steering GMC ACADIA 2009 Owner's Guide

Do not use this system to help you
park. SeeUltrasonic Rear Parking
Assist (URPA) on page 2-34
for more information. See your
dealer/retailer for service.
SERVICE POWER STEERING
This message displays when a
problem is detected with the power
steering system. When this
message is displayed, you may
notice that the effort required
to steer the vehicle increases or
feels heavier, but you will still
be able to steer the vehicle.
Have your vehicle serviced by
your dealer/retailer immediately.
SERVICE STABILITRAK
This message displays if there is a
problem with the StabiliTrak®
system. If this message appears, try
to reset the system. Stop; turn off the
engine for at least 15 seconds;
then start the engine again. If this
message still comes on, it means
there is a problem. See your dealer/
retailer for service. The vehicle issafe to drive, however, you do not
have the benet of StabiliTrak, so
reduce your speed and drive
accordingly.
SERVICE THEFT DETERRENT
SYSTEM
This message displays when there
is a problem with the theft-deterrent
system. The vehicle may or may
not restart so you may want to take
the vehicle to your dealer/retailer
before turning off the engine.
SeePASS-Key
®III+ Electronic
Immobilizer Operation on page 2-18
for more information.
SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
SYSTEM
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays if a part on the
TPMS is not working properly.
The tire pressure light also ashes
and then remains on during the
same ignition cycle. SeeTire
Pressure Light on page 3-41.Several conditions may cause this
message to appear. SeeTire
Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 5-44for more information.
If the warning comes on and stays
on, there may be a problem with
the TPMS. See your dealer/retailer.
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
This message displays when there
is a problem with the Traction
Control System (TCS). When this
message is displayed, the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly. See your
dealer/retailer for service. See
StabiliTrak
®System on page 4-5for
more information.
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays when there
is a problem with the transmission.
See your dealer/retailer for service.
3-62 Instrument Panel

SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message displays when
a non-emissions related malfunction
occurs. Have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer/retailer as soon
as possible.
SPEED LIMITED TO
XXX MPH (KM/H)
This message displays when your
vehicle speed is limited to 80 mph
(128 km/h) because the vehicle
detects a problem in the speed
variable assist steering system.
Have your vehicle serviced by
your dealer/retailer.
STARTING DISABLED
SERVICE THROTTLE
This message displays when your
vehicle’s throttle system is not
functioning properly. Have your
vehicle serviced by your
dealer/retailer.
THEFT ATTEMPTED
This message displays if the content
theft-deterrent system has detected
a break-in attempt while you
were away from your vehicle.
SeeContent Theft-Deterrent on
page 2-16for more information.
TIGHTEN GAS CAP
This message may display along
with the check engine light on the
instrument panel cluster if the
vehicle’s fuel cap is not tightened
properly. SeeMalfunction Indicator
Lamp on page 3-41. Reinstall the
fuel cap fully. SeeFilling the Tank on
page 5-7. The diagnostic system can
determine if the fuel cap has been
left off or improperly installed.
A loose or missing fuel cap
allows fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere. A few driving trips with
the cap properly installed should turn
this light and message off.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays when the TPMS
is re-learning the tire positions
on your vehicle. The tire positions
must be re-learned after rotating the
tires or after replacing a tire or
sensor. SeeTire Inspection and
Rotation on page 5-47,Tire
Pressure Monitor System on
page 5-42, andInflation - Tire
Pressure on page 5-41for more
information.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
This message displays when
the Traction Control System (TCS)
is turned off. Adjust your driving
accordingly. SeeStabiliTrak
®
System on page 4-5for more
information. This message clears
itself after 10 seconds.
Instrument Panel 3-63

