flat tire GMC SIERRA DENALI 2010 Owner's Guide

Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The tires and wheels on your vehicle were aligned and
balanced carefully at the factory to give you the longest
tire life and best overall performance. Adjustments to
wheel alignment and tire balancing will not be
necessary on a regular basis. However, if you notice
unusual tire wear or your vehicle pulling to one side or
the other, the alignment might need to be checked.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating when driving on a
smooth road, the tires and wheels might need to be
rebalanced. See your dealer/retailer for proper
diagnosis.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked, or badly
rusted or corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming loose,
the wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel nuts should be
replaced. If the wheel leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can sometimes be repaired).
See your dealer/retailer if any of these conditions exist.
Your dealer/retailer will know the kind of wheel
you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset, and be mounted the
same way as the one it replaces.If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts,
wheel nuts, or Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS)
sensors, replace them only with new GM original
equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to have the
right wheel, wheel bolts, wheel nuts, and TPMS sensors
for your vehicle.
{WARNING:
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel bolts,
or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be dangerous.
It could affect the braking and handling of your
vehicle, make your tires lose air and make you
lose control. You could have a collision in which
you or others could be injured. Always use the
correct wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel nuts for
replacement.
Notice: The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance, and tire or tire chain
clearance to the body and chassis.
See Changing a Flat Tire
on page 6‑86for more
information.
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Used Replacement Wheels
{WARNING:
Putting a used wheel on the vehicle is dangerous.
You cannot know how it has been used or how far
it has been driven. It could fail suddenly and
cause a crash. If you have to replace a wheel, use
a new GM original equipment wheel.
Tire Chains
{WARNING:
Do not use tire chains. There is not enough
clearance. Tire chains used on a vehicle without
the proper amount of clearance can cause
damage to the brakes, suspension, or other
vehicle parts. The area damaged by the tire
chains could cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and you or others may be injured in a
crash. Use another type of traction device only if
its manufacturer recommends it for use on the(Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
vehicle and tire size combination and road
conditions. Follow that manufacturer's
instructions. To help avoid damage to the vehicle,
drive slowly, re‐adjust or remove the device if it is
contacting the vehicle, and do not spin the
wheels. If you do find traction devices that will fit,
install them on the rear tires.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It is unusual for a tire to blowout while you are driving,
especially if you maintain your vehicle's tires properly.
If air goes out of a tire, it is much more likely to leak out
slowly. But if you should ever have a blowout, here are
a few tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire creates a drag that pulls
the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
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A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you would
use in a skid. In any rear blowout remove your foot from
the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop, well off the road if possible.
{WARNING:
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous without the
appropriate safety equipment and training. If a
jack is provided with the vehicle, it is designed
only for changing a flat tire. If it is used for
anything else, you or others could be badly
injured or killed if the vehicle slips off the jack. If a
jack is provided with the vehicle, only use it for
changing a flat tire.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use the
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on the hazard
warning flashers. See Hazard Warning Flashers
on
page 4‑3.
{WARNING:
Changing a tire can be dangerous. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over or fall on you or
other people. You and they could be badly injured
or even killed. Find a level place to change your
tire. To help prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in P (Park), or shift a manual transmission to
1 (First) or R (Reverse).
3. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the transfer case is in a drive gear –not in
N (Neutral).
(Continued)
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WARNING: (Continued)
4. Turn off the engine and do not restart whilethe vehicle is raised.
5. Do not allow passengers to remain in the vehicle.
To be even more certain the vehicle will not move,
put blocks at the front and rear of the tire farthest
away from the one being changed. That would be
the tire on the other side, at the opposite end of
the vehicle.
When the vehicle has a flat tire (B), use the following
example as a guide to assist you in the placement of
wheel blocks (A).
A. Wheel Block
B. Flat Tire
The following information explains how to use the jack
and change a tire.
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6. Tilt the tire toward the vehicle with some slack inthe cable to allow access to the tire/wheel
retainer (D). Separate the retainer from the guide
pin by sliding the retainer up the pin while pressing
down on the latch.
Once the retainer is separated from the pin, tilt the
retainer and pull it through the center of the wheel
along with the cable and latch.
