
Black plate (54,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd Edition - 9/25/12
10-54 Vehicle Care
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver's
responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been
equipped with a TPMS malfunction
indicator to indicate when the
system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is
combined with the low tire pressure
telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for
approximately one minute and then
remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as
long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be
able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety
of reasons, including the installation
of replacement or alternate tires orwheels on the vehicle that prevent
the TPMS from functioning properly.
Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to function
properly.
See
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation on page 10‑54.
Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Rules and
with Industry Canada
Standards
See Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑15 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
Rules and with Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation
This vehicle may have a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS).
The TPMS is designed to warn the
driver when a low tire pressure
condition exists. TPMS sensors are
mounted onto each tire and wheel
assembly, excluding the spare tire
and wheel assembly. The TPMS
sensors monitor the air pressure in
the tires and transmit the tire
pressure readings to a receiver
located in the vehicle.
When a low tire pressure condition
is detected, the TPMS illuminates
the low tire pressure warning light
located on the instrument cluster.
If the warning light comes on, stop
as soon as possible and inflate the

Black plate (55,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd Edition - 9/25/12
Vehicle Care 10-55
tires to the recommended pressure
shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label. SeeVehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑10.
A message to check the pressure in
a specific tire displays in the Driver
Information Center (DIC). The low
tire pressure warning light and the
DIC warning message come on at
each ignition cycle until the tires are
inflated to the correct inflation
pressure. If the vehicle has DIC
buttons, tire pressure levels can be
viewed. For additional information
and details about the DIC operation
and displays, see Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑24 andTire
Messages on page 5‑36.
The low tire pressure warning light
may come on in cool weather when
the vehicle is first started, and then
turn off as the vehicle is driven. This
could be an early indicator that the
air pressure is getting low and
needs to be inflated to the proper
pressure. A Tire and Loading Information label
shows the size of the original
equipment tires and the correct
inflation pressure for the tires when
they are cold. See
Vehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑10, for an example
of the Tire and Loading Information
label and its location. Also see Tire
Pressure on page 10‑52.
The TPMS can warn about a low
tire pressure condition but it does
not replace normal tire
maintenance. See Tire Inspection
on page 10‑57, Tire Rotation on
page 10‑58 andTires on
page 10‑43.
Notice: Tire sealant materials are
not all the same. A non-approved
tire sealant could damage the
TPMS sensors. TPMS sensor
damage caused by using an
incorrect tire sealant is not
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always use only the
GM-approved tire sealant
available through your dealer or
included in the vehicle.TPMS Malfunction Light and
Message
The TPMS will not function properly
if one or more of the TPMS sensors
are missing or inoperable. When the
system detects a malfunction, the
low tire pressure warning light
flashes for about one minute and
then stays on for the remainder of
the ignition cycle. A DIC warning
message also displays. The
malfunction light and DIC warning
message come on at each ignition
cycle until the problem is corrected.
Some of the conditions that can
cause these to come on are:
.One of the road tires has been
replaced with the spare tire. The
spare tire does not have a
TPMS sensor. The malfunction
light and the DIC message
should go off after the road tire
is replaced and the sensor
matching process is performed
successfully. See "TPMS Sensor
Matching Process" later in this
section.

Black plate (59,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd Edition - 9/25/12
Vehicle Care 10-59
Lightly coat the center of the
wheel hub with wheel bearing
grease after a wheel change or
tire rotation to prevent corrosion
or rust build-up. Do not get
grease on the flat wheel
mounting surface or on the
wheel nuts or bolts.
Dual Tire Rotation
When the vehicle is new,
or whenever a wheel, wheel bolt,
or wheel nut is replaced, check the
wheel nut torque after 160,
1 600, and 10 000 km (100,
1,000, and 6,000 mi) of driving. For
proper wheel nut tightening
information, see“Removing the Flat
Tire and Installing the Spare Tire”
under Tire Changing on page 10‑67.
Also see “Wheel Nut Torque” under
Capacities and Specifications on
page 12‑2.
The outer tire on a dual wheel setup
generally wears faster than the
inner tire. Tires last longer and wear
more evenly if they are rotated. See Tire Inspection on page 11‑3
and
Tire Rotation on page 10‑58. Also
see Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3.
{WARNING
If the vehicle is operated with a
tire that is underinflated, the tire
can overheat. An overheated tire
can lose air suddenly or catch
fire. You or others could be
injured. Properly inflate all tires,
including the spare.
See Tires on page 10‑43 andTire
Pressure on page 10‑52 for more
information on proper tire inflation.
When It Is Time for New
Tires
Factors such as maintenance,
temperatures, driving speeds,
vehicle loading, and road conditions
affect the wear rate of the tires.
Treadwear indicators are one way to
tell when it is time for new tires.
Treadwear indicators appear when
the tires have only 1.6 mm (1/16 in)
or less of tread remaining.
Some commercial truck tires,
including Goodyear LT225/75R16
G949 RSA and Goodyear LT225/
75R16 G933 RSD, may not have
treadwear indicators. If the tires do
not have treadwear indicators,
replace the tires when the tread
depth is down to 3.2 mm (1/8 in) for
the front tires, or 1.6 mm (1/16 in) for
the rear tires. See Tire Inspection

