
GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
11354423) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
Instruments and Controls 131
Battery Voltage :Displays the
current battery voltage, if equipped.
Battery voltage changes are normal
while driving. See Charging System
Light 0120. If there is a problem
with the battery charging system,
the DIC will display a message.
Engine Hours : Shows the total
number of hours the engine has run.
Transmission Fluid
Temperature : Shows the
temperature of the automatic
transmission fluid in either degrees
Celsius (°C) or degrees
Fahrenheit (°F).
Trailer Brake (If Equipped) :
TRAILER GAIN shows the trailer
gain setting. This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected.
OUTPUT shows the power output to
the trailer anytime a trailer with
electric brakes is connected. Output
is displayed as a bar graph. Dashes
may appear in the OUTPUT display
if a trailer is not connected. Units :
Movew xto change
between Metric or US when the Unit
display is active. Press SET/CLR to
confirm the setting. This will change
the displays on the DIC to the type
of measurements you select.
ECO Drive Assist Menu (ECO)
Items
This menu is only available on some
vehicles. Press MENU on the turn
signal lever until the ECO menu is
displayed. Use
w xto scroll
through the menu items. Not all
items are available on every vehicle.
The following is a list of all possible
menu items:
Best Average Fuel Economy : The
bottom displays the best average
fuel economy (AFE) that is achieved
for a selected distance. The top
displays a running average of fuel
economy for the most recently
traveled selected distance. The
center bar graph displays the
instantaneous fuel economy.
Quickly press the SET/CLR button
to change the settings for the
distance options. When viewing best AFE, a several
second press and hold of SET/CLR
will reset the best value. The best
value will show
“- - -“until the
selected distance has been
traveled.
The display provides feedback on
how current driving behavior in the
bar graph affects the running
average in the top display and how
well recent driving compares to the
best that has been achieved.Driver Information Center
(DIC) (Uplevel)
The DIC displays are shown in the
center of the instrument cluster in
the Info app.
See Instrument Cluster (Uplevel)
0 112 orInstrument Cluster (Base
Level) 0115. The displays show the
status of many vehicle systems. The
controls for the DIC are on the right
steering wheel control.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
11354423) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
Instruments and Controls 135
Vehicle Messages
Messages displayed on the DIC
indicate the status of the vehicle or
some action that may be needed to
correct a condition. Multiple
messages may appear one after
another.
The messages that do not require
immediate action can be
acknowledged and cleared by
pressing
V. The messages that
require immediate action cannot be
cleared until that action is
performed.
All messages should be taken
seriously; clearing the message
does not correct the problem.
If a SERVICE message appears,
see your dealer.
Follow the instructions given in the
messages. The system displays
messages regarding the following
topics:
. Service Messages
. Fluid Levels
. Vehicle Security .
Brakes
. Ride Control Systems
. Driver Assistance Systems
. Cruise Control
. Lighting and Bulb Replacement
. Wiper/Washer Systems
. Doors and Windows
. Seat Belts
. Airbag Systems
. Engine and Transmission
. Tire Pressure
. Battery
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays when the
vehicle's propulsion power is
reduced. Reduced propulsion power
can affect the vehicle's ability to
accelerate. If this message is on,
but there is no observed reduction
in performance, proceed to your
destination. The performance may
be reduced the next time the vehicle is driven. The vehicle may be driven
while this message is on, but
maximum acceleration and speed
may be reduced. Anytime this
message stays on, or displays
repeatedly, the vehicle should be
taken to your dealer for service as
soon as possible.
Vehicle Speed Messages
SPEED LIMITED TO
XXX KM/H (MPH)
This message shows that the
vehicle speed has been limited to
the speed displayed. The limited
speed is a protection for various
propulsion and vehicle systems,
such as lubrication, thermal,
suspension, Teen Driver if
equipped, or tires.
If equipped with a diesel engine,
see the Duramax Diesel
supplement.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
11354423) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
138 Instruments and Controls
.Auto Rear Defog
Auto Fan Speed
This feature will set the auto fan
speed.
Select Low, Medium, or High.
Auto Defog
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select Off or On.
Auto Rear Defog
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select Off or On.
