Black plate (5,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
0:Adjustable Pedals
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
%:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
(: Heated Steering Wheel
j:LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway
Mirrors
}: Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_: Tow/Haul Mode
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (1,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Third Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Heated and Ventilated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11 Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Throttle and Brake Pedal Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-15
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-21
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-21
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22 Side Blind Zone
Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 1-23
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Universal Remote System . . . 1-24
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Performance and Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-25
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-26
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-26
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Roadside Assistance
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Black plate (26,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
1-26 In Brief
During cooler conditions, the low tire
pressure warning light may appear
when the vehicle is first started and
then turn off. This may be an early
indicator that the tire pressures are
getting low and the tires need to be
inflated to the proper pressure.
The TPMS does not replace normal
monthly tire maintenance. It is the
driver’s responsibility to maintain
correct tire pressures.
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
on page 10‑58.
Engine Oil Life System
The engine oil life system calculates
engine oil life based on vehicle use
and, on most vehicles, displays a
DIC message when it is necessary
to change the engine oil and filter.
The oil life system should be reset
to 100% only following an oil
change. Resetting the Oil Life System
To reset the Engine Oil Life System
on most vehicles:
1. Display OIL LIFE REMAINING
on the DIC. If the vehicle does
not have DIC buttons, the
vehicle must be in P (Park) to
access this display.
2. Press and hold the SET/RESET button on the DIC, or the trip
odometer reset stem if the
vehicle does not have DIC
buttons, for more than
five seconds. The oil life will
change to 100%.
On all vehicles, the Engine Oil Life
System can be reset as follows:
1. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN with the engine off.
2. Fully press the accelerator pedal slowly three times within
five seconds. 3. Display OIL LIFE REMAINING
on the DIC. If the display shows
100%, the system is reset.
See Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑10.
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol)
Vehicles that have a FlexFuel badge
and a yellow fuel cap can use either
unleaded gasoline or ethanol fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85).
See Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) on
page 9‑64. For all other vehicles,
use only the unleaded gasoline
described under Recommended
Fuel on page 9‑62.
Black plate (1,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-5
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13 Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Engine Oil Pressure
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-17
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-18
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-20
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-25
StabiliTrak®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-25
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-26
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-27
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-27
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-28
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-38
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-40
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-41
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-41
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-41
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-44
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-45
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-47
Black plate (27,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-27
Engine Oil Pressure Light
{WARNING
Do not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil.
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your dealer. If the system is working
normally the indicator light then
goes off.
If the light comes on and stays on, it
means that oil is not flowing through
the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and it might
have some other system problem.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see the
hybrid supplement for more
information.
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light, under the fuel gauge,
comes on briefly while the engine is
being started.
This light and a chime come on
when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
The Driver Information Center also
displays a FUEL LEVEL LOW
message. See
Fuel System
Messages on page 5‑41 for more
information. When fuel is added this
light and message should go off.
If they do not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
Security Light
The security light should come on
briefly as the engine is started. If the
system is working normally, the
indicator light turns off. If it does not
come on, have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer.
If the light stays on and the engine
does not start, there could be a
problem with the theft-deterrent
system.
Black plate (30,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
5-30 Instruments and Controls
The compass and outside air
temperature will also be shown in
the display. The temperature will be
shown in °C or °F depending on the
units selected.
T(Vehicle Information):Press
to display the oil life, units, side
blind zone system on/off, tire
pressure readings for vehicles with
the Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS), trailer brake gain and
output information for vehicles with
the Integrated Trailer Brake Control
(ITBC) system, engine hours,
compass zone setting, and compass
recalibration.
U(Customization): Press to
customize the feature settings on
your vehicle. See Vehicle
Personalization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑47 for more information.
V(Set/Reset):Press to set or
reset certain functions and to turn
off or acknowledge messages on
the DIC.
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
(With DIC Buttons)
3(Trip/Fuel): Press to scroll
through the following menu items:
Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until
ODOMETER displays. This display
shows the distance the vehicle has
been driven in either kilometers (km)
or miles (mi). Pressing the trip
odometer reset stem will also
display the odometer.
To switch between English and
metric measurements, see “Units”
later in this section.
