climate control GMC SIERRA 2019 Owner's Guide

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/13/19
Climate Controls 197
Air Vents
Use the sliding knobs on the center
and side air vents to change the
direction of the airflow.
Air vents blow warm air on the side
windows in cold weather. If Floor,
Defog, or Defrost modes are
selected, a small amount of air will
come from the vents close to the
window.
To close the front a/c vents, move
the sliding knobs to the full down
position.
To close the rear a/c vents, move
the sliding knobs to the full inboard
position.Operation Tips
.
Clear away any ice, snow,
or leaves from air inlets at the
base of the windshield that could
block the flow of air into the
vehicle.
. Clear snow off the hood to
improve visibility and help
decrease moisture drawn into
the vehicle.
. Keep the path under the front
seats clear of objects to help
circulate the air inside of the
vehicle more effectively.
. Use of non-GM approved hood
deflectors can adversely affect
the performance of the system.
Check with your dealer before
adding equipment to the outside
of the vehicle.
Maintenance
Passenger Compartment
Air Filter
The filter reduces the dust, pollen,
and other airborne irritants from
outside air that is pulled into the
vehicle.
The filter should be replaced as part
of routine scheduled maintenance.
See Maintenance Schedule 0420.
To find out what type of filter to use,
see Maintenance Replacement
Parts 0432.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/13/19
198 Climate Controls
1. Open the lower glove box doorcompletely.
2. Press the sides of the glovebox door inward and rotate the
door downward to remove.
3. Pull lever on left side of the
filter door and slide left, then
remove the door. Remove the
old filter.
4. Install the new air filter.
5. Reinstall the filter door.
6. Reverse the steps to reinstall the glove box.
See your dealer if additional
assistance is needed.
Service
All vehicles have a label underhood
that identifies the refrigerant used in
the vehicle. The refrigerant system
should only be serviced by trained
and certified technicians. The air
conditioning evaporator should
never be repaired or replaced by
one from a salvage vehicle.
It should only be replaced by a new
evaporator to ensure proper and
safe operation.
During service, all refrigerants
should be reclaimed with proper
equipment. Venting refrigerants
directly to the atmosphere is harmful
to the environment and may also
create unsafe conditions based on
inhalation, combustion, frostbite,
or other health-based concerns.
The air conditioning system requires
periodic maintenance. See
Maintenance Schedule 0420.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
200 Driving and Operating
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Recommended Fuel (Except6.2L V8 Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Recommended Fuel (6.2L V8 Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 277
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 299
Trailering App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Pickup Conversion to
Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Driving Information
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention away
from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, keep
your eyes on the road, keep your
hands on the steering wheel, and
focus your attention on driving.
. Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
. Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices. .
Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions.
. Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
. Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
. Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children.
. Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint.
. Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
Driving and Operating 211
Warning (Continued)
.Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See “Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0232.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running 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.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
See “Rocking the Vehicle to Get It
Out” later in this section.
The Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control can often help to
free a stuck vehicle. See Traction
Control/Electronic Stability Control
0 247. If TC/ESC cannot free the
vehicle, see “Rocking the Vehicle to
Get it Out” following.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other
damage. Spin the wheels as little
as possible and avoid going
above 56 km/h (35 mph).
For information about using tire
chains on the vehicle, see Tire
Chains 0387.
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
It Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Then make sure the
wheels are pointed straight ahead.
For four-wheel-drive vehicles, shift
into Four-Wheel Drive High. Turn
the TCS off. Shift back and forth
between R (Reverse) and a forward
gear, spinning the wheels as little as
possible. To prevent transmission
wear, wait until the wheels stop
spinning before shifting gears.
Slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. See
Towing the Vehicle 0403. Recovery
hooks can be used, if the vehicle
has them.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
226 Driving and Operating
Warning (Continued)
Always shift to P (Park), and then
turn the ignition off before exiting
the vehicle.
Auto Engine Stop/Start
When the brakes are applied and
the vehicle is at a complete stop,
the engine may turn off. When
stopped, the tachometer displays
AUTO STOP. See Tachometer
0 145. When the brake pedal is
released or the accelerator pedal is
pressed, the engine will restart.
To maintain vehicle performance,
other conditions may cause the
engine to automatically restart
before the brake pedal is released.
Auto Stops may not occur and/or
Auto Starts may occur because:
. The climate control settings
require the engine to be running
to cool or heat the vehicle
interior.
. The vehicle battery charge
is low. .
The vehicle battery has recently
been disconnected.
. Minimum vehicle speed has not
been reached since the last
Auto Stop.
. The accelerator pedal is
pressed.
. The engine or transmission is
not at the required operating
temperature.
. The outside temperature is not
in the required operating range.
. The vehicle is in any gear other
than D (Drive).
. Tow/Haul Mode or other driver
modes have been selected.
. The vehicle is on a steep hill or
grade.
. The driver door has been
opened or the driver seat belt
has been unbuckled.
. The hood has been opened.
. The Auto Stop has reached the
maximum allowed time. Auto Stop Disable Switch
If equipped, the automatic engine
Stop/Start feature can be disabled
and enabled by pressing the switch
with the
hsymbol. Auto Stop is
enabled each time you start the
vehicle.
