Black plate (3,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Introduction iii
The names, logos, emblems,
slogans, vehicle model names, and
vehicle body designs appearing in
this manual including, but not limited
to, GM, the GM logo, GMC, the
GMC Truck Emblem, and TERRAIN
are trademarks and/or service
marks of General Motors LLC, its
subsidiaries, affiliates, or licensors.This manual describes features that
may or may not be on your specific
vehicle either because they are
options that you did not purchase or
due to changes subsequent to the
printing of this owner manual.
Please refer to the purchase
documentation relating to your
specific vehicle to confirm each of
the features found on your vehicle.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
substitute the name
“General
Motors of Canada Limited” for GMC
Motor Division wherever it appears
in this manual.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for
quick reference.
Canadian Vehicle Owners
Propriétaires Canadiens
A French language copy of this
manual can be obtained from your
dealer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de
ce guide en français auprès du
concessionnaire ou à l'adresse
suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue
française
www.helminc.com
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 22862219 B Second Printing©2011 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Black plate (3,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
In Brief 1-3
A.Air Vents on page 8‑5.
B. Turn and Lane‐Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑3.
Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
Fog Lamps on page 6‑4.
C. Horn on page 5‑3.
D. Instrument Cluster on page 5‑8.
E. Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑3.
Rear Window Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑4.
F. Power Door Locks on page 2‑7.
G. Navigation Screen (If Equipped).
H. Forward Collision Alert (FCA) Display (If Equipped). See
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System on page 9‑40.
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Indicator (If Equipped). See
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
on page 9‑48. I.
Safety Locks on page 2‑8.
J. Infotainment on page 7‑1.
Navigation System (If
Equipped). See Navigation
System Manual.
K. Hood Release. See Hood on
page 10‑5.
L. Cruise Control on page 9‑38.
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System on page 9‑40 (If
Equipped).
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
on page 9‑48 (If Equipped).
M. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑13.
N. Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑4.
O. Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2.
P. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2.
Q. Ignition Positions on page 9‑21. R.
Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1 (If Equipped).
Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑3 (If
Equipped).
S. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑29.
T. Fuel Economy Mode on
page 9‑31 (If Equipped).
U. StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑36.
V. Power Outlets on page 5‑6.
W. CD Player Slot. See CD Player
on page 7‑14.
X. Driver Information Center (DIC) Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑23.
Y. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑3.
Black plate (18,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
1-18 In Brief
To release the parking brake, hold
the regular brake pedal down, then
push down momentarily on the
parking brake pedal until you feel
the pedal release. Slowly pull your
foot up off the park brake pedal.
SeeParking Brake on page 9‑33.
Transmission
Electronic Range Select
(ERS) Mode
ERS or manual mode allows for the
selection of the range of gear
positions. Use this mode when
driving down hill or towing a trailer
to limit the top gear and vehicle
speed. To use this feature:
1. Move the shift lever to
M (Manual Mode).
2. Press the plus/minus button on the shift lever, to increase or
decrease the gear range
available.
See Manual Mode on page 9‑31 for
more information.
Fuel Economy Mode
Vehicles with a 2.4L engine have a
Fuel Economy Mode. When
engaged, fuel economy mode can
improve the vehicle's fuel economy.Press the “eco”(economy) button by
the shift lever to turn this feature on
or off. The “eco”light in the
instrument cluster will come on
when engaged, and a Driver
Information Center (DIC) message
“ECO MODE ON” displays. See
Fuel Economy Mode on page 9‑31.
Black plate (5,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-5
The battery is not rechargeable. To
replace the battery:
1. Push the button on thetransmitter to extend the key.
2. Remove the battery cover by prying with a finger.
3. Remove the battery by pushing on the battery and sliding it
toward the key blade.
4. Insert the new battery, positive side facing up. Push the battery
down until it is held in place.
Replace with a CR2032 or
equivalent battery.
5. Snap the battery cover back on to the transmitter.
Remote Vehicle Start
The vehicle may have this feature
that allows you to start the engine
from outside the vehicle.
