automatic transmission GMC SIERRA DENALI 2018 Owners Manual

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
In Brief 5
In Brief Instrument Panel Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Initial Drive Information Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . 8
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Heated and Ventilated Seats . . . 13
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 14
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Passenger Sensing System . . . 14
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 16
Throttle and Brake Pedal
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 19
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Vehicle Features Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . . . 25
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . 26
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Forward Automatic
Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . 28
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . 28
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Universal Remote System . . . . . 29
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Performance and Maintenance Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . . . 31
Fuel (Gasoline - Except
L86 6.2L Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Fuel (Gasoline - L86 6.2L
Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Fuel (Diesel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . 32
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Roadside Assistance
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
In Brief 71. Instrument Panel Illumination
Control 0 182 .
2. Integrated Trailer Brake Control
(ITBC) System (If Equipped).
See Towing Equipment 0 325 .
3. Exterior Lamp Controls 0 176 .
Fog Lamps 0 181 (If
Equipped).
4. Air Vents 0 231 .
5. Turn Signal Lever. See Turn
and Lane-Change Signals
0 181 .
Windshield Wiper/Washer
0 130 .
6. Favorite Switches (Out of
View). See Steering Wheel
Controls 0 129 .
Volume Switches (Out of View).
See Steering Wheel Controls
0 129 .
7. Instrument Cluster 0 138 .
8. Hazard Warning Flashers
0 180 .
9. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission 0 265 . Tow/Haul Selector Button (If
Equipped). See Tow/Haul
Mode 0 271 .
Range Selection Mode (If
Equipped). See Manual Mode
0 268 .
10. Light Sensor. See Automatic
Headlamp System 0 179 .
11. Infotainment 0 186 .
12. Passenger Airbag On-Off
Switch (If Equipped) (Out of
View). See Airbag On-Off
Switch 0 84 .
13. Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats 0 65 (If Equipped).
14. Power Outlet 110/120V
Alternating Current (If
Equipped). See Power Outlets
0 133 .
15. Power Outlets 0 133 (If
Equipped).
16. USB Port 0 197 (If Equipped).
17.
g Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0 282 .0 Pedal Adjust Switch (If
Equipped). See Adjustable
Throttle and Brake Pedal
0 256 .
{ Cargo Lamp 0 183 .
X Parking Assist Button (If
Equipped). See Assistance
Systems for Parking or Backing
0 289 .
A Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
(1500 Series) 0 297 (If
Equipped).
5 Hill Descent Control Switch
(If Equipped). See Hill Descent
Control (HDC) 0 284 .
q Exhaust Brake Switch (If
Equipped). See “ Exhaust
Brake ” in the Duramax diesel
supplement.
g Power Take Off (PTO)
Switch (If Equipped). See the
Duramax diesel supplement.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
22 In Brief Dual Automatic Climate Control System
1. Driver Temperature Control
2. A/C (Air Conditioning)
3. Air Delivery Mode Controls
4. Fan Control
5. Defrost
6. Passenger Temperature
Control
7. SYNC (Synchronized
Temperature) 8. Rear Window Defogger
9. Power Button
10. Air Recirculation
11. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
See Dual Automatic Climate Control
System 0 228 . Transmission Range Selection Mode
The Range Selection Mode switch,
if equipped, is on the shift lever.
1. To enable the Range Selection
feature, move the shift lever to
the L (Manual Mode) position.
The current range will appear
next to the L. This is the
highest attainable range with
all lower gears accessible. As
an example, when 5 (Fifth)
gear is selected, 1 (First)
through 5 (Fifth) gears are
available.
2. Press the plus/minus buttons
on the shift lever to select the
desired range of gears for
current driving conditions. See
Manual Mode 0 268 .

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
Keys, Doors, and Windows 41Warning (Continued).
Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by
extreme heat and can suffer
permanent injuries or even
death from heat stroke.
Always lock the vehicle
whenever leaving it.
.
Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when you slow down or stop
the vehicle. Locking the
doors can help prevent this
from happening.
There are several ways to lock and
unlock the vehicle.
From outside, use the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter or
the key in the driver door.
From inside, use the power door
locks or manual door locks. To lock
or unlock the door with the manual
locks, push down or pull up on the
manual lock knob. From inside, pull the door handle
once to unlock the door. Pull the
handle again to open the door.
See Vehicle Alarm System 0 44 .
Power Door Locks
Crew/Double Cab Premium Trim
Shown, Other Models Similar
Q : Press to lock the doors.
K : Press to unlock the doors. Automatic Door Locks The doors will lock automatically
when all doors are closed, the
ignition is on, and the vehicle is
shifted out of P (Park).
If a vehicle door is unlocked, and
then opened and closed, the doors
will lock either when your foot is
removed from the brake or the
vehicle speed becomes faster than
13 km/h (8 mph).
