Page 30 of 404

Black plate (2,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
2-2 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys
{WARNING
Leaving children in a vehicle with
the ignition key is dangerous for
many reasons. Children or others
could be badly injured or even
killed. They could operate the
power windows or other controls
or even make the vehicle move.
The windows will function with the
keys in the ignition and children
could be seriously injured or killed
if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave the keys in
a vehicle with children.
The key can be used for the ignition,
all door locks, and the tailgate.
The key has a bar-coded key tag
that the dealer or qualified locksmith
can use to make new keys. Store
this information in a safe place, not
in your vehicle.If locked out of your vehicle, call the
Roadside Assistance Center. See
Roadside Assistance Program (U.S.
and Canada) on page 13‑8
or
Roadside Assistance Program
(Mexico) on page 13‑10.
With an active OnStar subscription,
an OnStar Advisor may remotely
unlock the vehicle. See OnStar
®on
page 1‑20.
Page 31 of 404

Black plate (3,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-3
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
SeeRadio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑22 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
If there is a decrease in the RKE
operating range:
.Check the distance. The
transmitter may be too far from
the vehicle.
.Check the location. Other
vehicles or objects may be
blocking the signal.
.Check the transmitter's battery.
See “Battery Replacement” later
in this section.
.If the transmitter is still not
working correctly, see your
dealer or a qualified technician
for service.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation
Vehicles with Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE), transmitter functions
work up to 9 m (30 ft) away from the
vehicle.
There are other conditions which
can affect the performance of the
transmitter. See Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 2‑3.
UNLOCK: Press to unlock the
driver door and turn on the interior
lamps. The parking lamps may flash
and the horn may sound.
Press UNLOCK again within
three seconds and all of the doors
unlock.
LOCK: Press to lock all the doors.
The parking lamps may flash and
the horn may sound.
If a door is open or ajar when LOCK
is pressed, the horn sounds several
times to let you know the doors did
not lock and the content theft‐
Page 32 of 404

Black plate (4,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
2-4 Keys, Doors, and Windows
deterrent system is not armed.
Pressing LOCK again while the horn
is sounding or within three seconds
after the horn stops sounding, the
doors lock but the content theft‐
deterrent system does not arm until
the opened door is closed.
Different feedback modes can be
programmed through the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See
“Remote Keyless Entry Feedback”
underDriver Information Center
(DIC) on page 5‑20.
L(Panic): Press to make the
horn sound and the headlamps and
taillamps flash for up to 30 seconds.
To turn them off wait for 30 seconds,
or press
Lagain, or start the
vehicle.
Programming Transmitters to
the Vehicle
Only RKE transmitters programmed
to the vehicle will work. If a
transmitter is lost or stolen, a
replacement can be purchased and
programmed through your dealer.
When the replacement transmitter is
programmed to the vehicle, all
remaining transmitters must also be
programmed. Any lost or stolen
transmitters no longer work once the
new transmitter is programmed.
Each vehicle can have up to four
transmitters programmed to it.
Battery Replacement
Notice: When replacing the
battery, do not touch any of the
circuitry on the transmitter. Static
from your body could damage the
transmitter. To replace the battery:
1. Separate the transmitter with a
flat, thin object inserted in the
slot between the covers of the
transmitter housing.
2. Remove the old battery. Do not use a metal object.
3. Insert the new battery. Replace with a CR2032 or equivalent
battery.
4. Put the transmitter back together.
Page 33 of 404

Black plate (5,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-5
Door Locks
{WARNING
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
.Passengers, especially
children, can easily open the
doors and fall out of a moving
vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not
open it. The chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all
passengers should wear
safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked
whenever the vehicle is
driven.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child can
be overcome by extreme heat
and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from
heat stroke. Always lock the
vehicle whenever leaving it.
.Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when you slow down or stop
the vehicle. Locking the doors
can help prevent this from
happening. To lock or unlock the door from the
outside, use the key in the driver or
front passenger door or press the
LOCK or UNLOCK button on the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter.
To lock a door from the inside,
move the manual lever on the door
forward. To unlock a door from the
inside, move the lever on the door
rearward.
You will see a colored area on the
lever when the door is unlocked.
Page 34 of 404

