Black plate (18,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
1-18 In Brief
StabiliTrak®System
The StabiliTrak system assists with
directional control of the vehicle in
difficult driving conditions. The
system turns on automatically every
time the vehicle is started.
.To turn off both traction control
and StabiliTrak, press and hold
the TCS/StabiliTrak button
d
untilgilluminates and the
appropriate DIC message is
displayed. See Ride Control
System Messages on page 5‑26.
.Press and release the TCS/
StabiliTrak button again to turn
on both systems.
For more information, see
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑45.
Tire Pressure Monitor
This vehicle may have a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS).
The TPMS warning light alerts you
to a significant loss in pressure of
one of the vehicle's tires. If the
warning light comes on, stop as
soon as possible and inflate the
tires to the recommended pressure
shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label. See Vehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑18. The warning
light will remain on until the tire
pressure is corrected. During cooler conditions, the low tire
pressure warning light may appear
when the vehicle is first started and
then turn off. This may be an early
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 10‑56.
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.
Black plate (17,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-17
If the surface of a CD is soiled, take
a soft, lint free cloth or dampen a
clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral
detergent solution mixed with water,
and clean it. Make sure the wiping
process starts from the center to
the edge.
Playing a CD
Insert a CD partway into the slot,
label side up. The player pulls it in,
and READING displays. The CD
should begin playing. To insert a
CD with the ignition off, first press
the
Z(eject) button or the
DISPL knob.
If the ignition or radio is turned off
with a CD in the player it stays in
the player. When the ignition or
radio is turned on, the CD starts to
play where it stopped, if it was the
last selected audio source.
When the CD is inserted, the CD
symbol displays. As each new track
starts to play, the track number
displays. The CD player can play the smaller
8 cm (3 in) single CDs with an
adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the
smaller CDs are loaded in the
same manner.
3 REV (Fast Reverse):
Press and
hold to reverse quickly within a
track. Press and hold for less than
two seconds to reverse at 10 times
the normal playing speed. Press
and hold for more than two seconds
to reverse at 20 times the normal
playing speed. Release to play the
track.
4 FWD (Fast Forward): Press and
hold to advance quickly within a
track. Press and hold for less than
two seconds to advance at six times
the normal playing speed. Press
and hold for more than two seconds
to advance at 17 times the normal
playing speed. Release to play
the track.
6 RDM (Random): Press to hear
the tracks in random, rather than
sequential, order. RDM ON displays. RDM and the track number displays
when each track starts to play.
Press again to turn off random play.
RDM OFF displays.
qSEEKr:
Press the left arrow to
go to the start of the current or the
previous track. Press the right arrow
to go to the start of the next track.
Pressing either arrow for more than
two seconds scans the next tracks,
playing the first eight seconds of
each track until all of the tracks
have been previewed. Press either
arrow again to stop scanning and to
play the track.
qTUNEr: Turn to go to the
previous or next track.
DISPL (Display): Press to see how
long the current track has been
playing. ET and the elapsed time of
the track displays. To change the
default on the display (track or
elapsed time), press until you see
the desired display, then press and
hold for two seconds. The radio
beeps once. The selected display is
now the default.
Black plate (20,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
7-20 Infotainment System
Preprogrammed Playlists
Preprogrammed playlists which
were created by WinAmp™,
MusicMatch™, or Real Jukebox™
software can be accessed, however,
they cannot be edited. These
playlists are treated as special
folders containing compressed
audio song files.
Playing an MP3/WMA
Insert a CD partway into the slot,
label side up. The player pulls it in,
and READING displays. The CD
should begin playing and the CD
symbol displays. If you want to
insert a CD with the ignition off,
first press the
Zbutton or the
DISPL knob.
If the ignition or radio is turned off
with a CD in the player it stays in
the player. When the ignition or
radio is turned on, the CD starts to
play where it stopped, if it was the
last selected audio source.
As each new track starts to play, the
track number displays. 1 FLD
x(Previous Folder):
Press
this button to go to the first track in
the previous folder. Pressing this
button while in folder random mode
takes you to the previous folder and
plays the tracks in random order in
that folder.
2 FLD
w(Next Folder): Press this
button to go to the first track in the
next folder. Pressing this button
while in folder random mode takes
the CD to the next folder and plays
the tracks in random order in that
folder.
