2011 GMC ACADIA service

Black plate (18,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
5-18 Instruments and Controls
Malfunction
Indicator Lamp
A computer system called OBD II
(On-Board Diagnostics-Second
Generation) monitors operation
of the fuel, ignition, and emission
control systems. It ensures that
emissions are at acceptable levels
for the life of the vehicle, helping to
produce a cleaner environment.
This light should come on when the
ignition is on, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show it is
working. If it does not, have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.If the malfunction indicator lamp
comes on and stays on while the
engine is running, this indicates that
there is an OBD II problem and
service is required.
Malfunctions often are indicated by
the system before any problem is
apparent. Being aware of the light
can prevent more serious damage
to the vehicle. This system assists
the service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice:
If the vehicle is
continually driven with this light
on, after a while, the emission
controls might not work as well,
the vehicle fuel economy might
not be as good, and the engine
might not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs
that might not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Notice:
Modifications made
to the engine, transmission,
exhaust, intake, or fuel system
of the vehicle or the replacement
of the original tires with other
than those of the same Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
can affect the vehicle's emission
controls and can cause this
light to come on. Modifications
to these systems could lead to
costly repairs not covered by
the vehicle warranty. This could
also result in a failure to
pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance
test. See Accessories and
Modifications on page 10‑3.
This light comes on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing: A misfire condition
has been detected. A misfire
increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control
system on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required.

Black plate (19,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-19
To prevent more serious damage to
the vehicle:
.Reduce vehicle speed.
.Avoid hard accelerations.
.Avoid steep uphill grades.
.If towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled
as soon as it is possible.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so, stop the vehicle.
Find a safe place to park the
vehicle. Turn the vehicle off, wait at
least 10 seconds, and restart the
engine. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps and see
your dealer for service as soon as
possible.
Light On Steady: An emission
control system malfunction has
been detected on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be
required. The following may correct an
emissions system malfunction:
.Make sure the fuel cap is
fully installed. See
Filling
the Tank on page 9‑44.
The diagnostic system can
determine if the fuel cap has
been left off or improperly
installed. A loose or missing fuel
cap allows fuel to evaporate into
the atmosphere. A few driving
trips with the cap properly
installed should turn the light off.
.Make sure the electrical system
is not wet. The system could
be wet if the vehicle was driven
through a deep puddle of
water. The condition is usually
corrected when the electrical
system dries out. A few driving
trips should turn the light off.
.Make sure to fuel the vehicle
with quality fuel. Poor fuel quality
causes the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed and can
cause: stalling after start-up,
stalling when the vehicle is
changed into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration,
or stumbling on acceleration.
These conditions might go away
once the engine is warmed up.
If one or more of these
conditions occurs, change the
fuel brand used. It will require
at least one full tank of the
proper fuel to turn the light off.
See Recommended Fuel on
page 9‑42.
If none of the above have made
the light turn off, your dealer can
check the vehicle. The dealer
has the proper test equipment
and diagnostic tools to fix any
mechanical or electrical problems
that might have developed.

Black plate (21,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-21
This light may also come on due
to low brake fluid. SeeBrakes on
page 10‑24 for more information.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will also come
on when the parking brake is set.
The light will stay on if the parking
brake does not release fully. If it
stays on after the parking brake is
fully released, it means there is a
brake problem.
If the light comes on while driving,
pull off the road and stop carefully.
Make sure the parking brake is fully
released. The pedal may be harder
to push or, the pedal may go closer
to the floor. It may take longer to
stop. If the light is still on, have
the vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle on page 10‑87.{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.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
The ABS warning light comes on
briefly when the ignition key is
turned to ON/RUN. This is normal.
If the light does not come on then,
have it fixed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF. If the light comes
on while driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off.

Black plate (22,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
5-22 Instruments and Controls
Then start the engine again to reset
the system. If the light still stays on,
or comes on again while driving, the
vehicle needs service. If the regular
brake system warning light is not
on, there are still brakes, but no
antilock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also on,
there are no antilock brakes and
there is a problem with the regular
brakes. SeeBrake System Warning
Light on page 5‑20.
Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light comes on when the
Tow/Haul mode has been activated.
For more information, see Tow/Haul
Mode on page 9‑28.
StabiliTrak®Indicator
Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If the system is working
normally the indicator light goes off.
If it stays on, or comes on while
driving, there could be a problem
with the StabiliTrak system and the
vehicle might need service. When
this warning light is on, the system
is off and will not limit wheel spin.
This light flashes when the
StabiliTrak system is active.
See StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑31 for more information.
Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning
Light
The engine coolant temperature
warning light comes on briefly when
the engine is started.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally, the
indicator light then goes off.
If the light comes on and stays on
while driving, the vehicle may have
a problem with the cooling system.
Stop the vehicle and turn off the
engine to avoid damage to the
engine. A warning chime sounds
when this light is on.
SeeEngine Overheating on
page 10‑19 for more information.

