wheel GMC SIERRA DENALI 2004 Owner's Manual

Driver Information Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located on the instrument panel
cluster above the steering wheel. The DIC can display
information such as the trip odometer, fuel economy and
personalization features.
A (Trip Information):This button will display the
odometer, personal trip odometer, business trip
odometer, hourmeter, annual log and the timer.
B (Fuel Information):This button will display the
current range, average fuel economy, instant fuel
economy and engine oil life.
C (Personalization):This button will change personal
options available on your vehicle.D (Select):This button resets certain functions and
turns off or acknowledges messages on the DIC.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons you will not have all of the features listed
above, and you will turn off, or acknowledge DIC
messages by using the trip odometer reset stem located
on the instrument panel cluster.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After a short
delay the DIC will display the current driver (1 or 2)
and the information that was last displayed before the
engine was turned off.
If a problem is detected, a warning message will appear
on the display. Pressing any of the four buttons will
acknowledge (clear) most current warnings or service
messages. Some warnings that cannot be
acknowledged (cleared) are: ENGINE OVERHEATED,
OIL PRESSURE LOW, REDUCED ENGINE POWER,
TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE. These warnings must
be dealt with immediately and therefore cannot
be cleared until the problem has been corrected.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the four buttons on the DIC. These buttons
are trip information, fuel information, personalization and
select. The button functions are detailed in the
following.
3-46

Trip Information Button
Press the trip information button to scroll through the
ODOMETER, PERSONAL TRIP ON/OFF, BUSINESS
TRIP ON/OFF, HOURMETER, ANNUAL LOG and
TIMER. If the personal trip and/or the business trip are
set to ON, you will also be able to scroll through
more messages. See ªPersonal Tripº and ªBusiness
Tripº next for more information.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons you can select the trip information
by pressing the trip odometer reset stem on the
instrument panel cluster.
Personal Trip
Turn PERSONAL TRIP on or off by pressing the select
button. When it is on, you will also be able to scroll
through the following by pressing the trip information
button:
·PERSONAL: XXXXXX.X MI Ð This shows the
current distance traveled since the last reset for the
personal trip odometer in either miles or kilometers.
·PERSONAL: XXXX.X GAL Ð This shows the
amount of fuel used for the personal trip.
·PERSONAL: XX.X MPGÐ This shows how many
miles per gallon of fuel your vehicle is getting for
the personal trip based on current and past driving
conditions.
·PERSONAL: XXX.X AVG MPH Ð This shows the
vehicle's average speed for the personal trip.
·PERSONAL: % ANNUAL Ð This shows the ratio of
personal trip miles to annual miles as a percent.
You can reset the personal trip odometer by pressing
and holding the trip odometer reset stem.
3-47

Timer
The DIC can be used as a stopwatch. Press the select
button while TIMER is displayed to start the timer.
The display will show the amount of time that has
passed since the timer was last reset (not including time
the ignition is off). Time will continue to be counted as
long as the ignition is on, even if another display is being
shown on the DIC. The timer will record up to 99 hours,
59 minutes and 59 seconds (99:59:59), after which
the display will roll back to zero.
To stop the counting of time, press the select button
brie¯y while TIMER is displayed.
To reset the timer to zero, press and hold the select
button, or the trip odometer reset stem, while TIMER is
displayed.
Fuel Information Button
Use the fuel information button to scroll through the
range, average fuel economy, instant fuel economy and
the GM Oil Life System.
If your vehicle is not equipped with DIC steering wheel
control buttons you will not be able to display the
fuel information.
Fuel Range
Press the fuel information button until RANGE appears
to display the remaining distance you can drive
without refueling. It's based on fuel economy and the
fuel remaining in the tank. The display will show LOW if
the fuel level is low.
The fuel economy data used to determine fuel range is
an average of recent driving conditions. As your
driving conditions change, this data is gradually updated.
Fuel range cannot be reset.
Average Fuel Economy
Press the fuel information button until AVG ECON
appears in the display. Average fuel economy is how
many miles per gallon your vehicle is getting based on
current and past driving conditions.
Press and hold the select button for two seconds while
AVG ECON is displayed to reset the average fuel
economy. Average fuel economy will then be calculated
starting from that point. If the average fuel economy
is not reset, it will be continually updated each time
you drive.
3-49

