GMC SIERRA DENALI 2002 User Manual

The 2002 GMC Sierra Denali Owner’s Manual

1-1 Seats and Restraint Systems

This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the air bag system.

2-1 Features and Controls

This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.

3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems

This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.

4-1 Your Driving and the Road

Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.

5-1 Problems on the Road

This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.

6-1 Service and Appearance Care

Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.

7-1 Maintenance Schedule

This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.

8-1 Customer Assistance Information

This section tells you how to contact GMC for assistance and how to get service and owner publications. It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8

-10.

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, GMC, the GMC Truck Emblem and the name SIERRA and DENALI are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.

This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited” for GMC whenever it appears in this manual.

Please keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be there if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If you sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it.

We support voluntary technician certification.

For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual:

Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous

procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez votre concessionaire ou au:

Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207

How to Use this Manual

Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you do this, it will help you learn about the features and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly.

Safety Warnings and Symbols

You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning.

CAUTION:

These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people.

In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t, you or others could be hurt.

You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means “Don’t,” “Don’t do this” or “Don’t let this happen.”

iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings

Also, in this book you will find these notices:

NOTICE:

These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle.

In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help avoid the damage.

When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words.

You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.

Vehicle Symbols

Your vehicle may be equipped with components and labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle, are shown along with the text describing the operation or information relating to a specific component, control, message, gage or indicator.

If you need help figuring out a specific name of a component, gage or indicator reference the following topics in the Index:

“Engine Compartment Overview”

“Instrument Panel”

“Comfort Controls”

“Audio Systems”

Also see “Warning Lights and Gages” in the Index.

These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle:

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

Here you’ll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts.

-2 Seats and Seat Controls

-8 Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone

-12 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About

Safety Belts

-13 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

1 1

-13 Driver Position

-21 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

-22 Right Front Passenger Position

1 1

-22 Air Bag System

-32 Center Passenger Position

-- and the Answers

-34 Rear Seat Passengers

1 1

-37 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children

and Small Adults

1-39 Children

-43 Restraint Systems for Children

1 1

-63 Older Children

-66 Safety Belt Extender

-66 Checking Your Restraint Systems

1 1

-67 Replacing Restraint System Parts

After a Crash

1-1

Seats and Seat Controls

This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them, and fold them up and down. It also tells you about reclining front seatbacks and head restraints.

Power Seats

Horizontal Control: You can adjust your vehicle’s front

seats with the horizontal control located on the outboard edge of each front seat.

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 Front Seatbacks” later in this section.

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Power Lumbar Control

Memory Seat

Use the lumbar control, located on the outboard side of the seat, to increase or decrease lumbar support in an area of the lower seatback.

T o increase support, press and hold the front of the control. T o decrease support, press and hold the rear of the control. Let go of the control when the lower seatback reaches the desired level of support.

You can also reshape the side wing area of the lower seatback for more lateral support.

T o increase support, press and hold the top of the control. T o decrease support, press and hold the bottom of the control. Let go of the control when the lower seatback reaches the desired level of support.

The controls for the memory seat are located on the driver’s door trim panel.

The memory function can recall preset positions for the driver’s seat cushion and the recliner. The memory function does not store the lumbar or back support positions.

T o set your memory seat do the following:

1. Adjust the driver’s seat to the desired position.

2. Press the SET button and then press the 1 or 2 button of the memory control within five seconds.

When your vehicle is in PARK (P), press the same button of the memory control to recall the seat setting.

T o do the same thing for a second driver, follow the preceding steps, but press the other number of the memory control. The memory feature only works when the transmission is in PARK (P).

1-3

Heated Front Seats

The button for the driver’s side heated seat is located on the driver’s side door panel. The button for the passenger’s side heated seat is located on the passenger’s side door panel.

The ignition must be in RUN for this feature to operate. T o activate the heated seats, press the button once for

the HI heat setting. Press the button again for the LO heat setting. T o turn off the heated seats, press the button a third time. An indicator light will illuminate for each heat setting anytime the heated seats are operating.

The heated front seats will be canceled after the ignition is turned to OFF. If you still want to use the heated front seat feature after you restart your vehicle, you will need to press the heated seat button again.

Reclining Front 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.

1-4

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.

CAUTION:

Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job when you’re reclined like this.

The shoulder belt can’t do its job. In a crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries.

The lap belt can’t do its job either. In a crash the belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries.

For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.

1-5

Head Restraints

Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.

The head restraints tilt forward and rearward also. T o tilt the head restraint forward, grasp the top of the

restraint and move it forward until you hear a click. It will then be locked into that position until you need to move it again. Pulling it forward past the last position will allow the restraint to return to the upright position.

