ECU GMC ACADIA 2009 Owner's Guide

According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the
correct child restraint for their
weight and size.
We recommend that children be
secured in a rear seat, including:
an infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child
riding in a forward-facing child seat;
an older child riding in a booster
seat; and children, who are
large enough, using safety belts.
A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat
in the front.” This is because the risk
to the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.{CAUTION
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or
killed if the right front passenger
airbag inates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the
inating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
right front passenger airbag
inates and the passenger seat is
in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag is turned off.
(Continued)
CAUTION (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 right front seat,
always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint
in a rear seat.
The passenger sensing system
is designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag if:
The right front passenger seat is
unoccupied.
The system determines that an
infant is present in a child
restraint.
A right front passenger takes
his/her weight off of the seat
for a period of time.
Or, if there is a critical problem
with the airbag system or the
passenger sensing system.
1-56 Seats and Restraint System

When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator will light and stay lit
to remind you that the airbag is off.
SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 3-36.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on (may inate) the
right front passenger frontal airbag
anytime the system senses that a
person of adult size is sitting properly
in the right front passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that
the airbag is active.
For some children, including children
in child restraints, and for very small
adults, the passenger sensing
system may or may not turn off the
right front passenger frontal airbag,
depending upon the person’s seating
posture and body build. Everyone in
the vehicle who has outgrown childrestraints should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.
{CAUTION
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong with
the airbag system. To help avoid
injury to yourself or others, have
the vehicle serviced right away.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 3-36for more information,
including important safety
information.
If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from
the vehicle.3. Remove any additional items
from the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint
following the directions provided
by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position on
page 1-45.
5. If, after reinstalling the child
restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit,
turn the vehicle off. Then
slightly recline the vehicle
seatback and adjust the seat
cushion, if adjustable, to
make sure that the vehicle
seatback is not pushing the child
restraint into the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child restraint
is not trapped under the vehicle
head restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint.
SeeHead Restraints on
page 1-2.
Seats and Restraint System 1-57

6. Restart the vehicle.
The passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the
airbag for a child in a child
restraint depending upon the
child’s seating posture and body
build. It is better to secure the
child restraint in a rear seat.
If the Off Indicator is Lit for an
Adult-Size Occupant
If a person of adult-size is sitting
in the right front passenger seat,
but the off indicator is lit, it could
be because that person is not
sitting properly in the seat.If this happens, use the following
steps to allow the system to detect
that person and enable the right
front passenger frontal airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material
from the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully
upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the
seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the
person remain in this position for
two to three minutes after the
on indicator is lit.
Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation
Safety belts help keep the
passenger in position on the seat
during vehicle maneuvers and
braking, which helps the passenger
sensing system maintain the
passenger airbag status. See
“Safety Belts” and “Child Restraints”
in the Index for additional
information about the importance of
proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion, or
aftermarket equipment such as seat
covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers can affect how well the
passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that you
not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specic
vehicle. SeeAdding Equipment
to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 1-60for more information
about modications that can affect
how the system operates.
1-58 Seats and Restraint System

Features and
Controls
Keys
Keys...................................2-2
Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System..........2-3
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation. . .2-3
Remote Vehicle Start..........2-5
Doors and Locks
Door Locks.........................2-8
Power Door Locks..............2-8
Delayed Locking.................2-8
Programmable Automatic
Door Locks.......................2-9
Rear Door Security Locks. . .2-9
Lockout Protection..............2-9
Liftgate.............................2-10
Power Liftgate...................2-11
Windows
Windows...........................2-14
Power Windows................2-14
Sun Visors........................2-16
Theft-Deterrent Systems
Theft-Deterrent Systems. . . .2-16
Content Theft-Deterrent.....2-16
PASS-Key®III+ Electronic
Immobilizer......................2-17
PASS-Key®III+ Electronic
Immobilizer Operation......2-18
Starting and Operating
Your Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In.......2-20
Ignition Positions...............2-20
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP)...................2-21
Starting the Engine...........2-22
Engine Coolant Heater......2-23
Automatic Transmission
Operation........................2-24
Tow/Haul Mode.................2-26
Parking Brake...................2-27
Shifting Into Park..............2-27
Shifting Out of Park..........2-29
Parking Over Things
That Burn........................2-29
Engine Exhaust.................2-30
Running the Vehicle
While Parked..................2-30
Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror. . . .2-31
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror...............2-31
Outside Power Mirrors......2-32
Outside Power Foldaway
Mirrors............................2-33
Park Tilt Mirrors................2-33
Outside Convex Mirror......2-34
Outside Heated Mirrors.....2-34
Object Detection
Systems
Ultrasonic Rear Parking
Assist (URPA).................2-34
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC)................2-37
OnStar®System
OnStar®System................2-41
Features and Controls 2-1

