service GMC SIERRA DENALI 2003 Owners Manual

The 2003 GMC Sierra Denali Owner Manual a
Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-8
Child Restraints
....................................... 1-30
Air Bag Systems
...................................... 1-57
Restraint System Check
............................ 1-73
Features and Controls
..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-6
Windows
................................................. 2-1 0
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-1 3
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-15
Mirrors
.................................................... 2-28
Onstar@ System
...................................... 2-33
HomeLink@ Transmitter
............................. 2-35
Storage Areas
......................................... 2-39
Instrument Panel
............................................. 3-1
Vehicle
Personalization
............................. 2-42
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
...................................... 3-1 8
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
......... 3-24
Driver Information Center (DIC)
.................. 3-43
Audio System(s)
....................................... 3-61 Driving Your Vehicle
....................................... 4-1
Your
Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing
................................................... 4-45
Service and Appearance Care
.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
............................................. 5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................ 5-49
Rear Axle
............................................... 5-50
Front Axle
............................................... 5-51
Bulb Replacement
.................................... 5-52
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
......... 5-60
Tires
...................................................... 5-61
Appearance Care
..................................... 5-86
Vehicle Identification
................................. 5-94
Electrical System
...................................... 5-95
Capacities and Specifications
................... 5-1 04
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
.... 5-1 05
Maintenance Schedule
..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information
.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-9
Index
................................................................. 1

These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle:
POSSIBLE /r
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR
COULD FLAME
'\Ir8
EXPLODE
BAlTERY LATCH BOTH LAP AND
SHOULDER BELTS TO
PROTECT OCCUPANT
48: @
DO NOT TWIST SAFm
BELT WHEN AlTACHING
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
MOVE SEAT FULLY
\v!
REARWARD* /g
SECURE
CHILD SEAT
PULL BELT
COMPLETELY
THEN SECURE CHILD
SEAT
DO NOT INSTALL
A REAR-FACING
CHILD RESTRAINT
@o
POSITION 8
IN THIS SEATING
DO NOT INSTALL
A
CHILD RESTRAINT p?
FORWARD-FACING IN THIS SEATING POSITION
8
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK SGHTING
- MASTER SWITCH B- / ,
SIGNALS @e
TURN
PARKING
PC
LAMPS
RUNNING
*:{io
DAYTIME LAMPS
LAMPS
#O
ENGINE
COOLANT
cc.
TEMP
CHARGING BAlTERY
SYSTEM
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL PRESSURE
W&
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
FE E]
ACCESS
COOLANT
m-1
ENGINE FAN
OWNERS MANUAL
SERVICE
MANUAL
V

Never put a rear facing child restraint in the right front
passenger seat unless the air bag is
off. Here’s why:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint ca
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. Be
sure to turn
off the air bag before using a
rear-facing child restraint
in the right front seat
position. If a forward-facing child restraint
is
suitable for your child, always move the passenger seat as far back as
it will go.
A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing
child restraint. If you need to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front seat position, see
Where
to Put the Restraint
on page 1-38
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on when you have
turned
off the air bag, it means that something
may be wrong with the air bag system. The
right front passenger’s air bag could inflate
even though the switch
is off. If this ever
happens, have the vehicle serviced promptly.
Until you have the vehicle serviced, don’t let
anyone whom the national government has identified as a member of a passenger air bag
risk group
sit in the right front passenger’s
position (for example, don’t secure a
rear-facing child restraint
in your vehicle). See
”Air Bag Off Switch’’
in the Index.
In addition to the
AIR BAG OFF switch, your vehicle
may have the passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-68 and
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator on page 3-30 for
more on this, including important safety information.
1-51

When either the passenger sensing system and/or
the AIR BAG
OFF switch has turned off the
right front passenger’s frontal air bag, the
off
indicator in the passenger air bag status indicator
on the rearview mirror will light and stay lit
when
y-” turn the ignition to RUN or START.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions
of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
If the air bag readiness light
in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes
on when you have
turned
off the air bag, it means that something
may be wrong with the air bag system. The
right front passenger’s air bag could inflate
even though the switch
is off. If this ever
happens, have the vehicle serviced promptly.
Until
you have the vehicle serviced, don’t let
anyone whom the national government has identified as a member of a passenger air bag
risk group sit in the right front passenger’s
position (for example, don’t secure a
rear-facing child restraint
in your vehicle). See
”Air Bag
Off Switch” in the Index. 4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
1-53

When an air bag inflates, there is 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
can’t get out of the vehicle after an air bag
inflates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or
a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an air bag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate the air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger air bag.
Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After
they inflate, you’ll need some new parts for your
air bag system.
If you don’t get them, the air
bag system won’t be there to help protect you in
another crash.
A new system will include air
bag modules and possibly other parts. The service
manual for your vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with electronic frontal
sensors which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate and a more severe frontal
impact. Your vehicle is also equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which records
information about the frontal air bag system. The
module records information about the readiness of
the system and when the system commands
are bag inflation. It records the status of the driver’s
safety belt usage in a crash in which the air bag
deploys or a crash in which the air bag nearly
deploys. The module also records speed, engine
RPM, brake and throttle data.
Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
systems. Improper service can mean that an air
bag system won’t work properly. See your dealer for
service.
Notice: If you damage the covering for the driver’s
or the right front passenger’s air bag, the bag
may not work properly.
You may have to replace the
air bag module in the steering wheel or both the
air bag module and the instrument panel for
the right front passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or
break the air bag coverings.
1-63

