tow 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

Front Seats
Power Seats
Raise or lower the front of the seat by raising or
lowering the forward edge of the control. Raise or lower
the rear of the seat by raising or lowering the rear
edge of the control.
Move the seat forward or rearward by moving the whole
control toward the front or toward the rear
of the
vehicle.
Moving the whole control up or down raises or lowers
the entire seat cushion.
Vertical Control: See
Reclining Seatbacks on
page
1-4.
Horizontal Control: You can adjust your vehicle’s front
seats with the horizontal control located on the
outboard edge
of each front seat.
1-2

Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicles front seatbacks have a recline feature.
Vertical Control: You can use the vertical control to
adjust the angle of the seatback. Move the reclining front
seatback rearward or forward by moving the vertical
control toward the rear or toward the front
of the vehicle. But don’t
have a seatback reclined
if your vehicle is
moving.
1 -4

-
!ver do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can’t properly spread the impact
forces.
In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured.
A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
Q: What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is
so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child’s face or neck?
be sure that the shoulder belt stili is on the child’s
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper
body would have the restraint the belts provide.
If the child is sitting in a rear seat outside position,
see
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults
on page 1-27.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place the child in a seat that has a lap belt,
if your vehicle has one.
A: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
1-31

Child Restraint Systems
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed
to restrain or position a child on a continuous flat
surface. Make sure that the infant's head rests toward
the center
of the vehicle. A
rear-facing infant seat
(6) provides restraint with the
seating surface against the back
of the infant. The
harness system holds the infant in place and, in a crash,
acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
1-36

How Does an Air Bag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. Air bags supplement the
protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute
the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s
upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But air bags would not help you in many types of
collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is
not toward those air bags. Air bags should never be
regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety
belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal collisions.
What Will You See After an Air Bag
Inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module
- the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s air bag, or the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s
bag
- will be hot for a short time. The parts of the bag
that come into contact with you may be warm, but
not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from the vents in the deflated air bags. Air
bag inflation doesn’t prevent the driver from seeing or
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.
1-62

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.

Rear Doors
Your vehicle is equipped with rear access doors that
allow easier access to the rear area of the extended cab.
To open a rear access
door from the outside, first
open the front door.
Then, use the handle
located on the front edge
of the rear access door
to open it.
Tailgate
You must fully close a rear access door before you can
close the front door. To open a rear access
door from the inside, the
front door must be opened
first. Then, use the
handle located on the
inside of the rear access
door to open it.
You can open the tailgate by lifting up on its handle
while pulling the tailgate toward you.
To shut the tailgate, firmly push it upward until it
latches.
After you put the tailgate back up, pull it back towards
you to be sure it latches securely.
2-8

Starting and Operating Your
Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In
Notices Your vehicle doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.” But
it will perform better in the long run
if you follow these guidelines:
* Keep your speed at 55 mph (88 km/h) or less for
the first
500 miles (805 km).
Don’t drive at any one speed - fast or slow - for
the first
500 miles (805 km). Don’t make
full-throttle starts.
Avoid making hard stops for the first 200 miles
(322 km) or so. During this time your new brake
linings aren’t yet broken
in. Hard stops with new
linings can mean premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this breaking-in guideline
every time you get new brake linings.
Don’t tow a trailer during break-in. See “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index for more information.
Ignition Positions
With your key in the ignition switch you can turn it to
four different positions.
c
A
~~~ ~
Notice: If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you
can’t turn
it, be sure you are using the correct key; if
so, is it all the way in? Turn the key only with
your hand. Using a tool to force
it could break the
key or the ignition switch. If none of these works,
then your vehicle needs service.
2-1 5

It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully
in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re
on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK (P). See “Shifting
Into Park
(P)” in the Index. If you’re pulling a
trailer, see “Towing a Trailer”
in the Index.
REVERSE
(R): Use this gear to back up.
Notice: Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage your transmission.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow, ice
or sand without damaging your transmission, see
If You
Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-42.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRF’
lk’’ when your vehicle is beir- towed.
Shifting into a drive gear while your engine
is
“racing” (running at high speed) is dangerous.
Unless your foot
is firmly on the brake pedal,
your vehicle could move very rapidly. You could lose control and
hit people or objects. Don’t
shift into a drive gear while your engine
is
racing.
Notice: Damage to your transmission caused by
shifting out of PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) with
the engine racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving. If
you need more power for passing, and you’re:
0 Going less than about 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator
pedal about halfway down.
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
2-1 9