2011 GMC ACADIA instrument panel

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.

Black plate (41,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-41
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the right front
passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible
on the instrument panel when the
vehicle is started.
United States
Canada and MexicoThe words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, are visible
during the system check. If you
are using remote start, if equipped,
to start the vehicle from a distance,
you may not see the system
check. When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or
OFF, or the symbol for on or off, will
be visible. See
Passenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 5‑16.
The passenger sensing system
turns off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbag,
seat‐mounted side impact airbags
and the roof-rail airbags are not
affected by the passenger sensing
system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part
of the right front passenger seat. The sensors are designed to detect
the presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the
right front passenger frontal airbag
should be enabled (may inflate)
or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
We recommend that children
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.

Black plate (45,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-45
A wet seat can affect the
performance of the passenger
sensing system. Here is how:
.The passenger sensing system
may turn off the passenger
airbag when liquid is soaked
into the seat. If this happens,
the off indicator will be lit, and
the airbag readiness light on the
instrument panel will also be lit.
.Liquid pooled on the seat that
has not soaked in may make it
more likely that the passenger
sensing system will enable (turn
on) the passenger airbag while a
child restraint or child occupant
is on the seat. If the passenger
airbag is turned on, the on
indicator will be lit.
If the passenger seat gets wet, dry
the seat immediately. If the airbag
readiness light is lit, do not install
a child restraint or allow anyone
to occupy the seat. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑15
for important safety information. The on indicator may be lit if
an object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop or
other electronic device, is put on
an unoccupied seat. If this is not
desired remove the object from
the seat.
{WARNING
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are
parts of the airbag system in
several places around the vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing
the vehicle and the airbag system.
To purchase a service manual,
see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑15.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.

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.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Storage 4-1
Storage
Storage Compartments
Instrument Panel Storage . . . . 4-1
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Center Console Storage . . . . . . 4-2
Floor Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Additional Storage Features
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Cargo Tie Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Cargo ManagementSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Roof Rack System
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Storage
Compartments
Instrument Panel Storage
This vehicle has an instrument
panel storage area located above
the radio. To open the cover, press
the button.
This vehicle has an auxiliary input
jack. See Auxiliary Devices on
page 7‑37 for more information.
Glove Box
Lift the glove box handle to open it.
Use the key to lock and unlock the
glove box.
Cupholders
There are two cupholders, with
removable liners, located in front
of the center console. There may be
cupholders located in the second
row seat armrest. To access,
pull the armrest down. There are
additional cupholders located on
each side of the third row seat
and in each door. There may be
cupholders located at the rear of
the center console. To access,
pull the handle down.
Armrest Storage
Vehicles with a rear seat
armrest, have two cupholders.
Pull the armrest down from the
rear seatback to access the
cupholders.

Black plate (6,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
5-6 Instruments and Controls
Rear Window
Wiper/Washer
The rear wiper and rear wash button
is located on the instrument panel
below the climate control system.
Z(Rear Wiper): Press to turn the
rear wiper on and off. The wiper
speed cannot be changed.
Y (Wash): Press to spray
washer fluid on the rear window.
The window wiper will also come
on. Release the button when
enough fluid has been sprayed
on the window. The rear wiper
will run a few more cycles after
it is released. If the rear wiper
function was already on, prior
to pressing the wash button,
it stays on until the wiper button
is pressed again.
The rear window washer uses the
same fluid that is in the windshield
washer reservoir. See Washer Fluid
on page 10‑23.
Compass
Your vehicle may have a compass
in the Driver Information Center
(DIC). See Driver Information
Center (DIC) (With DIC Buttons) on
page 5‑25 orDriver Information
Center (DIC) (Without DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑30 for more information
about the DIC.
Compass Zone
The zone is set to zone eight upon
leaving the factory. Your dealer
will set the correct zone for your
location.
Under certain circumstances,
such as during a long distance
cross-country trip or moving to
a new state or province, it will
be necessary to compensate for
compass variance by resetting the
zone through the DIC if the zone
is not set correctly. Compass variance is the difference
between the earth's magnetic north
and true geographic north. If the
compass is not set to the zone
where you live, the compass may
give false readings. The compass
must be set to the variance zone
in which the vehicle is traveling.
To adjust for compass variance, use
the following procedure:
Compass Variance (Zone)
Procedure
1. Do not set the compass zone
when the vehicle is moving.
Only set it when the vehicle
is in P (Park).
Press the vehicle information
button until PRESS
VTO
CHANGE COMPASS ZONE
displays.

Black plate (9,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-9
To change the time default setting
from 12 hour to 24 hour or to
change the date default setting from
month/day/year to day/month/year:
1. Press
Gand then the
pushbutton located under the
forward arrow that displays on
the radio screen until the time
12H (hour) and 24H (hour),
and the date MM/DD (month
and day) and DD/MM (day
and month) displays.
2. Press the pushbutton located under the desired option.
3. Press
Gagain to apply the
selected default, or let the
screen time out.
Power Outlets
The vehicle has three 12‐volt outlets
that 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 console, and in the rear
cargo area. Lift the cover to access
the outlet and replace when not
in use.
{WARNING
Power is always supplied to the
outlets. Do not leave electrical
equipment plugged in when the
vehicle is not in use because the
vehicle could catch fire and cause
injury or death. Notice:
Leaving electrical
equipment plugged in for an
extended period of time while
the vehicle is off will drain the
battery. Always unplug electrical
equipment when not in use and
do not plug in equipment that
exceeds the maximum 20 ampere
rating.
Certain accessory plugs may not
be compatible with the accessory
power outlet and could overload
vehicle and adapter fuses. If a
problem is experienced, see your
dealer.

Black plate (15,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-15
Safety Belt Reminders
Driver Safety Belt Reminder
Light
The driver safety belt reminder light
on the instrument panel cluster.
When the engine is started this light
and the chime come on and stay
on for several seconds to remind
the driver to fasten the safety belt.
The light also begins to flash.
This cycle repeats if the driver
remains unbuckled and the vehicle
is moving.
If the driver safety belt is already
buckled, neither the light nor chime
comes on.
Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
When the engine is started this light
and the chime come on and stay on
for several seconds to remind the
passenger to fasten their safety belt.
The light also begins to flash.
This only occurs if the passenger
airbag is enabled. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑41 for
more information.
This cycle repeats if the passenger
remains unbuckled and the vehicle
is moving. If the passenger safety belt is
buckled, neither the chime nor the
light comes on.
The front passenger safety belt
warning light and chime may turn
on if an object is put on the seat
such as a briefcase, handbag,
grocery bag, laptop or other
electronic device. To turn off the
warning light and or chime, remove
the object from the seat or buckle
the safety belt.
Airbag Readiness Light
This light shows if there is an
electrical problem with the airbag
system. The system check
includes the airbag sensor, the
pretensioners, the airbag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing
and diagnostic module. For more
information on the airbag system,
see
Airbag System on page 3‑33.