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 (5,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
In Brief 1-5
The engine will continue to run for
10 minutes. Repeat the steps for a
10-minute time extension. Remote
start can be extended only once.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at the
vehicle and press and hold
/
until the parking lamps turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition on and then
back off.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5.
Door Locks
Manual Door Locks
Lock and unlock the door from the
outside using the key or the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter,
if available. From the inside, slide
the manual lever on the door up
or down.
See Door Locks on page 2‑7.
Power Door Locks
On vehicles with power door locks,
the switches are located on the
doors.
T:Press to lock and unlock the
doors.
See Power Door Locks on page 2‑8.
Windows
Manual Windows
Operate the manual windows by
turning the hand crank on each door
to raise or lower the side door
windows.
SeeManual Windows on page 2‑17.
Black plate (6,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
1-6 In Brief
Power Windows
If the vehicle has power windows,
the controls are located on each of
the side doors. The driver door also
has a control to operate the front
passenger window.
Press or pull up on the switch to
lower or raise the window.
Express‐Down
The driver window switch also has
an express-down feature that allows
the window to be lowered without
holding the switch. Press fully and
release the window switch marked
AUTO to activate the express-down
mode. This mode can be cancelled
at any time by pulling up on the
switch. To open the window part
way, lightly tap the switch until the
window is at the desired position.
SeePower Windows on page 2‑17.
Seat Adjustment
Manual Seats
To adjust a manual seat:
1. Lift the bar to unlock the seat.
2. Slide the seat to the desired
position and release the bar.
3. Try to move the seat back and forth to be sure the seat is
locked in place.
See Seat Adjustment on page 3‑2.
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
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-1
Keys, Doors, and
Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Doors
Side Door (60/40 Swing-Out) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Sliding Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Rear Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Vehicle Security
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Immobilizer Operation . . . . . . . 2-13
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Trailer-Tow Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Power Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror . . . . . . 2-16
Windows
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Power Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Swing-Out Windows . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Enhanced Technology Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Black plate (2,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
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 is used for the ignition and
all door locks.
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 the vehicle.
See your dealer if a replacement
key or additional key is needed.
Notice:If the keys get locked in
the vehicle, it may have to be
damaged to get them out. Always
carry a spare key. If you are locked out of the vehicle,
call the Roadside Assistance
Center. See
Roadside Assistance
Program on page 13‑5.
With an active OnStar subscription,
an OnStar Advisor may remotely
unlock the vehicle. See OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
See Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑16 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.
Black plate (3,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-3
.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
If equipped, the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter functions
work up to 60 m (195 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 2‑2.
RKE Transmitter with Remote
Start Shown
Q(Lock):Press once to lock all
doors. If enabled through the Driver
Information Center (DIC), the
parking lamps flash once to indicate
locking has occurred.
The horn may chirp when
Qis
pressed again within five seconds.
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑42 for additional information.
K(Unlock): Press to unlock the
driver door. If
Kis pressed again
within five seconds, all remaining
doors unlock.
The interior lamps come on and
stay on for 20 seconds or until the
ignition is turned on. If enabled
through the DIC, the parking lamps
flash twice to indicate unlocking
has occurred. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑42 for
additional information.
j(Cargo Door): Press to unlock
only the cargo doors.
/(Remote Vehicle Start): For
vehicles with this feature, press
Q
and then press and hold/within
five seconds to start the engine from
outside the vehicle using the RKE
transmitter. See Remote Vehicle
Start on page 2‑5 for additional
information.