2010 GMC TERRAIN ABS

Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
i: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid

Instruments and Controls 4-1
Instruments and
Controls
Instrument Panel Overview
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . 4-4
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 4-6
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 4-6
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 4-7
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
Clock (With Date Display) . . . . . 4-9
Clock (Without Date Display) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . 4-14
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 4-14
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 4-15
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Charging System Light . . . . . . 4-16
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19 Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21
StabiliTrak®OFF Light . . . . . . . 4-21
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 4-21
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 4-23
Fuel Economy Light . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 4-24
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24
High-Beam on Light . . . . . . . . . 4-24
Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Lamps on Reminder . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25

4-20 Instruments and Controls
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light comes on
when the parking brake is set. The
light stays on if the parking brake
does not fully release. If it stays on
after the parking brake is fully
released, there is a brake problem.
Have the brake system inspected
immediately.
{WARNING
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.If the light comes on while driving, a
chime sounds. Pull off the road and
stop. The pedal might be harder to
push or go closer to the floor.
It might also take longer to stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle on page 9‑81.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
For vehicles with the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
If the light does not come on, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem. If the ABS light stays on, turn the
ignition off. If the light comes on
while driving, stop as soon as it is
safely possible and turn the ignition
off. A chime may also sound when
the light comes on steady. Then
start the engine again to reset the
system. If the ABS light stays on,
or comes on again while driving, the
vehicle needs service. If the regular
brake system warning light is not
on, the vehicle still has brakes, but
not antilock brakes. If the regular
brake system warning light is also
on, the vehicle does not have
antilock brakes and there is a
problem with the regular brakes.
See
Brake System Warning Lighton page 4‑19.
For vehicles with a Driver
Information Center (DIC), see
Driver Information Center (DIC)
on
page 4‑25for all brake related DIC
messages.

Driving and Operating 8-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driving for Better FuelEconomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . 8-18
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 8-19
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-20
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . 8-22
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 8-22
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 8-27
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 8-31
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-32
Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
Parking Over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 8-35
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
Fuel Economy Mode . . . . . . . . . 8-38
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-39
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 8-41
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-41
StabiliTrak System . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-44
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 8-47
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-50
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-54
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 8-54
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 8-54

8-20 Driving and Operating
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the
condition. Accelerate gently so
traction is not lost. Accelerating too
quickly causes the wheels to spin
and makes the surface under the
tires slick, so there is even less
traction.
Try not to break the fragile traction.
If you accelerate too fast, the drive
wheels will spin and polish the
surface under the tires even more.The
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 8‑39improves vehicle
stability during hard stops on
slippery roads, but apply the brakes
sooner than when on dry pavement.
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road and watch for
slippery spots. Icy patches can
occur on otherwise clear roads in
shaded areas. The surface of a
curve or an overpass can remain icy
when the surrounding roads are
clear. Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
Turn off cruise control, if equipped,
on slippery surfaces.Blizzard Conditions
Being stuck in snow can be in a
serious situation. Stay with the
vehicle unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use the Roadside
Assistance Program
on page 12‑6.
To get help and keep everyone in
the vehicle safe:
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{WARNING
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO) which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
(Continued)

Driving and Operating 8-39
Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the
vehicle begins to drive away, ABS
checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while
this test is going on, and it might
even be noticed that the brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. SeeAntilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 4‑20. If driving safely on a wet road and
it becomes necessary to slam on
the brakes and continue braking
to avoid a sudden obstacle, 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 wheel.
ABS can change the brake pressure
to each wheel, as required, faster
than any driver could. This can help
the driver steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As the brakes are applied, the
computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls
braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change
the time needed to get a foot up to
the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too
close to the vehicle in front of you,
there will not be enough time to
apply the brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to
stop, even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold
the brake pedal down firmly and let
ABS work. The ABS pump or motor
might be heard operating, and the
brake pedal might be felt to pulsate,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
ABS allows the driver to steer and
brake at the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help
more than even the very best
braking.

8-40 Driving and Operating
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the
regular brake pedal down, then
push the parking brake pedal down.
If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
SeeBrake System Warning Light
on page 4‑19. Notice:
Driving with the parking
brake on can overheat the brake
system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system
parts. Make sure that the parking
brake is fully released and the
brake warning light is off before
driving.
To release the parking brake, hold
the regular brake pedal down, then
push down momentarily on the
parking brake pedal until you feel
the pedal release. Slowly pull your
foot up off the park brake pedal.
If the parking brake is not released
when you begin to drive, the brake
system warning light will be on and
a chime will sound warning you that
the parking brake is still on.
If you are towing a trailer and are
parking on a hill, see Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tipson
page 8‑58.
Brake Assist
This vehicle has a brake assist
feature designed to assist the driver
in stopping or decreasing vehicle
speed in emergency driving
conditions. This feature uses the
stability system hydraulic brake
control module to supplement the
power brake system under
conditions where the driver has
quickly and forcefully applied the
brake pedal in an attempt to quickly
stop or slow down the vehicle. The
stability system hydraulic brake
control module increases brake
pressure at each corner of the
vehicle until the ABS activates.
Minor brake pedal pulsations or
pedal movement during this time is
normal and the driver should
continue to apply the brake pedal
as the driving situation dictates.
The brake assist feature will
automatically disengage when the
brake pedal is released or brake
pedal pressure is quickly
decreased.

Driving and Operating 8-61
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before starting down a long
or steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down,
the brakes might have to be used
so much that they would get hot and
no longer work well.
The vehicle can tow in D (Drive).
Use a lower gear if the transmission
shifts too often.
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, engine coolant
will boil at a lower temperature than
at normal altitudes. If the engine is
turned off immediately after towing
at high altitude on steep uphill
grades, the vehicle may show
signs similar to engine overheating.To avoid this, let the engine run
while parked, preferably on level
ground, with the transmission in
P (Park) for a few minutes before
turning the engine off. If the
overheat warning comes on, see
Engine Overheating on page 9‑20.
Parking on Hills
{WARNING
Parking the vehicle on a hill with
the trailer attached can be
dangerous. If something goes
wrong, the rig could start to move.
People can be injured, and both
the vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged. When possible, always
park the rig on a flat surface.
If parking the rig on a hill:
1. Press the brake pedal, but do
not shift into P (Park) yet. Turn
the wheels into the curb if facing
downhill or into traffic if facing
uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the brake pedal
until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brake pedal. Then apply the parking brake and shift
into P (Park).
5. Release the brake pedal.