
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9967828) -
2017 - crc - 5/6/16
188 Driving and Operating
Caution
Spinning the tires or holding the
vehicle in one place on a hill
using only the accelerator pedal
may damage the transmission.
The repair will not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. If you are
stuck, do not spin the tires. When
stopping on a hill, use the brakes
to hold the vehicle in place.
Low Traction Mode
Low Traction Mode can assist in
vehicle acceleration when road
conditions are slippery. While the
vehicle is at a stop, select the
second gear range using Range
Selection Mode. This will limit
torque to the wheels after it detects
wheel slip, preventing the tires from
spinning.
Tow/Haul Mode
If equipped, Tow/Haul Mode adjusts
the transmission shift pattern to
reduce shift cycling, providing
increased performance, vehicle
control, and transmission cooling
when towing or hauling heavy loads.
Turn the Tow/Haul Mode on and off
by pressing the button on the
instrument panel. When Tow/Haul is
on, a light on the instrument cluster
will come on.
SeeTow/Haul Mode Light 0105.
Also see “Tow/Haul Mode” under
Towing Equipment 0211.
Tow/Haul Mode Grade Braking
Tow/Haul Mode Grade Braking is
only enabled while the Tow/Haul
Mode is selected and the vehicle is
not in the Range Selection Mode.
See “Tow/Haul Mode” listed
previously and Manual Mode0187.
Tow/Haul Mode Grade Braking
assists in maintaining desired
vehicle speeds when driving on
downhill grades by using the engine
and transmission to slow the
vehicle.
To disable or enable Tow/Haul Mode
Grade Braking within the current
ignition key cycle, press and hold
the Tow/Haul button for
three seconds. A DIC message will
be displayed. See Transmission
Messages 0118.
See Towing Equipment 0211.
For other forms of grade braking,
see Automatic Transmission 0184
and Cruise Control 0192.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9967828) -
2017 - crc - 5/6/16
192 Driving and Operating
control in most driving conditions.
When activated, the StabiliTrak
system may reduce engine power to
the wheels and apply braking to
individual wheels as necessary to
assist the driver with vehicle
directional control. If cruise control
is being used when StabiliTrak
activates, the cruise control
automatically disengages. The
cruise control can be re-engaged
when road conditions allow. See
Cruise Control0192.
The StabiliTrak system may also
turn off automatically if it determines
that a problem exists with the
system. If the problem does not
clear itself after restarting the
vehicle, see your dealer for service.
Traction Control Operation
TCS is part of the StabiliTrak
system. TCS limits wheel spin by
reducing engine power to the
wheels and by applying brakes to
each individual wheel as necessary.
If the brake-traction control system
activates constantly or if the brakes
have heated up due to high speed
braking, the brake-traction control will be automatically disabled. The
system will come back on after the
brakes have cooled. This can take
up to two minutes or longer
depending on brake usage.
TCS may activate on dry or rough
roads or under conditions such as
heavy acceleration while turning or
abrupt upshifts/downshifts of the
transmission. When this reduction in
acceleration occurs, it may be
noticed, or a noise or vibration may
be heard. This is normal.
Adding non-dealer accessories can
affect the vehicle's performance.
See
Accessories and
Modifications 0217.
Locking Rear Axle
Vehicles with a locking rear axle can
give more traction on snow, mud,
ice, sand, or gravel. It works like a
standard axle most of the time, but
when traction is low, this feature will
allow the rear wheel with the most
traction to move the vehicle.
Cruise Control
{Warning
Cruise control can be dangerous
where you cannot drive safely at
a steady speed. Do not use
cruise control on winding roads or
in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes in tire traction can
cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use
cruise control on slippery roads.
If equipped with cruise control, a
speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph) or
more can be maintained without
keeping your foot on the
accelerator. Cruise control does not
work at speeds below about 40 km/h
(25 mph).
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak and the
system begins to limit wheel spin,
cruise control will automatically
disengage. See Traction Control/
Electronic Stability Control 0190.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9967828) -
2017 - crc - 5/6/16
Driving and Operating 193
When road conditions allow cruise
control to be safely used again,
cruise control can be turned
back on.
If the brakes are applied, cruise
control disengages.
I:Press to turn cruise control on
or off. The white indicator comes on
in the instrument cluster when
cruise control is turned on.
+RES : If there is a set speed in
memory, press briefly to resume to a
previously set speed, or press and hold to accelerate. If cruise control
is already active, use to increase
vehicle speed.
SET−
:Press briefly to set the
speed and activate cruise control,
or press and hold to decelerate.
If cruise control is already active,
use to decrease vehicle speed.
[: Press to disengage cruise
control without erasing the set
speed from memory.
Setting Cruise Control
If
Iis on when not in use, the
SET− or +RES button could get
pressed and go into cruise when not
desired. Keep
Ioff when cruise is
not being used.
1. Press
Ito turn the cruise
system on.
2. Get up to the desired speed.
3. Press and release SET−. The desired set speed briefly
appears in the instrument
cluster.
