
GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349114) - 2018 - crc - 9/21/17
164 Lighting
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . 164
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 168
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Battery Load Management . . . 171 Battery Power Protection . . . . . 171
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is on the
turn signal lever.
Turn the control to the following
positions:
O: Turns the exterior lamps off and
deactivates the AUTO mode. Turn
to
Oagain to reactivate the
AUTO mode.
In Canada, the headlamps will
automatically reactivate when the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
AUTO : Automatically turns the
exterior lamps on and off,
depending on outside lighting.

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349114) - 2018 - crc - 9/21/17
166 Lighting
The high beams may not turn off
automatically if the system cannot
detect another vehicle's lamps
because of any of the following:
.The other vehicle's lamps are
missing, damaged, obstructed
from view, or otherwise
undetected.
. The other vehicle's lamps are
covered with dirt, snow, and/or
road spray.
. The other vehicle's lamps cannot
be detected due to dense
exhaust, smoke, fog, snow, road
spray, mist, or other airborne
obstructions.
. The vehicle's windshield is dirty,
cracked, or obstructed by
something that blocks the view
of the light sensor.
. The vehicle is loaded such that
the front end points upward,
causing the light sensor to aim
high and not detect headlamps
and taillamps.
. Driving on winding or hilly roads. The automatic high-beam
headlamps may need to be disabled
if any of the above conditions exist.
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A warning chime sounds if the driver
door is opened while the ignition is
off and the exterior lamps are on.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
3
:
Push the turn signal lever away
from you and release, to turn the
high beams on. To return to low
beams, push the lever again or pull
it toward you and release.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument cluster when the
high-beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature is used to signal to the
vehicle ahead that you want
to pass.
If the headlamps are off or in the
low-beam position, pull the turn
signal lever toward you to
momentarily switch to high beams.
Release the lever to turn the
high-beam headlamps off.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
DRL can make it easier for others to
see the front of your vehicle during
the day. Fully functional DRL are
required on all vehicles first sold in
Canada.
If equipped with High Intensity
Discharge (HID) headlamps, the
dedicated DRL will come on when
all of the following conditions
are met:
. The ignition is on.
. The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO.

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349114) - 2018 - crc - 9/21/17
168 Lighting
Hazard Warning Flashers
|:Press this button to make the
front and rear turn signal lamps
flash on and off. This warns others
that you are having trouble. Press
again to turn the flashers off.
The turn signals do not work while
the hazard warning flashers are on.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument cluster
flashes in the direction of the turn or
lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is completed. If the lever is
briefly pressed and released, the
turn signal flashes three times.
The turn and lane-change signal
can be turned off manually by
moving the lever back to its original
position. If after signaling a turn or lane
change, the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
may be burned out.
Replace any burned out bulbs. If a
bulb is not burned out, check the
fuse. See
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers 0306.Fog Lamps
Use the fog lamps for better vision
in foggy or misty conditions.
#:Turn the band down and
release to turn the fog lamps on or
off. A light comes on in the
instrument cluster when the fog
lamps are in use. The ignition must
be on for the fog lamps to work.

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349114) - 2018 - crc - 9/21/17
Infotainment System 173
Infotainment
System
Introduction
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . 174
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Radio
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Multi-Band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 181
Audio Players
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview) . . . . . . . . . 188
Bluetooth (InfotainmentControls) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Hands-Free Phone . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Trademarks and License
Agreements
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Introduction
Infotainment
Base radio information is included in
this manual. See the infotainment
manual for information on other
available infotainment systems.
Read the following pages to
become familiar with the features.
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road for
too long or too often while using
any infotainment feature can
cause a crash. You or others
could be injured or killed. Do not
give extended attention to
infotainment tasks while driving.
Limit your glances at the vehicle
displays and focus your attention
on driving. Use voice commands
whenever possible.
The infotainment system has built-in
features intended to help avoid
distraction by disabling some

