Black plate (66,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
3-66 Seats and Restraints
A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.”This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Even if the airbag switch has
turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child
restraints in a rear seat, even if
the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. For
example, the right front
passenger airbag could inflate
even though the airbag on-off
switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have the vehicle serviced
right away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑16 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Black plate (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12 Engine Oil Pressure
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-16
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-16
Airbag On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-20
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-24
StabiliTrak®Indicator Light . . . 5-24
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-25
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-32
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-35
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-35
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-36
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-37
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-38
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-39
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 5-40
Black plate (9,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-9
2. Press the softkey located underthe desired option.
3. Press the MENU button again to apply the selected default, or let
the screen time out.
Power Outlets
The accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or an MP3
player.
The vehicle may have two
accessory power outlets located on
the instrument panel.
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
Certain power accessory plugs may
not be compatible to the accessory
power outlet and could overload
vehicle or adapter fuses. If a
problem is experienced, see your
dealer.
{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.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the proper
installation instructions included with
the equipment. See Add-On
Electrical Equipment on page 9‑59. Notice:
Hanging heavy
equipment from the power outlet
can cause damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for
accessory power plugs only, such
as cell phone charge cords.
Cigarette Lighter
To use the cigarette lighter, if the
vehicle has one, push it in all the
way, and let go. When it is ready for
use, it will pop back out by itself.
Do not use the lighter to plug in
accessory devices. Use the power
outlets provided.
Notice: Holding a cigarette lighter
in while it is heating does not let
the lighter back away from the
heating element when it is hot.
Damage from overheating can
occur to the lighter or heating
element, or a fuse could be
blown. Do not hold a cigarette
lighter in while it is heating.
Black plate (10,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
5-10 Instruments and Controls
Ashtrays
For vehicles with an ashtray it is
located in the center console or on
the instrument panel. Pull up on the
ashtray door to open it if it is in the
console or pull the door open it if it
is on the instrument panel.
Notice:If papers, pins, or other
flammable items are put in the
ashtray, hot cigarettes or other
smoking materials could ignite
them and possibly damage the
vehicle. Never put flammable
items in the ashtray.
To remove the ashtray, pull it out
from the console or from the slide
out door. To reinstall the ashtray,
slide it back to the original position.
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges can
signal that something is wrong
before it becomes serious enough
to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to the
warning lights and gauges could
prevent injury.
Warning lights come on when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Some warning lights come
on briefly when the engine is started
to indicate they are working. Gauges can indicate when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Often gauges and warning
lights work together to indicate a
problem with the vehicle.
When one of the warning lights
comes on and stays on while
driving, or when one of the gauges
shows there may be a problem,
check the section that explains what
to do. Follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
and even dangerous.
Black plate (17,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-17
The airbag readiness light flashes
for a few seconds when the engine
is started. If the light does not come
on then, have it fixed immediately.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.For vehicles with a remote start, the
airbag readiness light will stay on
until the driver places the ignition
switch to the ON/RUN position.
If there is a problem with the airbag
system, an airbag Driver Information
Center (DIC) message can also
come on. See
Airbag System
Messages on page 5‑37 for more
information.
Airbag On-Off Light
When the right front passenger
airbag is manually turned off using
the airbag on-off switch on the
instrument panel, if equipped, the
indicator light OFF or the off symbol
will come on and stay on as a
reminder that the airbag has been
turned off. This light will go off when
the airbag has been turned on. See
Airbag On-Off Switch on page 3‑33
for more information, including
important safety information.
Black plate (18,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
5-18 Instruments and Controls
United States
Canada and Mexico
{WARNING
If the right front passenger airbag
is turned off for a person who is
not in a risk group identified by
the national government, that
person will not have the extra
protection of an airbag. In a
crash, the airbag will not be able
to inflate and help protect the
person sitting there.
Do not turn off the passenger
airbag unless the person sitting
there is in a risk group identified
by the national government. See
Airbag On-Off Switch on
page 3‑33for more on this,
including important safety
information.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. For
example, the right front
passenger airbag could inflate
even though the airbag on-off
switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have the vehicle serviced
right away. See Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑16 for more
information, including important
safety information.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit, it means that the right front
passenger frontal airbag is enabled,
and may inflate. See Airbag On-Off
Switch on page 3‑33 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Black plate (19,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-19
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
If the vehicle has a passenger
sensing system, the instrument
panel will have a passenger airbag
status indicator. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑37 for
important safety information.
United States
Canada and Mexico When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF, or the symbol
for on and off, for several seconds
as a system check. If you are using
remote start, if equipped, to start the
vehicle from a distance, you may
not see the system check. Then,
after several more seconds, the
status indicator will light either ON
or OFF, or either the on or off
symbol to let you know the status of
the right front passenger frontal
airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the right
front passenger frontal airbag is
enabled, and may inflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the airbag status indicator, it
means that the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag. If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer for service.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑16 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Black plate (23,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-23
Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle brake system consists
of two hydraulic circuits. If one
circuit is not working, the remaining
circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working.
If the warning light comes on, there
could be a brake problem. Have the
brake system inspected right away.
MetricEnglish
This light should come on briefly
when ignition key is turned to ON/
RUN. If it does not come on, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem. When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light also comes on
when the parking brake is set. See
Parking Brake on page 9‑36
for
more information. The light stays on
if the parking brake does not fully
release. If it stays on after the
parking brake is fully released, it
means the vehicle has a brake
problem.
If the light comes on while driving,
pull off the road and stop carefully.
The pedal might be harder to push,
or the pedal might go closer to the
floor. It could take longer to stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle on page 10‑88.
{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.