GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
14 Keys, Doors, and Windows
The climate control system will use the
previous settings during a remote start. The
rear defog may come on during a remote
start based on cold ambient conditions. The
rear fog indicator light does not come on
during a remote start.
If the vehicle has heated or ventilated seats,
they may come on during a remote start.
SeeHeated and Ventilated Front Seats 041.
If equipped with a remote start heated
steering wheel, the heated wheel will turn
on automatically in remote start along with
the heated seats when it is cold outside. See
Heated Steering Wheel 090.
Laws in some local communities may restrict
the use of remote starters. For example,
some laws may require a person using
remote start to have the vehicle in view.
Check local regulations for any
requirements.
Do not use remote start if the vehicle is low
on fuel as it may run out of fuel.
Other conditions can affect the performance
of the transmitter. See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System 07. Starting the Engine Using Remote Start
1. Press and release
Qon the RKE
transmitter.
2. Immediately press and hold
/for at
least four seconds or until the turn
signal lamps flash. The turn signal lamps
flashing confirms the request to remote
start the vehicle has been received.
During the remote start the doors will be
locked and the parking lamps will remain
on as long as the engine is running.
The engine will shut off after 15 minutes
unless a time extension is done or the
vehicle is started.
3. With the RKE transmitter in the vehicle, press the brake pedal and start the
vehicle to drive.
Extending Engine Run Time
The engine run time can also be extended
by another 15 minutes, if during the first
15 minutes Steps 1 and 2 are repeated while
the engine is still running. An extension can
be requested 30 seconds after starting. This
provides a total of 30 minutes.
The remote start can only be extended once. When the remote start is extended, the
second 15-minute period is added on to the
first 15 minutes for a total of 30 minutes.
A maximum of two remote starts, or a
remote start with an extension, are allowed
between ignition cycles.
The vehicle must be started and then turned
off before the remote start procedure can be
used again.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start, do any of the
following:
.Press and hold/until the parking lamps
turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
.Turn the vehicle on and then off.
Conditions in Which Remote Start Will
Not Work
The remote start will not operate if any of
the following occur:
.A transmitter is in the vehicle.
.The ignition is on.
.The hood is not closed.
.The hazard warning flashers are on.
.There is an emission control system
malfunction.
GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Keys, Doors, and Windows 31
.The camera’s mounting on the vehicle has
been damaged, and/or the position or the
mounting angle of the camera has
changed.
Windows{
Warning
Never leave a child, a helpless adult, or a
pet alone in a vehicle, especially with the
windows closed in warm or hot weather.
They can be overcome by the extreme
heat and suffer permanent injuries or
even death from heat stroke.
The vehicle aerodynamics are designed to
improve fuel economy performance. This
may result in a pulsing sound when one
window is down and the other three are up.
To reduce the sound, open another window
or the sunroof, if equipped.
Power Windows
{Warning
Children could be seriously injured or
killed if caught in the path of a closing
window. Never leave the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter in a vehicle with
children. When there are children in the
rear seat, use the window lockout switch
to prevent operation of the windows. See
Keys06.
Power windows work when the ignition is
on, in ACC/ACCESSORY, or when Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) is active. See
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) 0217.
Using the window switch, press to open or
pull to close the window.
The windows may be temporarily disabled if
they are used repeatedly within a
short time.
GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Seats and Restraints 59
Warning (Continued)
trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing
problems but cannot get out of the
vehicle after an airbag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing problems
following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn on the
interior lamps and hazard warning flashers,
and shut off the fuel system after the
airbags inflate. The feature may also
activate, without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined
threshold. After turning the ignition off and
then on again, the fuel system will return to
normal operation; the doors can be locked,
the interior lamps can be turned off, and
the hazard warning flashers can be turned
off using the controls for those features.
If any of these systems are damaged in the
crash they may not operate as normal.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate the
airbags may have also damaged
important functions in the vehicle, such
as the fuel system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle appears
to be drivable after a moderate crash,
there may be concealed damage that
could make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt to
restart the engine after a crash has
occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate
the airbag, windshields are broken by
vehicle deformation. Additional windshield
breakage may also occur from the front
outboard passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate only once.
