
Black plate (22,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
5-22 Instruments and Controls
.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.Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local
governments may have programs
to inspect the on-vehicle emission
control equipment. For the
inspection, the emission system
test equipment is connected to the
vehicle’s Data Link
Connector (DLC).
The DLC is under the instrument
panel to the left of the steering
wheel. See your dealer if assistance
is needed. The vehicle may not pass
inspection if:
.The malfunction indicator lamp is
on with the engine running, or if
the light does not come on when
the ignition is turned to ON/RUN
while the engine is off.
.The critical emission control
systems have not been
completely diagnosed by the
system. This can happen if the
battery has recently been
replaced or if the battery has run
down. The diagnostic system
evaluates critical emission
control systems during normal
driving. This can take
several days of routine driving.
If this has been done and the
vehicle still does not pass the
inspection, your dealer can
prepare the vehicle for
inspection.

Black plate (24,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
5-24 Instruments and Controls
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 it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally the
indicator light then goes off.
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. 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 Light on
page 5‑23.
Tow/Haul Mode Light
For vehicles with the Tow/Haul
Mode feature, this light comes on
when the Tow/Haul Mode has been
activated.
For more information, see Tow/Haul
Mode on page 9‑34.
StabiliTrak®Indicator
Light
For vehicles with the StabiliTrak®
system, this light comes on or
flashes.
For more information, see
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑37.
Three chimes sound if the light turns
on and one chime if the light
turns off.
If this light remains on steady, the
vehicle needs to be taken in for
service.

Black plate (25,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-25
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 5‑38 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 10‑57 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 10‑59 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.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
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 then
goes off.
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 it might
have some other system problem.

Black plate (27,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-27
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
This vehicle has a Driver
Information Center (DIC).
All messages will appear in the DIC
display located at the bottom of the
instrument panel cluster. The DIC
buttons are located on the
instrument panel, next to 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 displays trip, fuel, and
vehicle system information, and
warning messages if a system
problem is detected.
If the vehicle has these features, the
DIC also displays the compass
direction and the outside air
temperature when viewing the tripand fuel information. The compass
direction appears on the top
right corner of the DIC display.
The outside air temperature
automatically appears in the bottom
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 by your
dealer.
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax
®diesel
supplement for more information.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by pressing
the DIC buttons located on the
instrument panel, next to the
instrument panel cluster. DIC Buttons
The buttons are the trip/fuel, vehicle
information, customization, and set/
reset buttons. The button functions
are detailed in the following pages.
3(Trip/Fuel):
Press this button
to display the odometer, trip
odometers, fuel range, average
economy, fuel used, timer, average
speed, and digital tachometer.

Black plate (28,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
5-28 Instruments and Controls
T(Vehicle Information):Press
this button to display the oil life,
units, tire pressure readings for
vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), engine
hours, Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS) programming for
vehicles with the TPMS and without
a Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter, and compass zone and
compass calibration on vehicles
with this feature.
U(Customization): Press this
button to customize the feature
settings on the vehicle. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑40 for
more information.
V(Set/Reset): Press this button to
set or reset certain functions and to
turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
3(Trip/Fuel): Press this button
to scroll through the following menu
items:
Odometer
Press
3until XX km (mi)
displays. This display shows the
distance the vehicle has been
driven in either kilometers (km) or
miles (mi).
Trip Odometers
Press
3until A or B displays.
This display shows the current
distance traveled in either
kilometers (km) or miles (mi) since
the last reset for each trip odometer.
Both trip odometers can be used at
the same time.
Each trip odometer can be reset to
zero separately by pressing
Vwhile
the desired trip odometer is
displayed. The trip odometer has a feature
called the retro-active reset. This
can be used to set the trip odometer
to the number of kilometers (miles)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip.
To use the retro-active reset feature,
press and hold
Vfor at least
four seconds. The trip odometer
will display the number of
kilometers (km) or miles (mi) driven
since the ignition was last turned on
and the vehicle was moving. Once
the vehicle begins moving, the trip
odometer will accumulate mileage.
For example, if the vehicle was
driven 8 km (5 miles) before it is
started again, and then the
retro-active reset feature is
activated, the display will show 8 km
(5 miles). As the vehicle begins
moving, the display will then
increase to 8.1 km (5.1 miles),
8.2 km (5.2 miles), etc.

