2012 GMC SAVANA transmission

Black plate (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
2012 GMC Savana Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-42
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7 Driving and Operating
. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-25
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-35
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-58
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92

Black plate (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
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
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Airbag On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-9
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-12
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-17
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-18
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Performance and Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-20
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-20
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-20
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21

Black plate (14,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
1-14 In Brief
Vehicles with Air Conditioning
A. Fan Control
B. Temperature Control
C. Air Delivery Mode Control
D. Rear Window Defogger See
Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1. See Rear Heating System
on page 8‑4 (If Equipped) or Rear
Climate Control System on page 8‑5
(If Equipped).
Transmission
Range Selection Mode
The vehicle may have a Range
Selection Mode. The Range
Selection Mode helps control the
vehicle's transmission and vehicle
speed while driving downhill or
towing a trailer by letting you select
a desired range of gears.
To use this feature, do the following:
1. Move the shift lever to M (Manual Mode).
2. Press the plus/minus buttons, located on the steering column
shift lever, to select the desired
range of gears for current driving
conditions.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14 Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-16
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-16
Airbag On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-20
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-24
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-25
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-25
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-26
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-27
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-34
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-36
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-37
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-37
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-37
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-39
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-39
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-41
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 5-42

Black plate (21,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
Instruments and Controls 5-21
Notice:Modifications made to the
engine, transmission, exhaust,
intake, or fuel system of the
vehicle or the replacement
of the original tires with other
than those of the same Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) can
affect the vehicle's emission
controls and can cause this light
to come on. Modifications to
these systems could lead to
costly repairs not covered by the
vehicle warranty. This could also
result in a failure to pass a
required Emission Inspection/
Maintenance test. See
Accessories and Modifications on
page 10‑3.
This light comes on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing: A misfire condition
has been detected. A misfire
increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control
system on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required. To prevent more serious damage to
the vehicle:
.Reduce vehicle speed.
.Avoid hard accelerations.
.Avoid steep uphill grades.
.If towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled as
soon as it is possible.
If the light continues to flash, stop
and park the vehicle. Turn the
vehicle off, wait at least 10 seconds,
and restart the engine. If the light is
still flashing, follow the previous
steps and see your dealer for
service as soon as possible.
Light On Steady: An emission
control system malfunction has
been detected on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be
required. The following may correct an
emission system malfunction:
.Check that the fuel cap is fully
installed. See
Filling the Tank on
page 9‑43. The diagnostic
system can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap allows fuel to
evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap
properly installed should turn the
light off.
.Check that good quality fuel is
used. Poor fuel quality causes
the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed and may
cause stalling after start-up,
stalling when the vehicle is
changed into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration,
or stumbling on acceleration.
These conditions might go away
once the engine is warmed up.

Black plate (41,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
Instruments and Controls 5-41
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
If the vehicle has the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays when the system
is re-learning the tire positions on
the vehicle. SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑28 for more
information. The tire positions must
be re-learned after rotating the tires
or after replacing a tire or sensor.
See Tire Inspection on page 10‑63,
Tire Rotation on page 10‑63, Tire
Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 10‑60, and Tire Pressure on
page 10‑57 for more information.
Transmission Messages
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays when there
is a problem with the transmission.
See your dealer for service.
TRANSMISSION HOT IDLE
ENGINE
Notice:Do not drive the vehicle
while the transmission fluid is
overheating and the transmission
temperature warning is displayed
on the instrument panel cluster
and/or DIC, or the transmission
can be damaged. This could lead
to costly repairs that would not
be covered by the warranty.
This message displays along with a
chime if the transmission fluid in the
vehicle gets hot. Driving with the
transmission fluid temperature high
can cause damage to the vehicle.
Stop the vehicle and let it idle to
allow the transmission to cool. This
message clears and the chime
stops when the fluid temperature
reaches a safe level.
Vehicle Reminder
Messages
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE
WITH CARE
This message displays when the
outside air temperature is cold
enough to create icy road
conditions. Adjust your driving
accordingly.

Black plate (3,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
Lighting 6-3
Flash-to-Pass
This feature is used to signal to the
vehicle ahead that you want
to pass.
If the headlamps are off or in the
low‐beam position, pull the turn
signal lever toward you to
momentarily switch to high beams.
Release the lever to turn the
high-beam headlamps off.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
DRL can make it easier for others to
see the front of the vehicle during
the day. Fully functional daytime
running lamps are required on all
vehicles first sold in Canada.The DRL system comes on in
daylight when the following
conditions are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamp control is in
the AUTO position.
.The shift lever is not in P (Park).
.The light sensor determines it is
daytime.
When the DRL are on, the taillamps,
sidemarker, instrument panel lights,
and other lamps will not be on.
The automatic headlamp system
automatically switches from DRL to
the headlamps depending on the
darkness of the surroundings.
To turn off the DRL, turn the exterior
lamp control to
Oand then release
it. For vehicles first sold in Canada,
the transmission must be in the
P (Park) position, before the DRL
can be turned off.
Automatic Headlamp
System
When it is dark enough outside and
the headlamp switch is in AUTO,
the automatic headlamp system
turns on the headlamps, along with
the taillamps, sidemarker lamps,
parking lamps, and the instrument
panel lights. The radio lights will
also be dim.
To turn off the automatic headlamp
system, turn the exterior lamp
control to the off position and then
release. For vehicles first sold in
Canada, the transmission must be
in the P (Park) position, before the
automatic headlamp system can be
turned off.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
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
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-10
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-16
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission(Six Speed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Automatic Transmission (Four Speed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Ride Control Systems
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Gasoline Specifications (U.S. and Canada Only) . . . 9-41
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-41
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-42
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45