©SEEK¨:Press to go to the
previous or to the next station
and stay there.
To scan stations, press and hold
©or¨until a beep sounds.
The radio goes to a station, plays
for a few seconds, then goes to the
next station. Press either arrow
again to stop scanning.
The radio only seeks and scans
stations with a strong signal that are
in the selected band.
Storing a Radio Station as a
Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up
their radio station favorites while the
vehicle is in P (Park). Tune to
favorite stations using the presets,
favorites button, and steering
wheel controls. SeeDefensive
Driving on page 4-2.
FAV (Favorites):A maximum of
36 stations can be programmed as
favorites using the six pushbuttonspositioned below the radio station
frequency labels and by using
the radio favorites page button
(FAV button). Press to go through
up to six pages of favorites,
each having six favorite stations
available per page. Each page
of favorites can contain any
combination of AM, FM, or XM
stations.
The balance/fade and tone settings
that were previously adjusted,
are stored with the favorite stations.
To store a station as a favorite:
1. Tune to the desired radio station.
2. Press FAV to display the page
where to store the station.
3. Press and hold one of the
six pushbuttons until a beep
sounds. When that pushbutton is
pressed and released, the
station that was set, returns.
4. Repeat the steps for each
pushbutton radio station to
be stored as a favorite.To setup the number of favorites
pages:
1. Press MENU to display the radio
setup menu.
2. Press the pushbutton located
below the FAV 1-6 label.
3. Select the desired number of
favorites pages by pressing
the pushbutton located below the
displayed page numbers.
4. Press FAV, or let the menu time
out, to return to the original main
radio screen showing the
radio station frequency labels
and to begin the process
of programming favorites for the
chosen amount of numbered
pages.
Auto Text (Satellite Radio Service,
CD, MP3, and WMA features):
If additional information is available
for the current song being played,
Auto Text will automatically
page/scroll the information every
ve seconds above the FAV presets
on the radio display.
Instrument Panel 3-77

Audio System
When using the in-vehicle Bluetooth
system, sound comes through the
vehicle’s front audio system
speakers and over-rides the audio
system. Use the audio system
volume knob, during a call, to change
the volume level. The adjusted
volume level remains in memory for
later calls. To prevent missed calls, a
minimum volume level is used if the
volume is turned down too low.
Bluetooth Controls
Use the buttons located on the
steering wheel to operate the
in-vehicle Bluetooth system. See
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
on page 3-121for more information.
bg(Push To Talk):Press to
answer incoming calls, to conrm
system information, and to start
speech recognition.
cx(Phone On Hook):Press to
end a call, reject a call, or to cancel
an operation.
Pairing
A Bluetooth enabled cell phone
must be paired to the in-vehicle
Bluetooth system rst and then
connected to the vehicle before it
can be used. See the cell phone
manufacturers user guide for
Bluetooth functions before pairing
the cell phone. If a Bluetooth phone
is not connected, calls will be
made using OnStar
®Hands-Free
Calling, if available. Refer to
the OnStar owner’s guide for more
information.
Pairing Information:
Up to ve cell phones can be
paired to the in-vehicle
Bluetooth system.
The pairing process is disabled
when the vehicle is moving.
The in-vehicle Bluetooth system
automatically links with the rst
available paired cell phone in the
order the phone was paired.
Only one paired cell phone can
be connected to the in-vehicle
Bluetooth system at a time.
Pairing should only need to be
completed once, unless
changes to the pairing
information have been made or
the phone is deleted.
To link to a different paired phone,
see Linking to a Different Phone
later in this section.
Pairing a Phone
1. Press and hold
bgfor
two seconds. The system
responds with “Ready” followed
by a tone.
2. Say “Bluetooth”. The system
responds with “Bluetooth
ready” followed by a tone.
3. Say “Pair”. The system responds
with instructions and a four digit
PIN number. The PIN number
will be used in Step 4.
3-100 Instrument Panel