To unlock the doors:
.
Press
K on the power door lock
switch.
.
Shift the transmission into
P (Park).
Automatic door locking cannot be
disabled. Automatic door unlocking
can be programmed. See Vehicle
Personalization 0 165 .

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
64 Seats and Restraints Save preferred memory feature
positions to both 1 and 2 if you are
the only driver.
Manually Recalling Memory
Positions
Press and hold 1, 2, or
B to recall
the previously stored memory
positions.
To stop manual recall movement,
release 1, 2, or
B . Recall can also
be stopped by pressing a power
seat, SET, power mirror control,
power steering wheel control,
or adjustable pedal control,
if memory equipped. The driver or
passenger side mirror must be
selected.
Auto Memory Recall
The vehicle identifies the number of
the current driver ’ s RKE transmitter
(1 – 8). See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation 0 37 . If the
RKE transmitter is 1 or 2, and Auto
Memory Recall is programmed on in
vehicle personalization, the
positions saved to the same
memory button number 1 or 2 are automatically recalled when the
ignition is turned on, or turned from
off to ACC/ACCESSORY. RKE
transmitters 3 – 8 will not provide
automatic memory recalls.
To turn Auto Memory Recall on or
off, see "Vehicle Personalization
Settings" previously in this section
and Vehicle Personalization 0 165 .
The transmission must be in
P (Park) to initiate Auto Memory
Recall. Auto Memory Recall will
complete if the vehicle is shifted out
of P (Park) prior to reaching the
stored memory position.
To stop Auto Memory Recall
movement, turn the ignition off or
press any of the following memory
controls:
.
Power seat
.
Memory SET, 1, 2, or
B.
Power mirror, with the driver or
passenger side mirror selected
.
Power steering wheel,
if equipped
.
Adjustable pedals, if equipped If the stored memory seat position
does not automatically recall or
recalls to the wrong positions, the
driver ’ s RKE transmitter number
(1 or 2) may not match the memory
button number that positions were
saved to. Try storing the position to
the other memory button or try the
other RKE transmitter.
Easy Exit Recall
Easy Exit Recall is not linked to an
RKE transmitter. The position stored
to
B is used for all drivers. To turn
Easy Exit Recall on or off, see
"Vehicle Personalization Settings"
previously in this section and
Vehicle Personalization 0 165 .
If turned on, the position saved to
B is automatically recalled when
one of the following occurs:
.
The vehicle is turned off and the
driver door is opened within a
short time.
.
The vehicle is turned off with the
driver door open.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
160 Instruments and Controls Transmission Fluid Temperature
The temperature of the automatic
transmission fluid displays in either
degrees Celsius (°C) or degrees
Fahrenheit (°F).
Trailer Brake
On vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
turn the trip odometer reset stem
until TRAILER GAIN and TRAILER
OUTPUT displays.
TRAILER GAIN shows the Trailer
Gain setting. This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected.
TRAILER OUTPUT shows the
power output to the trailer anytime a
trailer with electric brakes is
connected. Output is displayed as a
bar graph. Dashes may appear in
the TRAILER OUTPUT display if a
trailer is not connected.
Hourmeter
This display shows the total number
of hours the engine has run. Unit
This will change the displays on
the instrument cluster and DIC to
either metric or English (US)
measurements. To change the units,
press the trip odometer reset stem
when UNITS is displayed to enter
the Unit menu. Turn the trip
odometer reset stem to switch
between English and metric. Press
the trip odometer reset stem when
the desired setting is displayed.
Compass The vehicle may have a compass in
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
See Compass 0 131 .
Driver Information Center
(DIC) (Uplevel and Denali
Cluster) The DIC displays are shown in the
center of the instrument cluster in
the Info App. See Instrument Cluster
0 138 . The displays show the status
of many vehicle systems. The
controls for the DIC are on the right
steering wheel control. w or
x : Press to move up or
down in a list.
o or
p : Press to move between
the interactive display zones in the
cluster.
V : Press to open a menu or select
a menu item. Press and hold to
reset values on certain screens.
DIC Info Page Options
The info pages on the DIC can be
turned on or off through the
Options menu.
1. Press
o to access the cluster
applications.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
Instruments and Controls 163Economy Trend : Shows history of
the Average Fuel Economy from the
last 50 km (30 mi). Each bar
represents about 5 km (3 mi) of
driving. During driving the bars will
shift to always reflect the most
recent distance on the right side.
Press and hold
V to clear the graph
or press
p to reset through
the menu.
ECO Index : The bar graph
provides feedback on the efficiency
of current driving behavior. The
graph shows a value that is based
on current fuel consumption
compared to what is expected from
the vehicle with good and bad
driving habits. It also shows if the
Active Fuel Management is active
and in V4 mode, or inactive and in
V8 mode. See Active Fuel
Management 0 264 . Engine Hours : Shows the total
number of hours the engine has run.