Black plate (63,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd Edition - 9/25/12
Vehicle Care 10-63
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tiregraded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
–AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Temperature
–A, B, C
The temperature grades are A
(the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire's resistance
to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained
high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can
lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level
of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and
A represent higher levels of

Black plate (77,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd Edition - 9/25/12
Vehicle Care 10-77
Jump Starting
For more information about the
vehicle battery, seeBattery on
page 10‑26.
If the vehicle battery has run down,
you may want to use another
vehicle and some jumper cables to
start your vehicle. Be sure to use
the following steps to do it safely.
{WARNING
Batteries can hurt you. They can
be dangerous because:
.They contain acid that can
burn you.
.They contain gas that can
explode or ignite.
.They contain enough
electricity to burn you.
If you do not follow these steps
exactly, some or all of these
things can hurt you. Notice:
Ignoring these steps
could result in costly damage to
the vehicle that would not be
covered by the warranty.
Trying to start the vehicle by
pushing or pulling it will not
work, and it could damage the
vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must
have a 12-volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice: Only use a vehicle that
has a 12-volt system with a
negative ground for jump
starting. If the other vehicle does
not have a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles
can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables can reach,
but be sure the vehicles are not
touching each other. If they are,
it could cause a ground
connection you do not want. You
would not be able to start your vehicle, and the bad grounding
could damage the electrical
systems.
To avoid the possibility of the
vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start
procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in P (Park) or a
manual transmission in Neutral
before setting the parking brake.
Notice: If any accessories are left
on or plugged in during the jump
starting procedure, they could be
damaged. The repairs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Whenever possible,
turn off or unplug all accessories
on either vehicle when jump
starting the vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Unplug unnecessary
accessories plugged into the
cigarette lighter or the accessory
power outlet. Turn off the radio
and all lamps that are not

Black plate (78,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd Edition - 9/25/12
10-78 Vehicle Care
needed. This will avoid sparks
and help save both batteries.
And it could save the radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the positive (+) and negative (−)
terminal locations of the other
vehicle.
On your van, use the unpainted
radio antenna bracket as a
remote negative (−) terminal.
{WARNING
Using an open flame near a
battery can cause battery gas to
explode. People have been hurt
doing this, and some have been
blinded. Use a flashlight if you
need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You do not need to add
water to the battery installed in
your new vehicle. But if a battery
has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low,
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
add water to take care of that
first. If you do not, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
{WARNING
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running. 5. Check that the jumper cables do
not have loose or missing
insulation. If they do, you could
get a shock. The vehicles could
be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables,
here are some basic things you
should know. Positive (+) will go
to positive (+) or to a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle
has one. Negative (−) will go to
an unpainted metal part or to a
remote negative (−) terminal if
the vehicle has one. On your
van, use the unpainted radio
antenna bracket as a remote
negative (−) terminal.
Do not connect positive (+) to
negative (−) or you will get a
short that would damage the
battery and maybe other parts
too. And do not connect the
negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal on the dead
battery because this can cause
sparks.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd Edition - 9/25/12
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Additional Information
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-14
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-18 Airbags
Adding Equipment to the
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Light On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-16
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-26, 9-30
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11 Audio System
Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22, 9-26
Transmission Fluid . . . . 10-9, 10-11
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27

Black plate (2,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd Edition - 9/25/12
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-30
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-20
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36 Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . 10-35
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . 10-31, 10-32
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-36
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . . . 10-35 Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-17
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-30
Child Restraints
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-47, 3-49, 3-52
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Rear Heating System . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9