Comfort and Convenience
Select and the following may
display:
. Chime Volume
Chime Volume
This allows the selection of the
chime volume level.
Touch + or −to adjust the volume.
Lighting
Select and the following may
display:
.
Vehicle Locator Lights
. Exit Lighting
Vehicle Locator Lights
This feature will flash the exterior
lamps and allows the headlamps,
parking lamps, taillamps, and most
of the interior lamps to turn on
briefly when
Kon the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is
pressed to locate the vehicle.
Select Off or On.
Exit Lighting
This allows the selection of how
long the exterior lamps stay on
when leaving the vehicle when it is
dark outside.
Select Off, 30 Seconds, 60 Seconds,
or 120 Seconds.
Power Door Locks
Select and the following may
display:
. Unlocked Door Anti-Lockout
. Auto Door Unlock
. Delayed Door Lock
Unlocked Door Anti-Lockout
When on, this feature will keep the
driver door from locking when the
door is open. If Off is selected, the
Delayed Door Lock menu will be
available.
Select Off or On.
Auto Door Unlock
This allows selection of which of the
doors will automatically unlock when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park)
for an automatic transmission or
when the key is removed from the
ignition for a manual transmission.
Select Off, All Doors, or Driver Door.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
11354423) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
Instruments and Controls 139
Delayed Door Lock
When on, this feature will delay the
locking of the doors. To override the
delay, press the power door lock
switch on the door.
Select Off or On.
Remote Lock, Unlock, Start
Select and the following may
display:
.Remote Unlock Light Feedback
. Remote Lock Feedback
. Remote Door Unlock
. Remote Start Auto Cool Seats
. Remote Start Auto Heat Seats
Remote Unlock Light Feedback
When on, the exterior lamps will
flash when unlocking the vehicle
with the RKE transmitter.
Select Off or Flash Lights.
Remote Lock Feedback
This allows selection of what type of
feedback is given when locking the
vehicle with the RKE transmitter. Select Off, Lights and Horn, Lights
Only, or Horn Only.
Remote Door Unlock
This allows selection of which doors
will unlock when pressing
Kon the
RKE transmitter.
Select All Doors or Driver Door.
Remote Start Auto Cool Seats
If equipped and turned on, this
feature will turn the ventilated seats
on when using remote start on
warm days. See Heated and
Ventilated Front Seats 048.
Select Off or On.
Remote Start Auto Heat Seats
If equipped and turned on, this
feature will turn the heated seats on
when using remote start on
cold days. See Heated and
Ventilated Front Seats 048.
Select Off or On.
Bluetooth
Select and the following may
display:
. Pair New Device
. Device Management
. Ringtones
. Voice Mail Numbers
. Text Message Alerts
Pair New Device
Select to pair a new device. See
“Pairing” underBluetooth
(Infotainment Controls) 0179 or
Bluetooth (Overview) 0173 or
Bluetooth (Voice Recognition) 0175
or “Pairing” in“Infotainment
Controls” under“Bluetooth” in the
infotainment manual.
Device Management
Select to connect to a different
phone source, disconnect a phone,
or delete a phone.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
11354423) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
Lighting 149
Reading Lamps
The front reading lamps,
if equipped, are in the overhead
console.
The rear reading lamps, if equipped,
are in the headliner.
#or$:Press to turn each lamp
on or off.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
Some exterior lamps and the interior
lamps turn on briefly at night, or in
areas with limited lighting, when
K
is pressed on the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter. When a
door is opened, the interior lamps
come on if the dome lamp control is
in the
Hposition. After about
30 seconds the exterior lamps turn
off. Entry lighting can be disabled
manually by changing the ignition
out of the OFF position, or by
pressing
Qon the RKE transmitter.
This feature can be changed. See
“Vehicle Locator Lights” under
Vehicle Personalization 0136.
