
Black plate (1,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
2012 GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23 Seats and Restraints
. . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-4
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-46
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-54 Lighting
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 7-38
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13

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 (7,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-7
To adjust a manual seat:
1. Lift the handle (A) under the seatto unlock it.
2. Slide the seat to the desired position, and then release the
handle.
3. Try to move the seat back and forth to be sure it is locked in
place.
Move the lever (B) up or down to
raise or lower the seat.
Use the lever (C) to adjust the
seatback.
See Seat Adjustment on page 3‑3
and Reclining Seatbacks on
page 3‑5 for more information.Power Seats
A. Seat Adjustment Control
B. Seatback Control
C. Lumbar Control To adjust a power seat, if equipped:
.Move the seat forward or
rearward by sliding the
control (A) forward or rearward.
.Raise or lower the entire seat by
moving the control (A) up
or down.
.Adjust the seatback by tilting the
top of the control (B) forward or
rearward.
See
Reclining Seatbacks on
page 3‑5.
.Increase or decrease lumbar
support by pressing the front or
rear of the control (C).
See Lumbar Adjustment on
page 3‑4.
See Power Seat Adjustment on
page 3‑4 for more information.

Black plate (13,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-13
Interior Mirror
The automatic dimming rearview
mirror reduces the glare from
other vehicle headlamps. Each time
the vehicle is started, the dimming
feature comes on.
SeeAutomatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror on page 2‑20.
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever (A) down.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down. 3. Pull or push the steering wheel
closer or away from you.
4. Push the lever (A) up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Interior Lighting
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps are located in the
overhead console and above the
rear seat passengers.
The dome lamps come on when a
door is opened, unless the dome
lamp override button is pressed in.
To manually turn them on, turn the
instrument panel brightness control
clockwise to the farthest position. Dome Lamp Override
The dome lamp override button is
next to the exterior lamps control.
E
DOME OFF: Press the top of the
button in and the dome lamps
remain off when a door is opened.
An indicator light on the button
comes on to show that the dome
lamps are off. Press near the bottom
of the button so the dome lamps
come on when a door is opened.

Black plate (18,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012
1-18 In Brief
Each page of favorites can contain
any combination of AM, FM, or XM
stations.
SeeAM-FM Radio on page 7‑7.
Setting the Clock
To set the time and date for the
radio with CD, DVD, and USB Port:
1. Turn the ignition key to
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN,
then press
Oto turn the
radio on.
2. Press
Hto 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 or decrease the time or date, turn
fclockwise or
counterclockwise.
For detailed instructions on setting
the clock for the vehicle's specific
audio system, see Clock on
page 5‑8.
Satellite Radio
Vehicles with an XM™ satellite radio
tuner and a valid XM satellite radio
subscription can receive XM
programming.
XM Satellite Radio Service
XM is a satellite radio service based
in the 48 contiguous United States
and 10 Canadian provinces. XM
satellite radio has a wide variety of
programming and commercial-free
music, coast to coast, and in
digital-quality sound. A fee is
required to receive the XM service.
For more information refer to:
.www.xmradio.com or call
1-800-929-2100 (U.S.).
.www.xmradio.ca or call
1-877-438-9677 (Canada).
For more information, see Satellite
Radio on page 7‑8.
Portable Audio Devices
This vehicle may have an auxiliary
input located on the radio faceplate
and a USB port located in the
instrument panel storage area.
External devices such as iPods™,
laptop computers, MP3 players,
CD changers, USB storage
devices, etc. can be connected to
the auxiliary port using a 3.5 mm
(1/8 in) input jack or the USB port
depending on the audio system.
See Auxiliary Devices on page 7‑36.