Audio Steering Wheel
Controls
Vehicles with audio steering wheel
controls could differ depending
on the vehicle’s options. Some audio
controls can be adjusted at the
steering wheel.
w(Next):Press to go to the next
radio station stored as a favorite,
or the next track if a CD/DVD
is playing.
cx(Previous/End):Press to
go to the previous radio station
stored as a favorite, the next track if
a CD/DVD is playing, to reject an
incoming call, or end a current call.
bg(Mute/Push to Talk):Press
to silence the vehicle speakers only.
Press again to turn the sound on.
For vehicles with OnStar
®or
Bluetooth systems, press and hold
for longer than two seconds to
interact with those systems. See
OnStar
®System on page 2-41and
Bluetooth®on page 3-99in this
manual for more information.
SRCE (Source):Press to switch
between the radio (AM, FM, XM),
CD, and for vehicles with, DVD,
front auxiliary, and rear auxiliary.
For vehicles with the navigation
system, press and hold this button
for longer than one second to initiate
voice recognition. See “Voice
Recognition” in the Navigation
System manual for more information.+
e−e(Volume):Press to
increase or to decrease the radio
volume.
¨(Seek):Press to go to the next
radio station while in AM, FM, or
XM™. Press
¨to go to the next
track or chapter while sourced to the
CD or DVD slot. Press the
¨if
multiple discs are loaded to go to
the next disc while sourced to a
CD player.
Radio Reception
Frequency interference and static
can occur during normal radio
reception if items such as cell phone
chargers, vehicle convenience
accessories, and external electronic
devices are plugged into the
accessory power outlet. If there is
interference or static, unplug the item
from the accessory power outlet.
Instrument Panel 3-121

Driving Your
Vehicle
Your Driving, the Road,
and the Vehicle
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy...........................4-1
Defensive Driving................4-2
Drunk Driving.....................4-2
Control of a Vehicle............4-3
Braking...............................4-3
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)...................4-4
Braking in Emergencies......4-5
StabiliTrak®System............4-5
All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
System.............................4-7
Steering..............................4-8
Off-Road Recovery.............4-9
Passing..............................4-9
Loss of Control...................4-9
Driving at Night.................4-10
Driving in Rain and on
Wet Roads......................4-11
Before Leaving on a
Long Trip........................4-12
Highway Hypnosis.............4-12
Hill and Mountain Roads. . .4-12
Winter Driving...................4-13
If Your Vehicle is Stuck
in Sand, Mud, Ice,
or Snow
..........................4-15
Rocking Your Vehicle to
Get It Out.......................4-15
Loading the Vehicle..........4-16
Towing
Towing Your Vehicle.........4-20
Recreational Vehicle
Towing............................4-21
Towing a Trailer................4-24
Your Driving, the
Road, and the Vehicle
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy
Driving habits can affect fuel
mileage. Here are some driving
tips to get the best fuel economy
possible.
Avoid fast starts and accelerate
smoothly.
Brake gradually and avoid
abrupt stops.
Avoid idling the engine for long
periods of time.
When road and weather
conditions are appropriate, use
cruise control, if equipped.
Always follow posted speed limits
or drive more slowly when
conditions require.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-1

Police records show that almost
40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve
alcohol. In most cases, these deaths
are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years,
more than 17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol,
with about 250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against
the law in every U.S. state to drink
alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental
reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the
leading highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol
and then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol
in a person’s system can make crash
injuries worse, especially injuries
to the brain, spinal cord, or heart.This means that when anyone who
has been drinking — driver or
passenger — is in a crash, that
person’s chance of being killed or
permanently disabled is higher than
if the person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help
to control the vehicle while
driving — brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when
driving on snow or ice, it is easy to
ask more of those control systems
than the tires and road can provide.
Meaning, you can lose control of the
vehicle. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on
page 4-5.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer
accessories can affect vehicle
performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light
on page 3-38.
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding
to push the brake pedal is
perception time. Actually doing
it is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
three-fourths of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be
less with one driver and as long as
two or three seconds or more
with another. Age, physical
condition, alertness, coordination,
and eyesight all play a part. So
do alcohol, drugs, and frustration.
But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph
(100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough
space between the vehicle
and others is important.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-3