Black plate (23,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-23
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this light
comes on briefly when the engine
is started. It provides information
about tire pressures and the TPMS.
When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or more
of the tires are significantly
underinflated.
A tire pressure message can
accompany the light. SeeTire
Messages on page 5‑44 for more
information. Stop as soon as
possible, and inflate the tires to
the pressure value shown on the
Tire and Loading Information label.
See Tire Pressure on page 10‑45
for more information. When the Light Flashes First and
Then is On Steady
This indicates that there may
be a problem with the TPMS.
The light flashes for about a
minute and stays on steady for
the remainder of the ignition cycle.
This sequence repeats with every
ignition cycle. See
Tire Pressure
Monitor Operation on page 10‑48
for more information.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
{WARNING
Do not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced. Notice:
Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil.
The oil pressure light should come
on briefly as the engine is started.
If it does not come on have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
If the light comes on and stays on, it
means that oil is not flowing through
the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and might have
some other system problem.

Black plate (25,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-25
Information Displays
Driver Information Center
(DIC) (With DIC Buttons)
If your vehicle has DIC buttons,
the information below explains the
operation of this system.
The DIC displays information
about your vehicle. It also displays
warning messages if a system
problem is detected.
All messages will appear in the DIC
display located at the top of the
instrument panel cluster.
The DIC comes on when the ignition
is on. After a short delay, the DIC
will display the information that was
last displayed before the engine
was turned off.
The DIC also displays a shift lever
position indicator on the bottom
line of the display. SeeAutomatic
Transmission on page 9‑25 for more
information. The outside air temperature and
compass, if equipped, also display
on the DIC when viewing the trip
and fuel information. The outside
air temperature automatically
appears in the top right corner
of the DIC display. If there is a
problem with the system that
controls the temperature display,
the numbers will be replaced with
dashes. If this occurs, have the
vehicle serviced. The compass will
be shown in the bottom right corner
of the DIC display. See
Compass on
page 5‑6 for more information.
The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by pressing
the DIC buttons located on the
instrument panel.
The DIC also allows some features
to be customized. See Vehicle
Personalization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑47 for more information.
If your vehicle has DIC buttons, you
can also use the trip odometer reset
stem to view the odometer and trip
odometers. DIC Buttons
The buttons are the set/reset,
customization, vehicle information,
and trip/fuel buttons. The button
functions are detailed in the
following pages.
V(Set/Reset):
Press this button to
set or reset certain functions and to
turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
U(Customization): Press
this button to customize the
feature settings on your vehicle.
See Vehicle Personalization (With
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑47 for more
information.

Black plate (27,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-27
UNITS
Press the vehicle information button
until UNITS displays. This display
allows you to select between Metric
or English units of measurement.
Once in this display, press the
set/reset button to select between
METRIC or ENGLISH units. All of
the vehicle information will then
be displayed in the unit of
measurement selected.
FRONT TIRES or REAR TIRES
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), the
pressure for each tire can be
viewed in the DIC. The tire
pressure will be shown in either
kilopascals (kPa) or pounds per
square inch (psi). Press the vehicle
information button until the DIC
displays FRONT TIRES kPa (PSI)
LEFT ## RIGHT ##. Press the
vehicle information button again
until the DIC displays REAR
TIRES kPa (PSI) LEFT ##
RIGHT ##.If a low tire pressure condition
is detected by the system while
driving, a message advising you
add air to a specific tire will appear
in the display. See
Tire Pressure on
page 10‑45 andTire Messages on
page 5‑44 for more information.
If the tire pressure display shows
dashes instead of a value, there
may be a problem with your vehicle.
If this consistently occurs, see your
dealer for service.
COMPASS ZONE SETTING
This display will be available
if the vehicle has a compass.
See Compass on page 5‑6 for
more information.
COMPASS RECALIBRATION
This display will be available
if the vehicle has a compass.
See Compass on page 5‑6 for
more information. Blank Display
This display shows no information.
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
3(Trip/Fuel):
Press this button
to scroll through the following menu
items:
ODOMETER
Press the trip/fuel button until
ODOMETER displays. This display
shows the distance the vehicle has
been driven in either kilometers (km)
or miles (mi). Pressing the trip
odometer reset stem will also
display the odometer.
To switch between English and
metric measurements, see “UNITS”
earlier in this section.

Black plate (37,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-37
Vehicle Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC
to notify the driver that the status of
the vehicle has changed and that
some action may be needed by
the driver to correct the condition.
Multiple messages may appear
one after another.
Some messages may not require
immediate action, but you can
press any of the DIC buttons
on the instrument panel or the
trip odometer reset stem on
the instrument panel cluster to
acknowledge that you received
the messages and to clear them
from the display.
Some messages cannot be cleared
from the DIC display because they
are more urgent. These messages
require action before they can becleared. You should take any
messages that appear on the
display seriously and remember
that clearing the messages will
only make the messages disappear,
not correct the problem.
The following are the possible
messages that can be displayed
and some information about them.
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages
BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE
This message displays when the
system detects that the battery
voltage is dropping below expected
levels. The battery saver system
starts reducing certain features of
the vehicle that you may be able
to notice. At the point that the
features are disabled, this message
is displayed. It means that the
vehicle is trying to save the charge
in the battery.Turn off all unnecessary
accessories to allow the battery
to recharge.
The normal battery voltage range is
11.5 to 15.5 volts.
SERVICE BATTERY
CHARGING SYSTEM
On some vehicles, this message
displays if there is a problem
with the battery charging system.
Under certain conditions, the
charging system light may also turn
on in the instrument panel cluster.
See
Charging System Light on
page 5‑17. Driving with this problem
could drain the battery. Turn off all
unnecessary accessories. Have the
electrical system checked as soon
as possible. See your dealer.