GMC ACADIA 2009 Owner's Manual

Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce the
vehicle speed while using cruise
control:
Press and hold the SET– button
on the steering wheel until the
lower speed desired is reached,
then release it.
To slow down in very small
amounts, press the SET– button
briey. Each time this is done,
the vehicle goes about 1 mph
(1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While
Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to
increase vehicle speed. When you
take your foot off the pedal, the
vehicle will slow down to the
previously set cruise speed.Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work
on hills depends upon the vehicle
speed, load, and the steepness
of the hills. When going up steep
hills, you might have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain the
vehicle speed. When going downhill,
you might have to brake or shift
to a lower gear to keep the vehicle
speed down. When the brakes
are applied the cruise control
is disengaged.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to end cruise
control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal.
Press the[button.
Press theTbutton.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed memory
is erased when the cruise control or
the ignition is turned off.
Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left
of the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
Headlamps
Taillamps
Parking Lamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
Fog Lamps
Instrument Panel 3-11

The exterior lamps control has four
positions:
9(Off):Briey turn to this position
to turn the automatic light control off
or on again.
AUTO (Automatic):Turns the
headlamps on automatically at
normal brightness, together with
the following:
Parking Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
;(Parking Lamps):Turns the
parking lamps on together with the
following:
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
2(Headlamps):Turns the
headlamps on together with the
following lamps listed below.
A warning chime sounds if the
driver’s door is opened when the
ignition switch is off and the
headlamps are on.
Parking Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
#(Fog Lamps):Push the fog
lamps control in to turn on the
fog lamps.
SeeFog Lamps on page 3-13.
Delayed Headlamps
Delayed headlamps provide a period
of exterior lighting as you leave
the area around your vehicle.
This feature is activated when the
headlamps are on due to the
automatic headlamps control
feature, and when the ignition is
turned off. The headlamps remain
on until the exterior lamps control
is moved to the parking lamps
position or until the pre-selected
delayed headlamp lighting period
has ended.
If the ignition is turned off with the
headlamps switch in the parking
lamps or headlamps position,
the delayed headlamps cycle will
not occur.
To disable the delayed headlamps
feature or change the time of delay,
seeDIC Vehicle Customization
(With DIC Buttons) on page 3-64.
3-12 Instrument Panel

Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)/Automatic
Headlamp System
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can
make it easier for others to see
the front of your vehicle during the
day. Fully functional daytime
running lamps are required on all
vehicles rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system makes either the
low-beam headlamps come on at a
reduced brightness or the DRL lights,
for vehicles with High Intensity
Discharge (HID) headlamps when
the following conditions are met:
The ignition is in the ON/RUN
position.
The exterior lamps control is
in AUTO.
The engine is running.When the DRL are on, the regular
headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker,
and other lamps will not be on.
The instrument panel and cluster will
also not be lit.
For vehicles with HID headlamps, if
the DRL are on and the left or
right turn signal lamp is turned on,
the left or right DRL will go off.
The headlamps automatically
change from DRL to the regular
headlamps depending on the
darkness of the surroundings.
The other lamps that come on with
the headlamps will also come on.
When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps will go off and
the DRL will come on.
The regular headlamp system
should be turned on when needed.
Do not cover the light sensor on
top of the instrument panel because
it works with the DRL.
Fog Lamps
Use the fog lamps for better vision
in foggy or misty conditions.
The fog lamps button is located on
the exterior lamps control to the
left of the steering column.
#(Fog Lamps):Press the exterior
lamps button to turn the fog lamps
on or off. A light comes on in the
instrument panel cluster when the
fog lamps are in use. The ignition
must be on for the fog lamps
to work.
When the headlamps are changed
to high-beam, the fog lamps will
turn off. The fog lamps come back
on again when the high-beam
headlamps are turned off.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be
on along with the fog lamps.
Instrument Panel 3-13

Instrument Panel
Brightness
D
(Instrument Panel
Brightness):The knob with this
symbol on it is located next to
the exterior lamps control to the left
of the steering wheel. Push the
knob in all the way until it extends
out and then turn the knob clockwise
or counterclockwise to brighten or
dim the lights. Push the knob back
in when nished.
Courtesy Lamps
When a door is opened, the
courtesy lamps automatically come
on. They make it easier when
entering and exiting the vehicle.
The lamps can also be turned
on manually by fully turning the
instrument panel brightness control
clockwise.The reading lamps, located on the
headliner above the rearview
mirror, can be turned on or off
independent of the automatic
courtesy lamps, when the doors
are closed.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps automatically
come on when a door is opened,
unless the dome lamp override
button is pressed in.
The lamps can also be turned on
and off by turning the instrument
panel brightness control clockwise to
the farthest position.
Dome Lamp Override
The dome lamp override button is
located next to the exterior lamps
control.
The dome lamp override sets the
dome lamps to remain off or come on
automatically when a door is opened.
E(Dome Lamp Override):Press
the button in and the dome lamps
remain off when a door is opened.
Press the button again to return it to
the extended position so that the
dome lamps come on when a door
is opened.
Entry Lighting
For vehicles with courtesy lamps,
they come on and stay on for a set
time whenever the unlock symbol
is pressed on the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) Transmitter, if the
vehicle has one.
If a door is opened, the lamps stay
on while it is open and then turn
off automatically about 25 seconds
after the door is closed. If the
unlock symbol is pressed and no
door is opened, the lamps turn
off after about 20 seconds.
Entry lighting includes a feature
called theater dimming. With theater
dimming, the lamps do not turn off at
the end of the delay time. Instead,
3-14 Instrument Panel

