2009 GMC SAVANA steering

Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
To reduce the vehicle speed while using cruise control:
•Press and hold the SET– button on the steering
wheel until the desired lower speed is reached,
then release it.
•To slow down in very small amounts, press
the SET– button on the steering wheel briefly.
Each time this is done, the vehicle goes about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase the vehicle speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, the vehicle will
slow down to the previous set cruise speed.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work on hills depends
upon the vehicle speed, load, and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you might have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain the vehicle’s speed.
When going downhill, you might have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep the vehicle’s speed down. When the
brakes are applied the cruise control turns off.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to end cruise control:
•Step lightly on the brake pedal.
•Press the[button on the steering wheel.
•Press theIbutton on the steering wheel.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed memory is erased when
the cruise control or the ignition is turned off.
3-12

Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamps control is located on the instrument
panel to the left of the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
•Headlamps
•Taillamps
•Parking Lamps
•License Plate Lamps
•Instrument Panel LightsThe exterior lamps control has four positions:
O(Off):Briefly turn the control to this position to turn the
automatic headlamps and daytime running lamps (DRL)
off or back on.
For vehicles first sold in Canada, the off position only
works for vehicles that are shifted into the P (Park)
position.
AUTO (Automatic):Turns on the headlamps
automatically at normal brightness, together with the
following:
•Parking Lamps
•Instrument Panel Lights
•Taillamps
•License Plate Lamps
3-13

If the vehicle is started in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system comes on immediately. Once the
vehicle leaves the garage, it takes approximately
30 seconds for the automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL if it is light outside. During that delay,
the instrument panel cluster may not be as bright
as usual. Make sure the instrument panel brightness
control is in the full bright position. SeeInstrument Panel
Brightness on page 3-16.
Instrument Panel Brightness
The knob for this feature is located next to the exterior
lamps control.
D(Instrument Panel Lights):Push knob to extend
and then turn clockwise or counterclockwise to brighten
or dim the instrument panel lights and the radio display.
This only works if the headlamps or parking lamps are on.
To turn on the dome lamps, with the vehicle doors
closed, turn the knob all the way clockwise.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps come on when any door is opened.
They turn off after all the doors are closed.
The dome lamps can also be turned on by turning the
instrument panel brightness knob, located on the
instrument panel to the left of the steering column,
clockwise to the farthest position. In this position, the
dome lamps remain on whether a door is opened or
closed.
Dome Lamp Override
The dome lamp override button is located next to the
exterior lamps control.
The dome lamp override sets the dome lamps to remain
off or come on automatically when a door is opened.
E(Dome Lamp Override):Press the button in
and the dome lamps remain off when a door is opened.
Press the button again to return it to the extended
position so that the dome lamps come on when a door
is opened.
3-16

Finding a Station
BAND:Press to switch between FM1 and FM2 and
AM. The selection displays.
f(Tune):Turn clockwise or counterclockwise to
increase or decrease the station frequency.
©SEEK¨:Press the arrows to go to the previous
or to the next station and stay there.
To scan stations, press and hold either arrow for
two seconds until a beep sounds. The radio goes to a
station, plays for a few seconds, then goes to the next
station. For AM-FM Radio and Radio with CD (Base), the
station frequency flashes while the radio is in the scan
mode. Press either arrow again to stop scanning.
The radio seeks and scans stations only with a strong
signal that are in the selected band.
For AM-FM Radio and Radio with CD (Base), scan
presets within the current selected band by pressing and
holding either SEEK arrow for four seconds until a double
beep sounds. The radio goes to a stored preset, plays for
a few seconds if a strong signal is present, then goes to
the next stored preset. The station frequency flashes
while the radio is in the scan mode.
Setting Preset Stations
If the radio does not have XM™, up to 18 stations
(six FM1, six FM2, and six AM), can be programmed on
the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the
following steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, or AM.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered
pushbuttons for three seconds until a beep sounds.
When that pushbutton is pressed and released,
the station that was set, returns.
5. Repeat the Steps 2 through 4 for each pushbutton.
Storing a Radio Station as a Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up their radio station
favorites while the vehicle is parked. Tune to favorite
stations using the presets, favorites button, and steering
wheel controls, if the vehicle has this feature. See
Defensive Driving on page 4-2.
3-71

When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the
blinking red light indicates that THEFTLOCK®
is armed.
With THEFTLOCK
®activated, the radio does not
operate if stolen.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
Vehicles with audio
steering wheel controls
could differ depending on
your vehicle’s options.
Some audio controls can
be adjusted at the steering
wheel. They include the
following:
wx(Previous/Next):Press the arrows to go to the
previous or to the next radio station and stay there. Press
the arrows to go to the previous or to the next radio
station stored as a Favorite. The radio only seeks stations
with a strong signal that are in the selected band.To scan stations, press and hold the down arrow for
two seconds until SCAN displays and a beep sounds.
The radio goes to a station, plays for a few seconds, then
goes to the next station. Press the down arrow again to
stop scanning.
When a CD is playing, press either arrow to go to the next
or previous track.
g(Mute):Press this button to silence the system.
Press this button again, to turn the sound on.
SRCE (Source):Press this button to switch between
the radio AM, FM, XM™ (if equipped), CD, and auxiliary
input jack.
+
e−e(Volume):Press the plus or minus volume
button to increase or to decrease the volume.
¨(Seek):Press the seek arrow to go to the next radio
station while in AM, FM, or XM™ (if equipped). Press
the seek arrow to go to the next track while sourced
to the CD.
3-85

Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle............4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunk Driving.................................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-3
Braking.........................................................4-4
Antilock Brake System (ABS)...........................4-5
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-5
StabiliTrak
®System........................................4-6
Locking Rear Axle..........................................4-8
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System.........................4-8
Steering........................................................4-8
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-10
Passing.......................................................4-10
Loss of Control.............................................4-10Driving at Night............................................4-12
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-12
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-13
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-14
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-14
Winter Driving..............................................4-15
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.............................................4-17
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-18
Loading the Vehicle......................................4-18
Towing..........................................................4-24
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-24
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-24
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-26
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Police records show that almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, more than 17,000 annual
motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with
the use of alcohol, with about 250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol
and then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s system
can make crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the
brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means that when anyonewho has been drinking — driver or passenger — is in a
crash, that person’s chance of being killed or permanently
disabled is higher than if the person had not been
drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator.
At times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy
to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. Meaning, you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
4-3

Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has the Antilock Brake System (ABS), an
advanced electronic braking system that will help prevent
a braking skid.
When you start the engine and begin to drive away,
ABS will check itself. You might hear a momentary
motor or clicking noise while this test is going on. This
is normal.
If there is a problem with
the ABS, this warning light
will stay on. SeeAntilock
Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light on
page 3-34.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that the wheels are slowing down.
If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.ABS can change the brake pressure to each wheel, as
required, faster than any driver could. This can help
you steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, the computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change the time you need to
get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you will not have time to apply the brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you
have ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let antilock work for you. You might feel the
brakes vibrate or notice some noise, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With ABS, you can steer and brake at the same time.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
4-5