GMC SIERRA DENALI 2004 Manual PDF

{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not in¯ate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
in¯ating air bag must be kept clear. Don't put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don't attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?
An air bag is designed to in¯ate in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash. The air bag will in¯ate
only if the impact speed is above the system's designed
ªthreshold level.º
In addition, your vehicle has ªdual stageº frontal air
bags, which adjust the amount of restraint according to
crash severity. For moderate frontal impacts, these
air bags in¯ate at a level less than full deployment.For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall
that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level for the
reduced deployment is about 10 to 16 mph
(16 to 25 km/h), and the threshold level for a full
deployment is about 20 to 25 mph (32 to 40 km/h).
The threshold level can vary, however, with speci®c
vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above
or below this range.
If your vehicle strikes something that will move or
deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will be
higher. The air bag is not designed to in¯ate in
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts because
in¯ation would not help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have in¯ated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
In¯ation is determined by the angle of the impact
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. See ªOff-Road
Drivingº in the Index for more tips on off-road driving.
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Seat Position Sensors
Vehicle's with dual stage air bags are also equipped
with special sensors which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of both the driver and passenger
front seats. The seat position sensor provides
information which is used to determine if the air bags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full depoyment.
What Makes an Air Bag In¯ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
in¯ator, which in¯ates the air bag. The in¯ator, air bag,
and related hardware are all part of the air bag
modules inside the steering wheel and in the instrument
panel in front of the right front passenger.
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
In¯ates?
After an air bag in¯ates, it quickly de¯ates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
in¯ated. 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 de¯ated air bags. Air
bag in¯ation does not prevent the driver from seeing or
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
When an air bag in¯ates, 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
in¯ates, 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 in¯ate 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 in¯ate only once. After
they in¯ate, you will need some new parts for
your air bag system. If you do not get them, the air
bag system will not be there to help protect you
in another crash. A new system will include air bagmodules 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 air
bag in¯ation. 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 quali®ed technicians work on your air bag
systems. Improper service can mean that an air
bag system will not 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.
1-67

Air Bag Off Switch
Your vehicle has a switch on the instrument panel that
you can use to turn off the right front passenger's
air bag. The switch will look like one of the following
illustrations.
United States with Passenger Sensing System
United States without Passenger Sensing System
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This switch should only be turned to AIR BAG OFF if
the person in the right front passenger's position is
a member of a passenger risk group identi®ed by the
national government as follows: Canada with Passenger Sensing System
Canada without Passenger Sensing System
1-69

Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old)
must ride in the front seat because:
·
my vehicle has no rear seat;
·my vehicle has a rear seat too small to
accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or
·the infant has a medical condition which, according
to the infant's physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child's condition.
Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:
·
my vehicle has no rear seat;
·although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear
seat(s) whenever possible, children ages 1 to 12
sometimes must ride in the front because no space
is available in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
·the child has a medical condition which, according
to the child's physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child's condition.
Medical Condition. A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his
or her physician:
·
causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and
·makes the potential harm from the passenger air
bag in a crash greater than the potential harm
from turning off the air bag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard or
windshield in a crash.
{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger's air bag is turned
off for a person who isn't in a risk group
identi®ed by the national government, that
person won't have the extra protection of an
air bag. In a crash, the air bag wouldn't be able
to in¯ate and help protect the person sitting
there. Don't turn off the passenger's air bag
unless the person sitting there is in a risk
group. See ªAir Bag Off Switchº in the Index
for more on this, including important safety
information.
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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.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag 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 in¯ate even though the switch is off. If
this ever happens, don't let anyone whom the
national government has identi®ed 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. United States with
Passenger Sensing
System
United States without
Passenger Sensing
System
Canada with Passenger
Sensing SystemCanada without
Passenger Sensing
System
1-71

To turn the right front passenger's air bag on again,
insert your ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the AUTO position. United States with
Passenger Sensing
System
United States without
Passenger Sensing
SystemCanada with Passenger
Sensing SystemCanada without
Passenger Sensing
System
1-72

Passenger Sensing System
If your rearview mirror has one of the indicators pictured
in the following illustrations, your vehicle has a
passenger sensing system. The indicator will be visible
when you turn your ignition key to RUN or START.
The words ON and OFF or the symbol for on and off,
will be visible on the rearview mirror during the system
check. When the system check is complete, either
the word ON or the word OFF, or the symbol for on or
the symbol for off will be visible. See
Passenger Air
Bag Status Indicator on page 3-33. If your rearview
mirror does not have either of the indicators pictured
below, then your vehicle does not have the passenger
sensing system.The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger's frontal air bag under certain
conditions. The driver's air bag is not part of the
passenger sensing system. In addition to the passenger
sensing system, your vehicle also has an air bag off
switch located on the instrument panel.
The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger's seat and safety
belt. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of
a properly seated occupant and determine if the
passenger's frontal air bag should be enabled (may
in¯ate) or not.
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator ± United States
Passenger Air
Bag Status
Indicator-Canada
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Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors recommends that child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including an infant riding in a
rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat and an older child riding in a booster seat.
Never put a child in a rear-facing child restraint in
the right front passenger seat unless the passenger air
bag status indicator shows off. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger seat unless the
air bag is off.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag in¯ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the in¯ating air bag.
Be sure the air bag is off before using a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front
seat position.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger's frontal air
bag if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no one
can guarantee that an air bag will not deploy
under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off. General Motors
recommends that rear-facing child restraints
be secured in a rear seat whenever possible,
even if the air bag is off.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger's frontal air bag if:
·the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
·the system determines that an infant is present in a
rear-facing infant seat
·the system determines that a small child is present
in a forward-facing child restraint
·the system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat
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