4. Remove your foot from the accelerator. The cruise control indicator on the
instrument cluster turns green after
cruise control has been set to the
desired speed. See
Instrument
Cluster 095.
Resuming a Set Speed
If the cruise control is set at a
desired speed and then the brakes
are applied, the cruise control is
disengaged without erasing the set
speed from memory.
Once the vehicle speed reaches
about 40 km/h (25 mph) or more,
briefly press +RES. The vehicle
returns to the previous set speed.
Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated:
. Press and hold +RES until the
desired speed is reached, then
release it.
. To increase vehicle speed in
small increments, briefly press
+RES. For each press, the
vehicle goes about 1.6 km/h
(1 mph) faster.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9967828) -
2017 - crc - 5/6/16
194 Driving and Operating
The speedometer reading can be
displayed in either English or metric
units. SeeDriver Information Center
(DIC) 0108. The increment value
used depends on the units
displayed.
Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated:
. Press and hold SET– until the
desired lower speed is reached,
then release it.
. To decrease the vehicle speed in
small increments, briefly press
SET–. For each press, the
vehicle goes about 1.6 km/h
(1 mph) slower.
The speedometer reading can be
displayed in either English or metric
units. See Driver Information Center
(DIC) 0108. The increment value
used depends on the units
displayed. Passing Another Vehicle While
Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to
increase the vehicle speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, the
vehicle will slow down to the
previous set cruise speed. While
pressing the accelerator pedal or
shortly following the release to
override cruise control, briefly
pressing SET–
will result in cruise
set to the current vehicle speed.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well cruise control works on
hills depends on the vehicle speed,
load, and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you
might have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your
speed.
While going downhill:
. Vehicles with a 4-speed
automatic transmission may
need to have the brakes applied
or the transmission shifted to a
lower gear to help maintain
driver selected speed. .
Vehicles with a 6-speed
automatic transmission have
Cruise Grade Braking to help
maintain driver selected speed.
Cruise Grade Braking is enabled
when the vehicle is started and
cruise control is active. It is not
enabled in Range Selection Mode.
It assists in maintaining driver
selected speed when driving on
downhill grades by using the engine
and transmission to slow the
vehicle.
To disable and enable Cruise Grade
Braking for the current ignition key
cycle, press and hold the Tow/Haul
button for three seconds. A DIC
message displays. See
Transmission Messages 0118.
When the brakes are applied the
cruise control is disengaged.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9967828) -
2017 - crc - 5/6/16
Driving and Operating 195
Ending Cruise Control
There are four ways to end cruise
control:
.Step lightly on the brake pedal.
. Press
[.
. Shift the transmission to
N (Neutral).
. To turn off cruise control,
press
I.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed is
erased from memory if
Iis
pressed or if the vehicle is
turned off.
Driver Assistance
Systems
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC)
If equipped, the RVC system is
designed to help the driver when
backing up by displaying a view of
the area behind the vehicle.
{Warning
The camera(s) do not display
children, pedestrians, bicyclists,
crossing traffic, animals, or any
other object outside of the
cameras’ field of view, below the
bumper, or under the vehicle.
Shown distances may be different
from actual distances. Do not
drive or park the vehicle using
only these camera(s). Always
check behind and around the
vehicle before driving. Failure to
use proper care may result in
injury, death, or vehicle damage.
Vehicles without Navigation
System
When the vehicle is on and shifted
into R (Reverse), the video image
appears on the inside rearview
mirror. The video image disappears
after the vehicle is shifted out of
R (Reverse).
Vehicles with Navigation
System
When the vehicle is shifted into
R (Reverse), the video image
appears on the navigation screen.
After a delay, the navigation screen
displays the previous screen after
the vehicle is shifted out of
R (Reverse).
The delay that is received after
shifting out of R (Reverse) is
approximately 10 seconds. Return to
the previous screen sooner by
performing one of the following:
. Press a hard key on the
navigation system.
. Shift into P (Park).
. Reach a vehicle speed of
8 km/h (5 mph).

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9967828) -
2017 - crc - 5/2/16
340 Index
Climate Control Systems (cont'd)Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Rear Heating System . . . . . . . . . 161
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 321
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Connections OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Control Traction and ElectronicStability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Coolant
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Engine Temperature Gauge . . . . 98
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . . . 323
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . 321
Danger, Warning, and Caution . . . . 3
Data CollectionInfotainment System . . . . . . . . . . 327
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . 326
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Devices Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Diagnostics OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Door
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Door (cont'd)
Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . . . 29
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Rear Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Sliding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . 313
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Driving Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 22
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 170
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 172
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Dual Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9967828) -
2017 - crc - 5/2/16
Index 343
LATCH, Lower Anchors andTethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Lighting Entry/Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Lights
Airbag On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 104
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 106
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 126
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . 99
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 105
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Locks
Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . . . 29
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . 107
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Maintenance and Care Additional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . 299 Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . 102
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Media Avoiding Untrusted Devices . . 141 Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Battery Voltage and
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . .113
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Object Detection System . . . . . .115
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . .116
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Mirrors Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Trailer Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35