Black plate (2,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
2012 GMC Canyon Owner ManualM
Driving and Operating. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-24
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-33
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-44
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-64 Vehicle Care
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-91
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . 11-3
Special Application
Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9 Additional Maintenance
and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-10
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . 11-13
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 11-17
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Customer Information . . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 13-1
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 13-18
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Black plate (10,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
1-10 In Brief
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
Vehicles with outside power mirrors
have controls on the driver door
armrest.To adjust the power mirrors:
1. Move the selector switch to the
L (left) or R (right) to choose the
driver or passenger mirror.
2. Press one of the four arrows located on the control pad to
move the mirror to the desired
direction.
3. Return the selector switch to the center position once the mirrors
are adjusted.
See Power Mirrors on page 2‑14.
Vehicles with manual outside
mirrors can be adjusted by pressing
the mirror up and down and left and
right so that you can see a clear
view behind you.
Manually fold the mirrors inward to
prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
To fold, push the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push the mirror outward, to
return to its original position.
See Manual Mirrors on page 2‑13.
Interior Mirror
On vehicles with a manual inside
rearview mirror, the mirror can be
adjusted by holding it in the center
to move it for a clear view behind
you. To avoid glare from the
headlamps behind you, push the tab
forward for daytime use and pull it
for nighttime use.
SeeManual Rearview Mirror on
page 2‑14.
The automatic dimming inside
rearview mirror will automatically
reduce the glare of lights from
behind the vehicle.
See Automatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror on page 2‑15.
Black plate (11,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-11
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 pullthe 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.
Interior Lighting
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps come on when any
door is opened.
To manually turn on the dome
lamps, turn the thumbwheel, located
next to the exterior lamps control, all
the way up. The cargo lamps may
come on, if the vehicle is equipped
with Bluetooth. In this position, the
lamps remain on whether a door is
opened or closed. Reading Lamps
Press the lens on the lamps to turn
each reading lamp on or off.
These lamps will not come on with
the dome lamps.
For more information see:.“Dome Lamp Override”
under
Dome Lamps on page 6‑7.
.Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑7.
.Exit Lighting on page 6‑8.
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 (9,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-9
3. With the tailgate partially down,lift up on the passenger side and
pull the tailgate toward you, then
move the tailgate to the right to
release the driver side. You can
then remove the entire tailgate
assembly.
Reverse the procedure to reinstall
the tailgate. Make sure it is secure.
To partially lower the tailgate:
1. With the tailgate fully open, lift up slightly on the entire tailgate
assembly.
Tailgate Partially Down
2. Remove the retaining cable from the passenger side of the
tailgate by pulling the clip away
from the bolt head while pushing
the cable bracket forward.
When the larger part of the hole
on the bracket is over the bolt,
slide the bracket off the bolt. 3. Slide the lower end fitting onto
the top bolt. The tailgate will now
stay in the partially opened
position.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for the driver side.
If you would like to close the
tailgate, the bracket cannot be in the
partially opened position. Use the
top position on the bracket to
anchor it on the bottom bolt.
Black plate (13,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-13
If the engine is running and the
security light comes on, the engine
restarts if you turn the engine off.
However, the Passlock
®system is
not working properly and must be
serviced by your dealer. The vehicle
is not protected by Passlock
®at this
time. See your dealer for service.
In an emergency, call the Roadside
Assistance Center. See Roadside
Assistance Program (U.S. and
Canada) on page 13‑8 orRoadside
Assistance Program (Mexico) on
page 13‑10.
Do not leave the key or device that
disarms or deactivates the theft
deterrent system in the vehicle.
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors
{WARNING
A convex mirror can make things,
like other vehicles, look farther
away than they really are. If you
cut too sharply into the right lane,
you could hit a vehicle on the
right. Check the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex
shaped. A convex mirror's surface is
curved so more can be seen from
the driver seat.
Manual Mirrors
Adjust the mirrors by pressing the
mirror up and down and left and
right so you can see a clear view
behind you.
Manually fold the mirrors inward
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
To fold, push the mirrors toward the
vehicle. Push outward, to return the
mirrors to their original position.
Black plate (14,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
2-14 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Power Mirrors
Vehicles with outside power mirrors
have controls on the driver door
armrest.
To adjust the power mirrors:
1. Move the selector switch to theL (left) or R (right) to choose the
driver or passenger mirror.
2. Press one of the four buttons located on the control pad to
move the mirror to the desired
direction. 3. Return the selector switch to the
center position once the mirrors
are adjusted.
If the mirror begins making a
ratcheting sound, the mirror has
reached the end of its travel and
can go no farther in that direction.
To stop the sound, reverse the
mirror direction using the
control pad.
Manually fold the mirrors inward to
prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
To fold, push the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push outward, to return the
mirror to its original position.
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
Adjust this mirror for a clear view of
the area behind the vehicle. Hold
the mirror in the center to move it
up, down, or side-to-side. To reduce
headlamp glare, push the tab
forward for daytime use and pull it
for nighttime use.
Vehicles with OnStar
®have three
additional control buttons located at
the bottom of the mirror. See your
dealer for more information on the
system and how to subscribe to
OnStar. See the OnStar Owner's
Guide for more information about
the services OnStar provides.
Black plate (15,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-15
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
The vehicle may have an automatic
dimming inside rearview mirror.
Automatic dimming reduces the
glare of lights from behind the
vehicle.
The mirror may also have OnStar
®
and/or a compass and outside
temperature display.
Control buttons for the OnStar
system are at the bottom of the
mirror. See the OnStar Owners
Guide for more information about
the services OnStar provides. See
Compass on page 5‑3for more
information about the compass
display. See “Temperature Display”
after, for more information about the
outside temperature display. AUTO/
(/O(On/Off):
Press and hold AUTO/
(for about
three seconds or depending on the
mirror, press
Oto turn automatic
dimming on or off. The automatic
dimming feature comes on and the
indicator light illuminates each time
the vehicle is started.
Temperature Display
Y b/O(On/Off): PressYbor
depending on the mirror, press
Oto
turn the display on or off.
To adjust between Fahrenheit and
Celsius:
1. Press and hold
Y b/Ofor a
few seconds. The current unit of
measure (C or F) flashes. 2. Press
Y
b/Oagain and
release to change the unit of
measure. Wait several seconds
and the compass/temperature
display returns with the selected
unit of measure.
It is normal under certain conditions
for the temperature update to be
delayed. If an incorrect temperature
displays for an extended period, see
your dealer.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.