Page 26 of 478

Black plate (20,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
1-20 In Brief
Power Outlets
The vehicle has three 12‐volt
accessory power outlets which
can be used to plug in electrical
equipment, such as a cell phone
or MP3 player.
The power outlets are located:
.On the instrument panel below
the climate controls.
.At the rear of the center floor
console.
.In the rear cargo area.
To use the outlets, remove the
cover.
See Power Outlets on page 5‑9.
Sunroof
The ignition must be in ON/RUN or
ACC/ACCESSORY to operate the
sunroof and power sunshade. See
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
on page 9‑21.
The switch to operate the front
sunroof is on the headliner above
the rearview mirror.
Vent: Press the front or rear of the
switch to vent or close the sunroof.
Express-open/Express-close:
From the closed position, press
and release the rear or front of
the switch to express-open or
express-close the sunroof.
For more information see Sunroof
on page 2‑22.
Performance and
Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System
The traction control system limits
wheel spin and the StabiliTrak
system assists with directional
control of the vehicle in difficult
driving conditions. Both systems
turn on automatically every time
the vehicle is started.
.To turn off the traction control
part of StabiliTrak, press and
release
5located on the
instrument panel and the
appropriate DIC message
is displayed. See Vehicle
Messages on page 5‑37.
.The StabiliTrak system
remains on.
For more information, see
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑31.
Page 31 of 478
Black plate (25,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-25
OnStar Steering Wheel
Controls
This vehicle may have a Talk/Mute
button that can be used to interact
with OnStar Hands-Free calling.
SeeSteering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2 for more information.
On some vehicles, the Talk button
can be used to dial numbers into
voice mail systems, or to dial phone
extensions. See the OnStar Owner's
Guide for more information.
Your Responsibility
Increase the volume of the radio
if the OnStar Advisor cannot be
heard.
If the light next to the OnStar
buttons is red, the system may
not be functioning properly.
Push the
Qbutton and request a
vehicle diagnostic check. If the light
appears clear (no light appears),
your OnStar subscription has
expired and all services have been
deactivated. Push the
Qbutton to
confirm that the OnStar equipment
is active.
Page 73 of 478
Black plate (17,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-17
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything,
you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose
it is just a seat on wheels.
Put someone on it.Get it up to speed. Then stop the
vehicle. The rider does not stop.
Page 89 of 478

Black plate (33,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-33
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver,
passenger seated directly
behind the driver, and the
third row outboard passenger
position.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger, passenger
seated directly behind the
right front passenger, and the
third row outboard passenger
position.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 seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing a safety belt
—even if
the vehicle has airbags. Airbags
are designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed to
deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are the only
restraint. See When Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑36.
Wearing a safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
Page 91 of 478
Black plate (35,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-35
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
middle of the steering wheel.
The right front passenger frontal
airbag is in the instrument panel on
the passenger side.Driver Side shown,
Passenger Side similar
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
Page 92 of 478

Black plate (36,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
3-36 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side shown,
Passenger Side similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, passengers
behind the driver and right front
passenger, and the third row
outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object
into that person causing severe
injury or even death. The path
of an inflating airbag must be
kept clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories
that block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the
roof of a vehicle with roof-rail
airbags by routing a rope or tie
down through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed
to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near frontal crashes to
help reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or right
front passenger's head and chest.
However, they are only designed
to inflate if the impact exceeds
a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on
how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
Page 94 of 478

Black plate (38,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
3-38 Seats and Restraints
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 seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by
the direction of the roll.What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
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
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbag modules in the side
of the front seatbacks closest to
the door. For vehicles with roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules in
the ceiling of the vehicle, near the
side windows that have occupant
seating positions.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel.
In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants
can contact the inside of the
vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat‐mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over
the occupant's upper body.
Page 102 of 478

Black plate (46,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
3-46 Seats and Restraints
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might addto or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that
change the vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, overhead console, front
sensors, side impact sensors,
or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system. In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system
for the right front passenger
position, which includes
sensors that are part of the
passenger seat. The passenger
sensing system may not operate
properly if the original seat trim
is replaced with non-GM covers,
upholstery or trim, or with
GM covers, upholstery or
trim designed for a different
vehicle. Any object, such as
an aftermarket seat heater or
a comfort enhancing pad or
device, installed under or on
top of the seat fabric, could
also interfere with the operation
of the passenger sensing
system. This could either
prevent proper deployment
of the passenger airbag(s) or
prevent the passenger sensing
system from properly turning
off the passenger airbag(s).
See
Passenger Sensing
System on page 3‑41. If you have questions,
call Customer Assistance.
The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two
of the Customer Satisfaction
Procedure in this manual.
See
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure (U.S. and Canada) on
page 13‑1 orCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure (Mexico)
on page 13‑3.
If the vehicle has rollover
roof-rail airbags, see Different
Size Tires and Wheels on
page 10‑56 for additional
important information.