GMC Denali 2004 User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts .............................................. 1-8
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-29
Air Bag Systems ...................................... 1-62
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-79
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-6
Windows ................................................. 2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-18
Mirrors .................................................... 2-31
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-36
HomeLink
®
Transmitter ............................. 2-38
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-42
Vehicle Personalization ............................. 2-45
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-2
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-19
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators ......... 3-27
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-46
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-64
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-48
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood ................. 5-8
All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-46
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-47
Front Axle ............................................... 5-48
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-49
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-58
Tires ...................................................... 5-59
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-96
Vehicle Identification ............................... 5-104
Electrical System .................................... 5-105
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-114
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-10
Index ................................................................ 1
2004 GMC Sierra Denali Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, GMC, the
GMC Truck Emblem and the names 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.
Canadian Owners
You can obtain a French copy of this manual from your
dealer or from:
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 will find
that pictures and words work together to explain things.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what
is in the manual, and the page number where you will
find it.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. S2415 A First Edition ©Copyright General Motors Corporation 06/23/03 All Rights Reserved
ii

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.
A notice will 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 has 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:
•Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
•Features and Controls in Section 2
•Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
•Climate Controls in Section 3
•Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators in Section 3
•Audio System(s) in Section 3
•Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

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

✍NOTES
vi

Front Seats ......................................................1-3
Power Seats ..................................................1-3
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-4
Heated Seats .................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-5
Head Restraints .............................................1-7
Rear Seats .......................................................1-8
Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-8
Safety Belts .....................................................1-8
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-8
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-13
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-14
Driver Position ..............................................1-14
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-21
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-22
Center Passenger Position .............................1-22
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-24
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults .......................................1-27
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-29
Child Restraints .............................................1-29
Older Children ..............................................1-29
Infants and Young Children ............................1-32
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-36
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-39
Top Strap ....................................................1-40
Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-42
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System (Rear) ...............................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System (Front) ...............................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position ............................................1-51
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Rear
Seat Position ............................................1-54
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position ............................................1-56
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Air Bag Systems ............................................1-62
Where Are the Air Bags? ...............................1-64
When Should an Air Bag Inflate? ....................1-65
What Makes an Air Bag Inflate? .....................1-66
How Does an Air Bag Restrain? .....................1-66
What Will You See After an Air Bag
Inflates? ...................................................1-66
Air Bag Off Switch ........................................1-68
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-73
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle .........1-78
Adding Equipment to Your Air Bag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-78
Restraint System Check ..................................1-79
Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-79
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a
Crash ......................................................1-80
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-2

Front Seats
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 Seatbacks on
page 1-5
.
1-3

Power Lumbar
You can increase or
decrease lumbar support
in an area of the lower
seatback.
To increase support, press and hold the front of the
control. To 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.
To increase support, press and hold the top of the
control. To 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.
Your vehicle may have a memory function which allows
seat settings to be saved and recalled. See
Memory
Seat on page 2-45
for more information.
Heated Seats
The buttons used to
control this feature are
located on the front doors.
The engine must be
running for the heated seat
feature to work.
To heat the entire seat, press the horizontal button with
the heated seat symbol. Press the button to cycle
through the temperature settings of high, medium and
low and to turn the heated seat off. Indicator lights
will glow to designate the level of heat selected, three
for high, two for medium, and one for low.
The low setting warms the seatback and cushion until
the seat temperature is near body temperature. The
medium and high settings heat the seatback and seat
cushion to a slightly higher temperature. You will be able
to feel heat in about two minutes.
1-4

To heat only the seatback, press the vertical button with
the heated seatback symbol. An indicator light on the
seatback button will glow to designate that only the
seatback is being heated. Additional presses of
the seatback button will cycle through the heat levels for
the seatback only. Press the horizontal button again
to heat the whole seat.
The heated front seats will shut off automatically when
the ignition is turned off.
Reclining 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.
1-5

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.
1-6

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.
To raise the head restraint pull up on the head restraint.
To lower the head restraint, press the release button
while you push the head restraint down.
The head restraints tilt forward and rearward also.
To 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.
1-7

Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
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. To 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.
Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are 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.
{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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-8

CAUTION: (Continued)
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.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-29
.
In most states and in all 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!
1-9

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.
Put someone on it.
1-10

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop. The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...
1-11

or the instrument panel... 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.
1-12

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
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 – not instead of them. Every air bag
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.
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 – even one that isn’t your fault – you and
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.
1-13

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
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
Older Children on page 1-29
or Infants and Young Children on page 1-32 . 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. To see
how, see “Seats” in the Index.
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.
1-14