
Black plate (34,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-6014315) - 2014 - crc - 8/15/13
5-34 Instruments and Controls
the vehicle and check the liftgate.
Restart the vehicle and check for
the message on the DIC display.
PASSENGER DOOR OPEN
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the passenger door is not
fully closed and the vehicle is
shifted out of P (Park). Stop and turn
off the vehicle, check the door for
obstructions, and close the door
again. Check to see if the message
still appears on the DIC.
POWER LIFTGATE OFF
This message displays when the
power liftgate has been turned off
by pressing the power liftgate button
on the center console.
RIGHT REAR DOOR OPEN
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the passenger side rear
door is not fully closed and the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
Stop and turn off the vehicle, checkthe door for obstructions, and close
the door again. Check to see if the
message still appears on the DIC.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
ENGINE HOT A/C (Air
Conditioning) OFF
This message displays when the
engine coolant becomes hotter than
the normal operating temperature.
See
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge on page 5-12. To avoid
added strain on a hot engine, the air
conditioning compressor
automatically turns off. When the
coolant temperature returns to
normal, the air conditioning
compressor turns back on. You can
continue to drive your vehicle.
If this message continues to appear,
have the system repaired by your
dealer as soon as possible to avoid
damage to the engine.
ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
hot. Stop and allow the vehicle to
idle until it cools down. See Engine
Coolant Temperature Gauge on
page 5-12.
See Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode on page 10-18 for
information on driving to a safe
place in an emergency.
ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP
ENGINE
This message displays and a
continuous chime sounds if the
engine cooling system reaches
unsafe temperatures for operation.
Stop and turn off the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so to avoid
severe damage. This message
clears when the engine has cooled
to a safe operating temperature.

Black plate (43,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-6014315) - 2014 - crc - 8/15/13
Instruments and Controls 5-43
NO CHANGE:No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
AUTO DOOR LOCK
This feature allows you to select
when the vehicle's doors will
automatically lock. See Automatic
Door Locks on page 2-7.
Press the customization button until
AUTO DOOR LOCK appears on the
DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
SHIFT OUT OF PARK (default):
The doors will automatically lock
when the vehicle is shifted out of
P (Park).
AT VEHICLE SPEED: The doors
will automatically lock when the
vehicle speed is above 13 km/h
(8 mph) for three seconds. NO CHANGE:
No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
AUTO DOOR UNLOCK
This feature allows you to select
whether or not to turn off the
automatic door unlocking feature.
It also allows you to select which
doors and when the doors will
automatically unlock. See Automatic
Door Locks on page 2-7.
Press the customization button until
AUTO DOOR UNLOCK appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF: None of the doors will
automatically unlock.
DRIVER AT KEY OUT: Only the
driver door will unlock when the key
is taken out of the ignition. DRIVER IN PARK:
Only the driver
door will unlock when the vehicle is
shifted into P (Park).
ALL AT KEY OUT: All of the doors
will unlock when the key is taken
out of the ignition.
ALL IN PARK (default): All of the
doors will unlock when the vehicle is
shifted into P (Park).
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
REMOTE DOOR LOCK
This feature allows you to select the
type of feedback you will receive
when locking the vehicle with the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter. You will not receive
feedback when locking the vehicle
with the RKE transmitter if the doors
are open. See Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation on
page 2-2.

Black plate (46,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-6014315) - 2014 - crc - 8/15/13
5-46 Instruments and Controls
or the vehicle is no longer off. See
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2-2.
NO CHANGE:No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
CHIME VOLUME
This feature allows you to select the
volume level of the chime.
Press the customization button until
CHIME VOLUME appears on the
DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
NORMAL: The chime volume will
be set to a normal level.
LOUD: The chime volume will be
set to a loud level. NO CHANGE:
No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
There is no default for chime
volume. The volume will stay at the
last known setting.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
PARK TILT MIRRORS
If your vehicle has this feature, it
allows you to select whether or not
the outside mirror(s) will
automatically tilt down when the
vehicle is shifted into R (Reverse).
See Park Tilt Mirrors on page 2-17.
Press the customization button until
PARK TILT MIRRORS appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF (default): Neither outside
mirror will be tilted down when the
vehicle is shifted into R (Reverse). DRIVER MIRROR:
The driver
outside mirror will be tilted down
when the vehicle is shifted into
R (Reverse).
PASSENGER MIRROR: The
passenger outside mirror will be
tilted down when the vehicle is
shifted into R (Reverse).
BOTH MIRRORS: The driver and
passenger outside mirrors will be
tilted down when the vehicle is
shifted into R (Reverse).
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
EASY EXIT SEAT
If your vehicle has this feature, it
allows you to select your preference
for the automatic easy exit seat
feature. See Memory Seats on
page 3-6.

