2009 GMC ACADIA brake light

Keep the windshield and all glass
on your vehicle clean — inside
and out.
Keep your eyes moving,
especially during turns or curves.
No one can see as well at night as
in the daytime. But, as we get
older, these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver might need
at least twice as much light to see
the same thing at night as a
20-year-old.
Driving in Rain and on
Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce
vehicle traction and affect your
ability to stop and accelerate.
Always drive slower in these types
of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and
deep-standing or owing water.
{CAUTION
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a
quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
owing water could cause your
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to drive
through owing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under your vehicle’s
tires so they actually ride on
the water. This can happen if the
road is wet enough and you
are going fast enough. When your
vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or
no contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is
to slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
Allow extra following distance.
Pass with caution.
Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
Keep the windshield washer uid
reservoir lled.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. SeeTires on page 5-35.
Turn off cruise control.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-11

Basic Trailer Wiring
The trailer wiring harness, with a
seven-pin connector, is located
at the rear of the vehicle and is
tied to the vehicle’s frame.
The harness connector can be
plugged into a seven-pin universal
heavy-duty trailer connector
available through your
dealer/retailer.
The seven-wire harness contains
the following trailer circuits:
Yellow: Left Stop/Turn Signal
Dark Green: Right Stop/Turn
Signal
Brown: Taillamps
Black: Ground
Light Green: Back-up Lamps
Red/Black: Battery Feed
Dark Blue: Trailer Brake*
*The fuse for this circuit is installed
in the underhood electrical center,
but the wires are not connected.
They should be connected by your
dealer/retailer or a qualied
service center.
If the back-up lamp circuit is not
functional, contact your
dealer/retailer.If a remote (non-vehicle) battery is
being charged, press the Tow/Haul
mode switch located on the center
console near the climate controls.
This will boost the vehicle system
voltage and properly charge the
battery. If the trailer is too light for
Tow/Haul mode, turn on the
headlamps (Non-HID only) as a
second way to boost the vehicle
system and charge the battery.
Engine Cooling When Trailer
Towing
The cooling system may temporarily
overheat during severe operating
conditions. SeeEngine Overheating
on page 5-21.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-33

Brakes
Brake Fluid
The brake master cylinder reservoir
is lled with DOT-3 brake uid.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview
on page 5-10for the location of
the reservoir.There are only two reasons why the
brake uid level in the reservoir
might go down:
The brake uid level goes down
because of normal brake lining
wear. When new linings are
installed, the uid level goes
back up.
A uid leak in the brake hydraulic
system can also cause a low uid
level. Have the brake hydraulic
system xed, since a leak means
that sooner or later the brakes will
not work well.
Do not top off the brake uid.
Adding uid does not correct a leak.
If uid is added when the linings are
worn, there will be too much uid
when new brake linings are installed.
Add or remove brake uid, as
necessary, only when work is done
on the brake hydraulic system.
{CAUTION
If too much brake uid is added, it
can spill on the engine and burn, if
the engine is hot enough. You or
others could be burned, and the
vehicle could be damaged. Add
brake uid only when work is done
on the brake hydraulic system.
When the brake uid falls to a low
level, the brake warning light comes
on. SeeBrake System Warning
Light on page 3-38.
Service and Appearance Care 5-25

Some driving conditions or climates
can cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are rst applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean
something is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are
necessary to help prevent brake
pulsation. When tires are rotated,
inspect brake pads for wear and
evenly tighten wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to torque
specications inCapacities and
Specifications on page 5-96.
Brake linings should always be
replaced as complete axle sets.Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer/retailer if the brake
pedal does not return to normal
height, or if there is a rapid increase
in pedal travel. This could be a sign
that brake service might be required.
Brake Adjustment
Every time the brakes are applied,
with or without the vehicle moving,
the brakes adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is
complex. Its many parts have to be
of top quality and work well together
if the vehicle is to have really good
braking. The vehicle was designedand tested with top-quality brake
parts. When parts of the braking
system are replaced — for example,
when the brake linings wear down
and new ones are installed — be
sure to get new approved
replacement parts. If this is not
done, the brakes might not work
properly. For example, if someone
puts in brake linings that are wrong
for the vehicle, the balance between
the front and rear brakes can
change — for the worse. The braking
performance expected can change
in many other ways if the wrong
replacement brake parts are
installed.
Service and Appearance Care 5-27

Notice:Ignoring these steps
could result in costly damage to
your vehicle that would not
be covered by your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle
by pushing or pulling it will
not work, and it could damage
your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must
have a 12-volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice:If the other vehicle’s
system is not a 12-volt system
with a negative ground, both
vehicles can be damaged. Only
use vehicles with 12-volt systems
with negative grounds to jump
start your vehicle.2. Get the vehicles close enough so
the jumper cables can reach, but
be sure the vehicles are not
touching each other. If they are, it
could cause a ground connection
you do not want. You would not
be able to start your vehicle, and
the bad grounding could damage
the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the
vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake rmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start
procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in P (Park) or a
manual transmission in Neutral
before setting the parking brake.
If one of the vehicles is a
four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure
the transfer case is not in Neutral.Notice:If you leave the radio
or other accessories on during
the jump starting procedure,
they could be damaged. The
repairs would not be covered
by the warranty. Always turn off
the radio and other accessories
when jump starting the vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Unplug unnecessary
accessories plugged into the
cigarette lighter or the accessory
power outlets. Turn off the radio
and all lamps that are not needed.
This will avoid sparks and help
save both batteries. And it could
save the radio!
Service and Appearance Care 5-29

