GMC SIERRA 2011 Repair Manual

Black plate (17,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-17
Manual Foldaway
Manually fold the mirrors inward
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
To fold, pull the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push the mirror outward,
to return to its original position.
Automatic Dimming
If equipped with an automatic
dimming mirror, the driver outside
mirror adjusts for the glare of
the headlamps behind you.
SeeAutomatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror on page 2‑18.
Turn Signal Indicator
The vehicle may also have a
turn signal indicator on the mirror.
An arrow on the mirror flashes in the
direction of the turn or lane change.
Heated Mirrors
For vehicles with heated mirrors:
<(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to heat the mirrors. If the
vehicle has a towing mirror, only the
upper glass of the mirror is heated.
The lower convex part of the towing
mirror is not heated.
Depending on the vehicle's features,
see “Rear Window Defogger”
under Climate Control Systems
(with Air Conditioning) on page 8‑1
or Climate Control Systems (with
Heater Only) on page 8‑4 orDual
Automatic Climate Control System
on page 8‑5 for more information.
Park Tilt Mirrors
If the vehicle has the memory
package, the passenger and/or
driver mirror tilts to a preselected
position when the vehicle is in
R (Reverse). This feature lets the
driver view the curb when parallel
parking. The mirror(s) return to the
original position when the vehicle
is shifted out of R (Reverse),
or the ignition is turned off or to
OFF/LOCK.
Turn this feature on or off through
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
SeeVehicle Personalization (with
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑52 for more
information.

Black plate (18,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
2-18 Keys, Doors and Windows
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
Hold the mirror in the center to
move it for a clearer view of behind
your vehicle. Adjust the mirror to
avoid glare from the headlamps
behind you. Push the tab at the
bottom of the mirror forward
for daytime use and pull it for
nighttime use.
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
The vehicle may have an automatic
dimming inside rearview mirror.
Automatic dimming reduces the
glare from the headlamps of the
vehicle behind you. The dimming
feature comes on and the indicator
light illuminates each time the
ignition is turned to start.
O(On/Off):Press to turn the
dimming feature on or off. The vehicle may also have a Rear
Vision Camera (RVC). See
Rear
Vision Camera (RVC) on page 9‑78
for more information.
If the vehicle has RVC, the
Obutton
for turning the dimming feature on or
off will not be available.
Vehicles with OnStar have three
additional control buttons for the
OnStar system. See your dealer
for more information about OnStar
and how to subscribe to it. See the
OnStar Owner Guide for more
information about the services
OnStar provides.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.
Windows
{WARNING
Leaving children, helpless adults,
or pets in a vehicle with the
windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by
the extreme heat and suffer
permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Never leave a
child, a helpless adult, or a pet
alone in a vehicle, especially with
the windows closed in warm or
hot weather.

Black plate (19,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-19
The vehicle aerodynamics are
designed to improve fuel economy
performance. This may result in
a pulsing sound when either rear
window is down and the front
windows are up. To reduce the
sound, open either a front window
or the sunroof (if equipped).
Manual Windows
Turn the hand crank on each door
to manually raise or lower the
manual windows.
Power Windows
{WARNING
Leaving children in a vehicle with
the keys is dangerous for many
reasons. Children or others could
be badly injured or even killed.
They could operate the power
windows or other controls or
even make the vehicle move.
The windows will function and
they could be seriously injured or
killed if caught in the path of a
closing window. Do not leave
keys in a vehicle with children.
When there are children in the
rear seat use the window lockout
button to prevent unintentional
operation of the windows.
Crew Cab Shown
If the vehicle has power windows,
controls are located on each door.
The driver door has a switch for
the passenger and rear windows as
well. The power windows will work
when the ignition is in ON/RUN
or ACC/ACCESSORY, or when
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
is active. See Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) on page 9‑40.
Push the switch down to lower the
window, and pull up the front of the
switch to raise the window.

Black plate (20,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
2-20 Keys, Doors and Windows
Express-down Windows
Vehicles with the express-down
feature allow the driver and
front passenger windows to
be lowered without holding the
switch. Push the switch down to
the second detent, then release,
to activate the express-down mode.
The express-down mode can be
canceled at any time by pulling up
on the front of the switch. To open
the window partway, push the switch
down to the first detent until the
window is at the desired position.
Window Lockout
o(Window Lockout):If a crew
cab or extended cab vehicle has
power windows, the driver door
power window switch has a lockout
feature. This feature prevents the
rear windows from operating, except
from the driver position. Press the
switch to engage or disengage the
lockout feature. An indicator light
on the switch will come on when the
lockout feature is engaged, and will
go off when disengaged.
Rear Windows
Power Sliding Rear Window
On vehicles with a power sliding
rear window, the switch is located in
the overhead console.
The power sliding rear window
works when the ignition has been
turned to ACC/ACCESSORY or
ON/RUN, or when Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) is active.
See Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑40 for more
information. The power sliding rear window
cannot be operated manually.
.Push to open the window.
.Pull to close the window.
Sun Visors
Pull the sun visor down to block
glare. Detach the sun visor from the
center mount to pivot to the side
window, or to extend along the rod,
if available.

