Black plate (1,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-5
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Auxiliary Roof-Mounted Lamp . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel IlluminationControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-9
Battery Power Protection . . . . 6-10
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
.Headlamps
.Taillamps
.Parking Lamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
Black plate (2,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
6-2 Lighting
The exterior lamps control has four
positions:
O(Off):Turns off the automatic
headlamps and Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL). Turn the headlamp
control to the off position again to
turn the automatic headlamps or
DRL back on.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
the off position will only work when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
AUTO (Automatic): Automatically
turns on the headlamps at normal
brightness, together with the
following:
.Parking Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on the
parking lamps together with the
following:
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
2(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps together with the
following lamps listed below.
.Parking Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
When the headlamps are turned on
while the vehicle is on, the
headlamps will turn off automatically
10 minutes after the ignition is
turned off. When the headlamps are
turned on while the vehicle is off, the headlamps will stay on for
10 minutes before automatically
turning off to prevent the battery
from being drained. Turn the
headlamp control to off and then
back to the headlamp on position to
make the headlamps stay on for an
additional 10 minutes.
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A reminder chime will sound when
the headlamps or parking lamps are
manually turned on and the ignition
is off and a door is open. To disable
the chime, turn the light off.
Black plate (3,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-3
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
5 3
(Headlamp High/Low
Beam Changer): To change the
headlamps from low to high beam,
push the lever toward the instrument
panel. To return to low-beam
headlamps, pull the multifunction
lever toward you. Then release it.
When the high beams are on, this
indicator light on the instrument
panel cluster will also be on.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use the
high-beam headlamps to signal a
driver in front of you that you want
to pass. It works even if the
headlamps are in the automatic
position.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever
toward you, then release it.
If the headlamps are in the
automatic position or on low beam,
the high-beam headlamps will turn
on. They will stay on as long as
you hold the lever toward you.
The high-beam indicator on the
instrument panel cluster will come
on. Release the lever to return to
normal operation.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can
make it easier for others to see the
front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running
lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system comes on when
the following conditions are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamps control is
in AUTO.
.The transmission is not in Park.
.The light sensor determines it is
daytime.
When the DRL system is on,
only the DRL lamps are on. The
taillamps, sidemarker, instrument
panel lights, and other lamps will not
be on.
Black plate (4,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
6-4 Lighting
When it begins to get dark, the
automatic headlamp system
switches from DRL to the
headlamps.
To turn off the DRL lamps, turn the
exterior lamps 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 DRL lamps can
be turned off.
Automatic Headlamp
System
When it is dark enough outside, the
automatic headlamp system turns
on the headlamps at the normal
brightness, along with the taillamps,
sidemarker, parking lamps, and the
instrument panel lights. The radio
lights will also be dim.To turn off the automatic headlamp
system, turn the exterior lamps
switch to the off position and then
release it. For vehicles first sold in
Canada, the transmission must be
in the P (Park) position before the
automatic headlamp system can be
turned off.
The vehicle has a light sensor
located on the top of the instrument
panel which regulates when the
automatic headlamps turn on. Do
not cover the sensor, otherwise the
headlamps will come on whenever
the ignition is on.The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or heavy overcast
weather. This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition
between the daytime and nighttime
operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic
headlamp systems so that driving
under bridges or bright overhead
street lights does not affect the
system. The DRL and automatic
headlamp system are only affected
when the light sensor detects a
change in lighting lasting longer
than the delay.
Black plate (8,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
6-8 Lighting
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
D(Instrument Panel
Brightness): This feature controls
the brightness of the instrument
panel lights and is located next to
the exterior lamps control.
Push the knob to extend out and
then it can be turned.
Turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or dim
the instrument panel lights. Turning
the knob to the farthest clockwise
position turns on the dome lamps.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps are located in the
overhead console.
They come on when any door is
opened and turn off after all the
doors are closed.
Turn the instrument panel
brightness knob located below the
dome lamp override button,
clockwise to the farthest position to
manually turn on the dome lamps.
The dome lamps remain on until the
knob is turned counterclockwise.
Dome Lamp Override
The dome lamp override button is
located next to the exterior lamps
control.
k(Dome Off): Press the button
in and the dome lamps remain off
when a door is opened. Press the
button again to return it to the
extended position so that the dome
lamps come on when a door is
opened.
Black plate (9,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-9
Reading Lamps
For vehicles with reading lamps
they are located on the overhead
console.
To turn on the reading lamps, press
the button located next to each
lamp. To turn them off, press the
button again.
The vehicle may also have reading
lamps in other locations. To turn the
lamps on or off, press the button
located next to the lamp.
The lamps are fixed and cannot be
adjusted.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
The vehicle has an illuminated entry
feature.
When the doors are opened, the
dome lamps will come on if the
dome override button is in the
extended position. If the dome
override button is pressed in, the
lamps will not come on.
Exit Lighting
The interior lamps come on when
the key is removed from the ignition.
They turn off automatically in
20 seconds. The lights do not come
on if the dome override button is
pressed in.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
Black plate (23,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-23
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steadypressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to a
safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop, shift to P (Park), and turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF. On vehicles with
an automatic transmission, the
shift lever must be in P (Park) to
turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK/OFF position.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9‑45.{WARNING
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
turn the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY.
The steering can bind with the
wheels turned off center. If this
happens, move the steering wheel
from right to left while turning the
key to ACC/ACCESSORY. If this
doesn't work, then the vehicle needs
service. Notice:
Using a tool to force the
key to turn in the ignition could
cause damage to the switch or
break the key. Use the correct
key, make sure it is all the way in,
and turn it only with your hand.
If the key cannot be turned by
hand, see your dealer.
B (ACC/ACCESSORY): This
position lets things like the radio
and the windshield wipers operate
while the engine is off. Use this
position if the vehicle must be
pushed or towed.
C (ON/RUN): This position can be
used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument panel cluster warning
and indicator lights. This position
can also be used for service and
diagnostics, and to verify the proper
operation of the malfunction
indicator lamp as may be required
for emission inspection purposes.
Black plate (37,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-37
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive (Two
Speed Automatic
Transfer Case)
If the vehicle has four-wheel drive,
you can send the engine's driving
power to all four wheels for extra
traction. Read the following before
using four-wheel drive.
Notice:Driving on clean, dry
pavement in Four-Wheel Drive
High or Four-Wheel Drive Low for
an extended period of time may
cause premature wear on the
vehicle's powertrain. Do not drive
on clean, dry pavement in
Four-Wheel Drive High or
Four-Wheel Drive Low for
extended periods of time. While driving on clean dry pavement
and during tight turns, you may
experience a vibration in the
steering system.
The vehicle has StabiliTrak
®.
Shifting into Four-Wheel Drive Low
will turn Traction Control and
StabiliTrak off. See StabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑46.
Front Axle
The front axle engages and
disengages automatically when you
shift the transfer case. Some delay
for the axle to engage or disengage
is normal.
Automatic Transfer Case
The transfer case knob is located to
the left of the instrument panel
cluster.
Use this dial to shift into and out of
four-wheel drive.
You can choose among five driving
settings:
Indicator lights in the switches show
you which setting you are in. The
indicator lights will come on briefly
when you turn on the ignition and
the last chosen setting will stay on.