GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-11349262) - 2018 - crc - 6/21/17
198 Driving and Operating
Hill and Mountain Roads Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips 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.
{ WarningUsing 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. { WarningCoasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering assist. Always
have the engine running and the
vehicle in gear.
.
Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.
.
Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, accident).
.
Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action. Winter Driving Driving on Snow or Ice Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.
Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
.
Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0 229 .
.
The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) improves vehicle stability
during hard stops, but the
brakes should be applied sooner
than when on dry pavement.
See Antilock Brake System
(ABS) 0 227 .
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-11349262) - 2018 - crc - 6/20/17
276 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Care General Information General Information . . . . . . . . . . 277
California Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements . . . . . 278
Accessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Vehicle Checks Doing Your Own
Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Engine Compartment
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 285
Automatic Transmission Fluid
(6 Speed Transmission) . . . . . 286
Automatic Transmission Fluid
(8 and 10 Speed
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 290
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 294
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Battery - North America . . . . . . 298
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Noise Control System . . . . . . . . 301
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 302
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Ignition Transmission Lock
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 303
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 303
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 304
Windshield Replacement . . . . . 304
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Headlamp Aiming Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Bulb Replacement Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
High Intensity Discharge (HID)
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 308 Electrical System Electrical System Overload . . . 309
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 309
Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block (Left) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Instrument Panel Fuse Block
(Right) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Rear Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Wheels and Tires Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
All-Terrain Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 322
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Tire Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Tire Pressure for High-Speed
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Tire Pressure Monitor
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-11349262) - 2018 - crc - 6/20/17
Vehicle Care 321Warning (Continued).
Replace any tires that
have been damaged by
impacts with potholes,
curbs, etc..
Improperly repaired tires
can cause a crash. Only
the dealer or an
authorized tire service
center should repair,
replace, dismount, and
mount the tires..
Do not spin the tires in
excess of 56 km/h
(35 mph) on slippery
surfaces such as snow,
mud, ice, etc. Excessive
spinning may cause the
tires to explode.
See Tire Pressure for
High-Speed Operation 0 328 for
inflation pressure adjustment for
high-speed driving. All-Season Tires This vehicle may come with
all-season tires. These tires are
designed to provide good overall
performance on most road surfaces
and weather conditions. Original
equipment tires designed to GM's
specific tire performance criteria
have a TPC specification code
molded onto the sidewall. Original
equipment all-season tires can be
identified by the last two characters
of this TPC code, which will
be “ MS. ”
Consider installing winter tires on
the vehicle if frequent driving on
snow or ice-covered roads is
expected. All-season tires provide
adequate performance for most
winter driving conditions, but they
may not offer the same level of
traction or performance as winter
tires on snow or ice-covered roads.
See Winter Tires 0 321 .
Winter Tires This vehicle was not originally
equipped with winter tires. Winter
tires are designed for increased traction on snow and ice-covered
roads. Consider installing winter
tires on the vehicle if frequent
driving on ice or snow covered
roads is expected. See your dealer
for details regarding winter tire
availability and proper tire selection.
Also, see Buying New Tires 0 335 .
With winter tires, there may be
decreased dry road traction,
increased road noise, and shorter
tread life. After changing to winter
tires, be alert for changes in vehicle
handling and braking.
If using winter tires:
.
Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.
.
Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as the original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W, Y,
and ZR speed rated tires. If winter
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-11349262) - 2018 - crc - 6/20/17
Vehicle Care 337
{ Warning
Using bias-ply tires on the
vehicle may cause the wheel
rim flanges to develop cracks
after many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could fail
suddenly and cause a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment
tires may not be available for H,
V, W, Y and ZR speed rated
tires. Never exceed the winter
tires ’ maximum speed capability
when using winter tires with a
lower speed rating.
If the vehicle tires must be
replaced with a tire that does not
have a TPC Spec number, make
sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating, and
construction (radial) as the
original tires. Vehicles that have a tire
pressure monitoring system
could give an inaccurate
low-pressure warning if non-TPC
Spec rated tires are installed.
See Tire Pressure Monitor
System 0 329 .