Instant Fuel Economy
Press the fuel information button until INST ECON
appears in the display. Instant fuel economy is how
many miles per gallon your vehicle is getting at
the particular moment in time. The instant fuel economy
cannot be reset.
GM Oil Life System
Press the fuel information button until ENGINE OIL LIFE
appears in the display. The GM Oil Life System shows
an estimate of the oil's remaining useful life. It will show
100% when the system is reset after an oil change. It
will alert you to change your oil on a schedule consistent
with your driving conditions.
Always reset the engine oil life after an oil change. To
reset the Oil Life System use the fuel button to reach the
ENGINE OIL LIFE screen and then press and hold
the select button for ®ve seconds while ENGINE OIL
LIFE is displayed. OIL LIFE RESET will appear on
the display for 10 seconds to let you know the system is
reset.
The DIC does not replace the need to maintain your
vehicle as recommended in the Maintenance Schedule
in this manual. Also, the oil change reminder will not
detect dusty conditions or engine malfunctions that may
affect the oil. Also, the oil change reminder does notmeasure how much oil you have in your engine. So, be
sure to check your oil level often. See
Engine Oil on
page 5-11.
Personalization Button
You can program certain features to a preferred setting
for up to two people. Press the personalization button
to scroll through the following personalization features.
All of the personalization options may not be available
on your vehicle. Only the options available will be
displayed on your DIC.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons you will not have any of the following
personalization options except for DISPLAY
LANGUAGE. See DISPLAY LANGUAGE later in this
section for more information.
·AUTOMATIC LOCKING
·AUTOMATIC UNLOCKING
·DELAYED LOCKING
·REMOTE LOCK FEEDBACK
·ALARM WARNING TYPE
·REMOTE UNLOCK FEEDBACK
·HEADLAMPS ON AT EXIT
3-50

SERVICE 4WD
If a problem occurs with the four wheel drive system,
this message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off the
vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you begin driving, the four wheel
drive system needs service. Press the SELECT button
to acknowledge the message.
SERVICE 4 WHEEL STEER
If a problem occurs with the 4 wheel steer system, this
message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off the
vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you begin driving, the four wheel
steer system needs service. Press the SELECT button
to acknowledge the message and clear it from the
DIC display.
SERVICE AIR SUSPENSION
If a problem occurs with the suspension system, this
message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off thevehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you begin driving, the air
suspension system needs service. Press the SELECT
button to acknowledge the message.
SERVICE RIDE CONTROL
If a problem occurs with the suspension system, this
message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message on the DIC display.
If the message is still displayed, or appears again
when you begin to drive, the air suspension system
needs service.
TIGHTEN FUEL CAP
If the vehicle's fuel cap is not tightened properly this
message may appear along with the check engine light
on the instrument panel. See
Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on page 3-40. Reinstall the fuel cap fully. SeeFilling Your Tank on page 5-6. The diagnostic system
can determine if the fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel cap will
allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving tips with the cap properly installed should turn
the light and message off.
3-62

TURN SIGNAL ON
If a turn signal is left on for 3/4 of a mile (1.2 km), this
message will appear on the display and you will
hear a chime. Move the turn signal/multifunction lever to
the off position. Pressing the select button will
acknowledge this message and clear it from the DIC
display.
TRACTION ACTIVE
When the traction control system had detected that any
of the vehicle's wheels are slipping, the traction
control system will activate and this message will appear
on the DIC. For more information see ªTraction Assistº
in the Index.
TRANSMISSION HOT
If the transmission ¯uid temperature becomes high, the
message center will display this message.
When the transmission enters the protection mode, you
may notice a change in the transmission shifting
patterns. When the transmission ¯uid temperature
returns to normal, the display will turn off and the
transmission shifting patterns will return to normal.
Notice:If you drive your vehicle while the
transmission ¯uid is overheating and the
transmission temperature warning is displayed on
the instrument panel cluster and/or DIC, you
can damage the transmission. This could lead to
costly repairs that would not be covered by
your warranty. Do not drive your vehicle with
overheated transmission ¯uid or while transmission
temperature warning is displayed.
The following situations can cause the transmission to
operate at higher temperatures:
·Towing a trailer
·Hot outside air temperatures
·Hauling a large or heavy load
·Low transmission ¯uid level
·High transmission ¯uid level
·Restricted air ¯ow to the radiator and the auxiliary
transmission oil cooler.
A temporary solution to hotter transmission operating
temperatures may be to let the transmission cool down.
If the transmission is operated at higher temperatures
on a frequent basis, see
Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-4for the proper transmission maintenance
intervals.
3-63

Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCKžis designed to discourage theft of your
radio. The feature works automatically by learning
a portion of the Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN).
If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will
not operate and LOCKED will appear on the display.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that THEFTLOCK
žis armed.
With THEFTLOCK
žactivated, your radio will not operate
if stolen.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
You can control certain radio functions using the buttons
on your steering wheel.
g(OnStar/Voice Recognition):If your vehicle has
OnStarž, you can press this button to interact with
the OnStaržsystem. See the OnStaržmanual provided
with your vehicle for more information.
If your vehicle does not have OnStar
ž, pressing this
button will mute the audio system.
3-85

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Manual Selectable Ride...................................4-9
Steering......................................................4-10
QUADRASTEERŸ........................................4-12
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-15
Passing.......................................................4-15
Loss of Control.............................................4-17
Operating Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle Off
Paved Roads............................................4-18
Driving at Night............................................4-32
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-33
City Driving..................................................4-36Freeway Driving...........................................4-37
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-38
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-39
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-40
Winter Driving..............................................4-42
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow...................................................4-46
Towing..........................................................4-48
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-48
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-48
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-48
Truck-Camper Loading Information..................4-55
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-57
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab..................4-57
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-58
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. See
Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-38
.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights
and chime will come on each time the ignition is turned
on until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for
service.Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here's what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
4-7

The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.Remember: Anti-lock does not change the time you
need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to
the vehicle in front of you, you will not have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down ®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
4-8