2012 GMC ACADIA warning

Black plate (5,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-5
Horn
Pressaon the steering wheel pad
to sound the horn.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer lever
is located on the left side of the
steering column.
Turn the band with the wiper symbol
to control the windshield wipers.
8(Mist): Use for a single wiping
cycle.
9(Off): Use to turn the wipers off.
6(Adjustable Interval Wipes):
Delays wiping cycle. Turn the band
up for more frequent wipes or down
for less frequent wipes.
1: Slow wipes.
2: Fast wipes.
Clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them. If frozen
to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged wiper blades
should be replaced. See Wiper
Blade Replacement on page 10‑28.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wipers. A circuit breaker stops them
until the motor cools.
Windshield Washer
J(Washer Fluid): Press the
button at the end of the turn
signal/lane change lever, to spray
washer fluid on the windshield. The wipers clear the windshield and
either stop or return to the preset
speed. The ignition key must be in
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN for
this to work. See
Washer Fluid on
page 10‑22.
{WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use
the washer until the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the
washer fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.
WASHER FLUID LOW ADD FLUID
is displayed on the Driver
Information Center (DIC) when the
washer fluid is low. See Washer
Fluid Messages on page 5‑45.

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 (11,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-11
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 (15,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-15
SeeEngine Overheating on
page 10‑18 for more information.
Voltmeter Gauge
When the engine is not running, but
the ignition is turned on, this gauge
shows the battery's state of charge
in DC volts.
When the engine is running, this
gauge shows the condition of the
charging system. The vehicle's
charging system regulates voltage
based on the state of charge of the
battery. The voltmeter may fluctuate. This is normal. Readings between
the low and high warning zones
indicate the normal operating range.
Readings in the low warning zone
may occur when a large number of
electrical accessories are operating
in the vehicle and the engine is left
idling for an extended period.
If there is a problem with the battery
charging system, a SERVICE
BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM
message will appear in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) and/or the
charging system light comes on.
See
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages on page 5‑37 for more
information.
However, readings in either warning
zone may indicate a possible
problem in the electrical system.
Have the vehicle serviced as soon
as possible.
Safety Belt Reminders
Driver Safety Belt Reminder
Light
There is a driver safety belt
reminder light on the instrument
panel cluster.
When the vehicle is started, this
light flashes and a chime may come
on to remind the driver to fasten
their safety belt. Then the light stays
on solid until the belt is buckled.
This cycle may continue several
times if the driver remains or
becomes unbuckled while the
vehicle is moving.
If the driver safety belt is buckled,
neither the light nor the chime
comes on.

Black plate (16,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
5-16 Instruments and Controls
Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
When the vehicle is started, this
light flashes and a chime may come
on to remind front passengers to
fasten their safety belt. Then the
light stays on solid until the belt is
buckled.
For more information see
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑17.
This cycle continues several times
if the front passenger remains or
becomes unbuckled while the
vehicle is moving.If the front passenger safety belt is
buckled, neither the chime nor the
light comes on.
The front passenger safety belt
reminder light and chime may turn
on if an object is put on the seat
such as a briefcase, handbag,
grocery bag, laptop, or other
electronic device. To turn off the
reminder light and/or chime, remove
the object from the seat or buckle
the safety belt.
Airbag Readiness Light
This light shows if there is an
electrical problem. The system
check includes the airbag sensor(s),
passenger sensing system, the
pretensioners, the airbag modules,
the wiring, and the crash sensing
and diagnostic module. For more
information on the airbag system,
see
Airbag System on page 3‑24.
The airbag readiness light comes on
and stays on for several seconds
when the vehicle is started. Then
the light goes out.
{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.

Black plate (17,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-17
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑31 for
important safety information.
The instrument panel has a
passenger airbag status indicator.
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 use
remote start, if equipped, to start the
vehicle, 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 front outboard
passenger frontal airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
is allowed to inflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol
is lit on the passenger airbag
status indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard
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 (21,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-21
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
is a brake problem. Have the brake
system inspected right away.
MetricEnglish
This light should come on briefly
when the ignition key is turned to
ON/RUN. If it does not come on
then, have it fixed so it will be ready
to warn if there is a problem. This light may also come on due to
low brake fluid. See
Brakes on
page 10‑22 for more information.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will also come
on when the parking brake is set.
The light will stay on if the parking
brake does not release fully. If it
stays on after the parking brake is
fully released, it means there is a
brake problem.
If the light comes on while driving,
pull off the road and stop carefully.
Make sure the parking brake is
fully released. The pedal may be
harder to push or, the pedal may go
closer to the floor. It may take longer
to stop. If the light is still on, have
the vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle on page 10‑82.
{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.
The brake message remains on
until any DIC button is pressed. the
brake light remains on until the
problem is fixed. See Brake System
Messages on page 5‑38 for more
information.

Black plate (22,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
5-22 Instruments and Controls
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
The ABS warning light comes on
briefly when the ignition key is
turned to ON/RUN. This is normal.
If the light does not come on then,
have it fixed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF. If the light comes on
while driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off.
Then start the engine again to reset
the system. If the light still stays on,
or comes on again while driving, the
vehicle needs service. If the regularbrake system warning light is not
on, there are still brakes, but no
antilock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also on,
there are no antilock brakes and
there is a problem with the regular
brakes. See
Brake System Warning
Light on page 5‑21.Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light comes on when the
Tow/Haul mode has been activated.
For more information, see Tow/Haul
Mode on page 9‑26.
StabiliTrak®Indicator
Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If the system is working
normally, the indicator light goes off.
If it stays on, or comes on while
driving, there could be a problem
with the StabiliTrak system and the
vehicle might need service. When
this warning light is on, the system
is off and will not limit wheel spin.
This light flashes when the
StabiliTrak system is active.
See StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑30 for more information.