After an airbag inflates, you will need
some new parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help protect
you in another crash. A new system will
include airbag modules and possibly other
parts. The service manual for the vehicle
covers the need to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records
information after a crash. See Vehicle
Data Recording and Privacy 0372 and
Event Data Recorders 0373.
.Let only qualified technicians work on the
airbag systems. Improper service can
mean that an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for service.
Passenger Sensing System
The vehicle has a passenger sensing system
for the front outboard passenger position.
The passenger airbag status indicator will
light on the overhead console when the
vehicle is started.
The words ON and OFF, and the symbols for
on and off, will be visible during the system
check. When the system check is complete,
either the word ON or OFF, and the symbol
for on or off, will be visible. See Passenger
Airbag Status Indicator 0106.
GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Instruments and Controls 89
Instruments and Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Instrument Cluster (Base and Midlevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Instrument Cluster (Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Engine Oil Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . 103
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . 104
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . 106
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check
Engine Light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . 108
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Service Electric Parking Brake Light
(Uplevel and Midlevel
Cluster Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Gear Shifting Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Hill Descent Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Pedestrian Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Information Displays
Driver Information Center
(DIC) (Base) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Midlevel and Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Engine Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Universal Remote System Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Universal Remote System Operation . . . 129
GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Instruments and Controls 103
English Uplevel
When the ignition is on, the fuel gauge
indicates about how much fuel is left in
the tank.
An arrow on the fuel gauge indicates the
side of the vehicle the fuel door is on.
When the indicator nears empty, the low
fuel light comes on. There is a small amount
of fuel left, but the fuel tank should be
filled soon.
Here are three things that some owners ask
about. None of these show a problem with
the fuel gauge:
.It takes a little more, or less fuel to fill up
than the gauge indicated. For example,
the gauge may have indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a little
more, or less than half the tank's capacity
to fill the tank.
.The gauge moves a little while turning a
corner, speeding up or braking.
.The gauge takes a few seconds to
stabilize after the ignition is turned on
and goes back to empty when the
ignition is turned off.
Engine Oil Temperature Gauge
Metric
English
This gauge shows the engine oil
temperature.
If the gauge pointer moves into the high
end, it means that the engine oil has
overheated. If the vehicle has been operated
under normal driving conditions, pull off the
road, stop the vehicle, and turn off the
engine as soon as possible.
See Engine Oil 0276.
GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Driving and Operating 215
to the floor and holding it there as you
press ENGINE START/STOP, for up to a
maximum of 15 seconds. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try, to allow
the cranking motor to cool down. When
the engine starts, let go of the button
and the accelerator. If the vehicle starts
briefly but then stops again, do the
same thing. This clears the extra gasoline
from the engine. Do not race the engine
immediately after starting it. Operate
the engine and transmission gently until
the oil warms up and lubricates all
moving parts.
Stop/Start System
The Stop/Start system will shut off the
engine to help conserve fuel. It has
components designed for the increased
number of starts.
{Warning
The automatic engine Stop/Start feature
causes the engine to shut off while the
vehicle is still on. Do not exit the vehicle
before shifting to P (Park). The vehicle
may restart and move unexpectedly.
Always shift to P (Park), and then turn
the ignition off before exiting the vehicle.Auto Engine Stop/Start
When the brakes are applied and the vehicle
is at a complete stop, the engine may turn
off. When stopped, the tachometer displays
AUTO STOP. See
Tachometer0102. When
the brake pedal is released or the
accelerator pedal is pressed, the engine will
restart.
To maintain vehicle performance, other
conditions may cause the engine to
automatically restart before the brake pedal
is released.
Auto Stops may not occur and/or auto
restarts may occur because:
.The climate control settings require the
engine to be running to cool or heat the
vehicle interior.
.The vehicle battery charge is low.
.The vehicle battery has recently been
disconnected.
.Minimum vehicle speed has not been
reached since the last Auto Stop
.The accelerator pedal is pressed.
.The engine or transmission is not at the
required operating temperature.
.The outside temperature is not in the
required operating range.
.The transmission is shifted out of
D (Drive) to any gear other than P (Park).
.Tow/Haul Mode or other driver modes
have been selected.
.The vehicle is on a steep hill or grade.
.The driver door has been opened or driver
seat belt has been unbuckled.
