2021 GMC ACADIA Owner's Manual

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
16 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Driver Door Key Lock Cylinder Access (In
Case of Dead Battery)
To access the driver door key lock cylinder:1. Pull the door handle (1) to the open position and hold it open until cap
removal is complete.
2. Insert the key into the slot (3) on the bottom of the cap (2) and lift the key
upward.
3. Move the cap (2) rearward and remove.
4. Use the key in the cylinder.
To replace the cap: 1. Pull the door handle (1) to the open position and hold it open until cap
installation is complete.
2. Insert the two tabs (6) at the back of thecap between the seal (5) and the metal
base (4).3. Slide the cap forward and press theforward edge to install the cap in place.
4. Release the door handle.
5. Check that the cap is secure.
Free-Turning Locks
The door key lock cylinder turns freely when
either the wrong key is used, or the correct
key is not fully inserted. The free-turning
door lock feature prevents the lock from
being forced open. To reset the lock, turn it
to the vertical position with the correct key
fully inserted. Remove the key and insert it
again. If this does not reset the lock, turn
the key halfway around in the cylinder and
repeat the reset procedure.

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Keys, Doors, and Windows 17
Power Door Locks
Q:Press to lock the doors.
K:Press to unlock the doors.
Delayed Locking
This feature delays the locking of the doors
until five seconds after all doors are closed.
Delayed locking can only be turned on when
the Open Door Anti Lock Out has been
turned off.
When
Qis pressed on the power door lock
switch while the door is open, a chime will
sound three times indicating delayed locking
is active. The doors will lock automatically
five seconds after all doors are closed. If a
door is reopened before that time, the
five-second timer will reset when all doors
are closed again.
Press
Qon the door lock switch again or
press
Qon the RKE transmitter to lock the
doors immediately.
This feature can also be programmed. See
Vehicle Personalization 0123.
Automatic Door Locks
The vehicle is programmed so that when the
doors are closed, the ignition is on, and the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park), the doors
will lock.
If a vehicle door is unlocked and then
opened and closed, the doors will lock either
when your foot is removed from the brake
or the vehicle speed becomes faster than
13 km/h (8 mph).
To unlock the doors:
.PressKon a door.
.Shift the transmission into P (Park). Automatic door locking cannot be disabled.
Automatic door unlocking can be
programmed. See
Vehicle Personalization
0 123.
Lockout Protection
If the ignition is on or in ACC/ACCESSORY
and the power door lock switch is pressed
with the driver door open, all the doors will
lock and only the driver door will unlock.
If the vehicle is off and locking is requested
while a door is open, when all doors are
closed the vehicle will check for RKE
transmitters inside. If an RKE transmitter is
detected and the number of RKE
transmitters inside has not reduced, the
driver door will unlock and the horn will
chirp three times.
Lockout Protection can be manually
overridden by pressing and holding
Qon
the power door lock switch.
Open Door Anti Lock Out
If Open Door Anti Lock Out has been turned
on and the vehicle is off, the driver door is
open, and locking is requested, all the doors
will lock and the driver door will remain
unlocked. When this function is turned on,
the driver door will only lock when it is

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
18 Keys, Doors, and Windows
closed. The Open Door Anti Lock Out feature
can be turned on or off. SeeVehicle
Personalization 0123.
Safety Locks
The rear door safety locks prevent
passengers from opening the rear doors
from inside the vehicle.
Manual Safety Locks
If equipped, the safety lock is on the inside
edge of the rear doors. To use the
safety lock:
1. Move the lever down to the lock position.
2. Close the door. 3. Do the same for the other rear door.
To open a rear door when the safety lock
is on: 1. Unlock the door by activating the inside handle, by pressing the power door lock
switch, or by using the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter.
2. Open the door from the outside.
When the safety lock is enabled, adults and
older children will not be able to open the
rear door from the inside. Cancel the safety
locks to enable the doors to open from the
inside.
To cancel the safety lock: 1. Unlock the door and open it from the outside.
2. Move the lever up to unlock. Do the same for the other door.
Doors
Liftgate
{Warning
Exhaust gases can enter the vehicle if it
is driven with the liftgate or trunk/hatch
open, or with any objects that pass
through the seal between the body and
the trunk/hatch or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains carbon monoxide (CO)
which cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle must be driven with the
liftgate or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on or under
the instrument panel.
.Adjust the climate control system to a
setting that brings in only outside air
and set the fan speed to the highest
setting. See “Climate Control Systems”
in the Index.
(Continued)

