2021 GMC TERRAIN coolant level

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual(GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14420055) - 2021 - CRC - 11/13/20
2 Introduction
Using this Manual
To quickly locate information about the
vehicle, use the Index in the back of the
manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is
in the manual and the page number where
it can be found.
About Driving the Vehicle
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to
operate this vehicle correctly may result in
loss of control or a crash. Be sure to read
the driving guidelines in this manual in the
section called“Driving and Operating” and
specifically Driver Behavior 0186, Driving
Environment 0186, and Vehicle Design
0 186.
Danger, Warning, and Caution
Warning messages found on vehicle labels
and in this manual describe hazards and
what to do to avoid or reduce them.
{Danger
Danger indicates a hazard with a high
level of risk which will result in serious
injury or death.
{Warning
Warning indicates a hazard that could
result in injury or death.
Caution
Caution indicates a hazard that could
result in property or vehicle damage.
A circle with a slash through it is a safety
symbol which means “Do not,” “Do not do
this,” or“Do not let this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that
use symbols instead of text. Symbols are
shown along with the text describing the
operation or information relating to a
specific component, control, message, gauge,
or indicator.
M:Shown when the owner’s manual has
additional instructions or information.
*: Shown when the service manual has
additional instructions or information.
0: Shown when there is more information
on another page — “see page.”
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may
be found on the vehicle and what they
mean. See the features in this manual for
information.
u: Air Conditioning System
G:Air Conditioning Refrigerant Oil
9:Airbag Readiness Light
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
$:Brake System Warning Light
9:Dispose of Used Components Properly
P:Do Not Apply High Pressure Water
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
_:Flame/Fire Prohibited
H: Flammable

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual(GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14420055) - 2021 - CRC - 11/13/20
78 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Instrument Cluster (Base and Midlevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Instrument Cluster (Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . 91
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . 92
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check
Engine Light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . 95
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Hill Descent Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Pedestrian Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base and Midlevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Engine Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Universal Remote SystemProgramming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Universal Remote System Operation . . . 115

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual(GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14420055) - 2021 - CRC - 11/13/20
Instruments and Controls 85
Instrument Cluster (Base and Midlevel)
Base Level English Shown, Metric Similar
1.Fuel Gauge 090
2. Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge
091
3. Speedometer 089 4.
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base
and Midlevel) 0100 or
Driver Information Center (DIC)
(Uplevel) 0105
5. Tachometer 090

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual(GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14420055) - 2021 - CRC - 11/13/20
86 Instruments and Controls
Midlevel English Shown, Metric Similar
1.Fuel Gauge 090
2. Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge
091
3. Speedometer 089 4.
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base
and Midlevel) 0100 or
Driver Information Center (DIC)
(Uplevel) 0105
5. Tachometer 090
Cluster Menu (Midlevel)
There is an interactive display area in the
center of the instrument cluster.
Use the right steering wheel control to open
and scroll through the different items and
displays.
Press
oto access the cluster applications.
Use
worxto scroll through the list of
available applications. Not all applications
will be available on all vehicles.

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual(GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14420055) - 2021 - CRC - 11/13/20
88 Instruments and Controls
Instrument Cluster (Uplevel)
English Shown, Metric Similar
1.Fuel Gauge 090
2. Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge
091
3. Speedometer 089 4.
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base
and Midlevel) 0100 or
Driver Information Center (DIC)
(Uplevel) 0105
5. Tachometer 090
Uplevel Cluster Menu
There is an interactive display area in the
center of the instrument cluster.
Use the right steering wheel control to open
and scroll through the different items and
displays.
Press
oorpto change between the
cluster applications. Press
worxto scroll
through the list of available features within
each application. Press
Vto select. Not all
applications will be available on all vehicles.
Some may be temporarily restricted when
the vehicle is off or in ACC/ACCESSORY.
.Home Page