The Tire and Loading
Information label indicates the
original equipment tires on the
vehicle. See Vehicle Load Limits
0 200 for the label location and
more information about the Tire
and Loading Information label.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, electronic stability control, or All-Wheel Drive, the performance
of these systems can also be
affected.
{ WarningIf different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety if
tires not recommended for those
wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires 0 335 and
Accessories and Modifications
0 278 .
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-11349262) - 2018 - crc - 6/20/17
338 Vehicle Care (NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter tires,
compact spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards. Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example: Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A
(the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire's resistance
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-11349262) - 2018 - crc - 6/20/17
Customer Information 391.
Lock-Out Service: Service to
unlock the vehicle if you are
locked out. A remote unlock may
be available if you have OnStar.
For security reasons, the driver
must present identification
before this service is given.
.
Emergency Tow from a Public
Road or Highway: Tow to the
nearest GMC dealer for warranty
service, or if the vehicle was in a
crash and cannot be driven.
Assistance is not given when the
vehicle is stuck in the sand,
mud, or snow.
.
Flat Tire Change: Service to
change a flat tire with the spare
tire. The spare tire, if equipped,
must be in good condition and
properly inflated. It is the owner's
responsibility for the repair or
replacement of the tire if it is not
covered by the warranty.
.
Battery Jump Start: Service to
jump start a dead battery.
.
Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: If your trip is
interrupted due to a warranty
event, incidental expenses may be reimbursed within the
Powertrain warranty period.
Items considered are reasonable
and customary hotel, meals,
rental car, or a vehicle being
delivered back to the customer,
up to 805 km (500 mi).
Services Not Included in
Roadside Assistance .
Impound towing caused by
violation of any laws
.
Legal fines
.
Mounting, dismounting,
or changing of snow tires,
chains, or other traction devices
Service is not provided if a vehicle
is in an area that is not accessible
to the service vehicle or is not a
regularly traveled or maintained
public road, which includes ice and
winter roads. Off-road use is not
covered. Services Specific to
Canadian-Purchased Vehicles .
Fuel Delivery: Reimbursement
is up to 7 L. Diesel fuel delivery
may be restricted. Propane and
other fuels are not provided
through this service.
.
Lock-Out Service: Vehicle
registration is required.
.
Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: Must be over
150 km from where your trip was
started to qualify.
Pre-authorization, original
detailed receipts, and a copy of
the repair orders are required.
Once authorization has been
received, the Roadside
Assistance advisor will help to
make arrangements and explain
how to receive payment.
.
Alternative Service: If
assistance cannot be provided
right away, the Roadside
Assistance advisor may give
permission to get local
emergency road service. You will
receive payment, up to $100,
after sending the original receipt
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-11349262) - 2018 - crc - 6/21/17
Index 413Assistance Program,
Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Assistance Systems for
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Assistance Systems for
Parking and Backing . . . . . . . . . . 243
Automatic
Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Forward Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Level Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . 286, 289
Automatic Transmission
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
B Battery
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Battery (cont'd)
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Battery - North America . . . . 298, 351
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . 303
Blind Spot Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Brake
Pedal and Adjustable
Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 145
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Automatic Forward . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 204
Bulb Replacement
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . 308
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 C Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
California
Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .277, 298, 351,
Back Cover
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Carbon Monoxide
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Cargo
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 2
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 120
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Charging
Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 142
Check
Engine Light (Malfunction
Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-11349262) - 2018 - crc - 6/21/17
422 Index Tires (cont'd)
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Terminology and Definitions . . 324
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 339
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Towing
Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 259
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 259
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 355
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 273
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Traction
Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Trailer
Sway Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . 273
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Transmission
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . 286, 289
Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 139
Transportation Program,
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
U Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . 337
Universal Remote System . . . . . . 166
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
V Vehicle
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Identification Number (VIN) . . . 383
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Vehicle (cont'd)
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . 146
Vehicle Care
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
W Warning
Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Caution and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Lane Departure (LDW) . . . . . . . 252
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Warnings
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Wheels
Alignment and Tire Balance . . 339
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339