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Keys, Doors, and Windows 19
Warning (Continued)
.If the vehicle is equipped with a
power liftgate, disable the power
liftgate function.
See Engine Exhaust 0219.
Caution
To avoid damage to the liftgate or
liftgate glass, make sure the area above
and behind the liftgate is clear before
opening it.
Manual Liftgate
To unlock the liftgate, pressKon the
power door lock switch or press
Kon the
RKE transmitter twice within five seconds.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation 07.
To open the liftgate, press the touch pad on
the bottom of the liftgate handle and
lift up.
Use the pull cup to lower and close the
liftgate. Do not press the touch pad while
closing the liftgate. This will cause the
liftgate to be unlatched.
If equipped with Keyless Access, the liftgate
can be opened when locked if the RKE
transmitter is within 1 m (3 ft) of the touch
pad. See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation 07. The liftgate has an electric latch. If the
battery is disconnected or has low voltage,
the liftgate will not open. The liftgate will
resume operation when the battery is
reconnected and charged.
Always close the liftgate before driving.
Power Liftgate Operation
{Warning
You or others could be injured if caught
in the path of the power liftgate. Make
sure there is no one in the way of the
liftgate as it is opening and closing.
Caution
Driving with an open and unsecured
liftgate may result in damage to the
power liftgate components.

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
20 Keys, Doors, and Windows
If equipped, the power liftgate switch is on
the driver door. The vehicle must be in
P (Park). The taillamps flash when the power
liftgate moves.
The modes are:
.MAX: Opens to maximum height.
.3/4: Opens to a reduced height that can
be set from 3/4 to fully open. Use to
prevent the liftgate from opening into
overhead obstructions such as a garage
door or roof-mounted cargo. The liftgate
can be manually opened all the way.
.OFF: Opens manually only.
To power open or close the liftgate, select
MAX or 3/4 mode.
.Pressbtwice quickly on the RKE
transmitter until the liftgate moves.
.Press8on the driver door. The driver
door must either be unlocked or locked
without the security armed.
.Press the touch pad on the bottom of the
liftgate after unlocking all doors.
If equipped with Keyless Access, a locked
vehicle can be opened if the RKE
transmitter is within 1 m (3 ft) of the
touch pad.
Presslon the bottom of the liftgate
next to the pull cup to close. Press any liftgate button, the touch pad,
or
bon the RKE transmitter while the
liftgate is moving to stop it. Pressing any
liftgate button or pressing
btwice quickly
on the RKE transmitter again restarts the
operation in the reverse direction. Pressing
the touch pad on the liftgate handle will
restart the motion, but only in the opening
direction.
Caution
Manually forcing the liftgate to open or
close during a power cycle can damage
the vehicle. Allow the power cycle to
complete.
The power liftgate may be temporarily
disabled under extreme low temperatures,
or after repeated power cycling over a short
period of time. If this occurs, the liftgate can
still be operated manually.
If the vehicle is shifted out of P (Park) while
the power function is in progress, the
liftgate will continue to completion. If the
vehicle is accelerated before the liftgate has
completed moving, the liftgate may stop or
reverse direction. Check for Driver

