2021 GMC SAVANA tow

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
Seats and Restraints 31
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle have a
lap-shoulder belt. If you are using a rear
seating position with a detachable seat belt
and the seat belt is not attached, see
“Reinstalling the Rear Seats”underRear
Seats 024 for instructions on reconnecting
the seat belt to the mini-buckle.
The following instructions explain how to
wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up straight. To see how,
see “Seats” in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you
pull the belt across you very quickly.
If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger
belt is pulled out all the way, the child
restraint locking feature may be
engaged. See Child Restraint Systems
0 49. If this occurs, let the belt go back
all the way and start again. If the
locking feature stays engaged after
letting the belt go back to stowed position on the seat, move the seat
rearward or recline the seat until the
shoulder belt retractor lock releases.
3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until
it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure
it is secure. If the belt is not long
enough, see Seat Belt Extender 035.
Position the release button on the buckle
so that the seat belt could be quickly
unbuckled if necessary.
4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster, move it to the height that is
right for you. See “Seat belt Height Adjuster”
later in this section for
instructions on use and important safety
information.5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull stitching on
the seat belt through the latch plate to
fully tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
32 Seats and Restraints
To unlatch the belt, push the button on the
buckle. The belt should return to its stowed
position. Slide the latch plate up the seat
belt webbing when the seat belt is not in
use. The latch plate should rest on the
stitching on the seat belt, near the guide
loop on the side wall.
Always stow the seat belt slowly. If the seat
belt webbing returns quickly to the stowed
position, the retractor may lock and cannot
be pulled out. If this happens, pull the seat
belt straight out firmly to unlock the
webbing, and then release it. If the webbing
is still locked in the retractor, see your
dealer.Before a door is closed, be sure the seat belt
is out of the way. If a door is slammed
against a seat belt, damage can occur to
both the seat belt and the vehicle.
Seat Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a seat belt height adjuster
for the driver and front outboard passenger
positions.
Adjust the height so the shoulder portion of
the belt is on the shoulder and not falling
off of it. The belt should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper shoulder belt
height adjustment could reduce the
effectiveness of the seat belt in a crash. See
How to Wear Seat Belts Properly
029.
Squeeze both sides of the release button
and pull outward. Then move the height
adjuster up or down to the desired position
and release the button.
After the adjuster is set to the desired
position, try to move it up or down without
squeezing the release button to make sure it
has locked into position.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
If the vehicle has seat-mounted side impact
airbags and roof-rail airbags, it also has seat
belt pretensioners for the front outboard
occupants.
Although the seat belt pretensioners cannot
be seen, they are part of the seat belt
assembly. They can help tighten the seat
belts during the early stages of a moderate
to severe frontal, near frontal, or rear crash
if the threshold conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if the vehicle has
roof-rail airbags, seat belt pretensioners can
help tighten the seat belts in a side crash or
a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash, the
pretensioners and probably other parts of

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
Seats and Restraints 41
break out of the cover. The inflator, the
airbag, and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
For airbag locations, seeWhere Are the
Airbags? 038.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact
the steering wheel or the instrument panel.
In moderate to severe side collisions, even
belted occupants can contact the inside of
the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection provided
by seat belts by distributing the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help contain the head and chest
of occupants in the outboard seating
positions in the first, second, and third rows,
if equipped. The rollover capable roof-rail
airbags are designed to help reduce the risk
of full or partial ejection in rollover events,
although no system can prevent all such
ejections. But airbags would not help in many types
of collisions, primarily because the
occupant's motion is not toward those
airbags. See
When Should an Airbag Inflate?
0 40.
Airbags should never be regarded as
anything more than a supplement to seat
belts.
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates?
After frontal and seat-mounted side impact
airbags (if equipped) inflate, they quickly
deflate, so quickly that some people may
not even realize the airbags inflated.
Roof-rail airbags (if equipped) may still be at
least partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of the airbag
module may be hot for several minutes. For
location of the airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 038.
The parts of the airbag that come into
contact with you may be warm, but not too
hot to touch. There may be some smoke
and dust coming from the vents in the
deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of the windshield or being able to steer the
vehicle, nor does it prevent people from
leaving the vehicle.
{Warning
When an airbag inflates, there may be
dust in the air. This dust could cause
breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing
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 (if equipped
with power door locks), 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