Black plate (30,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
5-30 Instruments and Controls
To reset the timer to zero, press and
hold
Vwhile TIMER is displayed.
Average Speed
Press
3until AVERAGE SPEED
displays. This display shows the
average speed of the vehicle in
kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles
per hour (mph). This average is
calculated based on the various
vehicle speeds recorded since the
last reset of this value. To reset the
value, press and hold
V. The
display will return to zero.
Digital Tachometer
Press
3until
Tachometer ##00 RPM displays.
This display shows the engine
speed in revolutions per
minute (RPM).
Blank Display
This display shows no information.
Vehicle Information Menu
Items
T(Vehicle Information): Press
this button to scroll through the
following menu items:
Oil Life
Press
Tuntil OIL LIFE
REMAINING displays. This display
shows an estimate of the oil's
remaining useful life. If you see
99% OIL LIFE REMAINING on the
display, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains. The engine
oil life system will alert you to
change the oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving
conditions. When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See
“CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON”
under Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑34. You should change the
oil as soon as possible. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑7. In addition to the
engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual. See
Scheduled Maintenance on
page 11‑3 for more information.
Remember, you must reset the OIL
LIFE yourself after each oil change.
It will not reset itself. Also, be
careful not to reset the OIL LIFE
accidentally at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system, see Engine
Oil Life System on page 10‑11.

Black plate (31,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-31
Units
Press
Tuntil UNITS displays.
This display allows you to select
between metric or English units of
measurement. Once in this display,
press
Vto select between METRIC
or ENGLISH units.
Tire Pressure
If the vehicle has 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
Tuntil the DIC displays FRONT
TIRES PSI (kPa) LEFT ##
RIGHT ##. Press
Tagain until the
DIC displays REAR TIRES
PSI (kPa) LEFT ## RIGHT ##.
If a low tire pressure condition is
detected by the system while
driving, a message advising you to
check the pressure in a specific tire
will appear in the display. See TirePressure on page 5‑38
andTire
Messages on page 5‑38 for more
information.
If the tire pressure display shows
dashes instead of a value, there
may be a problem with the vehicle.
If this consistently occurs, see your
dealer for service.
Engine Hours
Press
Tuntil ENGINE HOURS
displays. This display shows the
total number of hours the engine
has run.
Relearn Tire Positions
The vehicle may have this display.
To access this display, the vehicle
must be in P (Park). If the vehicle
has the Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS), after rotating the
tires or after replacing a tire or
sensor, the system must re-learn the
tire positions. To re-learn the tire
positions, see Tire Pressure Monitor
System on page 10‑58. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑63, TireRotation on page 5‑38
andTire
Messages on page 5‑38 for more
information.
Change Compass Zone
The vehicle may have this feature.
To change the compass zone
through the DIC, see Compass on
page 5‑5.
Calibrate Compass
The vehicle may have this feature.
The compass can be manually
calibrated. To calibrate the compass
through the DIC, see Compass on
page 5‑5.
Blank Display
This display shows no information.

Black plate (32,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
5-32 Instruments and Controls
Vehicle Messages
Messages displayed on the DIC
indicate the status of the vehicle or
some action may be needed to
correct a condition. Multiple
messages may appear one after
another.
The messages that do not require
immediate action can be
acknowledged and cleared by
pressing
V(Set/Reset).
The messages that require
immediate action cannot be cleared
until that action is performed.
All messages should be taken
seriously and clearing the message
does not correct the problem.
The following are the possible
messages and some information
about them.
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax
®diesel
supplement for more information.
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages
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 5‑20. 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.
Brake System Messages
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM
This message displays along with
the brake system warning light if
there is a problem with the brake
system. See Brake System Warning
Light on page 5‑23. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message
is still displayed or appears again
when you begin driving, the brake
system needs service as soon as
possible. See your dealer.
Compass Messages
CALIBRATING: DRIVE IN
CIRCLES
This message displays when
calibrating the compass. Drive the
vehicle in circles at less than 8 km/h
(5 mph) to complete the calibration.
See
Compass on page 5‑5 for more
information.
CALIBRATION COMPLETE
This message displays when the
compass calibration is complete.
See Compass on page 5‑5 for more
information.