As the brakes are applied, the
computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking
pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change
the time needed to get a foot
up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you
get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, there will not be enough
time to apply the brakes if that
vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up
ahead to stop, even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold
the brake pedal down rmly and
let antilock work. The antilock pump
or motor operating might be
heard and the brake pedal might be
felt to pulsate, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
ABS allows the driver to steer and
brake at the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help more
than even the very best braking.
Brake Assist
This vehicle has a Brake Assist
feature designed to assist the driver
in stopping or decreasing vehicle
speed in emergency driving
conditions. This feature uses the
stability system hydraulic brake
control module to supplement the
power brake system under
conditions where the driver has
quickly and forcefully applied the
brake pedal in an attempt to quickly
stop or slow down the vehicle. The
stability system hydraulic brake
control module increases brake
pressure at each corner of the
vehicle until the ABS activates.
Minor brake pedal pulsations or
pedal movement during this time is
normal and the driver should
continue to apply the brake pedal
as the driving situation dictates.The Brake Assist feature will
automatically disengage when the
brake pedal is released or brake
pedal pressure is quickly decreased.
StabiliTrak®System
The vehicle has the StabiliTrak
system which combines antilock
brake, traction and stability control
systems and helps the driver
maintain directional control of the
vehicle in most driving conditions.
When you rst start the vehicle and
begin to drive away, the system
performs several diagnostic checks
to ensure there are no problems. The
system may be heard or felt while it
is working. This is normal and does
not mean there is a problem with the
vehicle. The system should initialize
before the vehicle reaches 20 mph
(32 km/h). In some cases, it may take
approximately two miles of driving
before the system initializes.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-5

Steering
Power Steering
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or the
system is not functioning, the vehicle
can be steered but it will take
more effort.
Variable Effort Steering
If the vehicle has this steering
system, the system continuously
adjusts the effort felt when steering
at all vehicle speeds. It provides
ease when parking, yet a rm, solid
feel at highway speeds.
Steering Tips
It is important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
Traction in a curve depends on the
condition of the tires and the
road surface, the angle at which the
curve is banked, and vehicle
speed. While in a curve, speed is
the one factor that can be controlled.If there is a need to reduce speed,
do it before entering the curve,
while the front wheels are straight.
Try to adjust the speed so you
can drive through the curve.
Maintain a reasonable, steady
speed. Wait to accelerate until out
of the curve, and then accelerate
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can
be more effective than braking.
For example, you come over a hill
and nd a truck stopped in your
lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts
out from between parked cars
and stops right in front of you.
These problems can be avoided
by braking — if you can stop in time.
But sometimes you cannot stop in
time because there is no room.
That is the time for evasive
action — steering around the
problem.The vehicle can perform very well in
emergencies like these. First,
apply the brakes. SeeBraking on
page 4-3. It is better to remove
as much speed as possible from a
collision. Then steer around the
problem, to the left or right
depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires
close attention and a quick decision.
If holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock
positions, it can be turned a
full 180 degrees very quickly
without removing either hand.
4-8 Driving Your Vehicle

But you have to act fast, steer
quickly, and just as quickly
straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency
situations are always possible is a
good reason to practice defensive
driving at all times and wear
safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle’s right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only
slightly below the pavement,
recovery should be fairly easy.Ease off the accelerator and then, if
there is nothing in the way, steer
so that the vehicle straddles
the edge of the pavement. Turn
the steering wheel 3 to 5 inches,
8 to 13 cm, (about one-eighth turn)
until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn
the steering wheel to go straight
down the roadway.Passing
Passing another vehicle on a
two-lane road can be dangerous.
To reduce the risk of danger
while passing:
Look down the road, to the sides,
and to crossroads for situations
that might affect a successful
pass. If in doubt, wait.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement
markings, and lines that could
indicate a turn or an intersection.
Never cross a solid or
double-solid line on your
side of the lane.
Do not get too close to the vehicle
you want to pass. Doing so can
reduce your visibility.
Wait your turn to pass a slow
vehicle.
When you are being passed, ease
to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts
say about what happens when
the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do
not have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what
the driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up.
Keep trying to steer and constantly
seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-9