Programmable Automatic
Door Locks
Vehicles with an automatic
lock/unlock feature enable you to
program the vehicle’s power
door locks. This feature can be
programmed through the Driver
Information Center (DIC). SeeDIC
Vehicle Customization (With
DIC Buttons) on page 3-64for more
information.
Rear Door Security
Locks
The vehicle has rear door security
locks to prevent passengers
from opening the rear doors from
the inside.Open the rear doors to access the
security locks on the inside edge
of each door.
To set the locks, insert a key into
the slot and turn it to the horizontal
position. The door can only be
opened from the outside with the
door unlocked. To return the door to
normal operation, turn the slot to
the vertical position.
Lockout Protection
This feature protects you from
locking the key in the vehicle when
the key is in the ignition and a
front door is open.
If the driver side power door lock
switch is pressed when the driver’s
door is open and the key is in the
ignition, all of the doors will lock and
then the driver door will unlock.
If the passenger side power door
lock switch is pressed when the
front passenger door is open
and the key is in the ignition, all of
the doors will lock and then the
front passenger door will unlock.
Features and Controls 2-9

windows from operating the
windows, except from the driver
position. Press the switch to turn the
lockout feature on or off. An
indicator light will come on to show
the lockout feature is on.
Sun Visors
Pull the sun visor down to block
glare. Detach the sun visor from the
center mount and slide it along
the rod from side-to-side to cover
the driver or passenger side of
the front window. Swing the
sun visor to the side to cover the
side window. It can be moved along
the rod from side-to-side in this
position also.
Lighted Visor Vanity Mirror
The vehicle has lighted visor vanity
mirrors on both the driver and
passenger sun visors. Pull the sun
visor down and lift the mirror
cover to turn the lamps on.
Theft-Deterrent
Systems
Vehicle theft is big business,
especially in some cities. This
vehicle has theft-deterrent features,
however, they do not make it
impossible to steal.
Content Theft-Deterrent
This vehicle may have a content
theft-deterrent alarm system.
To activate the theft-deterrent
system, do one of the following:
PressQon the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter or the
power door lock switch when any
door is open.
The security light ashes.When the door is closed, the
security light stops ashing and
stays on solid for approximately
30 seconds. The content
theft deterrent alarm is not armed
until the security light goes off.
If the delayed locking feature is
active, the alarm is not activated
until all doors are closed and the
security light goes off.
PressQwhen the driver door is
closed. The security light comes
on solid for approximately
30 seconds and then goes off.
The content theft deterrent alarm
is not armed until the security light
goes off.
The theft-deterrent system will not
activate if the doors are locked
with the vehicle’s key or the manual
door lock.
If a locked door is opened without
using the RKE transmitter, a
ten second pre-alarm occurs. The
horn chirps and the lights ash.
2-16 Features and Controls

If the key is not placed in the
ignition and turned to START or the
door is not unlocked by pressing
Qduring the ten second pre-alarm,
the alarm goes off. The headlamps
ash and the horn sounds for
about two minutes, then turns off to
save the battery power.
The vehicle can be started with the
correct ignition key if the alarm
has been set off.
To avoid setting off the alarm by
accident:
Lock the vehicle with the door
key after the doors are closed.
Unlock the door with the RKE
transmitter. Unlocking a door
any other way sets off the alarm
if the system has been armed.
Press
Kor place the key in
the ignition and turn it to START to
turn off the alarm.
Testing the Alarm
To test the alarm:
1. From inside the vehicle, lower
the driver side window and
open the driver door.
2. Press
Q.
3. Get out of the vehicle, close the
door and wait for the security
light to go out.
4. Then reach in through the
window, unlock the door with
the manual door lock and open
the door. This should set off
the alarm.
If the alarm does not sound when it
should, but the vehicle’s headlamps
ash, check to see if the horn
works. The horn fuse may be blown.
To replace the fuse, seeFuses
and Circuit Breakers on page 5-90.
If the alarm does not sound or the
vehicle’s headlamps do not ash,
see your dealer/retailer for service.
PASS-Key®III+ Electronic
Immobilizer
The PASS-Key III+ system operates
on a radio frequency subject to
Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Rules and with
Industry Canada.
This device complies with Part 15
of the FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the following
two conditions:
1. This device may not cause
harmful interference.
2. This device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Features and Controls 2-17