1-6

Rear Seat

Folding the Rear Seat

The rear seat can be folded up to provide more cargo space. To fold the seat do the following:

1. Pull forward on the release strap located under the rear seat cushion.

2. Fold the seat cushion upward until it latches with the seatback.

3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure the seat is secure.

The rear seat can be folded open for more seating space. T o use the seat do the following:

1. Push rearward on the seat cushion while pulling up on the release strap under the seat cushion.

2. Pull the seat cushion downward until it latches.

3. After pulling the seat cushion down, pull up on it to make sure it is locked.

1-7

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone

This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts.

And it explains the air bag system.

CAUTION:

Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts are fastened properly too.

CAUTION:

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly.

1-8

Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. See “Safety Belt Reminder Light” in the Index.

In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here’s why: They work.

You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.

A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away . Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.

After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter ... a lot!

Why Safety Belts Work

When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.

T ake the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on wheels.

1-9

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider

doesn’t stop.

1-10

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...

or the instrument panel ...

1-11

or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.

You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why safety belts make such good sense.

Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts

Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an

accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?

-- and the Answers

A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety

belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you’re upside down. And your chance of being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted.

Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to

wear safety belts?

A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in

most of them in the future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety belts system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions.

-- not instead of them. Every air bag

1-12

Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from

home, why should I wear safety belts?

A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an

accident your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers.

Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h).

Safety belts are for everyone.

-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

Adults

This part is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about

safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in your vehicle, see the part of this manual called “Children.” Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.

First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has.

We’ll start with the driver position.

Driver Position

This part describes the driver’s restraint system.

Lap-Shoulder Belt

The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it properly.

1. Close and lock the door.

2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. T o see how , see “Seats” in the Index.

1-13

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don’t let it get twisted.

The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly.

4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.

If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender” at the end of this section.

Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

5. T o make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.

1-14

The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.

The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

1-15

Q: What’s wrong with this?

A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly

as much protection this way.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should fit against your body.

1-16

Q: What’s wrong with this?

A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt is buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash, the belt would go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at the pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.

1-17

Q: What’s wrong with this?

A: The belt is over an armrest.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt goes over an armrest like this. The belt would be much too high. In a crash, you can slide under the belt. The belt force would then be applied at the abdomen, not at the pelvic bones, and that could cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.

1-18

Q: What’s wrong with this?

A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should

be worn over the shoulder at all times.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your body would move too far forward, which would increase the chance of head and neck injury. Also, the belt would apply too much force to the ribs, which aren’t as strong as shoulder bones. You could also severely injure internal organs like your liver or spleen.

1-19

Q: What’s wrong with this?

A: The belt is twisted across the body.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your dealer to fix it.

1-20

T o unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. The belt should go back out of the way.

Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the way . If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the belt and your vehicle.

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be seriously injured if they don’t wear safety belts.

A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.

1-21

The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making safety belts effective is wearing them properly.

Here are the most important things to know about the air bag system:

CAUTION:

Right Front Passenger Position

T o learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt properly, see “Driver Position” earlier in this section.

The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same way as the driver’s safety belt If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the belt out all the way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and start again.

-- except for one thing.

Air Bag System

This part explains the air bag system. Your vehicle has air bags

and another air bag for the right front passenger. Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of

injury from the force of an inflating air bag. But these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job and comply with federal regulations.

1-22

-- one air bag for the driver

You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if you aren’t wearing your safety belt have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Air bags are designed to work with safety belts, but don’t replace them. Air bags are designed to work only in moderate to severe crashes where the front of your vehicle hits something. They aren’t designed to inflate at all in rollover, rear or low

-speed frontal crashes, or in many side

crashes. And, for some unrestrained occupants, air bags may provide less protection in frontal crashes than more forceful air bags have provided in the past. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt properly not there’s an air bag for that person.

-- even if you

-- whether or

CAUTION:

Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the blink of an eye. If you’re too close to an inflating air bag, as you would be if you were leaning forward, it could seriously injure you. Safety belts help keep you in position before and during a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with air bags. The driver should sit as far back as possible while still maintaining control of the vehicle.

CAUTION:

CAUTION: (Continued)

Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its air bag system is designed for them. Young children and infants need the protection that a child restraint system can provide. Always secure children properly in your vehicle. To read how, see the part of this manual called “Children.”

There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument panel, which shows the air bag symbol.

Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Air bags plus lap the best protection for adults, but not for young children and infants.

-shoulder belts offer

CAUTION: (Continued)

The system checks the air bag electrical system for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical problem. See “Air Bag Readiness Light” in the Index for more information.

1-23

How the Air Bag System Works

Where are the air bags?

The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel.

The right front passenger’s air bag is in the instrument panel on the passenger’s side.

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