This display also shows the engine
idle hours.
Trailer Brake : On vehicles with the
Integrated Trailer Brake Control
(ITBC) system, the trailer brake
display appears in the DIC.
TRAILER GAIN shows the trailer
gain setting. This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected.
OUTPUT shows the power output to
the trailer any time a trailer with
electric brakes is connected. Output
is displayed as a bar graph. Dashes
may appear in the OUTPUT display.
Speed Signs : Shows sign
information, which comes from a
roadway database in the onboard
navigation. Following Distance : Used to
select the alert timing for the
Forward Collision Alert (FCA). See
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System 0 292 .
Blank Page : Shows no
information.
Transmission Fluid Temperature
Gauge : Shows the temperature of
the automatic transmission fluid in
either degrees Celsius (°C) or
degrees Fahrenheit (°F).
Off Road : Displays vehicle pitch
and roll information, road wheel
angle, and four-wheel drive (4WD)
status.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
Lighting 179
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer Push the turn signal lever toward
the instrument panel to change the
headlamps from low to high beam.
Pull the turn signal lever toward you
and release it to return to low-beam
headlamps.
When the high-beam headlamps are
on, this indicator light on the
instrument cluster will also be on.
Flash-to-Pass This feature lets you use the
high-beam headlamps to signal a
driver in front of you that you want
to pass. It works even if the
headlamps are in the automatic
position. To use it, pull the turn signal lever
toward you, then release it.
If the headlamps are in the
automatic position or on low beam,
the high-beam headlamps will turn
on. Depending on the type of
headlamp, they will either turn off
after a short duration or stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward
you. The high-beam indicator on the
instrument cluster will come on.
Release the lever to return to
normal operation.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) DRL can make it easier for others to
see the front of the vehicle during
the day. Fully functional DRL are
required on all vehicles first sold in
Canada.
The DRL system comes on when
the following conditions are met:
.
The ignition is on.
.
The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO. .
The transmission is not in
P (Park).
.
The light sensor determines it is
daytime.
When the DRL system is on, only
the DRL are on. The taillamps,
sidemarker lamps, instrument panel
lights, and other lamps will not
be on.
When it begins to get dark, the
automatic headlamp system
switches from DRL to the
headlamps.
To turn off the DRL, turn the exterior
lamp control to
O and then release.
For vehicles first sold in Canada, off
will only work when the vehicle is
parked.
Automatic Headlamp
System When the exterior lamp control is
set to AUTO and it is dark enough
outside, the headlamps come on
automatically.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
234 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating Driving Information Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 244
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 245
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 247
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Truck-Camper Loading
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Starting and Operating New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 255
Adjustable Throttle and Brake
Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 260
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Active Fuel Management . . . . . 264
Engine Exhaust Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Automatic Transmission Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 265
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Drive Systems Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Brakes Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 282
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . 284
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Cruise Control Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Driver Assistance Systems Driver Assistance Systems . . . 288
Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 289
Assistance Systems for
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Forward Automatic
Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) (2500/3500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) (1500
Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Fuel Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 300
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349177) - 2018 - CRC - 10/17/17
Driving and Operating 241Warning (Continued)cause a rollover. You could be
injured or killed. Do not drive on
steep hills.
Before driving on a hill, assess the
steepness, traction, and
obstructions. If the terrain ahead
cannot be seen, get out of the
vehicle and walk the hill before
driving further.
When driving on hills:
.
Use a low gear and keep a firm
grip on the steering wheel.
.
Maintain a slow speed.
.
When possible, drive straight up
or down the hill.
.
Slow down when approaching
the top of the hill.
.
Use headlamps even during the
day to make the vehicle more
visible. { WarningDriving to the top of a hill at high
speed can cause an accident.
There could be a drop-off,
embankment, cliff, or even
another vehicle. You could be
seriously injured or killed. As you
near the top of a hill, slow down
and stay alert.
.
Never go downhill forward or
backward with either the
transmission or transfer case in
N (Neutral). The brakes could
overheat and you could lose
control.
{ Warning
If the vehicle has the two-speed
automatic or electronic transfer
case, shifting the transfer case to
N (Neutral) can cause your
vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in P (Park). This is
(Continued) Warning (Continued) because the N (Neutral) position
on the transfer case overrides the
transmission. You or someone
else could be injured. If leaving
the vehicle, set the parking brake
and shift the transmission to
P (Park). Shift the transfer case to
any position but N (Neutral).
.
When driving down a hill, keep
the vehicle headed straight
down. Use a low gear because
the engine will work with the
brakes to slow the vehicle and
help keep the vehicle under
control.
{ Warning
Heavy braking when going down
a hill can cause your brakes to
overheat and fade. This could
cause loss of control and you or
others could be injured or killed.
(Continued)