
Black plate (10,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
2-10 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Doors
Liftgate
{WARNING
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate or trunk/hatch open,
or with any objects that pass
through the seal between the
body and the trunk/hatch or
liftgate. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO) which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air and
set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See “Climate
Control Systems” in the
Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑22.
Notice: If you open the liftgate
without checking for overhead
obstructions such as a garage
door, you could damage the
liftgate or the liftgate glass.
Always check to make sure the
area above and behind the liftgate
is clear before opening it.
Manual Liftgate
To unlock the liftgate, press the
power door lock switch or
press
"on the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter twice.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
To open the liftgate, press the touch
pad under the liftgate handle and lift
up. The vehicle must be in P (Park)
and the battery must be charged.
Use the pull handle to lower and
close the liftgate.
Always close the liftgate before
driving.

Black plate (17,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-17
Uplevel Model
To adjust the mirrors:
1. Press (A) or (B) to select a mirror.
2. Press the control pad to adjust the mirror.
3. Press (A) or (B) again to deselect the mirror.
Folding Mirrors
For vehicles with manual folding
mirrors, push the mirror toward the
vehicle. Pull the mirror out to return
to its original position.
For vehicles with power folding
mirrors:
1. Press (A) to fold the mirrors out
to the driving position.
2. Press (B) to fold the mirrors in to the folded position.
Resetting the Power Folding
Mirrors
Reset the power folding mirrors if:
.The mirrors are accidentally
obstructed while folding.
.They are accidentally manually
folded/unfolded.
.The mirrors vibrate at normal
driving speeds.
To reset the mirrors, fold and unfold
the mirrors one time using the
power folding mirror controls.
A popping noise may be heard
during the resetting. This sound is
normal during the reset operation.
Heated Mirrors
For vehicles with heated mirrors:
1(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to heat the mirrors.
See “Rear Window Defogger” under
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑4 for more
information.

Black plate (6,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
5-6 Instruments and Controls
Rear Window
Wiper/Washer
The rear wiper and rear wash button
is located on the instrument panel
below the climate control system.
Z(Rear Wiper):Press to turn the
rear wiper on and off. The wiper
speed cannot be changed.
Y(Wash): Press to spray
washer fluid on the rear window.
The window wiper will also come
on. Release the button when
enough fluid has been sprayed on
the window. The rear wiper will run
a few more cycles after it is
released. If the rear wiper function
was already on prior to pressing the
wash button, it stays on until the
wiper button is pressed again.
The rear window washer uses the
same fluid that is in the windshield
washer reservoir. See Washer Fluid
on page 10‑22.
Compass
Your vehicle may have a compass
in the Driver Information Center
(DIC). See Driver Information
Center (DIC) (Without DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑30 orDriver Information
Center (DIC) (With DIC Buttons) on
page 5‑25 for more information
about the DIC.
Compass Zone
The zone is set to zone eight upon
leaving the factory. Your dealer will
set the correct zone for your
location.
Under certain circumstances,
such as during a long distance
cross-country trip or moving to a
new state or province, it will be
necessary to compensate for
compass variance by resetting the
zone through the DIC if the zone is
not set correctly. Compass variance is the difference
between the earth's magnetic
north and true geographic north.
If the compass is not set to the zone
where you live, the compass may
give false readings. The compass
must be set to the variance zone in
which the vehicle is traveling.
To adjust for compass variance,
use the following procedure:
Compass Variance (Zone)
Procedure
1. Do not set the compass zone
when the vehicle is moving.
Only set it when the vehicle is
in P (Park).
Press the vehicle information
button until PRESS
VTO
CHANGE COMPASS ZONE
displays.

Black plate (8,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
5-8 Instruments and Controls
Do not operate any switches
such as window, sunroof,
climate controls, seats, etc.
during the calibration procedure.
2. Press the vehicle information button until PRESS
VTO
CALIBRATE COMPASS
displays.
3. Press the set/reset button to start the compass calibration.
4. The DIC will display CALIBRATING: DRIVE IN
CIRCLES. Drive the vehicle
in tight circles at less than
8 km/h (5 mph) to complete the
calibration. The DIC will display
CALIBRATION COMPLETE
for a few seconds when the
calibration is complete. The DIC
display will then return to the
previous menu.
Clock
To adjust the time and date:
1. Turn the ignition key toACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN,
then press
Oto turn the
radio on.
2. Press
Gto display HR, MIN,
MM, DD, YYYY (hour, minute,
month, day, and year).
3. Press the pushbutton located under any one of the labels to be
changed.
4. To increase the time or date, do one of the following:
.Press the pushbutton below
the selected label.
.Press¨SEEK.
.Press\FWD.
.Turnfclockwise. 5. To decrease the time or date,
do one of the following:
.Press©SEEK.
.PresssREV.
.Turnfcounterclockwise.
To change the time default setting
from 12 hour to 24 hour or to
change the date default setting from
month/day/year to day/month/year:
1. Press
Gand then the
pushbutton located under the
forward arrow that displays on
the radio screen until the time
12H (hour) and 24H (hour), and
the date MM/DD (month and
day) and DD/MM (day and
month) display.
2. Press the pushbutton located under the desired option.
3. Press
Gagain to apply the
selected default, or let the
screen time out.

