
GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
15275607) - 2022 - CRC - 11/2/21
Introduction 5
1.Air Vents 0167.
2. Trailer Brake Control Panel (If Equipped) (Out of View). See “Integrated Trailer
Brake Control System” underTowing
Equipment 0223.
3. Turn Signal Lever. See Turn and
Lane-Change Signals 0104.
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base
Level) Controls (If Equipped). See Driver
Information Center (DIC) (Base Level)
0 93 or
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel)
0 96.
4. Instrument Cluster 081.
5. Windshield Wiper/Washer 077.
6. Light Sensor. See Automatic Headlamp
System 0103.
Vehicle Alarm System Indicator (If
Equipped). See Vehicle Alarm System
0 14.
7. Infotainment Controls. See Overview
0 110.
8. Climate Control Systems 0162 (If
Equipped).
Automatic Climate Control System 0164
(If Equipped). 9.
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats 025
(If Equipped).
10. Power Outlets 078 (If Equipped).
11. Shift Lever. See Automatic Transmission
0 190 or
Manual Mode 0192.
12. Auxiliary Jack. See the infotainment manual.
USB Port. See the infotainment manual.
13. Hazard Warning Flashers 0104.
Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control 0201.
Exterior Cargo Lamps 0105.
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) 0211 (If
Equipped).
Hill Descent Control (HDC) 0202 (If
Equipped).
Tow/Haul Mode 0194 (If Equipped).
14. Steering Wheel Controls 076 (If
Equipped).
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel)
Controls (If Equipped). See Driver
Information Center (DIC) (Base Level)
0 93 or
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel)
0 96. 15.
Horn 077.
16. Steering Wheel Adjustment 076 (Out
of View).
17. Cruise Control 0203.
18. Transfer Case Knob (If Equipped). See Four-Wheel Drive 0194.
19. Hood Release. See Hood0234.
20. Parking Brake 0200.
21. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp (Check
Engine Light) 087.
22. Exterior Lamp Controls 0102.
Fog Lamps 0105 (If Equipped).
23. Instrument Panel Illumination Control
0106.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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Instruments and Controls 75
Instruments and Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . 85
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . 86
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check
Engine Light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Hill Descent Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Door Ajar Light (Uplevel Cluster) . . . . . . . 93
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Engine Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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Instruments and Controls 89
This light should come on briefly when the
vehicle is turned on. If it does not come on
then, have it fixed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a problem.
When the vehicle is on, the brake system
warning light also comes on when the
parking brake is set. The light stays on if
the parking brake does not fully release. If it
stays on after the parking brake is fully
released, there is a brake problem. Have the
brake system inspected right away.
If the light comes on while driving, pull off
the road and stop carefully. The brake pedal
might be harder to push, or the brake pedal
may go closer to the floor. It could take
longer to stop. If the light is still on, have
the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
the Vehicle 0297.
{Warning
The brake system might not be working
properly if the brake system warning
light is on. Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a crash.
If the light is still on after the vehicle has
been pulled off the road and carefully
stopped, have the vehicle towed for
service.
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light
This warning light should come on briefly
when the vehicle is turned on. If the light
does not come on, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn if there is a problem.
Engagement of the 4WD front axle lock will
disable ABS and illuminate the ABS warning
light. The ABS warning light will turn off
when the front axle lock is disengaged.
If the ABS warning light comes on while
driving, safely stop as soon as it is possible
and turn off the vehicle. Then turn on the
vehicle again to reset the system.
If the ABS warning light stays on, or comes
on again while driving, the vehicle needs
service. A chime may also sound when the
light stays on.
If the ABS warning light is the only light on,
the vehicle has regular brakes, but ABS is
not functioning. If both the ABS warning light and the brake
system warning light are on, ABS is not
functioning and there is a problem with the
regular brakes. See your dealer for service.
See
Brake System Warning Light 088.
Four-Wheel-Drive Light
The four-wheel-drive light comes on when a
vehicle with a manual transfer case is
shifted into four-wheel drive and the front
axle engages.