Trip Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until TRIP
displays. This display shows the
current distance traveled in either
kilometers (km) or miles (mi) since
the last reset for the trip odometer.
Pressing the trip odometer reset
stem will also display the trip
odometer. The trip odometer can be reset to
zero by pressing the set/reset
button while the trip odometer is
displayed. You can also reset the
trip odometer while it is displayed by
pressing and holding the trip
odometer reset stem.
The trip odometer has a feature
called the retroactive reset. This can
be used to set the trip odometer to
the number of kilometers (miles)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip.
To use the retroactive reset feature,
press and hold the set/reset button
for at least four seconds. The trip
odometer will display the number of
kilometers (km) or miles (mi) driven
since the ignition was last turned on
and the vehicle was moving. Once
the vehicle begins moving, the trip
odometer will accumulate mileage.
For example, if the vehicle was
driven 8 km (5 miles) before it is
started again, and then the
retroactive reset feature is activated,
Black plate (41,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-41
cause of the low oil pressure is
corrected. SeeEngine Oil on
page 10‑8 for more information.
This message displays if low oil
pressure levels occur. Stop the
vehicle as soon as safely possible
and do not operate it until the cause
of the low oil pressure has been
corrected. Check the oil as soon as
possible and have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑8.
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays and a chime
sounds when the cooling system
temperature gets too hot and the
engine further enters the engine
coolant protection mode. See
Engine Overheating on page 10‑21
for further information.
This message also displays when
the engine power is reduced.
Reduced engine power can affect
the vehicle's ability to accelerate. If this message is on, but there
is no reduction in performance,
proceed to your destination. The
performance may be reduced the
next time the vehicle is driven. The
vehicle may be driven at a reduced
speed while this message is on, but
acceleration and speed may be
reduced. Anytime this message
stays on, the vehicle should be
taken to your dealer for service as
soon as possible.
Fuel System Messages
FUEL LEVEL LOW
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the fuel level is low. Refuel
as soon as possible. See
Fuel
Gauge on page 5‑14 andFuel on
page 9‑61 for more information.
TIGHTEN GAS CAP
This message may display along
with the check engine light on the
instrument panel cluster if the fuel cap is not tightened properly. See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 5‑21. Reinstall the fuel cap
fully. See
Filling the Tank on
page 9‑65. 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 this light and message off.
Key and Lock Messages
REPLACE BATTERY IN
REMOTE KEY
This message displays if a Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter
battery is low. The battery needs to
be replaced in the transmitter. See
“Battery Replacement” under
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
Black plate (6,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-6 Driving and Operating
.Try to avoid sudden steering,
acceleration, or braking,
including reducing vehicle speed
by shifting to a lower gear. Any
sudden changes could cause
the tires to slide.
Remember: Antilock brakes help
avoid only the braking skid.
Off-Road Driving
Four-wheel-drive vehicles can be
used for off-road driving. Vehicles
without four-wheel drive and
vehicles not equipped with All
Terrain (AT) or On-Off Road (OOR)
tires must not be driven off-road
except on a level, solid surface. To
contact the tire manufacturer for
more information about the original
equipment tires, see the Limited
Warranty and Owner Assistance
Information manual. Controlling the vehicle is the key to
successful off-road driving. One of
the best ways to control the vehicle
is to control the speed.
{WARNING
When driving off-road, bouncing
and quick changes in direction
can easily throw you out of
position. This could cause you to
lose control and crash. You and
your passengers should always
wear safety belts.
Before Driving Off-Road
.Have all necessary maintenance
and service work completed.
.Fuel the vehicle, fill fluid levels,
and check inflation pressure in
all tires, including the spare,
if equipped.
.Read all the information about
four-wheel-drive vehicles in this
manual.
.Make sure all underbody
shields, if equipped, are properly
attached.
.Know the local laws that apply to
off-road driving.
To gain more ground clearance if
needed, it may be necessary to
remove the front fascia lower
air dam.
Notice: Operating the vehicle for
extended periods without the
front fascia lower air dam
installed can cause improper air
flow to the engine. Re‐attach the
front fascia air dam after off-road
driving.