GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9159297) - 2016 - CRC - 10/12/15
Climate Controls 185
Front Climate Controls
Automatic Operation
The system automatically controls
the fan speed, air delivery, air
conditioning, and recirculation in
order to heat or cool the vehicle to
the desired temperature.
When the indicator light is on, the
system is in full automatic operation.
If the air delivery mode or fan
setting is manually adjusted, the
auto indicator turns off and the
selected settings are displayed.
To place the system in
automatic mode:1. Press AUTO.
2. Set the driver and passenger temperature.
To find your comfort setting,
start with 22 °C (72 °F) and
allow the system time to
stabilize. Then adjust the
temperature as needed for best
comfort. To improve fuel efficiency and to
cool the vehicle faster, recirculation
may be automatically selected in
warm weather.
The recirculation light will not come
on when automatically controlled.
Press
@to manually select
recirculation; press it again to select
outside air.
Do not cover the solar sensor on the
top of the instrument panel near the
windshield. This sensor regulates
air temperature based on sun load.
See “Sensors” later in this section.
Manual Operation
O(On/Off) : Press to turn the
climate control system on or off.
Outside air still enters the vehicle,
and is directed to the floor. This
direction can be changed by
pressing the air delivery mode.
9(Fan Control) : Turn clockwise
or counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the fan speed. Press
AUTO to return to automatic
operation. The maximum auto fan speed can
be adjusted. See
“Climate and Air
Quality” underVehicle
Personalization 0164.
Driver and Passenger
Temperature Control : The
temperature can be adjusted
separately for the driver and
passenger.
Turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the driver or passenger
temperature setting.
SYNC (Synchronized
Temperature) : Press to link the
passenger and rear climate
temperature settings to the driver
setting. The SYNC indicator light will
turn on. When the passenger or rear
climate settings are adjusted, the
SYNC indicator light turns off.
Air Delivery Mode Control :
PressY,\,[, or-to change
the direction of the airflow. An
indicator light comes on in the
selected mode button.
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9159297) - 2016 - CRC - 10/12/15
186 Climate Controls
Changing the mode cancels the
automatic operation and the system
goes into manual mode. Press
AUTO to return to automatic
operation.
Y(Vent) :Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets.
\(Bi-Level) : Air is divided
between the instrument panel and
floor outlets.
[(Floor) : Air is directed to the
floor outlets, with some to the
windshield, side window outlets, and
second row floor outlets.
-(Defog) : This mode clears the
windows of fog or moisture. Air is
directed to the windshield, floor
outlets, and side window vents.
0(Defrost) : Press to clear the
windshield of fog or frost more
quickly. Air is directed to the
windshield and the side window
vents. The system automatically
forces outside air into the vehicle
and the air conditioning compressor
will run, unless the outside
temperature is close to freezing. Do not drive the vehicle until all
windows are clear.
See
Air Vents 0189.
A/C (Air Conditioning) : Press to
turn the air conditioning system on
or off. An indicator light comes on to
show that the air conditioning is
enabled. If the fan is turned off, the
air conditioner will not run. The A/C
light will stay on even if the outside
temperatures are below freezing.
@(Recirculation) : Press to turn
on recirculation. An indicator light
comes on. Air is recirculated to
quickly cool the inside of the
vehicle. It can also be used to help
reduce outside air and odors that
enter the vehicle. The air
conditioning compressor also comes
on when this mode is activated.
Auto Defog : The climate control
system uses a sensor to
automatically detect high humidity
inside the vehicle. When high
humidity is detected, the climate
control system may adjust to
outside air supply, turn on the air
conditioner, and direct more air to
the windshield. If the climate control system does not detect possible
window fogging, it returns to normal
operation. To turn Auto Defog off or
on, see
“Climate and Air Quality”
under Vehicle
Personalization 0164.
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a
warming grid to remove fog from the
rear window.
K(Rear Window Defogger) :
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. An indicator light
on the button comes on to show that
the rear window defogger is on.
The rear window defogger only
works when the ignition is in ON/
RUN. The defogger turns off if the
ignition is turned to ACC/
ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF.
The rear window defogger can be
set to automatic operation. When
Auto Rear Defog is selected, the
rear window defogger turns on
automatically when the vehicle is
first started in cold weather and
turns off when the vehicle is
warmed. To turn Auto Rear Defog
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9159297) - 2016 - CRC - 10/12/15
Climate Controls 187
on or off, see“Climate and Air
Quality” underVehicle
Personalization 0164.
Caution
Using a razor blade or sharp
object to clear the inside rear
window can damage the rear
window defogger. Repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not clear the inside
rear window with sharp objects.
Heated Mirror : If equipped with
heated outside rearview mirrors, the
mirrors heat to help clear fog or frost
from the surface of the mirror when
the rear window defog button is
pressed. See Heated Mirrors 054.
Rear Climate Controls
O(On/Off) : Press to turn the rear
climate control system on or off.
AUTO : Press AUTO to control the
rear passenger temperature, air
delivery, and fan speed. AUTO
appears in the display when
automatic operation is active. If any of the climate control settings
except rear temperature are
manually adjusted, this cancels full
automatic operation.
Fan Control :
Press up or down to
increase or decrease the rear
passenger area fan speed.
Air Delivery Mode Control : Press
up or down to change the direction
of the rear passenger airflow.
Repeatedly press the switch until
the desired mode appears on the
display. Multiple presses will cycle
through the delivery selections.
Temperature Control : Press up or
down to increase or decrease the
airflow temperature into the rear
passenger area.