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Keys, Doors, and Windows 21
Information Center (DIC) messages and make
sure the liftgate is closed and latched before
driving.
Falling Liftgate Detection
If the power liftgate automatically closes
after a power opening cycle, it indicates that
the system is reacting to excess weight on
the liftgate or a possible support strut
failure. A repetitive chime will sound while
the falling liftgate detection feature is
operating. Remove any excess weight. If the
liftgate continues to automatically close
after opening, see your dealer for service
before using the power liftgate.
Interfering with the power liftgate motion
or manually closing the liftgate too quickly
after power opening may resemble a
support strut failure. This could also activate
the falling liftgate detection feature. Allow
the liftgate to complete its operation and
wait a few seconds before manually closing
the liftgate.
Obstacle Detection Features
If the liftgate encounters an obstacle during
a power open or close cycle, the liftgate will
automatically reverse direction and move a
short distance away from the obstacle. After
removing the obstruction, the power liftgateoperation can be used again. If the liftgate
encounters multiple obstacles on the same
power cycle, the power function will
deactivate. After removing the obstructions,
manually close the liftgate which will allow
normal power operation functions to
resume.
If the vehicle is locked while the liftgate is
closing, and an obstacle is encountered that
prevents the liftgate from completely
closing, the horn will sound as an alert that
the liftgate did not close.
Setting the 3/4 Mode
To change the position the liftgate stops at
when opening:
1. Select MAX or 3/4 mode and power open the liftgate.
2. Stop the liftgate movement at the desired height by pressing any liftgate
button. Manually adjust the liftgate
position if needed.
3. Press and hold
lnext to the pull cup
on the outside of the liftgate until the
turn signals flash and a beep sounds.
This indicates the setting has been
recorded. The liftgate cannot be set below a minimum
programmable height. If there is no light
flash or sound, then the height adjustment
may be too low.
Manual Operation
Select OFF to manually operate the liftgate.
See
“Manual Liftgate” at the beginning of
this section.
Caution
Attempting to move the liftgate too
quickly and with excessive force may
result in damage to the vehicle.
Operate the liftgate manually with a
smooth motion and moderate speed. The
system includes a feature which limits the
manual closing speed to protect the
components.
Hands-Free Operation
If equipped, the liftgate may be operated
with a kicking motion under the left side of
the rear bumper.
The RKE transmitter must be within 1 m
(3 ft) of the rear bumper to operate the
power liftgate hands-free.

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
22 Keys, Doors, and Windows
The hands-free feature will not work while
the liftgate is moving. To stop the liftgate
while in motion use one of the liftgate
buttons.
The hands-free feature can be customized.
SeeVehicle Personalization 0123. Choose
from the following:
On-Open and Close : The kicking motion is
activated to both open and close the
liftgate.
On-Open Only : The kicking motion is
activated to only open the liftgate.
Off : The feature is disabled.
Kick Zone To operate, move your foot in a forward
kicking motion under the left side of the
rear bumper, at the location of the projected
logo, then pull it back. Then step back. The
kick must come within 14 cm (6 in) of the
rear bumper to activate.
Caution
Splashing water may cause the liftgate to
open. Keep the RKE transmitter away
from the rear bumper detection area or
turn the liftgate mode to OFF when
cleaning or working near the rear bumper
to avoid accidental opening.
.Do not sweep your foot side to side.
.Do not keep your foot under the bumper;
the liftgate will not activate.
.Do not touch the liftgate until it has
stopped moving.
.This feature may be temporarily disabled
under some conditions. If the liftgate
does not respond to the kick, open or
close the liftgate by another method or
start the vehicle. The feature will be
re-enabled.
When closing the liftgate using this feature,
there will be a short delay. The taillamps
will flash and a chime will sound. Step away
from the liftgate before it starts moving.
Projected Logo
If equipped with this feature, a vehicle logo
will be projected for one minute onto the
ground near the rear bumper when an RKE
transmitter is detected within approximately
2 m (6 ft). The projected logo may not be
visible under brighter daytime conditions.
1. 1 m (3 ft) Hands-Free Operation
Detection Zone
2. 2 m (6 ft) Projected Logo Detection Zone

GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14608671) - 2021 - CRC - 10/26/20
Keys, Doors, and Windows 23
The projected logo shows where the kicking
motion is to take place.
The projected logo will only be available for
this RKE transmitter after it has been out of
range for at least 20 seconds.
If an RKE transmitter is again detected
within approximately 2 m (6 ft) of the
liftgate, or another hands-free operation has
been detected, the one-minute timer will be
reset.
The projected logo will not work under
these conditions:
.The vehicle battery is low.
.The transmission is not in P (Park).
.Hands Free Liftgate Control is set to Off
in vehicle personalization. SeeVehicle
Personalization 0123.
.The power liftgate is turned off.
.The vehicle remains parked for 72 hours
or more, with no RKE transmitter use or
Keyless Access operation. To re-enable,
press any button on the RKE transmitter
or open and close a vehicle door. The projected logo will not work for a single
RKE transmitter when a transmitter:
.Has been left within approximately 5 m
(15 ft) of the liftgate for several minutes.
.Has been left inside the vehicle and all
vehicle doors are closed.
.Has approached the area outside of the
liftgate five times within 10 minutes.
Lens Cleaning
Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the
recessed lens.