Some delay between the shifting and the
light coming on is normal.
See Four-Wheel Drive.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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Instruments and Controls 101
Remote Unlock Light Feedback
When on, the exterior lamps will flash when
unlocking the vehicle with the RKE
transmitter.
Touch Off or Flash Lights.
Remote Lock Feedback
This allows selection of what type of
feedback is given when locking the vehicle
with the RKE transmitter.
Touch Off, Lights and Horn, Lights Only,
or Horn Only.
Remote Door Unlock
This allows selection of which doors will
unlock when pressing
Kon the RKE
transmitter.
Touch All Doors or Driver Door.
Remote Start Auto Cool Seats
If equipped and turned on, this feature will
turn the ventilated seats on when using
remote start on warm days. See Heated and
Ventilated Front Seats 025.
Touch Off or On. Remote Start Auto Heat Seats
If equipped and turned on, this feature will
turn on the heated seats when using remote
start on cold days. See
Heated and
Ventilated Front Seats 025 and
Remote Vehicle Start 011.
Touch Off or On.
Teen Driver
See “Teen Driver” under“Settings” in the
infotainment manual.
Valet Mode
This will lock the infotainment system and
steering wheel controls. It may also limit
access to vehicle storage locations,
if equipped.
To enable valet mode:
1. Enter a four-digit code on the keypad.
2. Select Enter to go to the confirmation screen.
3. Re-enter the four-digit code.
Touch Lock or Unlock to lock or unlock the
system. Touch Back to go back to the
previous menu.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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168 Driving and Operating
Driving and Operating
Driving Information
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . 169
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Impaired Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Truck-Camper Loading Information . . . . . 183
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . 187
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . 189
Active Fuel Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . 190
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . 199
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic StabilityControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Hill Descent Control (HDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Assistance Systems for Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . 210
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . 211
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . 215
Trailer Towing
General Towing Information . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 230

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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172 Driving and Operating
If the vehicle starts to slide, follow these
suggestions:
.Ease your foot off the accelerator pedal
and steer the way you want the vehicle
to go. The vehicle may straighten out. Be
ready for a second skid if it occurs.
.Slow down and adjust your driving
according to weather conditions. Stopping
distance can be longer and vehicle control
can be affected when traction is reduced
by water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material on the road. Learn to recognize
warning clues—such as enough water,
ice, or packed snow on the road to make
a mirrored surface —and slow down
when you have any doubt.
.Try to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing vehicle
speed by shifting to a lower gear. Any
sudden changes could cause the tires to
slide.
Remember: Antilock brakes help avoid only
the braking skid.
Off-Road Driving
Four-wheel-drive vehicles can be used for
off-road driving. Vehicles without four-wheel
drive and vehicles not equipped with All
Terrain (AT) or On-Off Road (OOR) tires must not be driven off-road except on a level,
solid surface. For contact information about
the original equipment tires, see the
warranty manual.
One of the best ways for successful off-road
driving is to control the speed.
{Warning
When driving off-road, bouncing and
quick changes in direction can easily
throw you out of position. This could
cause you to lose control and crash. You
and your passengers should always wear
seat belts.
Before Driving Off-Road
.Have all necessary maintenance and
service work completed.
.Fuel the vehicle, fill fluid levels, and check
inflation pressure in all tires, including the
spare, if equipped.
.Read all the information about
four-wheel-drive vehicles in this manual.
.Remove any underbody air deflector,
if equipped. Re-attach the air deflector
after off-road driving.
.Know the local laws that apply to off-road
driving.
To gain more ground clearance if needed, it
may be necessary to remove the front fascia
lower air dam, if equipped. However, driving
without the air dam reduces fuel economy.
Caution
Operating the vehicle for extended
periods without the front fascia lower air
dam installed can cause improper airflow
to the engine. Reattach the front fascia
air dam after off-road driving.