United States with
Passenger Sensing
System
Canada with Passenger
Sensing System United
StaG without
Passenger Sensing System
Canada without
Passenger Sensing System To turn
off the
right front passenger’s air bag, insert
your ignition key into the switch,
push in, and move the
switch
to the off position.
The AIR BAG
OFF light will come on to let you know
that the right front passenger’s air bag is
off. The
right front passenger’s air bag will remain
off until you
turn it back on again, and the
AIR BAG OFF light
will stay on
to remind you that the air bag is off.
If the ai. Jag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned
off the air bag, it means
that something may be wrong with the air bag system. The right front passenger’s air bag
could inflate even though the switch
is off. If
this ever happens, don’t
let anyone whom the
national government has identified as a
member of
a passenger air bag risk group sit
in the right front passenger’s position (for
example, don’t secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle)
until you have your
vehicle serviced.
1-67

Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers, can affect
how well the passenger sensing system operates.
You may want to consider not using seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment
if your vehicle has the passenger
sensing system.
Stowing of articles under the passenger’s seat or between the passenger’s seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the proper operation of the passenger sensing system.
I I
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on and stays on,
it
means that something may be wrong with the
air bag system. If
this ever happens, have the
vehicle serviced promptly, because an adult-size person sitting
in the right front
passenger’s seat may not have the protection
of the frontal air bag. See “Air Bag Readiness
Light”
in the Index for more on this, including
important safety information.

Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle. You don’t want the system to
inflate while someone
is working on your vehicle. Your
dealer and the service manual have information
about servicing your vehicle and the air bag system. To
purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications
Order’ Information
on page 7- 10.
E
For up to 1 minute after the il tiol :ey is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
air bag can
still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are close to
an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air bag 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 Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might add to the front or
sides of the vehicle that could keep the air
bags from working properly?
frame, bumper system, front end or side sheet
metal or height, they may keep the air bag system
from working properly. Also, the air bag system
may not work properly
if you relocate any of the air
bag sensors.
If you have any questions about
this, you should contact Customer Assistance
before you modify your vehicle. The phone numbers
and addresses for Customer Assistance are in
Step Two of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure
in this manual. See
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure
on page 7-2.
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
1 -72

Your vehicle has one
double-sided key for the
ignition and all door
locks as well as the spare
tire hoist lock,
if equipped.
If you ever lose your keys, your dealer will be able to
assist you with obtaining replacements.
Notice: Your vehicle has a number of features that
can help prevent theft. You can have a lot
of
trouble getting into your vehicle if you ever lock
your keys inside. You may even have to damage
your vehicle to get in.
So be sure you have
spare keys.
If you ever do get locked out of your vehicle, call the
GM Roadside Assistance Center. See Roadside
Assistance Program
on page 7-5. If your vehicle is
equipped with the Onstar@ system with an active subscription
and you lock your keys inside the vehicle,
OnStar@ may be able
to send a command to unlock
your vehicle. See
OnStap System on page 2-33
for more information.
Remote Keyless Entry System
Your keyless entry system operates on a radio
frequency subject to Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Rules and with Industry Canada.
This device complies with Part
15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
This device complies with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada.
Operation is subject
to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation
of the device.
Changes or modifications
to this system by other than
an authorized service facility could void authorization to
use this equipment.
2-3

At times you may notice a decrease in range. This is
normal for any remote keyless entry system. If the
transmitter does not work or
if you have to stand closer
to your vehicle for the transmitter to work, try this:
Check the distance. You may be too far from your
vehicle. You may need to stand closer during
rainy or snowy weather.
Check the location. Other vehicles or objects may be
blocking the signal. Take a few steps to the left or
right, hold the transmitter higher, and try again.
Check to determine if battery replacement is
necessary. See “Battery Replacement” under
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation on
page
2-4.
qualified technician for service.
If you are still having trouble, see your dealer or a
Remote Keyless Entry System
Operation
You can lock and unlock your doors from about 3 feet
(1 m) up to 100 feet (30 m) away using the remote
keyless entry transmitter supplied with your vehicle. UNLOCK:
Pressing this button once will unlock the
driver’s door. The interior lamps will come on. Pressing
UNLOCK again within three seconds will cause the
remaining doors to unlock.
You can choose different feedback options for each
press of the UNLOCK button. See
DlC Operation and
Displays on page
3-43 for more information.
LOCK: Pressing this button once will lock all of the
doors. You can choose different feedback options
for each press of the LOCK button. See
DlC Operation
and Displays on page
3-43 for more information.
Operating the keyless entry transmitter may interact with
the theft-deterrent system. See
Content Theft-Deterrent
on page
2- 13 and DlC Operation and Displays on
page
3-43 for more information.
Remote Alarm
When the horn symbol on the keyless entry transmitter
is pressed, the horn will sound and the headlamps
and taillamps will flash for up to
30 seconds. This can
be turned off by pressing the horn button again, waiting
for
30 seconds, or starting the vehicle.
2-4