they slowly dim after the delay time
until they go out. The delay time is
canceled if the ignition key is turned
to ON/RUN or the power door lock
switch is pressed. The lamps will dim
right away.
When the ignition is on, illuminated
entry is inactive, which means
the courtesy lamps will not come on
unless a door is opened.
Delayed Entry Lighting
Delayed entry lighting illuminates the
interior for a period of time after
all the doors have been closed.
The ignition must be off for delayed
entry lighting to work. Immediately
after all the doors have been closed,
the delayed entry lighting feature
will continue to work until one of the
following occurs:
The ignition is in ON/RUN.
The doors are locked.
An illumination period of
25 seconds has elapsed.If during the illumination period a
door is opened, the timed
illumination period will be canceled
and the interior lamps will remain
on because a door is open.
Delayed Exit Lighting
This feature illuminates the interior
for a period of time after the key
is removed from the ignition.
The ignition must be off for delayed
exit lighting to work. When the
key is removed, interior illumination
will activate and remain on until
one of the following occurs:
The ignition is in ON/RUN.
The power door locks are
activated.
An illumination period of
20 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a
door is opened, the timed
illumination period will be canceled
and the interior lamps will remain
on because a door is open.
Parade Dimming
Parade mode automatically prohibits
the dimming of the instrument panel
displays during the daylight while the
headlamps are on so that the
displays are still able to be seen.
Reading Lamps
The vehicle has reading lamps that
also act as the dome lamp. Press
the button to turn them on and off.
Electric Power
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery’s temperature and
state of charge. It then adjusts the
voltage for best performance
and extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised
slightly to quickly bring the charge
back up. When the state of charge
is high, the voltage is lowered
slightly to prevent overcharging.
Instrument Panel 3-15

If the vehicle has a voltmeter gage
or a voltage display on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), you
may see the voltage move up or
down. This is normal. If there
is a problem, an alert will be
displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are
very high. This is true for all
vehicles. This is because the
generator (alternator) may not be
spinning fast enough at idle to
produce all the power that is needed
for very high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling
fans, trailer loads, and loads
plugged into accessory power
outlets.EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator’s
output and the vehicle’s electrical
needs. It can increase engine
idle speed to generate more power,
whenever needed. It can temporarily
reduce the power demands of
some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable
to the driver. If so, a Driver
Information Center (DIC) message
might be displayed, such as
BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE,
BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW, or
LOW BATTERY. If this message is
displayed, it is recommended
that the driver reduce the electrical
loads as much as possible. See
DIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-56.Battery Run-Down
Protection
This feature helps prevent the
battery from being drained, if the
interior courtesy lamps, reading/map
lamps, visor vanity lamps or trunk
lamp are accidentally left on.
If any of these lamps are left on,
they automatically turn off after
10 minutes, if the ignition is off.
The lamps will not come back on
again until one of the following
occurs:
The ignition is turned on.
The exterior lamps control is
turned off, then on again.
The headlamps will timeout after
10 minutes, if they are manually
turned on before the ignition is off.
3-16 Instrument Panel

Head-Up Display (HUD)
{CAUTION
If the HUD image is too bright or
too high in your eld of view, it
may take you more time to see
things you need to see when it is
dark outside. Be sure to keep the
HUD image dim and placed low in
your eld of view.
For vehicles with the Head-Up
Display (HUD), some information
concerning the operation of the
vehicle is projected onto the
windshield. This includes the
speedometer reading, RPM reading,
transmission position, outside air
temperature, the tap shift gear, and
a brief display of the current
radio station, including XM
information or CD track. It will also
display turn-by-turn navigationinformation if the vehicle has a
navigation radio. The images are
projected by the HUD lens located
on the driver’s side of the
instrument panel.
The tap shift gear will also appear
on the HUD if the vehicle has
tap shift and it is active.
The HUD information can be
displayed in one of three languages,
English, French, or Spanish.
The speedometer reading and other
numerical values can be displayed
in either English or metric units.
The language selection and
the units of measurement are
changed through the trip computer
in the Driver Information Center
(DIC). SeeDIC Vehicle
Customization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 3-64.The HUD information appears as an
image focused out toward the
front of the vehicle.
When the ignition key is turned to
ON/RUN, the HUD will display
an introductory message for a short
time, until the HUD is ready.
The following indicator lights come
on the instrument panel when
activated and also appear on
the HUD:
Turn Signal Indicators
High-Beam Indicator SymbolHUD Display on the Vehicle
Windshield
Instrument Panel 3-17