Black plate (9,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-9
Power Outlets
The vehicle has 12‐volt outlets that
can be used to plug in electrical
equipment, such as a cell phone or
MP3 player.
The power outlets are located on
the instrument panel below the
climate controls, inside the center
floor console, at the rear of the
center console, and in the rear
cargo area. Lift the cover to access
the outlet and replace when not
in use.
{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.
Certain accessory plugs may not be
compatible with the accessory
power outlet and could overload
vehicle and adapter fuses. If a
problem is experienced, see your
dealer. When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the proper
installation instructions included
with the equipment. See
Add-On
Electrical Equipment on page 9‑53.
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.

Black plate (43,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-43
THEFT ATTEMPTED
This message displays if the content
theft-deterrent system has detected
a break-in attempt while you were
away from your vehicle. See
Anti-theft Alarm System on
page 2‑13for more information.
Service Vehicle Messages
SERVICE A/C
(Air Conditioning) SYSTEM
This message displays when the
electronic sensors that control the
air conditioning and heating
systems are no longer working.
Have the climate control system
serviced by your dealer if you notice
a drop in heating and air
conditioning efficiency.
SERVICE POWER STEERING
This message displays when a
problem is detected with the power
steering system. When this
message is displayed, you may
notice that the effort required to steer the vehicle increases or feels
heavier, but you will still be able to
steer the vehicle. Have your vehicle
serviced by your dealer immediately.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message displays when a
non-emissions related malfunction
occurs. Have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer as soon as possible.
STARTING DISABLED
SERVICE THROTTLE
This message displays when your
vehicle's throttle system is not
functioning properly. Have your
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
Tire Messages
TIRE LOW ADD AIR TO TIRE
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays when the
pressure in one or more of the
vehicle's tires is low.
This message also displays
LEFT FRT (left front), RIGHT FRT
(right front), LEFT RR (left rear),
or RIGHT RR (right rear) to indicate
the location of the low tire.
The low tire pressure warning light
will also come on. See
Tire
Pressure Light on page 5‑23.
If a tire pressure message appears
on the DIC, stop as soon as you
can. Inflate the tires by adding air
until the tire pressure is equal to
the values shown on the Tire and
Loading Information label. See Tires
on page 10‑37, Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9‑10, and Tire Pressure on
page 10‑44.
You can receive more than one
tire pressure message at a time.
To read the other messages that
may have been sent at the same
time, press the set/reset button or
the trip odometer reset stem.

Black plate (7,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-7
Delayed Exit Lighting
Delayed exit lighting illuminates the
interior for a period of time after the
key is removed from the ignition.
The ignition must be off for delayed
exit lighting to work. When the key
is removed, interior illumination
activates and remains on until one
of the following occurs:
.The ignition is in ON/RUN.
.The power door locks are
activated.
.An illumination period of
20 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a
door is opened, the timed
illumination period will be canceled
and the interior lamps will remain on
because a door is open.
Parade Dimming
This feature automatically prohibits
the dimming of the instrument panel
displays in daylight while the
headlamps are on so that the
displays are still able to be seen.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning
fast enough at idle to produce all
of the power needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on,
such as: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-1
Climate Controls
Climate Control Systems
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Dual Automatic ClimateControl System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Rear Climate Control System (Rear Climate
Control Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Rear Climate Control System (Rear Climate with
Rear Seat Audio) . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Air Vents
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Maintenance
Passenger CompartmentAir Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Climate Control Systems
The heating, cooling, and ventilation in the vehicle can be controlled with
this system.
A. Fan Control
B. Temperature Control
C. Air Delivery Mode Control
D. Air Conditioning
E. REAR (Rear Climate Control)
F. Recirculation
G. Rear Window Defogger9(Off): Turn the fan control all the
way counterclockwise to turn the
front climate control system off.
9(Fan Control): Turn clockwise
or counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the fan speed.