Page 12 of 478
Black plate (6,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
1-6 In Brief
Power Liftgate
On vehicles with a power liftgate,
the vehicle must be in P (Park) to
operate it.
.Press and hold the liftgate
button
&on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
.Press the liftgate button on the
center console.
.Press the touchpad switch on
the outside liftgate handle.
For more information see Liftgate on
page 2‑10.
Windows
On vehicles with power windows,
the switches are on the doors.
Press the switch to lower the
window. Pull the switch up to
raise it.
For more information, see Power
Windows on page 2‑20.
Seat Adjustment
Manual Seats
A. Seat Adjustment Handle
B. Driver Seat Height Adjustment Lever
C. Seatback Lever
To adjust a manual seat:
1. Lift the handle (A) under the seat to unlock it.
2. Slide the seat to the desired position, and then release the
handle.
Page 15 of 478

Black plate (9,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-9
Third Row Seats
The third row seatbacks can be
folded forward, and the seats can
be removed.
Pull up on the release lever on
the back of the seat and push the
seatback forward to fold.
SeeThird Row Seats on page 3‑13
for more information.
Heated and Ventilated
Seats
Heated and Ventilated
Seat Buttons Shown,
Heated Seat Buttons Similar
If available, the buttons are on the
center console. To operate, the
engine must be running.
I: If available, press to heat the
seatback only.
H: If available, press to ventilate
the entire seat.
J: Press to heat the seat and
seatback. Press the button once for the
highest setting. With each press of
the button, the seat will change to
the next lower setting, and then to
the off setting. The lights indicate
three for the highest setting and
one for the lowest.
See
Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats on page 3‑9 for more
information.
Head Restraint
Adjustment
Do not drive until the head restraints
for all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
To achieve a comfortable seating
position, change the seatback
recline angle as little as necessary
while keeping the seat and the
head restraint height in the proper
position.
For more information see Head
Restraints on page 3‑2 andSeat
Adjustment on page 3‑3.
Page 59 of 478
Black plate (3,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-3
2. Push down on the head restraintafter the button is released to
make sure that it is locked in
place.
The vehicle's second‐row seats
have head restraints in the outboard
seating positions that cannot be
adjusted.
The vehicle's third‐row seats have
headrests in the outboard seating
positions that cannot be adjusted.
The vehicle's head restraints and
headrests are not designed to be
removed.Front Seats
Seat Adjustment
{WARNING
You can lose control of the
vehicle if you try to adjust a
manual driver seat while the
vehicle is moving. The sudden
movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push
a pedal when you do not want to.
Adjust the driver seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
A. Seat Adjustment Handle
B. Driver Seat Height Adjustment Lever
C. Seatback Lever
Page 83 of 478

Black plate (27,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-27
To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position. Slide
the latch plate up the safety belt
webbing when the safety belt is not
in use. The latch plate should rest
on the stitching on the safety belt,
near the guide loop on the side wall.
Before a door is closed, be sure
the safety belt is out of the way.
If a door is slammed against a
safety belt, damage can occur to
both the safety belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger seating
positions.
Adjust the height so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the
shoulder but not falling off of it.
The belt should be close to but
not contacting the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑19.
To move it down, push down on
the release button (A) and move
the height adjuster to the desired
position. You can move the height
adjuster up by pushing up on the
shoulder belt guide.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pushing the release button
to make sure it has locked into
position.
Page 352 of 478

Black plate (24,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
10-24 Vehicle Care
Brakes
This vehicle has disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear
indicators that make a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads
are worn and new pads are needed.
The sound can come and go or be
heard all the time the vehicle is
moving, except when applying
the brake pedal firmly.
{WARNING
The brake wear warning sound
means that soon the brakes will
not work well. That could lead to
a crash. When the brake wear
warning sound is heard, have the
vehicle serviced.
Notice: Continuing to drive with
worn-out brake pads could result
in costly brake repair. Some driving conditions or climates
can cause a brake squeal when
the brakes are first applied or
lightly applied. This does not mean
something is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are
necessary to help prevent brake
pulsation. When tires are rotated,
inspect brake pads for wear and
evenly tighten wheel nuts in
the proper sequence to torque
specifications in
Capacities and
Specifications on page 12‑2.
Brake linings should always be
replaced as complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal
does not return to normal height,
or if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a
sign that brake service might be
required.
Brake Adjustment
Every time the brakes are applied,
with or without the vehicle moving,
the brakes adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is
complex. Its many parts have to be
of top quality and work well together
if the vehicle is to have really good
braking. The vehicle was designed
and tested with top-quality brake
parts. When parts of the braking
system are replaced, be sure to get
new, approved replacement parts.
If this is not done, the brakes might
not work properly. For example,
installing disc brake pads that are
wrong for the vehicle, can change
the balance between the front and
rear brakes —for the worse. The
braking performance expected can
change in many other ways if the
wrong replacement brake parts are
installed.
Page 387 of 478

Black plate (59,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-59
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance
The tires and wheels were
aligned and balanced at the
factory to provide the longest tire
life and best overall performance.
Adjustments to wheel alignment and
tire balancing will not be necessary
on a regular basis. However, check
the alignment if there is unusual tire
wear or if the vehicle is pulling to
one side or the other. If the vehicle
vibrates when driving on a smooth
road, the tires and wheels might
need to be rebalanced. See your
dealer for proper diagnosis.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent,
cracked, or badly rusted or
corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming
loose, the wheel, wheel bolts, and
wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it.
Some aluminum wheels can be
repaired. See your dealer if any
of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of
wheel that is needed.
Each new wheel should have
the same load-carrying capacity,
diameter, width, offset, and be
mounted the same way as the
one it replaces.
Replace wheels, wheel bolts,
wheel nuts, or Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS) sensors with new
GM original equipment parts.{WARNING
Using the wrong replacement
wheels, wheel bolts, or wheel
nuts can be dangerous. It could
affect the braking and handling
of the vehicle. Tires can lose air,
and cause loss of control, causing
a crash. Always use the correct
wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel
nuts for replacement.
Notice: The wrong wheel can
also cause problems with
bearing life, brake cooling,
speedometer or odometer
calibration, headlamp aim,
bumper height, vehicle ground
clearance, and tire or tire chain
clearance to the body and
chassis.
See If a Tire Goes Flat on
page 10‑61 for more information.