Loading the Vehicle for Off-Road Driving
{Warning
.Unsecured cargo on the load floor can
be tossed about when driving over
rough terrain. You or your passengers
can be struck by flying objects. Secure
the cargo properly.
.Keep cargo in the cargo area as far
forward and as low as possible. The
heaviest things should be on the floor,
forward of the rear axle.
.Heavy loads on the roof raise the
vehicle's center of gravity, making it
more likely to roll over. You can be
(Continued)

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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178 Driving and Operating
The Traction Control System (TCS) can often
help to free a stuck vehicle. SeeTraction
Control/Electronic Stability Control 0201.
If TCS cannot free the vehicle, see “Rocking
the Vehicle to Get it Out” following.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high speed,
they can explode, and you or others
could be injured. The vehicle can
overheat, causing an engine compartment
fire or other damage. Spin the wheels as
little as possible and avoid going above
56 km/h (35 mph).
For information about using tire chains on
the vehicle, see Tire Chains0283.
Rocking the Vehicle to Get It Out
Turn the steering wheel left and right to
clear the area around the front wheels. For
four-wheel-drive vehicles, shift into
Four-Wheel Drive High. Turn the TCS off.
Shift back and forth between R (Reverse) and
a forward gear, spinning the wheels as little
as possible. To prevent transmission wear,
wait until the wheels stop spinning before
shifting gears. Slowly spinning the wheels in
the forward and reverse directions causes a rocking motion that could free the vehicle.
If that does not get the vehicle out after a
few tries, it might need to be towed out.
See
Towing the Vehicle 0297. Recovery
hooks can be used, if the vehicle has them.
Recovery Hooks
{Warning
Never pull on recovery hooks from the
side. The hooks could break and you and
others could be injured. When using
recovery hooks, always pull the vehicle
from the front.
Caution
Never use recovery hooks to tow the
vehicle. The vehicle could be damaged,
and the repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty.
If equipped, there may be recovery hooks at
the front of the vehicle. Use them if the
vehicle is stuck off-road and needs to be
pulled some place to continue driving.
Vehicle Load Limits
It is very important to know how much
weight the vehicle can carry. This
weight is called the vehicle capacity
weight and includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on the vehicle may show how much
weight it was designed to carry: the
Tire and Loading Information label and
the Certification/Tire label.

GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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184 Driving and Operating
On new vehicles, the various mechanical and
electrical systems experience a“break-in”
period during the first 6,400 km
(4,000 miles) of routine driving. As the
vehicle is driven, the mechanical systems
adjust to provide optimal fuel economy and
transmission shift performance.
Electrical systems will adapt and calibrate
during the break-in period. A one-time
occurrence of clicks and similar vehicle
noises is normal during this process.
Normal driving charges the vehicle’s battery
to achieve the best operation of the vehicle,
including fuel economy.
Ignition Positions
0. Stopping the Engine/LOCK/OFF
1. ACC/ACCESSORY
2. ON/RUN
3. START
The ignition switch has four positions.
To shift out of P (Park), the ignition must be
ON/RUN and the brake pedal must be
applied.
0 (Stopping the Engine/LOCK/OFF) : This
position turns off the vehicle. It also locks
the ignition, the transmission, and the
steering column, if equipped with a locking
steering column.To turn off the vehicle:
1. Make sure that the vehicle is stopped.
2. Shift to P (Park).
3. Continue to hold the brake pedal, then set the parking brake. See Parking Brake
0 200.
4. Push the key all the way in toward the steering column, then turn the key to
LOCK/OFF.
5. Remove the key.
6. Release the brake pedal.
See your dealer if the key can be removed
in any other position.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) will remain
active. See Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
0 187.
A warning chime will sound when the driver
door is opened and the key is in the
ignition.
If equipped with a locking steering column,
the steering can bind with the front wheels
turned off center, which may prevent key
rotation out of LOCK/OFF. If this happens,
move the steering wheel from right to left
while turning the key to ACC/ACCESSORY.
If this does not work, then the vehicle needs
service.