Black plate (48,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-6014315) - 2014 - crc - 8/15/13
5-48 Instruments and Controls
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter. SeeRemote Vehicle
Start on page 2-4.
Press the customization button until
REMOTE START appears on the
DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF: The remote start feature will
be disabled.
ON (default): The remote start
feature will be enabled.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
FACTORY SETTINGS
This feature allows you to set all of
the customization features back to
their factory default settings. Press the customization button until
FACTORY SETTINGS appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
RESTORE ALL (default):
The
customization features will be set to
their factory default settings.
DO NOT RESTORE: The
customization features will not be
set to their factory default settings.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
EXIT FEATURE SETTINGS
This feature allows you to exit the
feature settings menu.
Press the customization button until
FEATURE SETTINGS PRESS
V
TO EXIT appears in the DIC display.
Press the set/reset button once to
exit the menu. If you do not exit, pressing the
customization button again will
return you to the beginning of the
feature settings menu.
Exiting the Feature
Settings Menu
The feature settings menu will be
exited when any of the following
occurs:
.The vehicle is shifted out of
P (Park).
.The vehicle is no longer in
ON/RUN.
.The trip/fuel or vehicle
information DIC buttons are
pressed.
.The end of the feature settings
menu is reached and exited.
.A 40-second time period has
elapsed with no selection made.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-6014315) - 2014 - crc - 8/15/13
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-14
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-22
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 9-28
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Driver Assistance Systems
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-34
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-43
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-43
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45

Black plate (6,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-6014315) - 2014 - crc - 8/15/13
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.
Driving on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce
vehicle traction and affect your
ability to stop and accelerate.
Always drive slower in these types
of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and
deep‐standing or flowing water.
{Warning
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a
quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle. (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
flowing water could cause the
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under the vehicle's
tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is
wet enough and you are going fast
enough. When the vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road. There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.Allow extra following distance.
.Pass with caution.
.Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
.Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
.Have good tires with proper
tread depth. See
Tires on
page 10-37.
.Turn off cruise control.
Highway Hypnosis
Always be alert and pay attention to
your surroundings while driving.
If you become tired or sleepy, find a
safe place to park the vehicle
and rest.

Black plate (7,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-6014315) - 2014 - crc - 8/15/13
Driving and Operating 9-7
Other driving tips include:
.Keep the vehicle well ventilated.
.Keep the interior
temperature cool.
.Keep your eyes moving—scan
the road ahead and to the sides.
.Check the rearview mirror and
vehicle instruments often.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips for
driving in these conditions include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
.Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
.Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{Warning
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
.Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(stalled car, accident).
.Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.

Black plate (9,1)GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-6014315) - 2014 - crc - 8/15/13
Driving and Operating 9-9
Warning (Continued)
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
circulates the air inside the
vehicle and set the fan speed
to the highest setting. See
“Climate Control Systems”.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9-21.
To save fuel, run the engine for only
short periods as needed to warm
the vehicle and then shut the engine
off and close the window most of
the way to save heat. Repeat this
until help arrives but only when you
feel really uncomfortable from the
cold. Moving about to keep warm
also helps.
If it takes some time for help to
arrive, now and then when you run
the engine, push the accelerator
pedal slightly so the engine runs
faster than the idle speed. This
keeps the battery charged to restart the vehicle and to signal for help
with the headlamps. Do this as little
as possible to save fuel.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
If stuck too severely for the traction
system to free the vehicle, turn the
traction system off and use the
rocking method. See
Traction
Control/Electronic Stability Control
on page 9-28.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other
damage. Spin the wheels as little
as possible and avoid going
above 56 km/h (35 mph).
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Turn off any traction
system. Shift back and forth
between R (Reverse) and a low
forward gear, spinning the wheels
as little as possible. To prevent
transmission wear, wait until the
wheels stop spinning before shifting
gears. Release the accelerator
pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
Slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. If the
vehicle does need to be towed out,
see Towing the Vehicle on
page 10-72.