Black plate (6,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
2-6 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Power Door Locks
Vehicles with power door locks, the
switches are located on the front
door armrests.
Press L to lock the doors.
Press U to unlock the doors.
Automatic Door Locks
If the vehicle has power door locks
and the remote keyless entry
system, it has an automatic lock/
unlock feature.
If the vehicle has an automatic
transmission, it is programmed
from the factory to lock all doors
automatically when the shift lever is
moved out of P (Park). All the doors
will unlock when the shift lever is
moved back into P (Park).
If the vehicle has a manual
transmission, it is programmed from
the factory to lock all the doors
when the vehicle speed is greater
than 24 km/h (15 mph). The doors
will unlock when the key is removed
from the ignition.
To change the automatic door lock
and unlock settings, see“Automatic
Door Locks” underDriver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑20.
Lockout Protection
If the vehicle has power door locks,
this feature protects you from
locking the key in the vehicle when
the key is in the ignition and a door
is open.
If the power door lock switch is
pressed when a door is open and
the key is in the ignition, all of the
doors will lock and then the driver
door will unlock.
Safety Locks (Crew Cab)
If the vehicle is a crew cab model, it
may have rear door safety locks.
With this feature, the rear doors are
locked so they cannot be opened
from the inside.
Page 35 of 404
Black plate (7,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-7
The rear door safety lock is located
on the inside edge of each rear door
below the safety lock label.
To engage the safety locks:
1. Open one of the rear doors.
2. Using the ignition key, turn thesafety lock to the horizontal
position.
3. Close the door.
4. Repeat these steps on the other rear door. To open a rear door when the safety
lock is on, unlock the door and open
the door from the outside.
To disengage the safety locks:
1. Open one of the rear doors.
2. Using the ignition key, turn the
safety lock to the vertical
position.
3. Close the door.
4. Repeat these steps on the other rear door.
Doors
Rear Doors
To open the door, open the front
door. Then, use the handle to open
the rear door. The rear door must be
closed before closing the front door.
Page 36 of 404

Black plate (8,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
2-8 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Tailgate
{WARNING
It is extremely dangerous to ride
on the tailgate, even when the
vehicle is operated at low speeds.
People riding on the tailgate can
easily lose their balance and
fall in response to vehicle
maneuvers. Falling from a moving
vehicle may result in serious
injuries or death. Do not allow
people to ride on the tailgate. Be
sure everyone in your vehicle is in
a seat and using a safety belt
properly.
Open the tailgate by pulling up on
the outside handle while pulling the
tailgate down.
When the tailgate is shut, be sure it
is latched securely.
On vehicles with a locking tailgate,
use the ignition key. Turn the key
counterclockwise to lock the
tailgate. Turn the key clockwise to
unlock the tailgate.
Tailgate Removal
To remove the tailgate:
1. With the tailgate fully open, liftup slightly on the entire tailgate
assembly.
2. Remove the retaining cables
from both sides of the tailgate by
pulling the clips away from the
bolt heads while pushing the
cable bracket forward.
When the larger part of the hole
on the bracket is over the bolt,
slide the bracket off of the bolt.
Page 38 of 404

Black plate (10,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
2-10 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Vehicle Security
This vehicle has theft-deterrent
features; however, they do not make
it impossible to steal.
Anti-theft Alarm System
If your vehicle has the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) system, the
vehicle has a content theft-deterrent
alarm system.
To activate the content
theft-deterrent system:
1. Close all the doors.
2. Lock the doors with the RKEtransmitter. The security light,
located on the instrument panel
cluster, will flash. If the LOCK button on the RKE
transmitter is pressed, but a door is
open, the horn will chirp six times.
Press the LOCK button again, within
three seconds, and the doors will
lock. Close the open door and the
system will be activated.
If a locked door is not opened using
the RKE transmitter, or by OnStar
®,
the pre-alarm will go off. If the
engine is not started or UNLOCK
not pressed within 10 seconds, the
front turn signal lamps will flash for
two minutes, and the horn will sound
for two minutes, then will turn off to
save the battery power.
Remember, the theft-deterrent
system will not activate if you lock
the doors with a key, the manual
door lock, or power door lock
switch. The system can only be
activated using the RKE transmitter,
or by OnStar
®. See the OnStar
Owner's Guide for additional
information. You should also
remember that you can start your
vehicle with the correct ignition key
if the alarm has been set off. Here is how to avoid setting off the
alarm by accident:
.If you do not want to activate the
theft-deterrent system, the
vehicle should be locked with
the door key after the doors are
closed.
.Always unlock a door with the
RKE transmitter. Unlocking a
door any other way will set off
the alarm.
If you set off the alarm by accident,
you can turn off the alarm by
pressing UNLOCK on the RKE
transmitter. The alarm will not stop if
you try to unlock a door any
other way.
Testing the Alarm
To test the alarm:
1. From inside the vehicle, activate the system by locking the doors
with the RKE transmitter.
2. Unlock the door with the manual door lock and open the door.
This should set off the alarm.