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
56 Seats and Restraints
attached, or if the instructions that come
with the child restraint say that the top
tether must be attached.
According to accident statistics, children and
infants are safer when properly restrained in
a child restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating position.
SeeWhere to Put the Restraint 051 for
additional information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{Warning
A child could be seriously injured or killed
in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly attached to the vehicle using
either the LATCH anchors or the vehicle
seat belt. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the
instructions in this manual.
{Warning
To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries during a crash, do not attach
more than one child restraint to a single
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
anchor. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause
the anchor or attachment to come loose
or even break during a crash. A child or
others could be injured.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped
around their neck. The shoulder belt can
tighten but cannot be loosened if it is
locked. The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the retractor.
It unlocks when the shoulder belt is
allowed to go all the way back into the
retractor, but it cannot do this if it is
wrapped around a child’s neck. If the
shoulder belt is locked and tightened
around a child’s neck, the only way to
loosen the belt is to cut it.
Buckle any unused seat belts behind the
child restraint so children cannot reach
them. Pull the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor to set the lock, and(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
tighten the belt behind the child restraint
after the child restraint has been
installed.
Caution
Do not let the LATCH attachments rub
against the vehicle’s seat belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary, move
buckled seat belts to avoid rubbing the
LATCH attachments.
Do not fold the rear seatback when the
seat is occupied. Do not fold the empty
rear seat with a seat belt buckled. This
could damage the seat belt or the seat.
Unbuckle and return the seat belt to its
stowed position, before folding the seat.
If you need to secure more than one child
restraint in the rear seat, see Where to Put
the Restraint 051.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the lower anchors. If the
child restraint does not have lower
attachments or the desired seating
position does not have lower anchors,
secure the child restraint with the top

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
60 Seats and Restraints
6. If the child restraint has a top tether,follow the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH System) 052.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is securely held in
place. To check, grasp the child restraint
at the seat belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back and forth.
When the child restraint is properly
installed, there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the
vehicle seat belt and let it return to the
stowed position. If the top tether is attached
to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the Front Seat)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a
safer place to secure a forward-facing child
restraint. See Where to Put the Restraint
0 51.
There may be a switch on the instrument
panel that you can use to turn off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag. See
Airbag On-Off Switch
042 for more
information, including important safety
information.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the
front. This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great if the airbag
deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the front
outboard passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the
inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the front
outboard passenger airbag inflates and
the passenger seat is in a forward
position.
Even if the airbag switch has turned off
the front outboard passenger frontal
airbag, no system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a
rear seat, even if the airbag is off. If you
secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the front outboard passenger seat,
always move the seat as far back as it
will go. It is better to secure the child
restraint in a rear seat.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever comes
on and stays on, it means that
something may be wrong with the airbag
system. For example, the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag could inflate
even though the airbag on-off switch is
turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right away. See
Airbag Readiness Light074 for more
information, including important safety
information.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
62 Seats and Restraints
6. To tighten the belt, push down on thechild restraint, pull the shoulder portion
of the belt to tighten the lap portion of
the belt, and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing a
forward-facing child restraint, it may be
helpful to use your knee to push down
on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor
to make sure the retractor is locked.
If the retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6.
7. If the vehicle does not have a rear seat and the child restraint manufacturer
recommends using a top tether anchor,
attach the top tether to the top tether
anchor. Refer to the instructions that
came with the child restraint and to
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) 052.
8. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is securely held in
place. To check, grasp the child restraint
at the seat belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back and forth.
When the child restraint is properly
installed, there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement. To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the
vehicle seat belt and let it return to the
stowed position. If the top tether is attached
to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
If you turned the airbag off with the switch,
turn on the front outboard passenger airbag
when you remove the child restraint from
the vehicle unless the person who will be
sitting there is a member of a passenger
airbag risk group. See
Airbag On-Off Switch
0 42 for more information, including
important safety information.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
Instruments and Controls 65
Instruments and Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . 73
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Airbag On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . 79
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . 81
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Engine Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment
For vehicles with a tilt steering wheel, the
lever is located on the left side of the
steering column.
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever to move the steering wheel up or down into a comfortable
position.
2. Release the lever to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel while
driving.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
76 Instruments and Controls
Charging System Light
The charging system light comes on briefly
when the ignition is turned on, but the
engine is not running, as a check to show
the light is working. It should go out when
the engine is started.
If the light stays on, or comes on while
driving, there may be a problem with the
electrical charging system. Have it checked
by your dealer. Driving while this light is on
could drain the battery.
When this light comes on, or is flashing, the
Driver Information Center (DIC) also displays
a message.
If a short distance must be driven with the
light on, be sure to turn off all accessories,
such as the radio and air conditioner.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light)
This light is part of the vehicle’s emission
control on-board diagnostic system. If this
light is on while the engine is running, a
malfunction has been detected and the
vehicle may require service. The light should
come on to show that it is working when
the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. SeeIgnition Positions 0135.
Malfunctions are often indicated by the
system before any problem is noticeable.
Being aware of the light and seeking service
promptly when it comes on may prevent
damage.
Caution
If the vehicle is driven continually with
this light on, the emission control system
may not work as well, the fuel economy
may be lower, and the vehicle may not
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
run smoothly. This could lead to costly
repairs that might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Caution
Modifications to the engine, transmission,
exhaust, intake, or fuel system, or the
use of replacement tires that do not
meet the original tire specifications, can
cause this light to come on. This could
lead to costly repairs not covered by the
vehicle warranty. This could also affect
the vehicle’s ability to pass an Emissions
Inspection/Maintenance test. See
Accessories and Modifications 0178.
If the light is flashing : A malfunction has
been detected that could damage the
emission control system and increase vehicle
emissions. Diagnosis and service may be
required.
To help prevent damage, reduce vehicle
speed and avoid hard accelerations and
uphill grades. If towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled as soon as
possible.