2011 GMC SAVANA PASSENGER four wheel drive

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 (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-11
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-17
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission (SixSpeed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Automatic Transmission (Four Speed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Ride Control Systems
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Gasoline Specifications (U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-43
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-44
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59

Black plate (35,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-35
on downhill grades by automatically
shifting to lower gears when the
driver desires to slow the vehicle by
applying the brake. This reduces
wear on the braking system and
increases control of the vehicle.
Also seeTrailer Towing on
page 9‑52 for more information.
Cruise Grade Braking
(Six Speed Automatic
Transmission)
Cruise Grade Braking operates only
while Cruise Control is engaged in
Tow/Haul Mode. Cruise Grade
Braking assists in maintaining
desired vehicle speeds when driving
on downhill grades in cruise control
by automatically shifting to lower
gears when the cruise set speed is
exceeded.
While in the Range Selection Mode,
Cruise Grade Braking is not
available.
SeeManual Mode on page 9‑33.
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive
If the vehicle has this feature,
engine power is sent to all four
wheels when extra traction is
needed. This is like four-wheel
drive, but there is no separate lever
or switch to engage or disengage
the front axle. It is fully automatic,
and adjusts itself as needed for road
conditions.
Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the
vehicle begins to drive away, ABS
checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while
this test is going on, and it might
even be noticed that the brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 5‑24.

Black plate (62,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
10-62 Vehicle Care
There are two minutes to match
the first tire/wheel position, and
five minutes overall to match all
four tire/wheel positions. If it takes
longer, the matching process stops
and must be restarted.
The TPMS sensor matching
process is:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN withthe engine off.
3. Press the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter's LOCK and
UNLOCK buttons at the same
time for approximately
five seconds. The horn sounds
twice to signal the receiver is in
relearn mode and TIRE
LEARNING ACTIVE message
displays on the DIC screen.
If the vehicle does not have
RKE, press the Driver
Information Center (DIC) vehicle
information button until the
PRESS
VTO RELEARN TIRE
POSITIONS message displays. The horn sounds twice to signal
the receiver is in relearn mode
and TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
message displays on the DIC
screen.
If the vehicle does not have RKE
or DIC buttons, press the trip
odometer reset stem located on
the instrument panel cluster until
the PRESS
VTO RELEARN
TIRE POSITIONS message
displays. The horn sounds twice
to signal the receiver is in
relearn mode and TIRE
LEARNING ACTIVE message
displays on the DIC screen.
4. Start with the driver side front tire.
5. Place the relearn tool against the tire sidewall, near the valve
stem. Then press the button to
activate the TPMS sensor.
A horn chirp confirms that the
sensor identification code has
been matched to this tire and
wheel position. 6. Proceed to the passenger side
front tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5.
7. Proceed to the passenger side rear tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5.
8. Proceed to the driver side rear tire, and repeat the procedure in
Step 5. The horn sounds two
times to indicate the sensor
identification code has been
matched to the driver side rear
tire, and the TPMS sensor
matching process is no longer
active. The TIRE LEARNING
ACTIVE message on the DIC
display screen goes off.
9. Turn the ignition switch to LOCK/OFF.
10. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure
level as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information label.

Black plate (89,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-89
Dinghy Towing
Two-Wheel‐Drive Vehicles
Notice:If the vehicle is towed
with all four wheels on the
ground, the drivetrain
components could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Do not
tow the vehicle with all four
wheels on the ground. Two-wheel-drive vehicles should
not be towed with all four wheels on
the ground. Two-wheel-drive
transmissions have no provisions
for internal lubrication while being
towed.
All‐Wheel‐Drive Vehicles
The vehicle was not designed to be
towed with all four wheels on the
ground. To properly tow these
vehicles, they should be placed on
a platform trailer with all four wheels
off the ground.
Notice:
Towing an all-wheel-drive
vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground, or even with only two of
its wheels on the ground, will
damage drivetrain components.
Do not tow an all-wheel-drive
vehicle with any of its wheels on
the ground.
Dolly Towing
Rear Towing (Rear Wheels Off the
Ground) –Two‐Wheel‐Drive
Vehicles
Use the following procedure to tow
the vehicle from the rear:
1. Attach the dolly to the tow
vehicle following the dolly
manufacturer's instructions.
2. Drive the rear wheels onto the dolly.

Black plate (90,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
10-90 Vehicle Care
3. Firmly set the parking brake.See Parking Brake on page 9‑36
for more information.
4. Put the transmission in P (Park).
5. Secure the vehicle to the dolly following the manufacturer's
instructions.
6. Use an adequate clamping device designed for towing to
ensure that the front wheels are
locked into the straight position.
7. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF. If the tow vehicle will not be
started or driven for six weeks or
more, remove the battery cable
from the negative terminal (post)
of the battery to prevent the
battery from draining while
towing. Rear Towing (Rear Wheels Off the
Ground)
–All‐Wheel‐Drive
Vehicles
The vehicle was not designed to be
towed with two wheels on the
ground. To properly tow these
vehicles, they should be placed on
a platform trailer with all four wheels
off the ground. Notice:
Towing an all-wheel-drive
vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground, or even with only two of
its wheels on the ground, will
damage drivetrain components.
Do not tow an all-wheel-drive
vehicle with any of its wheels on
the ground.