
Black plate (16,1)Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 12/11/12
9-16 Driving and Operating
R(ON/RUN):This position can be
used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument panel 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.
The switch stays in this position
when the engine is running. The
transmission is also unlocked in this
position. If you leave the key in the
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN
position with the engine off, the
battery could be drained. You may
not be able to start the vehicle if the
battery is allowed to drain for an
extended period of time.
/(START): This is the position
that starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The
ignition switch will return to ON/RUN
for driving.
Key Lock Release
The vehicle has an electronic key
lock release system. This system is
to prevent ignition key removal
unless the shift lever is in P (Park).
The key lock release will not work if
the battery is charged less than
9-volts, or uncharged. Try charging
or jump starting the battery. See
Jump Starting on page 10‑68
Starting the Engine
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already
moving, use N (Neutral) only.
Notice: Do not try to shift to
P (Park) if the vehicle is moving.
If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to P (Park)
only when the vehicle is stopped.
Notice: If you add electrical parts
or accessories, you could change
the way the engine operates. Any
resulting damage would not be covered by the vehicle warranty.
See
Add-On Electrical Equipment
on page 9‑50.
Starting Procedure
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition to START.
When the engine starts, let go of
the key. The idle speed will slow
down as the engine warms. Do
not race the engine immediately
after starting it. Operate the
engine and transmission gently
to allow the oil to warm up and
lubricate all moving parts.
The vehicle has a
Computer-Controlled Cranking
System. This feature assists in
starting the engine and protects
components. If the ignition key is
turned to the START position,
and then released when the
engine begins cranking, the
engine will continue cranking for
a few seconds or until the
vehicle starts. If the engine does
not start and the key is held in
START, cranking will be stopped

Black plate (20,1)Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 12/11/12
9-20 Driving and Operating
If the vehicle has an uncharged
battery or a battery with low voltage,
try charging or jump starting the
battery. SeeJump Starting on
page 10‑68 for more information.
To shift out of P (Park):
1. Place the ignition in ON/RUN.
2. Apply the brake pedal.
3. Press the shift lever button.
4. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you still are unable to shift out of
P (Park):
1. Fully release the shift lever button.
2. While holding down the brake pedal, press the shift lever
button again.
3. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you still cannot move the shift
lever from P (Park), see your dealer.Parking over Things
That Burn
{WARNING
Things that can burn could touch
hot exhaust parts under the
vehicle and ignite. Do not park
over papers, leaves, dry grass,
or other things that can burn.
Engine Exhaust
{WARNING
Engine exhaust contains carbon
monoxide (CO) which cannot be
seen or smelled. Exposure to CO
can cause unconsciousness and
even death.
Exhaust may enter the vehicle if:
.The vehicle idles in areas
with poor ventilation (parking
garages, tunnels, deep snow
that may block underbody
airflow or tail pipes).
.The exhaust smells or
sounds strange or different.
.The exhaust system leaks
due to corrosion or damage.
.The vehicle exhaust system
has been modified, damaged,
or improperly repaired. (Continued)

Black plate (2,1)Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 12/11/12
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-24
Blind Spot Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-18
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26 Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-26
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Cargo
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Management System . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Cautions, Danger, and
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-15 Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Ignition
Transmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-23
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51, 3-53
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9, 8-10
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-14
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Black plate (6,1)Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 12/11/12
i-6 INDEX
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Ignition Transmission LockCheck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-36
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-2
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-39
Lamps Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
LATCH System
Replacing Parts after aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Liftgate Carbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Lighting
Delayed Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Delayed Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Parade Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Lights
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-18
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning . . . . . . . 5-20
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-13
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
StabiliTrak
®Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Black plate (7,1)Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 12/11/12
INDEX i-7
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Lower Anchors and Tethersfor Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-14
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-16
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Messages Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-33
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35 Messages (cont'd)
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-36
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Mirrors Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Automatic DimmingRearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Blind Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Park Tilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15 Monitor System, Tire
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
N
Navigation OnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Net, Convenience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
O
Object Detection System
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Object Detection, Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Oil
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 10-9
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21