RCTRL (Rear Climate Control
Lockout) : Press to lock or unlock
control of the rear climate control
system from the rear seat
passengers. When locked, the rear
climate control can only be adjusted
from the front seat. Remote Start Climate Control
Operation
If equipped with the remote start
feature, the climate control system
will come on when the vehicle is
started remotely, depending on the
outside temperature. The rear
window defogger and heated seats,
if equipped, may also come on. See
Remote Vehicle Start
040 and
Heated and Cooled Front
Seats 067.
Sensors
The solar sensor monitors the solar
heat. Do not cover the solar sensor
or the system will not work properly.
There is also an exterior
temperature sensor behind the front
grille. This sensor reads the outside
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9159297) - 2016 - CRC - 10/12/15
192 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 201
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 202
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 204
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 209
Adjustable Throttle and BrakePedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Ignition Positions (Key Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . 219
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 220
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 232
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Magnetic Ride Control . . . . . . . . 234 Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Automatic Level Control . . . . . . 235
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . 238
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 244
Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 245
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Front Automatic Braking (FAB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 252
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 254
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 257
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9159297) - 2016 - CRC - 10/12/15
Driving and Operating 211
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
The vehicle may have an electric
steering column lock. The lock is
activated when the vehicle is
switched to OFF and either front
door is opened. A sound may be
heard as the lock actuates or
releases. The steering column lock
may not release with the wheels
turned off center. If this happens,
the vehicle may not start. Move the
steering wheel from left to right
while attempting to start the vehicle.
If this does not work, the vehicle
needs service.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure. 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 OFF. On vehicles
with an automatic transmission,
the shift lever must be in
P (Park) to turn the ignition
switch to the OFF position.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake 0231.
{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,
press and hold the ENGINE START/
STOP button for longer than
two seconds, or press twice in
five seconds. ACC/ACCESSORY (Amber
Indicator Light) :
This mode allows
some electrical accessories to be
used when the engine is off.
With the ignition off, pressing the
button one time without the brake
pedal applied will place the ignition
system in ACC/ACCESSORY.
The ignition will switch from ACC/
ACCESSORY to OFF after
five minutes to prevent battery
rundown.
ON/RUN/START (Green Indicator
Light) : This mode is for driving and
starting. With the ignition off, and
the brake pedal applied, pressing
the button once will place the
ignition system in ON/RUN/START.
Once engine cranking begins,
release the button. Engine cranking
will continue until the engine starts.
See Starting the Engine 0213. The
ignition will then remain in ON/RUN.
Service Only Mode
This power mode is available for
service and diagnostics, and to
verify the proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp as may
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9159297) - 2016 - CRC - 10/12/15
212 Driving and Operating
be required for emission inspection
purposes. With the vehicle off, and
the brake pedal not applied,
pressing and holding the button for
more than five seconds will place
the vehicle in Service Only Mode.
The instruments and audio systems
will operate as they do in ON/RUN,
but the vehicle will not be able to be
driven. The engine will not start in
Service Only Mode. Press the
button again to turn the vehicle off.
Ignition Positions (Key
Access)
Vehicles with Key Access have an
ignition switch with four different
positions.
To shift out of P (Park), the ignition
must be in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY and the regular brake
pedal must be applied.
0 (STOPPING THE ENGINE/LOCK/
OFF) :When the vehicle is stopped,
turn the ignition switch to LOCK/
OFF to turn the engine off. Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) will remain
active. See Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) 0216.
This position locks the ignition and
steering wheel. It also locks the
transmission on automatic
transmission vehicles. The key can
be removed in LOCK/OFF.
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
does not work, then the vehicle
needs service. Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure. 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 0231.
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9159297) - 2016 - CRC - 10/12/15
Driving and Operating 213
{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.
Caution
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.
1 (ACC/ACCESSORY) : This
position lets things like the radio
and the windshield wipers operate while the engine is off. It also
unlocks the steering wheel. Use this
position if the vehicle must be
pushed or towed.
2 (ON/RUN) :
This position can be
used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument 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.
The switch stays in this position
when the engine is running. The
transmission is also unlocked in this
position on automatic transmission
vehicles.
If the key is left in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position
with the engine off, the battery could
be drained. The vehicle may not
start if the battery is allowed to drain
for an extended period of time. 3 (START) :
This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving.
A warning tone will sound when the
driver door is opened and the
ignition is in ACC/ACCESSORY or
LOCK/OFF, and the key is in the
ignition.
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.
Caution
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.
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9159297) - 2016 - CRC - 10/12/15
220 Driving and Operating
Running the Vehicle
While Parked
It is better not to park with the
engine running.
If the vehicle is left with the engine
running, follow the proper steps to
be sure the vehicle will not move.
SeeShifting Into Park 0217 and
Engine Exhaust 0219.
Automatic
Transmission
If equipped, there is an electronic
shift lever position indicator within
the instrument cluster. This display
comes on when the ignition key is
turned to the ON/RUN position.
There are several different positions
for the shift lever.
See “Range Selection Mode” under
Manual Mode 0222.
P : This position locks the rear
wheels. It is the best position to use
when starting the engine because
the vehicle cannot move easily.
When parked on a hill, especially
when the vehicle has a heavy load,
you might notice an increase in the
effort to shift out of P (Park). See
“Torque Lock” underShifting Into
Park 0217.
{Warning
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
See Shifting Into Park 0217 and
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips 0260.
R : Use this gear to back up.
Caution
Shifting to R (Reverse) while the
vehicle is moving forward could
damage the transmission. The
(Continued)