle features can be
programmed by using the DIC
buttons next to the steering wheel.
These features include:
.Language
.Door Lock and Unlock Settings
.RKE Lock and Unlock Feedback
.Lighting
.Chime Volume
.Memory Features
See Vehicle Personalization (with
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑52.
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC)
If available, the rear vision camera
displays a view of the area behind
the vehicle when the vehicle is
shifted into R (Reverse). This is
displayed on the inside rearview
mirror or the navigation screen,
if equipped.
To clean the camera lens, located
in the bezel for the tailgate handle,
rinse it with water and wipe it with
a soft cloth.
For more information, see Rear
Vision Camera (RVC) on page 9‑78.
Ultrasonic Parking Assist
If available, Ultrasonic Rear Parking
Assist (URPA) uses sensors on the
rear bumper to detect objects while
parking the vehicle. URPA comes
on automatically when the shift
lever is moved into R (Reverse) and
operates at speeds less than 8 km/h
(5 mph). URPA uses audio beeps
to provide distance and system
information.
Keep the sensors on the vehicle's
rear bumper clean to ensure proper
operation.
The system can be disabled by
pressing the rear park aid disable
button located next to the radio.
See Ultrasonic Parking Assist on
page 9‑76 for more information.

Black plate (38,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
1-38 In Brief
If you try to add, connect, or modify
any equipment or software in the
vehicle, OnStar service may not
work. Other problems OnStar can’t
control may prevent service to you,
such as hills, tall buildings, tunnels,
weather, electrical system design
and architecture of the vehicle,
damage to important parts of the
vehicle in a crash, or wireless phone
network congestion or jamming.
SeeRadio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑19 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission
(FCC) rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-210/220/310.OnStar Steering Wheel
Controls
This vehicle may have a Talk/Mute
button that can be used to interact
with OnStar Hands-Free calling.
See Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑3 for more information.
On some vehicles, the Talk button
can be used to dial numbers into
voice mail systems, or to dial phone
extensions. See the OnStar Owner's
Guide for more information.
Your Responsibility
Increase the volume of the radio
if the OnStar Advisor cannot be
heard.
If the light next to the OnStar
buttons is red, the system may
not be functioning properly.
Push the
Qbutton and request a
vehicle diagnostic check. If the light
appears clear (no light appears),
your OnStar subscription has
expired and all services have been
deactivated. Push the
Qbutton to
confirm that the OnStar equipment
is active.

Black plate (29,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-29
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
.A seat‐mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat‐mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger and the person
seated directly behind the right
front passenger. All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for the
driver and on the instrument panel
for the right front passenger.
With seat‐mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job. Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt
—even
if you have airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed
to deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. See When Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑32.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in your
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.

Black plate (31,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-31
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver airbag is in the middle of
the steering wheel.
The right front passenger airbag
is in the instrument panel on the
passenger side.Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has seat‐mounted side
impact airbags for the driver and
right front passenger, they are in
the side of the seatbacks closest
to the door.

Black plate (32,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-32 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has roof-rail airbags
for the driver, right front 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
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.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
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 right front passenger's head
and chest. However, they are
only designed to inflate if the
impact exceeds a predetermined
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.
Whether the frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on
how fast your vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact, and how
quickly your vehicle slows down.

Black plate (34,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-34 Seats and Restraints
The vehicle may or may not have
seat‐mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags. SeeAirbag System
on page 3‑29. Seat‐mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags are
intended to inflate in moderate to
severe side crashes. In addition,
these roof-rail airbags are intended
to inflate during a rollover or in a
severe frontal impact. Seat‐mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags will
inflate if the crash severity is above
the system's designed threshold
level. The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not
intended to inflate in rear impacts.
A seat‐mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side
of the vehicle that is struck. Both
roof-rail airbags will deploy when
either side of the vehicle is struck,
or if the sensing system predicts
that the vehicle is about to roll over,
or in a severe frontal impact. In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag should
have inflated simply because of
the damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat‐mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by
the direction of the roll.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 and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbags modules in the
side of the front seatbacks closest
to the door. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows that have
occupant seating positions.

Black plate (35,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-35
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.
Frontal airbags distribute the
force of the impact more evenly
over the occupant's upper body,
stopping the occupant more
gradually. Seat‐mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags
distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper 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 3‑32 for more
information.
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 deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, see What Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑34.
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.

Black plate (36,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-36 Seats and Restraints
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.The vehicle may have 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. You can lock the doors, turn
off the interior lamps and 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
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 right
front 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 your vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.

Black plate (46,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-46 Seats and Restraints
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are
parts of the airbag system in
several places around the vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing
the vehicle and the airbag system.
To purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑15.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might addto or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that
change your vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, overhead console, front
sensors, side impact sensors,
or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system.