This device complies with RSS-210
of Industry Canada. Operation
is subject to the following
two conditions:
1. This device may not cause
interference.
2. This device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause
undesired operation of the device.
Changes or modications to this
system by other than an authorized
service facility could void
authorization to use this equipment.
PASS-Key III+ uses a radio
frequency transponder in the
key that matches a decoder in
the vehicle.PASS-Key®III+ Electronic
Immobilizer Operation
This vehicle has PASS-Key®III+
(Personalized Automotive Security
System) theft-deterrent system.
PASS-Key
®III+ is a passive
theft-deterrent system.
The system is automatically armed
when the key is removed from
the ignition.
The system is automatically
disarmed when the key is turned to
ON/RUN, ACC/ACCESSORY or
START from the LOCK/OFF
position.
You do not have to manually arm or
disarm the system.
The security light comes on if there
is a problem with arming or
disarming the theft-deterrent system.
When the PASS-Key
®III+ system
senses an incorrect key, the vehicle
does not start. Anyone using a
trial-and-error method to start thevehicle will be discouraged because
of the high number of electrical
key codes.
If the engine does not start and the
security light on the instrument panel
comes on when trying to start the
vehicle, there may be a problem with
your theft-deterrent system. Turn the
ignition off and try again.
If the engine still does not start, and
the key appears to be undamaged,
try another ignition key and check the
fuses. SeeFuses and Circuit
Breakers on page 5-90for additional
information. If the engine still does
not start with the other key, the
vehicle needs service. If the vehicle
does start, the rst key may be faulty.
See your dealer/retailer who can
service the PASS-Key
®III+ to have a
new key made. In an emergency,
contact Roadside Assistance. See
Roadside Assistance Program on
page 7-6.
2-18 Features and Controls

It is possible for the PASS-Key®III+
decoder to learn the transponder
value of a new or replacement key.
Up to 10 keys may be programmed
to the vehicle. The following
procedure is for programming
additional keys only. If all the
currently programmed keys are lost
or do not operate, you must see
your dealer/retailer or a locksmith
who can service PASS-Key
®III+ to
have keys made and programmed
to the system.
See your dealer/retailer or a
locksmith who can service
PASS-Key
®III+ to get a new key
blank that is cut exactly as the
ignition key that operates the system.To program the new additional key:
1. Verify that the new key has a
1stamped on it.
2. Insert the already programmed
key in the ignition and start the
engine. If the engine does
not start, see your dealer/retailer
for service.
3. After the engine has started, turn
the key to LOCK/OFF, and
remove the key.
4. Insert the key to be programmed
and turn it to the ON/RUN
position within ve seconds of
the original key being turned
to the LOCK/OFF position.
The security light turns off once
the key has been programmed.
5. Repeat Steps 1 through 4
if additional keys are to be
programmed.If the PASS-Key
®III+ key is lost or
damaged, see your dealer/retailer
or a locksmith to have a new
key made.
The SERVICE THEFT DETERRENT
SYSTEM message displays on
the Driver Information Center (DIC)
when there is a problem with the
theft-deterrent system. See
DIC Warnings and Messages on
page 3-56for additional information.
Do not leave the key or device
that disarms or deactivates the theft
deterrent system in the vehicle.
Features and Controls 2-19

A fast ash may indicate that the
display has been on for the
maximum allowable time during a
reverse cycle, or the display
has reached an Over
Temperature limit.
The fast ash conditions are
used to protect the video device
from high temperature
conditions. Once conditions
return to normal the device will
reset and the green indicator will
stop ashing.
During any of these fault conditions,
the display will be blank and the
indicator will continue to ash as long
as the vehicle is in R (Reverse) or
until the conditions return to normal.
Briey pressing
zwhen the left
indicator light is ashing will turn off
the video display along with the
left indicator light.
OnStar®System
OnStar uses several innovative
technologies and live advisors to
provide a wide range of safety,
security, information, and
convenience services. If the airbags
deploy, the system is designed to
make an automatic call to OnStar
Emergency advisors who can
request emergency services be sent
to your location. If the keys are
locked in the vehicle, call OnStar at
1-888-4-ONSTAR to have a signal
sent to unlock the doors. OnStar
Hands-Free Calling, including 30 trial
minutes good for 60 days, is
available on most vehicles. OnStar
Turn-by-Turn Navigation service,
with one trial route, is available on
most vehicles. Press the OnStar
button to have an OnStar advisor
contact Roadside Service.OnStar service is provided subject
to the OnStar Terms and Conditions
included in the OnStar Subscriber
glove box literature.
Some services such as Remote
Door Unlock or Stolen Vehicle
Location Assistance may not be
available until the owner of the
vehicle registers with OnStar. After
the rst prepaid year, contact
OnStar to select a monthly or annual
subscription payment plan. If a
payment plan is not selected, the
OnStar system and all services,
including airbag notication
and emergency services, may be
deactivated and no longer available.
For more information visit
onstar.com (U.S.) or onstar.ca
(Canada), or press the OnStar
button to speak with an advisor.
Not all OnStar services are available
on all vehicles. To check if this
vehicle is able to provide the
services described below, or for a
full description of OnStar services
and system limitations, see the
Features and Controls 2-41