Black plate (3,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Introduction iii
The names, logos, emblems,
slogans, vehicle model names, and
vehicle body designs appearing in
this manual including, but not limited
to, GM, the GM logo, GMC, the
GMC Truck Emblem, and SAVANA
are trademarks and/or service
marks of General Motors LLC, its
subsidiaries, affiliates, or licensors.
This manual describes features that
may or may not be on your specific
vehicle either because they are
options that you did not purchase or
due to changes subsequent to the
printing of this owner manual.Please refer to the purchase
documentation relating to your
specific vehicle to confirm each of
the features found on your vehicle.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
substitute the name
“General
Motors of Canada Limited” for GMC
wherever it appears in this manual.
If the vehicle has the Duramax
®
Diesel engine, see the Duramax
diesel supplement for additional and
specific information on this engine.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for
quick reference.
Canadian Vehicle Owners
Propriétaires Canadiens
A French language copy of this
manual can be obtained from your
dealer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de
ce guide en français auprès du
concessionnaire ou à l'adresse
suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue
française
www.helminc.com
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 25953302 B Second Printing©2010 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Black plate (31,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-31
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
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows for the first,
second, and third rows (if equipped).
SeeWhere Are the Airbags? on
page 3‑27 for more information.
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. Roof-rail
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body. Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first, second, and third rows,
if equipped. The rollover capable
roof-rail airbags are designed to
help reduce the risk of full or partial
ejection in rollover events, although
no system can prevent all such
ejections.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑29
for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
Black plate (33,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-33
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the right front
passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help
protect you in another crash.
A new system will include airbag
modules and possibly other
parts. The service manual for
the vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13‑15 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑15.
.Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.
Airbag On-Off Switch
If the instrument panel has one of
the switches pictured in the
following illustrations, the vehicle
has an airbag on-off switch that you
can use to manually turn on or off
the right front passenger airbag.
Black plate (5,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-5
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
G:An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster flashes in the direction
of the turn or lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all
the way up or down.
To signal a lane change, raise
or lower the lever until the arrow
starts to flash. The turn signal
automatically flashes three times
and if the tow‐haul mode is active it
flashes six times. Holding the turn
signal lever for more than
one second causes the turn signals
to flash continually until the lever is
released. The lever returns to its starting
position when released.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
may be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse.
See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 10‑44.Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (3/4 mi), a chime
sounds at each flash of the turn
signal and the message TURN
SIGNAL ON also appears in the
Driver Information Center (DIC). See
Lamp Messages on page 5‑36. To
turn off the chime and message,
move the turn signal lever to the off
position.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The knob for this feature is located
to the left of the steering column.
D(Instrument Panel Lights):
Push the knob to extend and then
turn clockwise or counterclockwise
to brighten or dim the instrument
panel lights and the radio display.
This only works if the headlamps or
parking lamps are on.
Black plate (8,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
7-8 Infotainment System
Finding a Station
BAND:Press to switch between
FM1, FM2, AM and XM. The
selection displays.
f(Tune): Turn clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the station frequency.
©SEEK¨: Press the arrows to go
to the previous or to the next station
and stay there.
To scan stations, press and hold
either arrow for two seconds until a
beep sounds. The radio goes to a
station, plays for a few seconds,
then goes to the next station. For
AM-FM Radio and Radio with CD
(Base), the station frequency
flashes while the radio is in the scan
mode. Press either arrow again to
stop scanning. The radio seeks and scans stations
only with a strong signal that are in
the selected band.
For AM-FM Radio and Radio with
CD (Base), scan presets within the
current selected band by pressing
and holding either SEEK arrow for
four seconds until a double beep
sounds. The radio goes to a stored
preset, plays for a few seconds if a
strong signal is present, then goes
to the next stored preset. The
station frequency flashes while the
radio is in the scan mode.
Setting Preset Stations
If the radio does not have a FAV
button, up to 18 stations (six FM1,
six FM2, and six AM), can be
programmed on the six numbered
softkeys, by performing the following
steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press BAND to select FM1,
FM2, or AM. 3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six
numbered softkeys for
three seconds until a beep
sounds. When that softkey is
pressed and released, the
station that was set, returns.
5. Repeat the Steps 2 through 4 for each softkey.
Storing a Radio Station as a
Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up
their radio station favorites while the
vehicle is parked. Tune to favorite
stations using the presets, favorites
button, and steering wheel controls,
if the vehicle has this feature. See
Defensive Driving on page 9‑2.
Black plate (10,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
7-10 Infotainment System
©SEEK¨:Press the arrows to go
to the previous or to the next station
and stay there.
To scan stations, press and hold
either arrow for two seconds until a
beep sounds. The radio goes to a
station, plays for a few seconds,
then goes to the next station. For
AM-FM Radio and Radio with CD
(Base), the station frequency
flashes while the radio is in the scan
mode. Press either arrow again to
stop scanning.
The radio seeks and scans stations
only with a strong signal that are in
the selected band.