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual(GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14420055) - 2021 - CRC - 11/13/20
Instruments and Controls 91
.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 Coolant Temperature
Gauge
Metric Uplevel Shown, Base and MidlevelSimilar
English Uplevel Shown, Base and Midlevel
Similar
This gauge shows the engine coolant
temperature.
If the pointer moves toward the warning
area at the high end of the gauge, the
engine is too hot.
If the engine coolant has overheated and
the vehicle has been operating under normal
driving conditions, pull off the road, stop the
vehicle, and turn off the engine as soon as
possible. See Engine Overheating 0270.
Seat Belt Reminders
Driver Seat Belt Reminder Light
There is a driver seat belt reminder light on
the instrument cluster.
When the vehicle is started, this light
flashes and a chime may come on to remind
the driver to fasten their seat belt.
Then the light stays on solid until the belt is
buckled. This cycle may continue several
times if the driver remains or becomes
unbuckled while the vehicle is moving.
If the driver seat belt is buckled, neither the
light nor the chime comes on.
Front Passenger Seat Belt Reminder
Light
The vehicle may have a front passenger seat
belt reminder light near the passenger
airbag status indicator. See Passenger
Sensing System 052.

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual(GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14420055) - 2021 - CRC - 11/13/20
Driving and Operating 251
Make wider turns than normal when towing,
so trailer will not go over soft shoulders,
over curbs, or strike road signs, trees,
or other objects. Always signal turns well in
advance. Do not steer or brake suddenly.
Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before starting down a long or steep
downhill grade. If the transmission is not
shifted down, the brakes may overheat and
result in reduced braking efficiency.
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, seeEngine
Overheating 0270.
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.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
The vehicle needs service more often when
used to tow trailers. See Maintenance
Schedule 0331. It is especially important to
check the automatic transmission fluid,
engine oil, axle lubricant, belts, cooling
system, and brake system before and during
each trip.
Check periodically that all nuts and bolts on
the trailer hitch are tight.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
The cooling system may temporarily
overheat during severe operating conditions.
See Engine Overheating 0270.
Trailer Towing
Caution
Towing a trailer improperly can damage
the vehicle and result in costly repairs
not covered by the vehicle warranty. To
(Continued)

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual(GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-14420055) - 2021 - CRC - 11/13/20
262 Vehicle Care
1.Engine Air Cleaner/Filter 0265.
2. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See Engine Oil0262.
3. Engine Oil Dipstick. See Engine Oil0262.
4. Engine Cooling Fan. See Cooling System
0 267.
5. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See Brake Fluid
0 272.
6. Engine Compartment Fuse Block 0281.
7. Remote Positive (+) Terminal (Under Cover). See Jump Starting - North
America 0316.
8. Engine Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap. See Cooling System 0267.
9. Battery - North America 0273.
10. Remote Negative (−) Terminal. See Jump
Starting - North America 0316.
11. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See Washer Fluid 0271.
Engine Oil
To ensure proper engine performance and
long life, careful attention must be paid to
engine oil. Following these simple, but
important steps will help protect your
investment:
.Use engine oil approved to the proper
specification and of the proper viscosity
grade. See “Selecting the Right Engine
Oil” in this section.
.Check the engine oil level regularly and
maintain the proper oil level. See
“Checking Engine Oil” and“When to Add
Engine Oil” in this section.
.Change the engine oil at the appropriate
time. SeeEngine Oil Life System 0264.
.Always dispose of engine oil properly. See
“What to Do with Used Oil” in this
section.
Checking Engine Oil
Check the engine oil level regularly, every
650 km (400 mi), especially prior to a long
trip. The engine oil dipstick handle is a loop.
See Engine Compartment Overview 0261 for
the location.
{Warning
The engine oil dipstick handle may be
hot; it could burn you. Use a towel or
glove to touch the dipstick handle. If a low oil Driver Information Center (DIC)
message displays, check the oil level. If the
oil is not low and the low oil message
remains on, take the vehicle to your dealer
for service.
Follow these guidelines:
.To get an accurate reading, park the
vehicle on level ground. Check the engine
oil level after the engine has been off for
at least two hours. Checking the engine
oil level on steep grades or too soon after
engine shutoff can result in incorrect
readings. Accuracy improves when
checking a cold engine prior to starting.
Remove the dipstick and check the level.
.If unable to wait two hours, the engine
must be off for at least 15 minutes if the
engine is warm, or at least 30 minutes if
the engine is not warm. Pull out the
dipstick, wipe it with a clean paper towel
or cloth, then push it back in all the way.
Remove it again, keeping the tip down,
and check the level.