Black plate (2,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
2012 GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner ManualM
Driving and Operating. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-15
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-23
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-30
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-34
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-53
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-29 Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . 11-3
Special Application Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Additional Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . 11-12
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 11-14
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2 Customer Information
. . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 13-2
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 13-19
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar Additional
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Black plate (5,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
%:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway
Mirrors
}: Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_: Tow/Haul Mode
t:Traction Control/StabiliTrak
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (1,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Third Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Heated and Ventilated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10 Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-14
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-18
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-19
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 1-20
Storage Compartments . . . . . . 1-21
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Performance and Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-22
Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-23
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Black plate (4,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
1-4 In Brief
Initial Drive
Information
This section provides a brief
overview about some of the
important features that may or may
not be on your specific vehicle.
For more detailed information, refer
to each of the features which can be
found later in this owner manual.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
The RKE transmitter is used to
remotely lock and unlock the doors
from up to 60 m (195 ft) away from
the vehicle.
PressKto unlock the driver door.
Press
Kagain within five seconds
to unlock all remaining doors.
Press
Qto lock all doors.
Lock and unlock feedback can be
personalized.
To open or close the liftgate, press
and hold
8until the liftgate
begins to move.
Press
Land release to locate the
vehicle. Press
Land hold for more than
two seconds to sound the panic
alarm.
Press
Lagain to cancel the panic
alarm.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
Remote Vehicle Start
Starting the Vehicle
With this feature the engine can be
started from outside of the vehicle.
1. Aim the RKE transmitter at the
vehicle.
2. Press and release
Q.
3. Immediately after completing Step 2, press and hold
/until
the parking lamps flash.
Black plate (5,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-5
When the vehicle starts, the parking
lamps will turn on and remain on as
long as the engine is running.
The doors will be locked and the
climate control system may
come on.
The engine will continue to run for
10 minutes. Repeat the steps for a
10-minute time extension. Remote
start can be extended only once.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at the
vehicle and press and hold
/
until the parking lamps turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition switch on and
then off.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5.
Door Locks
To lock or unlock a door manually:
.From the inside use the door
lock knob on the window sill.
.From the outside turn the key
toward the front or rear of the
vehicle, or press the
KorQ
button on the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter.
Power Door Locks
Base Model
Uplevel Model
K: Press to unlock the doors.
Q:Press to lock the doors.
See Power Door Locks on page 2‑8.
Liftgate
To open the liftgate the vehicle must
be in P (Park). Press the touch pad
under the liftgate handle. To close
the liftgate, use the pull cup or pull
strap as an aid.
Black plate (10,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
1-10 In Brief
Heated and Ventilated
Seats
Heated and Cooled
Seat Buttons Shown,
Heated Seat Buttons Similar
If available, the buttons are on the
center console. To operate, the
engine must be running. I:
If available, press to heat the
seatback only.
H: If available, press to cool the
entire seat.
J: Press to heat the seat and
seatback.
Press the button once for the
highest setting. With each press of
the button, the seat will change to
the next lower setting, and then to
the off setting. The lights indicate
three for the highest setting and one
for the lowest.
See Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats on page 3‑9 for more
information.
Head Restraint
Adjustment
Do not drive until the head restraints
for all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
To achieve a comfortable seating
position, change the seatback
recline angle as little as necessary
while keeping the seat and the
head restraint height in the proper
position.
See Head Restraints on page 3‑2
and Seat Adjustment on page 3‑3.
Black plate (23,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-23
indicator that the tire pressures are
getting low and the tires need to be
inflated to the proper pressure.
The TPMS does not replace normal
monthly tire maintenance. It is the
driver’s responsibility to maintain
correct tire pressures.
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
on page 10‑45.
Tire Sealant and
Compressor Kit
This vehicle may come with a spare
tire and tire changing equipment or
a tire sealant and compressor kit.
The kit can be used to temporarily
seal small punctures in the tread
area of the tire.
See Tire Sealant and Compressor
Kit on page 10‑60 for complete
operating information.
If the vehicle came with a spare tire
and tire changing equipment, see
If a Tire Goes Flat on page 10‑58.
Engine Oil Life System
The engine oil life system calculates
engine oil life based on vehicle use
and displays the CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON message when it is time
to change the engine oil and filter.
The oil life system should be reset
to 100% only following an oil
change.
Resetting the Oil Life System
1. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN, with the engine off.
2. If the vehicle has Driver Information Center (DIC)
buttons: Press the vehicle
information button until OIL LIFE
REMAINING displays.
If the vehicle does not have
Driver Information Center (DIC)
buttons: The vehicle must be in
P (Park) to access this display.
Press the trip odometer reset
stem until OIL LIFE REMAINING
displays. 3. If the vehicle has Driver
Information Center (DIC)
buttons: Press and hold the
set/reset button until “100%”is
displayed. Three chimes sound
and the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message goes off.
If the vehicle does not have
Driver Information Center (DIC)
buttons: Press and hold the trip
odometer reset stem until OIL
LIFE REMAINING shows
“100%.” Three chimes sound
and the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message goes off.
4. Turn the key to LOCK/OFF.
See Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑10.
Black plate (24,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
1-24 In Brief
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy
Driving habits can affect fuel
mileage. Here are some driving tips
to get the best fuel economy
possible.
.Avoid fast starts and accelerate
smoothly.
.Brake gradually and avoid
abrupt stops.
.Avoid idling the engine for long
periods of time.
.When road and weather
conditions are appropriate,
use cruise control.
.Always follow posted speed
limits or drive more slowly when
conditions require.
.Keep vehicle tires properly
inflated.
.Combine several trips into a
single trip.
.Replace the vehicle's tires with
the same TPC Spec number
molded into the tire's sidewall
near the size.
.Follow recommended scheduled
maintenance.
Roadside Assistance
Program
U.S.:1-888-881-3302
TTY Users (U.S.): 1-888-889-2438
Canada: 1-800-268-6800
Mexico: 01-800-466-0801
As the owner of a new GMC, you
are automatically enrolled in the
Roadside Assistance program. See
Roadside Assistance Program
(U.S. and Canada) on page 13‑8
or Roadside Assistance Program
(Mexico) on page 13‑10 for more
information.
Roadside Assistance and OnStar
(U.S. and Canada)
If you have an active OnStar
subscription, press the
Qbutton
and the current GPS location will be
sent to an OnStar advisor who will
assess your problem, contact
Roadside Assistance, and relay
your exact location to get the help
you need.