3 REV (Reverse): Press and hold
this button to reverse quickly within
a track. Press and hold this button
for less than two seconds to reverse
at 10 times the normal playing
speed. Press and hold it for more
than two seconds to reverse at
20 times the normal playing
speed. Release this button to play
the track.
4 FWD (Forward): Press and hold
this button to advance quickly within
a track. Press and hold this button for less than two seconds to
advance at 10 times the normal
playing speed. Press and hold it for
more than two seconds to advance
at 20 times the normal playing
speed. Release this button to play
the track.
6 RDM (Random):
To play the
tracks in random order in the current
folder or playlist, press and release
this button. FLDR RDM (folder
random) displays. Once all of the
tracks in the current folder or playlist
have played, the system moves to
the next folder or playlist and plays
all of the tracks in random order.
To play all the tracks in random
order on the CD, press and hold this
button for two seconds. A beep
sounds and DISC RDM (disc
random) displays. This feature does
not work with playlists.
When in random, pressing and
releasing either SEEK arrow takes
the CD to the previous or to the next
random track.
Black plate (21,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-21
Press and release this button again
to turn off random play. NO RDM (no
random) displays.
qSEEKr:Press the left SEEK
arrow to go to the start of the
previous track. Press the right
SEEK arrow to go to the start of the
next track. Pressing either SEEK
arrow for more than two seconds
searches the previous or next tracks
at two tracks per second. Release
the button to stop searching and to
play the track.
qTUNEr: Turn to reverse or
advance through the tracks in all
folders or playlists. The track
number and file name displays for
each track. Turning this knob while
in random reverses or advances the
tracks in sequential order.
DISPL (Display): Press this knob
to switch between track mode,
folder/playlist mode, and time of day
mode. The display shows only
eight characters, but there can be
up to four pages of text. If there are more than
eight characters in the song,
folder, or playlist name, pressing
this knob within two seconds takes
you to the next page of text. If there
are no other pages to be shown,
pressing this knob within
two seconds takes you to the
next display mode.
.Track mode displays the current
track number and the ID3 tag
song name.
.Folder/playlist mode displays the
current folder or playlist number
and the folder/playlist name.
.Time of day mode displays the
time of day and the ID3 tag
song name.
To change the default on the
display, press the DISPL knob until
you see the desired display, then
press and hold this knob for two
two seconds. The radio produces
one beep and the selected display
is now the default. INFO (Information):
INFO displays
when a current track has ID3 tag
information. Press this button to
display the artist name and album
contained in the tag. INFO
disappears from the display when
the information in the ID3 tag has
finished being read.
BAND: Press this button to listen to
the radio when a CD is playing. The
inactive CD remains inside the radio
for future listening.
CD AUX (Auxiliary): Press this
button to play a CD when listening
to the radio. The CD symbol
illuminates on the display when a
CD is loaded.
Z(Eject): Press this button to
eject a CD. Eject can activate while
either the ignition or radio is off.
CDs can be loaded with the
ignition and radio off if this button
is pressed first.
Black plate (40,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
9-40 Driving and Operating
Shifting from Four-Wheel Low to
Two-Wheel High or
Four-Wheel High
To shift from Four-Wheel Low to
Two-Wheel High or Four-Wheel
High, the vehicle must be stopped
or moving less than 5 km/h (3 mph)
with the transmission in N (Neutral)
for an automatic transmission or the
clutch pedal pressed for a manual
transmission. The preferred method
for shifting out of Four-Wheel Low is
to have your vehicle moving
1.6 to 3.2 km/h (1 to 2 mph).
Press and release the Four-Wheel
High or Two-Wheel High button. You
must wait for the Four-Wheel High
or Two-Wheel High indicator light to
stop flashing and stay on before
shifting the transmission into gear or
releasing the clutch pedal.
If the Four-Wheel High or
Two-Wheel High button is pressed
when the vehicle is in gear and/or
moving faster than 5 km/h (3 mph),the Four-Wheel High or Two-Wheel
High indicator light will flash for
30 seconds but not complete
the shift.
Shifting to Neutral
Use N (Neutral) when you plan to
tow the vehicle. See
Recreational
Vehicle Towing on page 10‑91 for
towing instructions. To shift the
transfer case into N (Neutral) do
the following:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Start the vehicle.