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-11349114) - 2018 - crc - 9/21/17
188 Infotainment System
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview)
If equipped with Bluetooth capability,
the system can interact with many
Bluetooth phones, PDAs, or other
devices to:
.Place and receive hands-free
calls.
. Transmit hands-free data.
. Play audio streaming files.
The device must be paired first. See
“Pairing” under“Bluetooth
(Infotainment Controls)” later in this
section.
To minimize driver distraction,
before driving, and with the vehicle
parked:
. Become familiar with the
features of the cell phone.
Organize the phone book and
contact lists clearly and delete
duplicate or rarely used entries.
If possible, program speed dial
or other shortcuts. .
Review the controls and
operation of the infotainment
system.
. Pair cell phone(s) to the vehicle.
The system may not work with
all cell phones. See “Pairing”
under “Bluetooth (Infotainment
Controls)” later in this section.
{Warning
When using a cell phone, it can
be distracting to look too long or
too often at the screen of the
phone or the infotainment system.
Taking your eyes off the road too
long or too often could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving.
Vehicles with a Bluetooth system
can use a Bluetooth-capable cell
phone with a Hands-Free Profile to
make and receive phone calls. The
infotainment system is used to
control the system. The system can
be used while the ignition is on or in
ACC/ACCESSORY. See Ignition
Positions 0221. Not all phones support all functions and not all
phones work with the Bluetooth
system. In the U.S. and Canada,
see www.gm.com/bluetooth for more
information about compatible
phones.
The Bluetooth system range can be
up to 9.1 m (30 ft).
There may be restrictions on using
Bluetooth wireless technology in
some locations.
Due to the variety of Bluetooth
devices and their firmware versions,
the device may respond differently
when performing over Bluetooth.
On a current phone call, an image
of the current contact from the
phone's contact list may be
displayed. Not all phones are
compatible with this feature.
Refer to the cell phone
manufacturer
’s user guide for
questions about the phone's
Bluetooth functionality.

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
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Driving and Operating 205
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 214
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 215
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 217
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 221
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 229
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 233
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 235
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . 238
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . 238
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . 242
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 251
Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 252
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Forward Automatic Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 263
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 265
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 268
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
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Driving and Operating 207
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road too
long or too often could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving.
Refer to the infotainment section for
more information on using that
system and the navigation system,
if equipped, including pairing and
using a cell phone.
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always
expect the unexpected.” The first
step in driving defensively is to wear
the seat belt. See Seat Belts071.
. Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and
other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes.
Anticipate what they might do
and be ready.
. Allow enough following distance
between you and the driver in
front of you. .
Focus on the task of driving.
Drunk Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a global
tragedy.
{Warning
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount of alcohol. You
can have a serious —or even
fatal —collision if you drive after
drinking.
Do not drink and drive or ride with
a driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or if you are
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three-quarters of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
. Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
. Avoid needless heavy braking.
. Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
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Driving and Operating 209
3. Turn the steering wheel to gostraight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three
control systems:
.Braking Skid —wheels are not
rolling.
. Steering or Cornering Skid —
too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force.
. Acceleration Skid —too much
throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids
by taking reasonable care suited to
existing conditions, and by not
overdriving those conditions. But
skids are always possible. If the vehicle starts to slide, follow
these suggestions:
.
Ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and steer the
way you want the vehicle to go.
The vehicle may straighten out.
Be ready for a second skid if it
occurs.
. Slow down and adjust your
driving according to weather
conditions. Stopping distance
can be longer and vehicle
control can be affected when
traction is reduced by water,
snow, ice, gravel, or other
material on the road. Learn to
recognize warning clues —such
as enough water, ice, or packed
snow on the road to make a
mirrored surface —and slow
down when you have any doubt.
. 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.
Off-Road Driving
All-wheel-drive vehicles can be
used for off-road driving. Vehicles
without all-wheel drive and vehicles
not equipped with All Terrain (AT) or
On-Off Road (OOR) tires must not
be driven off-road except on a level,
solid surface. To contact the tire
manufacturer for more information
about the original equipment tires,
see the warranty manual.
Controlling the vehicle is the key to
successful off-road driving. One of
the best ways to control the vehicle
is to control the speed.
{Warning
When driving off-road, bouncing
and quick changes in direction
can easily throw you out of
position. This could cause you to
lose control and crash. You and
your passengers should always
wear seat belts.