2012 GMC CANYON power steering

Black plate (1,1)GMC Canyon 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
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-9 Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Steering Wheel
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-12
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-18
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-19
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Black plate (14,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
1-14 In Brief
Four-Wheel Drive
Four-wheel drive sends engine
power to all four wheels for extra
traction.
The transfer case buttons are
located to the right of the steering
wheel on the instrument panel.Use these buttons to shift into and
out of four-wheel drive.
2
m(Two-Wheel High):
Use for
driving in most street and highway
situations.
{WARNING
Shifting the transfer case to
N (Neutral) can cause the vehicle
to roll even if the transmission is
in P (Park). You or someone else
could be seriously injured. Be
sure to set the parking brake
before placing the transfer case in
N (Neutral). See Parking Brake on
page 9‑42. N (Neutral):
Use the N (Neutral)
position only when towing the
vehicle. See Recreational Vehicle
Towing on page 10‑91.
4
m(Four-Wheel High): Use when
extra traction is needed in most
off-road situations.
4
n(Four-Wheel Low): Use this
position to deliver extra torque to all
four wheels. Used for extreme off‐
road conditions. See Four-Wheel
Drive on page 9‑37.

Black plate (27,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-27
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags inflate, they
quickly deflate, so quickly that some
people may not even realize the
airbags inflated. Roof-rail airbags
may still be at least partially inflated
for some time after they deploy.
Some components of the airbag
module may be hot for several
minutes. For location of the airbag
modules, seeWhat Makes an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑26.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors
(if equipped with power door locks),
turn the interior lamps on, flash the
hazard warning flashers, turn off the
radio, and shut off the fuel system
after the airbag inflates. You can
lock the doors again by using the door lock. The interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers will
deactivate after approximately
15 minutes.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-2
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Chime Level Adjustment . . . . . . 5-6
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8 Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-9
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-10
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-12
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-17
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-17
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-18
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-23
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-25
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-25
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-27
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-27

Black plate (2,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
5-2 Instruments and Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
The steering wheel adjustment lever
is located on the left side of the
steering wheel.To adjust:
1. Hold the steering wheel and pull
the lever toward you.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Horn
To sound the horn, press the horn
symbol on the steering wheel pad.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper controls are
located on the turn signal/lane
change lever. They are controlled
by turning the band with this
zsymbol.
The windshield wipers work in all
ignition positions, except LOCK/
OFF. This includes the Retained
Access Power mode. See Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑28.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-4
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Lighting Features
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-8
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-8
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is located
on the instrument panel on the left
side of the steering wheel.
O(Exterior Lamps): Turn the
knob, located to the right of this
symbol, to choose one of the four
exterior lamp positions.
O(Off): Turns off all exterior lamps
including the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL).

Black plate (1,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . 9-12
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 9-13
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-16
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Truck-Camper LoadingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-24
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shifting out of Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Parking (Manual Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-33
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-35
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . 9-46
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47

Black plate (4,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
9-4 Driving and Operating
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three-quarters of a second.
In that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels
20 m (66 ft), which could be a lot
of distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in
mind include:
.Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Hydraulic Power Steering
Your vehicle has hydraulic power
steering. It may require
maintenance. See
Power Steering
Fluid on page 10‑25.
If power steering assist is lost due
to a system malfunction, the vehicle
can be steered, but may require
increased effort.
See your dealer if there is a
problem.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
.Reduce speed before entering
a curve.
.Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve.
.Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
.Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
.The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) allows steering while
braking.