3. Press the regular brake pedal and shift the transmission in
N (Neutral), or press in the clutch
for vehicles with a manual
transmission.
4. Shift the transfer case to Two-Wheel High.
5. Press and hold the Two-Wheel High and Four-Wheel Low
buttons at the same time for
10 seconds. The N (Neutral) light will come on when the transfer
case shift to N (Neutral) is
complete.
6. Press and hold the regular brake pedal and shift the transmission
to R (Reverse) for one second,
then shift the transmission to
D (Drive) for one second,
or 1 (First) for vehicles with
manual transmissions, and let
out the clutch to insure the
transfer case is in N (Neutral).
If the transfer case is not in
N (Neutral), repeat this
procedure starting at Step 3.
7. Turn the engine off by turning the key to ACC/ACCESSORY.
8. Place the transmission shift lever in P (Park), or 1 (First) for
vehicles that have a manual
transmission.
9. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
Black plate (41,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-41
Shifting Out of Neutral
After towing the vehicle, you will
have to shift out of N (Neutral) in
order to drive. To shift out of
N (Neutral), do the following:
1. Set the parking brake and applythe regular brake pedal.
2. Start a vehicle with an automatic transmission in P (Park). Use
1 (First) for vehicles with a
manual transmission.
3. Shift the transmission to N (Neutral), or press the clutch
pedal for vehicles with a manual
transmission.
4. Press the button for the desired transfer case shift position
(Two-Wheel High, Four-Wheel
High, or Four-Wheel Low).
5. After the transfer case has shifted out of N (Neutral), the
indicator light will go out.
6. Release the parking brake.
7. Shift the transmission to the desired position.Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that
helps prevent a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the
vehicle begins to drive away, ABS
checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while
this test is going on, and it might
even be noticed that the brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 5‑16. If driving safely on a wet road and it
becomes necessary to slam on the
brakes and continue braking to
avoid a sudden obstacle, a
computer senses that the wheels
are slowing down. If one of the
wheels is about to stop rolling, the
computer will separately work the
brakes at each wheel.
ABS can change the brake pressure
to each wheel, as required, faster
than any driver could. This can help
the driver steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As the brakes are applied, the
computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls
braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change
the time needed to get a foot up to
the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too
close to the vehicle in front of you,
there will not be enough time to
apply the brakes if that vehicle
Black plate (60,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
10-60 Vehicle Care
The malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off at the next
ignition cycle. The sensors are
matched to the tire/wheel positions,
using a TPMS relearn tool, in the
following order: driver side front tire,
passenger side front tire, passenger
side rear tire, and driver side rear.
See your dealer for service or to
purchase a relearn tool.
There is one minute to match the
first tire/wheel position, and
five minutes overall to match all
four tire/wheel positions. If it takes
longer, the matching process stops
and must be restarted.
The TPMS sensor matching
procedure is:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN withthe engine off.
3. Turn the exterior lamp switch from AUTO to OFF four times
within three seconds. A double
horn chirp will sound and the
TPMS low tire warning light starts flashing. The double horn
chirp and flashing TPMS
warning light indicates the TPMS
matching process has started.
The TPMS warning light should
continue flashing throughout the
matching procedure. The LOW
TIRE message displays on the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
4. Start with the driver side front tire.
5. Place the relearn tool against the tire sidewall, near the valve
stem. Then press the button to
activate the TPMS sensor.
A horn chirp confirms that the
sensor identification code has
been matched to this tire and
wheel position.
6. Proceed to the passenger side front tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5.
7. Proceed to the passenger side rear tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5. 8. Proceed to the driver side rear
tire, and repeat the procedure in
Step 5.
9. After hearing the confirming horn chirp for the driver side rear tire,
check to see if the TPMS low tire
warning light and the DIC LOW
TIRE messages have turned off.
If yes, the TPMS sensors have
been relearned. Turn the ignition
switch to LOCK/OFF.
If the low tire warning light and
the SERV TPM message on the
DIC are on after completing
Step 5 for the driver side rear
tire, the sensor relearn process
has not been successful. Turn
the ignition to LOCK/OFF and
repeat the matching process
beginning with Step 2.
10. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure
level as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information label.