/(Remote Vehicle Start): This
button will be on the RKE
transmitter if the vehicle has remote
start. Vehicles with an automatic climate
control system will default to a
heating or cooling mode depending
on the outside temperature during a
remote start. Once the key is turned
to ON/RUN, the system will turn on
at the setting the vehicle was last
set to. If the vehicle has heated
seats, they may come on during a
remote start. See
Heated Front
Seats on page 3‑9 for more
information.
Laws in some local communities
may restrict the use of remote
starters. For example, some laws
require a person using remote start
to have the vehicle in view. Check
local regulations for any
requirements.
There are other conditions which
can affect the performance of the
transmitter. See Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 2‑3 for
additional information. Starting the Engine Using Remote
Start
To start the engine using the remote
start feature:
1. Press and release
Qon the
RKE transmitter.
2. Press and hold /for about
two seconds. The turn signal
lamps will briefly flash to confirm
the vehicle has been started.
The parking lamps will turn on
and remain on as long as the
engine is running. The vehicle's
doors will be locked.
3. The key must be inserted and turned to ON/RUN before
driving.
The engine will shut off after
10 minutes unless a time
extension is done or the key is
inserted and turned to ON/RUN.
Black plate (12,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
2-12 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Obstacle Detection Features
If the liftgate encounters an obstacle
during a power open or close cycle,
a warning chime will sound and the
liftgate will automatically reverse
direction to the full closed or open
position. After removing the
obstruction, the power liftgate
operation can be used again. If the
liftgate encounters multiple
obstacles on the same power cycle,
the power function will deactivate
and a message will display in the
Driver Information Center (DIC) ,
seeObject Detection System
Messages on page 5‑29. After
removing the obstructions, the
liftgate will resume normal power
operation.
Pinch sensors are located on the
side edges of the liftgate. If an
object is caught between the liftgate
and the vehicle and presses against
this sensor, the liftgate will reverse
direction and open fully. The liftgate
will remain open until it is activated
again or closed manually.
Power Liftgate 3/4 Mode
To program the liftgate opening
height:
1. Turn the liftgate switch to either the MAX , or the 3/4 mode
position and power open the
liftgate.
2. Stop the liftgate movement at the desired height by pressing
any liftgate switch. Manually
adjust the liftgate position if
required.
3. Press and hold the button on the liftgate adjacent to the latch until
the turn signals flash and a beep
sounds to indicate that the new
setting is recorded.
When power opened with the 3/4
mode selected, the liftgate stops at
the new set position. If there is no audible and visual
feedback when setting the
intermediate stop position, the
liftgate height is being set below the
3/4 open height minimum
(approximately 1.5 m or 5 ft). The
liftgate cannot be set below that
minimum and the new setting will
not be recorded.
Manual Operation of Power
Liftgate
To change the liftgate to manual
operation, turn the mode switch to
the OFF position.
With the power liftgate disabled and
all of the doors unlocked, the liftgate
can be manually opened and
closed. Manual operation of a
liftgate that also has power
operation requires more effort than
a standard manual liftgate.
Black plate (24,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
3-24 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie‐down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or right
front passenger's head and chest.
However, they are only designed to
inflate if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based on how
fast your vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact, and how
quickly your vehicle slows down.
Black plate (26,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
3-26 Seats and Restraints
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by the
direction of the roll.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover. The inflator, the airbag,
and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
For airbag location, seeWhere Are
the Airbags? on page 3‑23.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping the
occupant more gradually. Seat‐
mounted side impact and roof-rail
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first and second rows. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the risk of
full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can
prevent all such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑24 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? on page 3‑23.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
Black plate (27,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-27
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
the interior lamps on, turn the
hazard warning flashers on, and
shut off the fuel system after the
airbags inflate. You can lock the
doors, turn the interior lamps off,
and turn the hazard warning
flashers off by using the controls for
those features.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the front outboard
passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly
other parts. The service manual
for the vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13‑19 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑20.