Additionally, if your vehicle has
electronic systems such as anti-lock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can be affected.
{CAUTION
If you add different sized wheels,
your vehicle may not provide an
acceptable level of performance
and safety if tires not
recommended for those wheels
are selected. You may increase
the chance that you will crash and
suffer serious injury. Only use GM
specic wheel and tire systems
developed for your vehicle, and
have them properly installed by
a GM certied technician.
SeeBuying New Tires on page 5-49
andAccessories and Modifications
on page 5-3for additional
information.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width.
For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires
by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter-type snow
tires, space-saver, or temporary
use spare tires, tires with nominalrim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on
a specied government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one
and a half (1.5) times as well
on the government course as a
tire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart signicantly from the
Service and Appearance Care 5-51

A
Accessories and
Modications...................... 5-3
Accessory Power Outlets......3-20
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle....1-60
Additives, Fuel...................... 5-5
Add-On Electrical
Equipment.......................5-89
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine.......5-15
Air Conditioning...........3-22, 3-25
Airbag
Passenger Status
Indicator.......................3-36
Readiness Light................3-36
Airbag System.....................1-48
Adding Equipment to
Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle........................1-60
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?.....................1-53
Passenger Sensing
System........................1-55
Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle........................1-59Airbag System (cont.)
What Makes an Airbag
Inate?........................1-53
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inates?........1-54
When Should an
Airbag Inate?..............1-51
Where Are the Airbags?.....1-50
All-Wheel Drive....................5-33
All-Wheel-Drive (AWD)
System............................. 4-7
Antilock Brake
System (ABS).................... 4-4
Antilock Brake, System
Warning Light...................3-39
Appearance Care
Aluminum or
Chrome-Plated Wheels . . . 5-86
Care of Safety Belts..........5-84
Chemical Paint Spotting.....5-88
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/
Lenses........................5-85
Fabric/Carpet...................5-83
Finish Care......................5-85
Finish Damage.................5-88
Instrument Panel, Vinyl,
and Other Plastic
Surfaces......................5-84Appearance Care (cont.)
Interior Cleaning...............5-81
Leather...........................5-83
Sheet Metal Damage........5-87
Tires...............................5-87
Underbody Maintenance....5-88
Washing Your Vehicle........5-84
Weatherstrips...................5-84
Windshield, Backglass,
and Wiper Blades..........5-86
Appointments, Scheduling
Service............................. 7-8
Audio System......................3-72
Audio Steering Wheel
Controls.....................3-121
Navigation/Radio System,
see Navigation Manual . . . 3-99
Radio Reception.............3-121
Rear Audio
Controller (RAC)..........3-120
Rear Seat Audio (RSA)....3-118
Setting the Clock..............3-73
Theft-Deterrent Feature....3-120
Audio System(s)..................3-74
Automatic Transmission
Fluid...............................5-16
Operation........................2-24
INDEX i-1

B
Battery...............................5-28
Electric Power
Management.................3-15
Run-Down Protection.........3-16
Bluetooth
®..........................3-99
Brake
Emergencies...................... 4-5
Brake Fluid.........................5-25
Brakes...............................5-25
System Warning Light.......3-38
Braking................................ 4-3
Braking in Emergencies.......... 4-5
Break-In, New Vehicle..........2-20
Bulb Replacement................5-33
Halogen Bulbs..................5-33
Headlamp Aiming..............5-33
License Plate Lamps.........5-34
Replacement Bulbs...........5-34
Buying New Tires.................5-49
C
Calibration..........................3-54
California Fuel....................... 5-5
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements....... 5-3
California Proposition 65
Warning............................ 5-3
Canadian Owners..................... ii
Capacities and
Specications...................5-96
Carbon
Monoxide........2-11, 2-30, 4-13
Care of
Safety Belts.....................5-84
Cargo Cover.......................2-52
Cargo Management System . . . 2-52
Cargo Tie Downs.................2-52
CD, MP3 ....................3-89, 3-93
Center Console
Storage Area....................2-49Chains, Tire........................5-54
Charging System Light..........3-37
Check
Engine Lamp...................3-41
Checking Things Under
the Hood ........................... 5-9
Chemical Paint Spotting........5-88
Child Restraints
Child Restraint Systems.....1-34
Infants and Young
Children.......................1-31
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children..................1-37
Older Children..................1-29
Securing a Child Restraint
in a Rear Seat Position....1-43
Securing a Child Restraint
in the Right Front
Seat Position................1-45
Where to Put the
Restraint......................1-35
i-2 INDEX