Exit Lighting
Some exterior lamps and the interior
lamps come on at night, or in areas
with limited lighting when the key is
removed from the ignition. The
exterior and interior lamps remain
on for a set amount of time and then automatically turn off. The interior
lamps do not come on if the dome
lamp control is in the Off position.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamps control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization
0136.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM), which
estimates the battery's temperature
and state of charge. It then adjusts
the voltage for best performance
and extended life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. The voltmeter
gauge or the voltage display on the
Driver Information Center (DIC),
if equipped, may show the voltage

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
11354423) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
Infotainment System 179
To Transfer Audio to the Bluetooth
System from a Cell Phone
During a call with the audio on the
cell phone, press
g. The audio
transfers to the vehicle. If the audio
does not transfer to the vehicle, use
the audio transfer feature on the cell
phone. See your cell phone
manufacturer's user guide for more
information.
Voice Pass-Thru
Voice pass-thru allows access to the
voice recognition commands on the
cell phone. See your cell phone
manufacturer's user guide to see if
the cell phone supports this feature.
To access contacts stored in the cell
phone:
1. Press
g. The system responds
“Ready,” followed by a tone.
2. Say “Bluetooth.”
3. Say “Voice.”The system
responds “OK, accessing
messages will go through their cycle
according to the phone's operating
instructions.
Dual Tone Multi-Frequency
(DTMF) Tones
The Bluetooth system can send
numbers and the numbers stored as
name tags during a call. You can
use this feature when calling a
menu-driven phone system.
Account numbers can also be
stored for use.
Sending a Number or Name Tag
During a Call
1. Press
g. The system responds
“Ready,” followed by a tone.
2. Say “Dial.”
3. Say the number or name tag to send.
Clearing the System
Unless information is deleted out of
the in-vehicle Bluetooth system, it
will be retained indefinitely. This
includes all phone pairing information. For information on how
to delete this information, see
“Deleting a Paired Phone.”
Bluetooth (Infotainment
Controls)
To use infotainment controls to
access the menu system, see
Overview
0153.
Pairing
A Bluetooth-enabled cell phone
must be paired to the Bluetooth
system and then connected to the
vehicle before it can be used. See
your cell phone manufacturer's user
guide for Bluetooth functions before
pairing the cell phone. If a Bluetooth
phone is not connected, calls will be
made using OnStar Hands-Free
Calling, if available. See OnStar
Overview 0392.
Pairing Information
. A Bluetooth phone with MP3
capability cannot be paired to
the vehicle as a phone and an
MP3 player at the same time.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
11354423) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
198 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 207
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 208
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 210
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Truck-Camper LoadingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 217
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 225
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 230
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 241
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . 243
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . 244
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 247
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 253
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 268

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
11354423) - 2018 - crc - 10/12/17
204 Driving and Operating
.Do not park over things that
burn. See Parking over Things
That Burn 0224.
Driving on Hills
Driving safely on hills requires good
judgment and an understanding of
what the vehicle can and cannot do.
{Warning
Many hills are simply too steep
for any vehicle. Driving up hills
can cause the vehicle to stall.
Driving down hills can cause loss
of control. Driving across hills can
cause a rollover. You could be
injured or killed. Do not drive on
steep hills.
Before driving on a hill, assess the
steepness, traction, and
obstructions. If the terrain ahead
cannot be seen, get out of the
vehicle and walk the hill before
driving further. When driving on hills:
.
Use a low gear and keep a firm
grip on the steering wheel.
. Maintain a slow speed.
. When possible, drive straight up
or down the hill.
. Slow down when approaching
the top of the hill.
. Use headlamps even during the
day to make the vehicle more
visible.
{Warning
Driving to the top of a hill at high
speed can cause an accident.
There could be a drop-off,
embankment, cliff, or even
another vehicle. You could be
seriously injured or killed. As you
near the top of a hill, slow down
and stay alert.
. Never go downhill forward or
backward with either the
transmission or transfer case in N (Neutral). The brakes could
overheat and you could lose
control.
{Warning
If the vehicle has the two-speed
automatic or electronic transfer
case, shifting the transfer case to
N (Neutral) can cause your
vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in P (Park). This is
because the N (Neutral) position
on the transfer case overrides the
transmission. You or someone
else could be injured. If leaving
the vehicle, set the parking brake
and shift the transmission to
P (Park). Shift the transfer case to
any position but N (Neutral).
. When driving down a hill, keep
the vehicle headed straight
down. Use a low gear because
the engine will work with the
brakes to slow the vehicle and
help keep the vehicle under
control.