When
his illuminated, the system
is enabled.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
Driving and Operating 249
Turning the Systems Off
and On
The button for TCS and StabiliTrak/
ESC is on the center stack.
Caution
Do not repeatedly brake or
accelerate heavily when TCS is
off. The vehicle driveline could be
damaged.
To turn off only TCS, press and
release
g. The traction off lighti
displays in the instrument cluster.
The appropriate message will
display in the DIC. To turn TCS on
again, press and release
g. The
traction off light
idisplayed in the
instrument cluster will turn off. If TCS is limiting wheel spin when
g
is pressed, the system will not turn
off until the wheels stop spinning.
To turn off both TCS and StabiliTrak/
ESC, press and hold
guntil the
traction off light
iand the
StabiliTrak/ESC OFF light
gcome
on and stay on in the instrument
cluster, then release. The
appropriate message will display in
the DIC.
To turn TCS and StabiliTrak/ESC on
again, press and release
g. The
traction off light
iand the
StabiliTrak/ESC OFF light
gin the
instrument cluster turn off.
StabiliTrak/ESC will automatically
turn on if the vehicle exceeds
56 km/h (35 mph). Traction control
will remain off.
The vehicle has a Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) feature and a Hill
Start Assist (HSA) feature. See
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) 0299 or
Hill Start Assist (HSA) 0247. Adding accessories can affect the
vehicle performance. See
Accessories and Modifications
0
318.
Hill Descent
Control (HDC)
If equipped, Hill Descent Control
(HDC) sets and maintains vehicle
speed while driving down steep
grades in a forward or reverse gear.
The HDC switch is on the center
stack, below the climate controls.
Press
5to enable or disable HDC.
Vehicle speed must be below
50 km/h (31 mph).
When enabled, the HDC light
displays on the instrument cluster.
A blinking HDC light indicates the
system is actively applying the
brakes to maintain vehicle speed.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
282 Driving and Operating
.Vehicles can tow in D (Drive).
Tow/Haul Mode is recommended
for heavier trailers. See Tow/
Haul Mode 0238. If the
transmission downshifts too
often, a lower gear may be
selected using Manual Mode.
See Manual Mode 0235.
If equipped, the following driver
assistance features should be
turned off when towing a trailer:
. Cruise Control
. Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
. Park Assist
. Reverse Automatic
Braking (RAB)
If equipped, the following driver
assistance features should be
turned to alert or off when towing a
trailer:
. Forward Automatic
Braking (FAB)
. Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA)
. Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) If equipped with Lane Change Alert
(LCA), the LCA detection zones that
extend back from the side of the
vehicle do not move further back
when a trailer is towed. Use caution
while changing lanes when towing a
trailer.
If equipped with Rear Cross Traffic
Alert (RCTA), use caution while
backing up when towing a trailer, as
the RCTA detection zones that
extend out from the back of the
vehicle do not move further back
when a trailer is towed.
{Warning
To prevent serious injury or death
from carbon monoxide (CO),
when towing a trailer:
. Do not drive with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch,
or rear-most window open.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air.
See “Climate Control
Systems” in the Index.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust 0232.
Towing a trailer requires experience.
The combination of the vehicle and
trailer is longer and not as
responsive as the vehicle itself. Get
used to the handling and braking of
the combination by driving on a
level road surface before driving on
public roads.
The trailer structure, the tires, and
the brakes must all be rated to carry
the intended cargo. Inadequate
trailer equipment can cause the
combination to operate in an
unexpected or unsafe manner.
Before driving, inspect all trailer
hitch parts and attachments, safety
chains, electrical connectors, lamps,

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/14/19
Vehicle Care 385
Warning (Continued)
wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires 0383 and
Accessories and Modifications
0 318.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter tires,
compact spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/-
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/13/19
466 Index
ChargingWireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 151
Check Engine Light (MalfunctionIndicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Ignition Transmission Lock . . . 348
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . 101
Lower Anchors and Tethersfor Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118, 122
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 191 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 445
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Connected Services
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Connections Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . 461
Control
Hill Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Traction and ElectronicStability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Control Light
Hill Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Coolant Engine Temperature Gauge . . 147
Engine Temperature
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191, 193
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Customer Assistance (cont'd)
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Customer Information
Publications OrderingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . 445
Danger, Warning, and Caution . . . . 3
Data CollectionInfotainment System . . . . . . . . . . 451
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . 450
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Diagnostics
Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . 463
Differential, Limited-Slip . . . . . . . . 255
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/-
Mexico-1500-11698638) - 2019 - CRC - 5/13/19
Index 467
Door (cont'd)Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . 437
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . 258
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161, 163
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Driver Mode Control Light . . . . . . 158
Driving Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . 265
Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 30
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 209
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . .211
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193E
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . 245
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . 154
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Electrical System Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 355
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359, 361
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Check Light (Malfunction
Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 321
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 437 Engine (cont'd)
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 146
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Overheated Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 232
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . 330
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 450
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . . 185
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 179
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 181
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188