For AM-FM Radio and Radio with
CD (Base), scan presets within the
current selected band by pressing
and holding either SEEK arrow for
four seconds until a double beep
sounds. The radio goes to a stored
preset, plays for a few seconds if a
strong signal is present, then goes
to the next stored preset. The
station frequency flashes while the
radio is in the scan mode.Setting Preset Stations
If the radio does not have a FAV
button, up to 18 stations (six FM1,
six FM2, and six AM), can be
programmed on the six numbered
softkeys, by performing the following
steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, or AM.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered softkeys for
three seconds until a beep
sounds. When that softkey is
pressed and released, the
station that was set, returns.
5. Repeat the Steps 2 through 4 for each softkey.
Storing a Radio Station as a
Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up
their radio station favorites while the
vehicle is parked. Tune to favorite
stations using the presets, favorites
button, and steering wheel controls,
if the vehicle has this feature. See
Defensive Driving on page 9‑2.
FAV (Favorites): If the vehicle has
a FAV button, a maximum of
36 stations can be programmed as
favorites using the six softkeys
positioned below the radio station
frequency tabs and by using the
radio favorites page button (FAV
button). Press the FAV button to go
through up to six pages of favorites,
each having six favorite stations
available per page. Each page of
favorites can contain any
combination of AM and FM stations.
The balance/fade and tone settings
that were previously adjusted, are
stored with the favorite stations.
Black plate (15,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-15
MP3‐Supported Files
The Radio with CD (MP3) and
Radio with USB and CD (MP3) have
the capability of playing an MP3
CD-R or CD-RW disc.
Format
Radios that have the capability of
playing MP3s can play .mp3 or .wma
files that were recorded onto a
CD-R or CD-RW disc. The files can
be recorded with the following fixed
bit rates: 32 kbps, 40 kbps, 56 kbps,
64 kbps, 80 kbps, 96 kbps, 112 kbps,
128 kbps, 160 kbps, 192 kbps,
224 kbps, 256 kbps, and 320 kbps or
a variable bit rate.
Compressed Audio or Mixed Mode
Discs
The radio can play discs that
contain both uncompressed CD
audio and MP3 files. If both
formats are on the disc, the radio
reads all MP3 files first, then the
uncompressed CD audio files.CD‐R‐
or CD‐RW‐Supported File
and Folder Structure
The radio supports:
.Up to 50 folders.
.Up to 8 folders in depth.
.Up to 50 playlists.
.Up to 255 files.
.Playlists with an .m3u or .wpl
extension.
.Files with an .mp3, .wma, or .cda
file extension.
Root Directory
The root directory is treated as a
folder. Files are stored in the root
directory when the disc or storage
device does not contain folders.
Files accessed from the root
directory of a CD display as
F1 ROOT.
Empty Folder
Folders that do not contain files are
skipped, and the player advances to
the next folder that contains files. Order of Play
Compressed audio files are
accessed in the following order:
.Playlists (Px).
.Files stored in the root directory.
.Files stored in folders in the root
directory.
Tracks are played in the following
order:
.Play begins from the first track in
the first playlist and continues
sequentially through all tracks in
each playlist. When the last
track of the last playlist has
played, play continues from the
first track of the first playlist.
.Play begins from the first track in
the first folder and continues
sequentially through all tracks in
each folder. When the last track
of the last folder has played,
play continues from the first
track of the first folder.
Black plate (17,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-17
\FWD (Fast Forward):Press
and hold to advance playback
quickly. Sound is heard at a reduced
volume and the elapsed time of the
file displays. Release
\FWD to
resume playing. The elapsed time of
the file displays.
S c(Previous Folder): Press
the softkey below the
S ctab to
go to the first track in the previous
folder.
c T(Next Folder): Press the
softkey below the
c Ttab to go to
the first track in the next folder.
RDM (Random): Press to listen to
tracks in random, rather than
sequential order. To use random, do
one of the following:
For the Radio with CD (MP3) and
Radio with USB and CD (MP3):
1. Press the softkey positioned
under the RDM tab until Random
Current Disc displays.
2. Press the softkey again to turn off random play.
h(Music Navigator): Press the
softkey below the
htab to play
the files in order by artist or album.
The player scans the disc to sort the
files by artist and album ID3 tag
information. It can take several
minutes to scan the disc depending
on the number of files on the disc.
The radio may begin playing while it
is scanning in the background.
When the scan is finished, the disc
begins playing files in order by
artist. The current artist playing is
shown on the second line of the
display. Once all songs by that artist
are played, the player moves to the
next artist in alphabetical order and
begins playing files by that artist.
To listen to files by another artist,
press the softkey located below
either arrow tab. The disc goes to
the next or previous artist in
alphabetical order. Continue
pressing either softkey below the
arrow tab until the desired artist
displays. To change from playback by artist to
playback by album:
1. Press the softkey located below
the Sort By tab.
2. Press one of the softkeys below the Album tab from the sort
screen.
3. Press the softkey below the Back tab to return to the main
music navigator screen.
The album name displays on the
second line between the arrows,
and songs from the current album
begin to play. Once all songs from
that album have played, the player
moves to the next album in
alphabetical order on the CD and
begins playing MP3's from that
album.
To exit music navigator mode, press
the softkey below the Back tab to
return to normal MP3 playback.