The HUD temporarily displays
CHECK GAGES and ICE
POSSIBLE when these messages
are on the DIC trip computer.
The HUD also displays the following
messages on vehicles with these
systems, when they are active:
TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVE
STABILITRAK ACTIVE
Notice:If you try to use the HUD
image as a parking aid, you may
misjudge the distance and
damage your vehicle. Do not use
the HUD image as a parking aid.
When the HUD is on, the
speedometer reading is continually
displayed. The current radio
station or CD track number will
display for a short period of
time after the radio or CD track
status changes. This happens
whenever radio information is
changed. The speedometer sizeis reduced when radio, CD
information, warnings, or
turn-by-turn navigation information
are displayed on the HUD.
The HUD control is located to the
right of the steering wheel.
To adjust the HUD image so that
items are properly displayed, do the
following:
1. Adjust the driver’s seat to a
comfortable position.
2. Start the engine.
3. Adjust the HUD controls.Use the following settings to adjust
the HUD.
9(Off):To turn HUD off,
rotate the dimming knob fully
counterclockwise until the HUD
display turns off.
Brightness:Turn the knob on
the HUD control clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or dim
the display.
w(Up)x(Down):Press the
up or down arrows to center the
HUD image in your view. The HUD
image can only be adjusted up
and down, not side to side.
?(Page):Press this button to
select the display formats. Release
the page button when the format
number with the desired display is
shown on the HUD.
3-18 Instrument Panel

The three formats are as follows:
Format One:This display gives the
speedometer reading (in English
or metric units), turn signal
indication, high beam indication,
transmission positions, and
the outside air temperature.
Format Two:This display includes
the information in Format One
without the transmission information
and the outside air temperature.Format Three:This display
includes all the information in
Format One along with a circular
tachometer, but without outside air
temperature.
All formats will show the turn-by-turn
navigation information and provide
details about the next driving
maneuver to be made. When you
near your destination, the HUD
will display a distance bar that will
ll in the closer you get to your
destination. All navigation
information is provided to the HUD
by the navigation radio, if the
vehicle has one.The HUD image displayed on the
windshield will automatically dim and
brighten to compensate for outside
lighting.
The HUD image can temporarily
light up depending on the angle and
position of the sunlight on the
HUD display. This is normal and will
change when the angle of the
sunlight on the HUD display
changes.
Polarized sunglasses could make
the HUD image harder to see.
Care of the HUD
Clean the inside of the windshield
as needed to remove any dirt or lm
that could reduce the sharpness
or clarity of the HUD image.
To clean the HUD lens, use a soft,
clean cloth that has household
glass cleaner sprayed on it. Wipe
the HUD lens gently, then dry it.
Do not spray cleaner directly on the
lens because the cleaner could
leak into the unit.
Instrument Panel 3-19

If You Cannot See the HUD
Image When the Ignition Is On

Is anything covering the
HUD lens?
Is the HUD dimmer setting bright
enough?
Is the HUD image adjusted to the
proper height?
Are you wearing polarized
sunglasses?
Still no HUD image? Check the
fuse in the instrument panel
fuse block. SeeInstrument Panel
Fuse Block on page 5-90.
If the HUD Image Is Not Clear

Is the HUD image too bright?
Are the windshield and HUD
lens clean?
If the HUD image is not correct,
contact your dealer/retailer.
Keep in mind that the windshield is
part of the HUD system.
Accessory Power
Outlet(s)
The vehicle has three 12-volt outlets
which can be used to plug in
electrical equipment, such as a
cellular telephone, a compact disc
player, etc.
The power outlets are located on
the instrument panel below the
climate controls, at the rear of the
center console, and in the rear cargo
area. Lift the cover to access the
outlet. Close the cover when
not using the outlet.
Notice:Leaving electrical
equipment plugged in for an
extended period of time while
the vehicle is off will drain
the battery. Power is always
supplied to the outlets. Always
unplug electrical equipment when
not in use and do not plug in
equipment that exceeds the
maximum 20 ampere rating.Certain accessory plugs may not be
compatible to the accessory
power outlet and could result in
blown vehicle and adapter fuses.
If a problem is experienced,
see your dealer/retailer for additional
information on the power accessory
outlets.
Notice:Adding any electrical
equipment to the vehicle can
damage it or keep other
components from working as
they should. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not use equipment
exceeding maximum amperage
rating of 20 amperes. Check with
your dealer/retailer before
adding electrical equipment.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the proper
installation instructions included with
the equipment.
3-20 Instrument Panel