7. Put the spare tire near the flat tire.
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Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
Use the following pictures and instructions to remove
the flat tire and raise the vehicle.
The tools you will be using include the jack (A), the
wheel blocks (B), the jack handle (C), the jack handle
extensions (D), and the wheel wrench (E).1. Do a safety check before proceeding. See Changing a Flat Tire
on page 6‑86for more
information.
2. Remove the center cap by placing the chisel end of the wheel wrench in the slot on the wheel and
gently prying the cap out.
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3. Use the wheel wrench to loosen all the wheel nuts.Turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise to loosen
the wheel nuts. Do not remove the wheel nuts yet.
{WARNING:
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous. If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get under a
vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.
{WARNING:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned can damage the vehicle and even
make the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to fit the jack
lift head into the proper location before raising the
vehicle.
4. Position the jack under the vehicle. If the flat tire is on the front of the vehicle, position the jack on the
frame behind the flat tire.
If the flat tire is on the rear, position the jack under
the rear axle between the spring anchor and the
shock absorber bracket.
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5. Remove all the wheelnuts and take off the
flat tire.
{WARNING:
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make wheel nuts
become loose after time. The wheel could
come off and cause an accident. When you
change a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
places where the wheel attaches to the
vehicle. In an emergency, you can use a
cloth or a paper towel to do this; but be sure
to use a scraper or wire brush later,
if needed, to get all the rust or dirt off. See
Changing a Flat Tire
on page 6‑86.
6. Remove any rust or dirtfrom the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.
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9. Tighten the nuts firmlyin a crisscross
sequence as shown by
turning the wheel
wrench clockwise.
When you reinstall the regular wheel and tire, you must
also reinstall the center cap. Place the cap on the wheel
and tap it into place until it seats flush with the wheel.
The cap only goes on one way. Be sure to line up the
tab on the center cap with the indentation on the wheel.
Secondary Latch System
This vehicle may have an underbody-mounted tire hoist
assembly equipped with a secondary latch system. It is
designed to stop the spare tire from suddenly falling off
your vehicle. For the secondary latch to work, the spare
must be installed with the valve stem pointing down.
See Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools
on
page 6‑100.
{WARNING:
Before beginning this procedure read all the
instructions. Failure to read and follow the
instructions could damage the hoist assembly and
you and others could get hurt. Read and follow
the instructions listed next.
To release the spare tire from the secondary latch:
1. Check under the vehicle to see if the
cable end is visible.
If the cable is not
visible proceed to
Step 6.
2. If it is visible, first try to tighten the cable by turning the wheel wrench clockwise until you hear two
clicks or feel it skip twice. You cannot overtighten
the cable.
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9. Position the center lift point of the jack under thecenter of the spare tire.
10. Turn the wrench clockwise to raise the jack until it lifts the end fitting.
11. Continue raising the jack until the spare tire stops moving upward and is held firmly in place. The
secondary latch has released and the spare tire is
balancing on the jack.
12. Lower the jack by turning the wheel wrench counterclockwise. Keep lowering the jack until the
spare tire slides off the jack or is hanging by the
cable.
{WARNING:
Someone standing too close during the procedure
could be injured by the jack. If the spare tire does
not slide off the jack completely, make sure no
one is behind you or on either side of you as you
pull the jack out from under the spare.
13. Disconnect the jack handle from the jack and carefully remove the jack. Use one hand to push
against the spare while firmly pulling the jack out
from under the spare tire with the other hand.
If the spare tire is hanging from the cable, insert
the hoist end of extension, and wheel wrench into
the hoist shaft hole in the bumper and turn the
wheel wrench counterclockwise to lower the spare
the rest of the way.
14. Turn the wheel wrench in the hoist shaft hole in the bumper clockwise to raise the cable back up if the
cable is hanging under the vehicle.
Have the hoist assembly inspected as soon as you can.
You will not be able to store a spare or flat tire using the
hoist assembly until it has been inspected and/or
replaced.
To continue changing the flat tire, see Removing the
Flat Tire and Installing the Spare Tire on page 6‑92.
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