2011 GMC TERRAIN Owner's Manual

Black plate (63,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-63
If a weight-carrying hitch or a
weight-distributing hitch is being
used, the trailer tongue (A) should
weigh 10 to 15 percent of the total
loaded trailer weight (B).
After loading the trailer, weigh
the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they are not, adjustments
might be made by moving some
items around in the trailer.Trailering may be limited by the
vehicle's ability to carry tongue
weight. Tongue weight cannot cause
the vehicle to exceed the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) or
the RGAWR (Rear Gross Axle
Weight Rating). The effect of
additional weight may reduce the
trailering capacity more than the
total of the additional weight.
It is important that the vehicle
does not exceed any of its
ratings
—GCWR, GVWR, RGAWR,
Maximum Trailer Rating or Tongue
Weight. The only way to be sure it is
not exceeding any of these ratings
is to weigh the vehicle and trailer.
Total Weight on the Vehicle's
Tires
Inflate the vehicle's tires to the
upper limit for cold tires. These
numbers can be found on the
Certification label or see Vehicle
Load Limits on page 9‑21 for more
information. Do not go over the
GVW limit for the vehicle, or the
GAWR, including the weight of the trailer tongue. If using a weight
distributing hitch, do not go over the
rear axle limit before applying the
weight distribution spring bars.
Towing Equipment
Hitches
Use the correct hitch equipment.
See your dealer or a hitch dealer for
assistance.
.The rear bumper on the vehicle
is not intended for hitches. Do
not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to it. Use
only a frame-mounted hitch that
does not attach to the bumper.
.Will any holes be made in the
body of the vehicle when the
trailer hitch is installed? If there
are, seal the holes when the
hitch is removed. If the holes are
not sealed, dirt, water, and
deadly carbon monoxide (CO)
from the exhaust can get into the
vehicle. See
Engine Exhaust on
page 9‑32.

Black plate (64,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
9-64 Driving and Operating
Safety Chains
Always attach chains between the
vehicle and the trailer. Cross the
safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer to help prevent the
tongue from contacting the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch.
Leave enough slack so the rig can
turn. Never allow safety chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Does the trailer have its own
brakes? Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for the trailer brakes
so they are installed, adjusted, and
maintained properly.
Because the vehicle has antilock
brakes, do not tap into the vehicle's
brake system. If this is done, both
brake systems will not work well,
or at all.
Trailer Sway
Control (TSC)
The vehicle has a Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) feature as part of the
StabiliTrak system. If TSC detects
that the trailer is swaying, the
vehicle's brakes are automatically
applied.
When TSC is applying the brakes,
the TCS/StabiliTrak indicator
light flashes to notify the driver to
reduce speed. SeeTraction Control
System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light on
page 5‑17. If the trailer continues to
sway, StabiliTrak will reduce engine
torque to help slow the vehicle.
TSC will not function if StabiliTrak is
turned off.
Conversions and
Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment
Notice: Do not add anything
electrical to the vehicle unless
you check with your dealer first.
Some electrical equipment can
damage the vehicle and the
damage would not be covered
by the vehicle's warranty. Some
add-on electrical equipment can
keep other components from
working as they should.
Add-on equipment can drain the
vehicle's 12‐volt battery, even if the
vehicle is not operating.
The vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to add anything
electrical to the vehicle, see
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 3‑37 andAdding
Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 3‑38.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
CaliforniaProposition 65 Warning . . . . 10-2
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-14
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-15
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-21 Power Steering Fluid
(2.4L L4 Engine) . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Power Steering Fluid (3.0L V6 Engine) . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-28
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-29
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35 Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, Stoplamps,
and Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . 10-35
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-38
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Electrical System
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-45
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59

Black plate (2,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
10-2 Vehicle Care
Different Size Tires andWheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-63
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . 10-74
Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 10-79
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-79
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:
California Proposition 65
Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this
one, contain and/or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. Engine
exhaust, many parts and systems,
many fluids, and some component
wear by-products contain and/or
emit these chemicals.

Black plate (3,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-3
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt pretensioners,
and lithium batteries contained in
Remote Keyless Entry transmitters,
may contain perchlorate materials.
Special handling may be necessary.
For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate.
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non‐dealer accessories or
making modifications to the vehicle
can affect vehicle performance and
safety, including such things as
airbags, braking, stability, ride
and handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and
electronic systems like antilock
brakes, traction control, and stability
control. These accessories or
modifications could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty.
Damage to vehicle components
resulting from modifications or the
installation or use of non‐GM
certified parts, including control
module or software modifications, is
not covered under the terms of the
vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. Your GM
dealer can accessorize the vehicle
using genuine GM Accessories.
When you go to your GM dealer
and ask for GM Accessories, you
will know that GM-trained and
supported service technicians will
perform the work using genuine GM
Accessories.
Also, see
Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑38.

Black plate (4,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
10-4 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own
Service Work
{WARNING
You can be injured and the
vehicle could be damaged if you
try to do service work on a vehicle
without knowing enough about it.
.Be sure you have sufficient
knowledge, experience,
the proper replacement
parts, and tools before
attempting any vehicle
maintenance task.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Be sure to use the proper
nuts, bolts, and other
fasteners. Metric and
English fasteners can be
easily confused. If the wrong
fasteners are used, parts can
later break or fall off. You
could be hurt. If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, see
Service
Publications Ordering Information
on page 13‑14.
This vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to do your own
service work, see Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑37.
Keep a record with all parts receipts
and list the mileage and the date of
any service work performed. See
Maintenance Records on page 11‑9.

Black plate (5,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-5
Hood
To open the hood:
1. Pull the release handle locatedbelow the instrument panel to
the left of the steering wheel.
2. Move the secondary hoodrelease lever to the right to
release the striker. The lever is
near the middle of the hood.
3. Lift the hood. To close the hood:
1. Before closing the hood, be sure
all the filler caps are on properly.
2. Lower the hood 30 cm (12 in) above the vehicle and release
it so it fully latches. Check to
make sure the hood is closed
and repeat the process if
necessary.

Black plate (6,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
10-6 Vehicle Care
Engine Compartment Overview
2.4 L L4 Engine