GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13882574) -
2020 - CRC - 11/1/19
124 Infotainment System
and steering wheel controls,
if equipped. SeeDefensive Driving
0 151.
FAV : If equipped with a FAV button,
a maximum of 36 stations can be
programmed as favorites using the
six softkeys below the radio station
frequency tabs and by using the
radio favorites page button (FAV
button). Press FAV to go through up
to six pages of favorites, each
having six favorite stations available
per page. Each page of favorites
can contain any combination of AM,
FM, or SXM stations.
The balance/fade and tone settings
that were previously adjusted are
stored with the favorite stations.
To store a station as a favorite:
1. Tune to the desired radio station.
2. Press FAV to display the page where the station is to be
stored. 3. Press and hold one of the
six softkeys until a beep
sounds. When that softkey is
pressed and released, the
station that was set returns.
4. Repeat the steps for each softkey radio station to be
stored as a favorite.
The number of favorites pages can
be set up using the MENU button.
To set up the number of favorites
pages: 1. Press MENU to display the radio setup menu.
2. Press the softkey below the FAV 1-6 tab.
3. Select the desired number of favorites pages by pressing the
softkey below the displayed
page numbers.
4. Press FAV, or let the menu time out, to return to the original
main radio screen showing the
radio station frequency tabs
and to begin the process of
programming favorites for the
chosen number of numbered
pages.Radio Reception
Frequency interference and static
can occur during normal radio
reception if items such as cell phone
chargers, vehicle convenience
accessories, and external electronic
devices are plugged into the
accessory power outlet. If there is
interference or static, unplug the
item from the accessory power
outlet.
AM
The range for most AM stations is
greater than for FM, especially at
night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with
each other. For better radio
reception, most AM radio stations
boost the power levels during the
day, and then reduce these levels
during the night. Static can also
occur when things like storms and
power lines interfere with radio
reception. When this happens, try
reducing the treble on the radio.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13882574) -
2020 - CRC - 11/1/19
Infotainment System 129
Playlists can be changed by using
the softkeys below the
Scand
c Ttabs, thefknob, the©SEEK
button, or the
¨SEEK button. An
MP3 CD-R or CD-RW that has been
recorded without using file folders
can be played. If a CD-R or CD-RW
contains more than the maximum of
50 folders, 15 playlists, and
512 folders and files, the player
allows access and navigates up to
the maximum, but all items over the
maximum are not accessible.
Playing an MP3
4: Press to display additional text
information related to the current
song. If information is available, the
song title information displays on
the top line of the display and artist
information displays on the bottom
line. When information is not
available, NO INFO displays.
f: Turn to select MP3s on the CD
currently playing.
©SEEK : Press to go to the start of
the track, if more than 10 seconds
have played. Press and hold or
press multiple times to continue
moving backward through tracks.
¨SEEK : Press to go to the next
track. Press and hold or press
multiple times to continue moving
forward through tracks.
sREV : Press and hold to reverse
playback quickly. Sound is heard at
a reduced volume and the elapsed
time of the file displays. Release
s
REV to resume playing.
\FWD : Press and hold to
advance playback quickly. Sound is
heard at a reduced volume and the
elapsed time of the file displays.
Release
\FWD to resume playing.
The elapsed time of the file
displays.
S c:Press the softkey below the
S ctab to go to the first track in
the previous folder.
c T:Press the softkey below the
c Ttab to go to the first track in
the next folder.
RDM : Press to listen to tracks in
random, rather than sequential
order. To use random, do one of the
following:
For the Radio with CD/MP3:
1. Press the softkey under the RDM tab until Random Current
Disc displays.
2. Press the softkey again to turn off random play.
h:Press the softkey below the
htab to play the files in order by
artist or album.
The player scans the disc to sort the
files by artist and album ID3 tag
information. It can take several
minutes to scan the disc depending
on the number of files on the disc.
The radio may begin playing while it
is scanning in the background.
When the scan is finished, the disc
begins playing files in order by
artist. The current artist playing is
shown on the second line of the
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13882574) -
2020 - CRC - 11/1/19
Driving and Operating 149
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driving for Better FuelEconomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 154
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 155
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 157
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 161
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 166
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 170
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 176
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 181
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 183
Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . 191
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 191
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13882574) -
2020 - CRC - 11/1/19
Driving and Operating 153
Caution
If the steering wheel is turned
until it reaches the end of its
travel, and is held in that position
for more than 15 seconds,
damage may occur to the power
steering system and there may be
loss of power steering assist.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
. Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
. Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve.
. Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking. .
Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
. Antilock Brake System (ABS)
allows steering while braking.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips: 1. Ease off the accelerator and
then, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.
3. Turn the steering wheel to go straight 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.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13882574) -
2020 - CRC - 11/1/19
156 Driving and Operating
.Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0177.
. 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)
0175.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise
clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and
signal for help. Stay with the vehicle
unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside Assistance. See
Roadside
Assistance Program 0324. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe:
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{Warning
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO), which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle is stuck in snow:
. Clear snow from the base of
the vehicle, especially any
blocking the exhaust pipe.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the vehicle side
that is away from the wind,
to bring in fresh air.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See “Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0169.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running the engine, push the
accelerator pedal slightly so the
engine runs faster than the idle
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13882574) -
2020 - CRC - 11/1/19
Driving and Operating 175
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 Mode0173.
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.
See Towing Equipment 0207.
For other forms of grade braking,
see Automatic Transmission 0170.
Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
The Antilock Brake System (ABS)
helps prevent a braking skid and
maintain steering while
braking hard.
ABS performs a system check when
the vehicle is first driven.
A momentary motor or clicking noise
may be heard while this test is going
on, and the brake pedal may move
slightly. This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
0 95. ABS does not change the time
needed to get a foot on the brake
pedal and does not always
decrease stopping distance. If you
get too close to the vehicle ahead,
there will not be enough time to
apply the brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room ahead to stop,
even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold
the brake pedal down firmly.
Hearing or feeling ABS operate is
normal.
Braking in Emergencies
ABS allows steering and braking at
the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help
even more than braking.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13882574) -
2020 - CRC - 11/1/19
176 Driving and Operating
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the
regular brake pedal, then push
down the parking brake pedal.
If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
To release the parking brake, hold
the regular brake pedal down. Pull
the handle, located just above the
parking brake pedal, with the
parking brake symbol, to release the
parking brake.If the ignition is on when the parking
brake is released, the brake system
warning light will go off.
Caution
Driving with the parking brake on
can overheat the brake system
and cause premature wear or
damage to brake system parts.
Make sure that the parking brake
is fully released and the brake
warning light is off before driving.
If you are towing a trailer and are
parking on a hill, see Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips
0 195.
Brake Assist
Brake Assist detects rapid brake
pedal applications due to
emergency braking situations and
provides additional braking to
activate the Antilock Brake System (ABS) if the brake pedal is not
pushed hard enough to activate
ABS normally. Minor noise, brake
pedal pulsation, and/or pedal
movement during this time may
occur. Continue to apply the brake
pedal as the driving situation
dictates. Brake Assist disengages
when the brake pedal is released.
Hill Start Assist (HSA)
{Warning
Do not rely on the HSA feature.
HSA does not replace the need to
pay attention and drive safely.
You may not hear or feel alerts or
warnings provided by this system.
Failure to use proper care when
driving may result in injury, death,
or vehicle damage. See
Defensive Driving
0151.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13882574) -
2020 - CRC - 11/1/19
198 Driving and Operating
The vehicle can tow in D (Drive).
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly
conditions.
When towing at higher altitudes,
engine coolant will boil at a lower
temperature than at lower altitudes.
If the engine is turned off
immediately after towing at high
altitude on steep uphill grades, the
vehicle could show signs similar to
engine overheating. To avoid this,
let the engine run, preferably on
level ground, with the transmission
in P (Park) for a few minutes before
turning the engine off. If the
overheat warning comes on, see
Engine Overheating0234.
Parking on Hills
{Warning
To prevent serious injury or death,
always park your vehicle and
trailer on a level surface when
possible. When parking your vehicle and your
trailer on a hill:
1. Press the brake pedal, but do not shift into P (Park) yet. Turn
the wheels into the curb if
facing downhill or into traffic if
facing uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, gradually release the
brake pedal to allow the chocks
to absorb the load of the trailer.
4. Reapply the brake pedal. Then apply the parking brake and
shift into P (Park).
5. Release the brake pedal.
Leaving After Parking on a Hill
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
.Start the engine.
. Shift into a gear.
. Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal. 3. Drive slowly until the trailer is
clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks
Launching and Retrieving
a Boat
Backing the Trailer into the Water
{Warning
.Have all passengers get out
of the vehicle before
backing onto the sloped part
of the ramp. Lower the
driver and passenger side
windows before backing
onto the ramp. This will
provide a means of escape
in the unlikely event the
vehicle slides into the water.
. If the boat launch surface is
slippery, have the driver
remain in the vehicle with
the brake pedal applied
while the boat is being
launched. The boat launch
(Continued)