2010 GMC Terrain Owner ManualM
Keys, Doors and Windows. . . 1-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-41
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 3-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 3-2
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Instruments and Controls
. . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . 4-4
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 4-36
OnStar
®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-41
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-18
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 6-33
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 7-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 8-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 8-27
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 8-35
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-39
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 8-41
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-44
Object Detection Systems . . . . 8-47
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-54
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-58
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 8-66
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.
4-30 Instruments and Controls
Service Battery Charging
System
This message is displayed when
there is a fault in the battery
charging system. Take the vehicle to
your dealer/retailer for service.
Brake System Messages
Brake Fluid Low
This message is displayed when the
brake fluid level is low, seeBrake
Fluid on page 9‑24.
Release Parking Brake
This message is displayed as a
reminder that the parking brake is
on. Release it before you attempt
to drive.
Compass Messages
CAL
This message is displayed when the
compass needs to be calibrated.
See Compass on page 4‑9.
– – –
Three dashes will be displayed if the
compass needs service. See your
dealer/retailer for service.
Cruise Control Messages
Apply Brakes Before Cruise
If this message displays when
attempting to activate cruise control,
apply the brake and then try again.
Cruise Set to XXX
This message will display when the
cruise control is set and it will show
the speed it was set to. See Cruise
Control
on page 8‑44for more
information.
Door Ajar Messages
Door Open
A door open symbol will be
displayed on the DIC showing which
door is open. If the vehicle has been
shifted out of P (Park), a “Door
Open” message will also be
displayed. Close the door
completely.
Hood Open
This message will display along with
a hood open symbol when the hood
is open. Close the hood completely.
Manually Close the Power
Liftgate
This message will display if the
power liftgate encounters multiple
obstacles on the same power cycle.
After removing the obstructions, the
liftgate will resume normal power
operation.
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
8-4 Driving and Operating
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 anyone who 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 the 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 the
vehicle. See StabiliTrak System
on
page 8‑42.
Adding non‐dealer/non‐retailer
accessories can affect vehicle
performance. See Accessories
and Modifications on page 9‑3.
Braking
See Brake System Warning Lighton page 4‑19.
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding
to push the brake pedal is
perception time. Actually doing
it is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
three‐fourths of a second. But that is
only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two
or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and
eyesight all play a part. So do
alcohol, drugs, and frustration. But
even in three‐fourths of a second,
a vehicle moving at 100 km/h
(60 mph) travels 20 m (66 ft). That
could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough
space between the vehicle and
others is important. And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the
surface of the road, whether it is
pavement or gravel; the condition of
the road, whether it is wet, dry,
or icy; tire tread; the condition of the
brakes; the weight of the vehicle;
and the amount of brake force
applied.
Avoid needless heavy
braking. Some people drive
in spurts
—heavy acceleration
followed by heavy braking —rather
than keeping pace with traffic. This
is a mistake. The brakes might not
have time to cool between hard
stops. The brakes will wear out
much faster with a lot of heavy
braking. Keeping pace with the
traffic and allowing realistic following
distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
Driving and Operating 8-5
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. If the brakes are pumped,
the pedal could get harder to push
down. If the engine stops, there will
still be some power brake assist but
it will be used when the brake is
applied. Once the power assist is
used up, it can take longer to stop
and the brake pedal will be harder
to push.
Adding non‐dealer/non‐retailer
accessories can affect vehicle
performance. SeeAccessories
and Modifications on page 9‑3.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
(2.4L L4 Engine)
If the engine stalls while driving, the
power steering assist system will
continue to operate until you are
able to stop the vehicle. If power steering assist is lost because the
electric power steering system is not
functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but it will take more effort.
If you turn the steering wheel in
either direction several times until
it stops, or hold the steering wheel
in the stopped position for an
extended amount of time, you may
notice a reduced amount of power
steering assist. The normal amount
of power steering assist should
return shortly after a few normal
steering movements.
The electric power steering
system does not require regular
maintenance. If you suspect
steering system problems, such as
abnormally high steering effort for a
prolonged period of time, contact
your dealer/retailer for service
repairs.
Hydraulic Power Steering
(3.0L V6 Engine)
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or the
power steering system is not
functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but it will take more effort.
Steering Tips
It is important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
Traction in a curve depends on the
condition of the tires and the road
surface, the angle at which the
curve is banked, and vehicle speed.
While in a curve, speed is the one
factor that can be controlled.
If there is a need to reduce speed,
do it before entering the curve, while
the front wheels are straight.
Try to adjust the speed so you can
drive through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until out of the curve, and
then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
8-6 Driving and Operating
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can
be more effective than braking. For
example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane,
or a car suddenly pulls out from
nowhere, or a child darts out from
between parked cars and stops right
in front of you. These problems can
be avoided by braking—if you can
stop in time. But sometimes you
cannot stop in time because there is
no room. That is the time for
evasive action —steering around
the problem.
The vehicle can perform very well in
emergencies like these. First apply
the brakes. See Braking
on
page 8‑4. It is better to remove
as much speed as possible from a
collision. Then steer around the
problem, to the left or right
depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires
close attention and a quick decision.
If holding the steering wheel at the
recommended 9 and 3 o'clock
positions, it can be turned a full
180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have
to act fast, steer quickly, and just as
quickly straighten the wheel once
you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency
situations are always possible is a
good reason to practice defensive
driving at all times and wear safety
belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only
slightly below the pavement,
recovery should be fairly easy. Ease
off the accelerator and then, if there
is nothing in the way, steer so that
the vehicle straddles the edge of the
pavement. Turn the steering wheel
8 to 13 cm (3 to 5 inches), about
one-eighth turn, until the right front
Driving and Operating 8-7
tire contacts the pavement edge.
Then turn the steering wheel to go
straight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts
say about what happens when the
three control systems—brakes,
steering, and acceleration —do not
have enough friction where the tires
meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up.
Keep trying to steer and constantly
seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of
the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions,
and by not overdriving those
conditions. But skids are always
possible. The three types of skids correspond
to the vehicle's three control
systems. In the braking skid, the
wheels are not rolling. In the
steering or cornering skid, too much
speed or steering in a curve causes
tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin.
If the vehicle starts to slide, ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal
and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start
steering quickly enough, the vehicle
may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when
water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material is on the road. For safety,
slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to
slow down on slippery surfaces
because stopping distance is longer
and vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with
reduced traction, try your best to
avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing
vehicle speed by shifting to a lower
gear. Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You might
not realize the surface is slippery
until the vehicle is skidding. Learn to
recognize warning clues
—such as
enough water, ice, or packed snow
on the road to make a mirrored
surface —and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember: Antilock brakes help
avoid only the braking skid.
Off-Road Driving
Vehicles with all‐wheel drive can be
used for off‐road driving. Vehicles
without all‐wheel drive should not be
driven off-road except on a level,
solid surface.