2009 GMC SAVANA instrument panel

Seats and Restraint System............................. 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-6
Safety Belts
.............................................1-10
Child Restraints
.......................................1-30
Airbag System
.........................................1-58
Restraint System Check
............................1-78
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-6
Windows
.................................................2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-19
Mirrors
....................................................2-32
Storage Areas
.........................................2-34
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-19
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-24
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-43
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-65
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle
....... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-24Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-12
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-44
Rear Axle
...............................................5-45
Front Axle
...............................................5-46
Noise Control System
...............................5-47
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-48
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-53
Tires
......................................................5-54
Appearance Care
.....................................5-96
Vehicle Identification
...............................5-103
Electrical System
....................................5-104
Capacities and Specifications
...................5-110
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-14
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-16
Index................................................................ 1
2009 GMC Savana Owner ManualM

The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...or the instrument panel...
1-13

When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint which may be on
the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this
manual. The child restraint instructions are important,
so if they are not available, obtain a replacement
copy from the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in the vehicle — even when no child
is in it.
Securing the Child Within the Child
Restraint
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly following the
instructions that came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics, children and infants
are safer when properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system secured in a rear
seating position.
We recommend that children and child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a
child riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding
in a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in
a booster seat; and children, who are large enough,
using safety belts.
If a child restraint is secured in the right front passenger
seat, there may be a switch on the instrument panel
to manually turn off the right front passenger airbag.
SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-68andSecuring
a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position
(With Passenger Sensing System) on page 1-50or
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat
Position (With Airbag On-Off Switch) on page 1-54
for more information, including important safety
information.
1-39

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
(With Airbag On-Off Switch)
The vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-39.
There is a switch on the instrument panel that you can
use to turn off the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-68for more
information, including important safety information.
A label on the sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag inflates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the
inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag inflates and the passenger
seat is in a forward position.
Even if the airbag switch has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, no system is
fail-safe. No one can guarantee that an airbag will
not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat,
even if the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat,
always move the front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
1-54

Airbag System
The vehicle has the following airbag:
•A frontal airbag for the driver.
The vehicle may have the following airbags:
•A frontal airbag for the right front passenger.
•A roof-rail airbag for the driver (cargo van).
•A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger
position (cargo or passenger van equipped
with a sliding door).
If you have a passenger van with a right front
passenger roof-rail airbag and a sliding door,
you will also have a separate roof-rail airbag for
the passenger seated directly behind the right
front passenger and the third row outboard
passenger position.
•A roof-rail airbag for the driver, passenger seated
directly behind the driver, and the third row
outboard passenger position (passenger van
equipped with a sliding or hinged door).
•A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger,
passenger seated directly behind the right
front passenger, and the third row outboard
passenger position (passenger van equipped with
a hinged door).
All of the airbags in the vehicle will have the word
AIRBAG embossed in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on the
middle part of the steering wheel for the driver and
on the instrument panel for the right front passenger.
With roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear
along the headliner or trim.
Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
1-58

{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer
protection for adults and older children, but not for
young children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s
safety belt system nor its airbag 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, seeOlder Children
on page 1-30orInfants and Young Children on
page 1-33.There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-27
for more information.
1-60

Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.If the vehicle has one, the right front passenger airbag
is in the instrument panel on the passenger side.
1-61

The vehicle may or may not have roof-rail airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-58. Roof-rail airbags are
intended to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes.
In addition, these roof-rail airbags are intended to inflate
during a rollover. Roof-rail airbags will inflate if the crash
severity is above the system’s designed threshold level.
The threshold level can vary with specific vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not intended to inflate in frontal
impacts, near-frontal impacts, or rear impacts.
All roof-rail airbags will deploy when either side of
the vehicle is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, inflation is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. For roof-rail airbags,
deployment is determined by the location and severity of
the side impact.What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends
an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from
the inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag
causing the bag to break out of the cover and deploy.
The inflator, the airbag, and related hardware are all
part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the
steering wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles
with roof-rail airbags, there are airbag modules in the
ceiling of the vehicle, near the side windows for the first,
second, and third rows (if equipped). SeeWhere Are
the Airbags? on page 1-61for more information.
1-65