Page 210 of 404

Black plate (30,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
9-30 Driving and Operating
the pressure from the parking pawl
in the transmission, so you can pull
the shift lever out of P (Park).
Shifting out of Park
(Automatic Transmission)
The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control
system. You have to fully apply the
brake pedal before you can shift
from P (Park) when the ignition is
ON/RUN. SeeAutomatic
Transmission on page 9‑33.
The shift lock control system is
designed to do the following:
.Prevent the ignition key from
being removed unless the shift
lever is in P (Park).
.Prevent movement of the shift
lever out of P (Park), unless the
ignition is in ON/RUN and the
brake pedal is applied.
The shift lock control system is
always functional except in the case
of a dead battery or low voltage
(less than 9 V) battery. If the vehicle has an uncharged
battery or a battery with low voltage,
try charging or jump starting the
battery. See
Jump Starting on
page 10‑87 for more information.
To shift out of P (Park) use the
following:
1. Apply the brake pedal.
2. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you still are unable to shift out of
P (Park):
1. Ease the pressure on the shift lever.
2. While holding down the brake pedal, push the shift lever all
the way into P (Park).
3. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you are still having a problem
shifting, then have the vehicle
serviced.
Parking (Manual
Transmission)
If the vehicle has a manual
transmission, before you get out of
the vehicle, move the shift lever into
R (Reverse), and firmly apply the
parking brake. Once the shift lever
has been placed into R (Reverse)
with the clutch pedal pressed in,
turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF,
remove the key and release the
clutch.
If you are parking on a hill, or if the
vehicle is pulling a trailer, see
Driving Characteristics and Towing
Tips on page 9‑54.
Page 213 of 404

Black plate (33,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-33
Automatic
Transmission
The vehicle has a shift lever on the
steering column.
It features an electronic shift
position indicator within the
instrument cluster. This display is
powered anytime the shift lever is
capable of being moved out of
P (Park). This means that if the
ignition is turned off, but not in
LOCK/OFF, there will be a small
current drain on the battery which
could discharge the battery over a
period of time. If you need to leave
the key in the ignition but not in
LOCK/OFF for an extended period,
it is recommended that youdisconnect the battery cable from
the battery to prevent discharging
the battery.
There are several different positions
for the shift lever.
P (Park):
This position locks the
rear wheels. It is the best position to
use when you start the engine
because the vehicle cannot move
easily.
{WARNING
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running unless you
have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
SeeShifting Into Park (Automatic
Transmission) on page 9‑28.
If you are pulling a trailer, see
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips on page 9‑54.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in
P (Park) before starting the engine.
The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control
system. You must fully apply the
brake pedal before you can shift
from P (Park) when the ignition key
is in ON/RUN. If you cannot shift out
of P (Park), ease pressure on the
shift lever by pushing the shift lever
all the way into P (Park) as you
maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into another
gear. See Shifting out of Park
(Automatic Transmission) on
page 9‑30.
Page 337 of 404

Black plate (93,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-93
6. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFFand remove the key —the front
wheels will still turn.
7. Release the parking brake only after the vehicle being towed is
firmly attached to the towing
vehicle.
After towing see “Shifting Out of
N (Neutral)” underFour-Wheel Drive
on page 10‑30.
If the vehicle being towed will not be
started or driven for six weeks or
more, remove the battery cable from
the negative terminal (post) of the
battery to prevent the battery from
draining.Dolly Towing
Front Towing (Front Wheels Off
the Ground) –Two‐Wheel‐Drive
Vehicles
Notice: If a two-wheel drive
vehicle is towed with the rear
wheels on the ground, the
transmission could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Never
tow the vehicle with the rear
wheels on the ground. Two-wheel-drive vehicles should not
be towed with the rear wheels on
the ground. Two-wheel-drive
transmissions have no provisions
for internal lubrication while
being towed.
To dolly tow a two‐wheel‐drive
vehicle, the vehicle must be towed
with the rear wheels on the dolly.
See
“Rear Towing (Rear Wheels Off
the Ground)” later in this section for
more information.
Page 400 of 404

Black plate (8,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
i-8 INDEX
P
ParkShifting Into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30 Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-34
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-31
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-28
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-28 Power (cont'd)
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Privacy Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-21
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-14
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
R
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . . 13-21
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-22
Radios AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32 Limited-Slip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Rear Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7 Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9, 3-10
Rear Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Rear Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-13
Records
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-17
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-91
Reimbursement Program, GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-8
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Replacement Parts Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . 3-35
Replacing LATCH System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54