ignition GMC SIERRA DENALI 2003 Owner's Manual

Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a headlamp off delay,
which will keep the headlamps on for a short time after
the ignition is turned
off. For more information see
DIC Operation and Displays on page 3-43.
Your vehicle has a light sensor located on the top of the
instrument panel in the defroster grille. Be sure it is
not covered, or the system will be on whenever
the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on your headlamps when
driving through a parking garage, heavy overcast
weather or a tunnel. This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic headlamp systems
so
that driving under bridges or bright overhead street
lights does not affect the system. The DRL and
automatic headlamp system will only be affected when
the light sensor sees a change in lighting lasting
longer than the delay. 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
“Instrument Panel Brightness Control’’ under
Interior
Lamps on page
3-15.
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 Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) later in this
section for more information.
Your headlamps will also stay on after you exit the
vehicle. You can program this feature using the Driver
lnforrnation Center. See
Driver lnforrnation Center @IC)
on page
3-43
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps
if 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.
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
3-1 2

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
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system will come on when the following
conditions are met:
The ignition is on,
0 the exterior lamp control is in AUTO
0 the automatic transmission is not in PARK (P), and
0 the light sensor determines it is daytime.
When the
DRL are 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.
W-hen you turn the exterior iamp controi
to off, the
headlamps will go off, and your DRL lamps will
illuminate, provided it is not dark outside.
Shifting the transmission into PARK
(P) will allow you to
idle the vehicle with the DRL off. The DRL will stay
off until you release the parking brake or shift the
transmission out of PARK (P).
Puddle Lamps
Your vehicle is equipped with puddle lamps to help you
see the area near the base
of the front doors when it
is dark out. The puddle lamps will illuminate when a door
is opened or when you press the UNLOCK button on
the keyless entry transmitter.
3-1 3

Fog Lamps
You can use your vehicle’s fog lamps for better vision in
foggy or misty conditions.
The fog lamp button is
located on the left side of
your instrument panel.
Your parking lamps and/or low-beam headlamps must
be on for your fog lamps to work.
Press the button to turn the fog lamps on while the
headlamps are on. Press the button again to turn them
off. An indicator light will glow in the button when
the fog lamps are on.
Remember, fog lamps alone will not give
off as much
light as your headlamps. Never use the fog lamps in the
dark without turning on the headlamps. The
fog lamps will go
off whenever the high-beam
headlamps come on. When the high beams go
off, the
fog lamps will come on again.
The fog lamps will be cancelled after the ignition is
turned
off. If you still want to use the fog lamps after you
restart the vehicle, press the fog lamp button again.
Cargo Lamp
The cargo lamp button is
located on the left side of
the instrument panel.
~ Press the button to turn
the cargo lamp on.
Press the button again to
turn it
off.
An indicator light on the instrument panel cluster will
illuminate when the cargo lamp is turned on, and
the ignition key is turned to RUN.
3-1 4

Front Reading Lamps Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
-g-: This feature controls the brightness of the
instrument panel lights.
The thumbwheel for this feature is located next
to the
exterior lamp control.
Turn the thumbwheel up to adjust the instrument panel
lights and return the radio display to full brightness
when the headlamps or parking lamps are on. To turn
on the dome lamps, with the vehicle doors closed,
turn the thumbwheel all the way up.
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on when
you remove the key from the ignition. The lamps
will not come on
if the dome override button is pressed
in.
Entry Lighting
Your vehicle is equipped with an illuminated entry
feature.
When a door is opened, the dome lamps and puddle
lamps will come on
if the dome override button is in the
out position. If the dome override button is pressed
in, the lamps will not come on. Your
vehicle has front reading lamps located in the
overhead console. Press the round button located next
to the lamp to turn the lamp on. The lamps can be
adjusted to point in the direction you want them to go.
Press the button again to turn the lamp
off.
3-1 5

Dome Lamps
The dome lamps will come on when you open a door
and the dome override button is
in the out position.
You can also turn the dome lamps on by turning
the thumbwheel, located next to the exterior lamps
control, all the way up. In this position, the dome lamps
will remain on whether the doors are opened or
closed.
*: You can use the dome override button, located
below the exterior lamps control, to set the dome lamps
to come on automatically when the doors are opened,
or to remain
off. To turn the lamps off, press the button
to the
in position. With the button in this position, the
dome lamps will remain
off when the doors are open. To
return the lamps to automatic operation, press the
button again and return the button to the out position.
With the button
in this position, the dome lamps
will come on when you open a door.
Battery Run-Down Protection
This feature shuts off the dome, reading, glove box, and
underhood lamps
if they are left on for more than
10 minutes when the ignition is turned off. The cargo
lamp will shut
off after 20 minutes. This will keep
your battery from running down.
Accessory Power Outlets
With accessory power outlets you can plug in auxiliary
electrical equipment such as a cellular telephone or
other devices designed to operate with vehicle electrical
systems.
Your vehicle is equipped with several accessory power
outlets. The front outlet is located next to the floor
console. Lift up on the door to access the outlet.
The second outlet is located
in the center console. Press
the button on the side
of the console door to access
the outlet. See
Center Console Storage Area on
page 2-39 for more information.
There is also one accessory power outlet located on the
rear of the center console. Lift up on the doors to
access the outlets.
3-1 6

Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both
miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has
been driven, in either miles (used in the United States)
or kilometers (used in Canada).
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can tell you how far your vehicle has
been driven since you last set the trip odometer
to zero.
Press the reset button, located on the instrument panel
cluster next to the trip odometer display, to toggle
between the trip odometer and the regular odometer.
Holding the reset button for two seconds while the
trip odometer is displayed will reset it.
To display the odometer reading with the ignition
off,
press the reset button.
Engine Hour Meter Display
The odometer can also display the number of hours the
engine has run. To display the hour meter, turn the
ignition
off, press and hold the reset button for at least
four seconds. The hour meter will be displayed for
up to
30 seconds, or until the ignition is turned on.
Tachometer
Your tachometer displays the engine speed ip
revolutions per minute (rpm).
Notice: Do not operate the engine with the
tachometer in the red area,
or engine damage may
occur.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for several seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will also come on and stay on
for several seconds, then it will flash for
several more.
If the driver’s belt is already buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come on.
3-26

~~ ~~ Passenger
Air
Bag Status
Indicator
- Canada
When the ignition key is turned to RUN or START, the
passenger air bag status indicator will light ON and
OFF, or the symbol for on and off, for several seconds
as a system check. Then, after several more seconds,
the status indicator will light either ON or OFF, or either
the on or
off symbol to let you know the status of the
right front passenger’s frontal air bag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is lit on the passenger
air bag status indicator, it means that the right front
passenger’s frontal air bag is enabled (may inflate). If the
ON indicator comes on when you have a
rear-facing child restraint installed
in the right
front passenger’s seat, it means that the
passenger sensing system has not turned
off
the passenger’s frontal air bag. A child in a
rear-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger’s air
bag inflates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close
to the inflating air bag. Don’t use a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger’s seat unless the air bag has been turned
off.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is lit on the passenger
air bag status indicator, it means that the passenger
sensing system or the air bag
off switch has turned off the
right front passenger’s air bag. See
Passenger Sensing
System on page
1-68 or Air Bag Off Switch on page 1-64
for more on this, including important safety information.
3-3 1

Battery Warning Light Voltmeter Gage
If this light is displayed
when the engine is
running, you may have a
problem with your charging
system.
The battery display will also stay on while the key is in
RUN until the engine is started.
If the light stays on after starting the engine it could
indicate a problem with the generator drive belt, or some
other charging system problem. Have it checked right
away. Driving with this light displayed could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with this light
displayed, it helps to turn
off all your accessories, such
as the radio and the air conditioner. When your
engine is not running, but the ignition is in
RUN, this gage shows your battery’s state of charge in
DC volts.
When the engine is running, the gage shows the
condition of the charging system. Readings between the
low and high warning zones indicate the normal
operating range.
Readings in the low warning zone may occur when a
large number
of electrical accessories are operating in
the vehicle and the engine is left at an idle for an
extended period. This condition
is normal since the
charging system is not able to provide full power
at engine idle.
As engine speeds are increased, this
condition should correct itself as higher engine speeds
allow the charging system to create maximum power.
3-33

You can only drive for a short time with the reading in
either warning zone.
If you must drive, turn off all
unnecessary accessories.
Readings in either warning zone indicate a possible
problem in the electrical system. Have the vehicle
serviced as soon as possible.
Brake System Warning Light
With the ignition on, the brake system warning light will
flash when you set the parking brake. The light will
flash
if the parking brake doesn’t release fully. If you try
to drive with the parking brake engaged, a chime
will sound when the vehicle speed is greater than
3 mph (5 km/h).
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts.
If one part isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on and a chime sounds there
could be a brake problem. Have your brake system
inspected right away.
I BRAKE I
-
United States Canada
This light should come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key
to RUN. If it doesn’t come on then, have it
fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder
to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
floor. It may take longer
to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. See Towing
Your Vehicle on page 4-45.
3-34

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage Transmission Temperature Gage
I I
United States
Canada
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature.
It also provides an indicator of how hard your vehicle is
working. During a majority
of the operation, the gage
will read 210°F
(1 00°C) or less. If you are pulling a load
or going up hills, it is normal for the temperature to
fluctuate and approach the 250°F (122°C) mark.
If the
gage reaches the 260°F
(1 25°C) mark, it indicates
that the cooling system is working beyond its capacity.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-27.
United States Canada
Your vehicle may be equipped with a transmission
temperature gage.
When your ignition is on, the gage shows the
temperature of the transmission fluid. The normal
operating range is from 100°F (38°C)
to about
265°F
(1 30°C).
At approximately 265°F (13O"C), the message center
will display
a TRANSMISSION HOT message and
the transmission will enter
a transmission protection
mode. When the transmission enters the protection
mode, you may notice a change in the transmission
shifting patterns. The transmission will return to normal
shifting patterns when the transmission fluid temperature
falls below 260°F
(1 27°C).
3-36