.The hood has been opened.
.The Auto Stop has reached the maximum
allowed time.
Auto Stop/Start Disable Switch
The automatic engine Stop/Start feature can
be disabled and enabled by pressing
h.
Auto Stop/Start is enabled each time you
start the vehicle.
GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
254 Driving and Operating
Do not use any fuel labeled E85 or FlexFuel.
Do not use gasoline with ethanol levels
greater than 15% by volume.
Prohibited Fuels
Caution
Do not use fuels with any of the
following conditions; doing so may
damage the vehicle and void its
warranty:
.For vehicles that are not FlexFuel, fuel
labeled greater than 15% ethanol by
volume, such as mid-level ethanol
blends (16–50% ethanol), E85,
or FlexFuel.
.Fuel with any amount of methanol,
methylal, ferrocene, and aniline. These
fuels can corrode metal fuel system
parts or damage plastic and rubber
parts.
.Fuel containing metals such as
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT), which can damage
the emissions control system and
spark plugs.
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
.Fuel with a posted octane rating of
less than the recommended fuel. Using
this fuel will lower fuel economy and
performance, and may decrease the
life of the emissions catalyst.
Fuels in Foreign Countries
The U.S., Canada, and Mexico post fuel
octane ratings in anti-knock index (AKI). For
fuel not to use in a foreign country, see
Prohibited Fuels0254.
Fuel Additives
TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is highly
recommended for use with your vehicle.
If your country does not have TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, add ACDelco Fuel
System Treatment Plus−Gasoline to the
vehicle’s gasoline fuel tank at every oil
change or 15 000 km (9,000 mi), whichever
occurs first. TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline and
ACDelco Fuel System Treatment Plus
−Gasoline will help keep your vehicle’s
engine fuel deposit free and performing
optimally.
Filling the Tank
An arrow on the fuel gauge indicates which
side of the vehicle the fuel door is on. See
Fuel Gauge 0102.
{Warning
Fuel vapors and fuel fires burn violently
and can cause injury or death.
Follow these guidelines to help avoid
injuries to you and others:
.Read and follow all the instructions on
the fuel pump island.
.Turn off the engine when refueling.
.Keep sparks, flames, and smoking
materials away from fuel.
.Do not leave the fuel pump
unattended.
.Avoid using electronic devices while
refueling.
.Do not re-enter the vehicle while
pumping fuel.
.Keep children away from the fuel
pump and never let children
pump fuel.
(Continued)
GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Driving and Operating 255
Warning (Continued)
.Before touching the fill nozzle, touch a
metallic object to discharge static
electricity from your body.
.Fuel can spray out if the fill nozzle is
inserted too quickly. This spray can
happen if the tank is nearly full, and is
more likely in hot weather. Insert the
fill nozzle slowly and wait for any hiss
noise to stop before beginning to
flow fuel.
To open the fuel door, push and release the
rearward center edge of the door.The capless refueling system does not have
a fuel cap. Fully insert and latch the fill
nozzle, then begin fueling.
{Warning
Overfilling the fuel tank by more than
three clicks of a standard fill nozzle may
cause:
.Vehicle performance issues, including
engine stalling and damage to the fuel
system.
.Fuel spills.
.Under certain conditions, fuel fires.
Be careful not to spill fuel. Wait five seconds
after you have finished pumping before
removing the fill nozzle. Clean fuel from
painted surfaces as soon as possible. See
Exterior Care 0337. Push the fuel door
closed until it latches.
{Warning
If a fire starts while you are refueling, do
not remove the fill nozzle. Shut off the
flow of fuel by shutting off the pump or
by notifying the station attendant. Leave
the area immediately. Filling the Tank with a Portable Fuel
Container
If the vehicle runs out of fuel and must be
filled from a portable fuel container:
1. Locate the capless funnel adapter from
the rear cargo area under the load floor.
2. Insert and latch the funnel into the capless fuel system.
{Warning
Attempting to refuel from a portable fuel
container without using the funnel
adapter may cause fuel spillage and
damage the capless fuel system. This
could cause a fire. You or others could be
badly burned and the vehicle could be
damaged.
3. Remove and clean the funnel adapter and return it to the storage location.