Black plate (21,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-21
Roof
Sunroof (Extended Cab)
On vehicles with a sunroof, the
sunroof switch is located on the
headliner above the rearview mirror.
The sunroof only operates when the
ignition is in the ACC/ACCESSORY
or ON/RUN or the Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) is active.See
Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑40 for more
information.
Vent: From the closed position,
press and hold the rear of the
switch (B) to vent the sunroof.
To close the sunroof, press and
hold the front of the switch.
Open: From the vent position,
the sunroof can be fully opened
either manually or by using the
express-open feature. To open
manually, press the rear of the
switch (A) to the first detent and
hold until the sunroof has reached
the desired position. To open using
express-open, press the rear of the
switch to the second detent and
release. The sunroof will move to
the full open position. To stop the
sunroof partway, press the switch
a second time. Close:
From the vent, or open
position, press and hold the front of
the switch (A) to close the sunroof.
The sunroof also has a roller
sunshade that can be used
to block the rays of the sun.
The roller sunshade can be
manually operated with the sunroof
in an open or closed position.
To open the sunshade, press and
unlatch it, and roll it back. To close,
pull it forward and latch it into the
closed position.
When the sunroof is opened, an air
deflector will automatically raise.
The air deflector will retract when
the sunroof is closed.

Black plate (22,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
2-22 Keys, Doors and Windows
Dirt and debris may collect on
the sunroof seal or in the track.
This could cause an issue
with sunroof operation, noise,
or plugging the water drainage
system. Periodically open the
sunroof and remove any obstacles
or loose debris. Wipe the sunroof
seal and roof sealing area using a
clean cloth, mild soap, and water.
Do not remove grease from the
sunroof.
Sunroof (Crew Cab)
A. Open or Close
B. Vent
On vehicles with a sunroof, there
are two sunroof switches located in
the overhead console above the
rearview mirror.The sunroof only operates when the
ignition is in the ACC/ACCESSORY
or ON/RUN or the Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) is active.
See
Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑40 for more
information.
To open or close the sunroof, press
the open or close switch (A) to the
first detent position.
To express open or close the
sunroof, press the open or close
switch (A) to the second detent
position and release. To stop the
movement, press the switch again.
The sunroof has a comfort stop
feature which stops the sunroof from
opening to the full-open position.
From the comfort stop position,
press the open or close switch (A) a
second time to open the sunroof to
the full-open position.

Black plate (23,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-23
To automatically vent or close the
sunroof, press the vent open or
close switch (B).
When the sunroof is opened, an air
deflector will automatically raise.
The air deflector will retract when
the sunroof is closed.
The sunroof also has a sunshade
which can be pulled forward to block
sun rays. The sunshade must be
opened and closed manually.
If an object is in the path of the
sunroof while it is closing, the
anti-pinch feature will detect the
object and stop the sunroof.
Dirt and debris may collect on
the sunroof seal or in the track.
This could cause an issue
with sunroof operation, noise,or plugging the water drainage
system. Periodically open the
sunroof and remove any obstacles
or loose debris. Wipe the sunroof
seal and roof sealing area using a
clean cloth, mild soap, and water.
Do not remove grease from the
sunroof.

Black plate (24,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
2-24 Keys, Doors and Windows
2NOTES

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-1
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . 3-4
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Rear Seats
Rear Seats (Extended CabFull Bench) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Rear Seats (All Split Bench and Hybrid Full Bench) . . . . . 3-11
Safety Belts
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26 Lap Belt (Crew and
Extended Cab) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . 3-27
Safety Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . 3-31
When Should an AirbagInflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Airbag On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . 3-37
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . 3-46
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . 3-48
Replacing Airbag System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-48
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . 3-54
Where to Put the Restraint . . . 3-56
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57
Replacing LATCH System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-66
Securing Child Restraints (Rear Seat Position) . . . . . . . . 3-66
Securing Child Restraints (Right Front Seat
Position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-69
Securing Child Restraints (Center Front Seat
Position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-78

Black plate (2,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-2 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints
The front seats have adjustable
head restraints in the outboard
seating positions.
{WARNING
With head restraints that are
not installed and adjusted
properly, there is a greater
chance that occupants will suffer
a neck/spinal injury in a crash.
Do not drive until the head
restraints for all occupants are
installed and adjusted properly.
Adjust the head restraint so that the
top of the restraint is at the same
height as the top of the occupant's
head. This position reduces the
chance of a neck injury in a crash.Pull the head restraint up to raise it.
To lower the head restraint, press
the button, located on the top
of the seatback, and push the
restraint down.
Push down on the head restraint
after the button is released to make
sure that it is locked in place.
The head restraints are not
designed to be removed.
The rear seat has headrests that
can be adjusted up and down.