GMC ACADIA 2009 Owner's Manual

Recycled original equipment parts
may also be used for repair. These
parts are typically removed from
vehicles that were total losses in
prior crashes. In most cases, the
parts being recycled are from
undamaged sections of the vehicle.
A recycled original equipment GM
part, may be an acceptable choice to
maintain your vehicle’s originally
designed appearance and safety
performance, however, the history of
these parts is not known. Such parts
are not covered by your GM New
Vehicle Limited Warranty, and any
related failures are not covered by
that warranty.
Aftermarket collision parts are
also available. These are made
by companies other than GM and
may not have been tested for your
vehicle. As a result, these parts
may t poorly, exhibit premature
durability/corrosion problems,
and may not perform properly insubsequent collisions. Aftermarket
parts are not covered by your GM
New Vehicle Limited Warranty, and
any vehicle failure related to such
parts are not covered by that
warranty.
Repair Facility
We recommend that you choose a
collision repair facility that meets
your needs before you ever need
collision repairs. Your dealer/retailer
may have a collision repair center
with GM-trained technicians and
state of the art equipment, or be able
to recommend a collision repair
center that has GM-trained
technicians and comparable
equipment.
Insuring Your Vehicle
Protect your investment in your GM
vehicle with comprehensive and
collision insurance coverage. There
are signicant differences in the
quality of coverage afforded by
various insurance policy terms.Many insurance policies provide
reduced protection to your GM
vehicle by limiting compensation for
damage repairs by using aftermarket
collision parts. Some insurance
companies will not specify
aftermarket collision parts. When
purchasing insurance, we
recommend that you assure your
vehicle will be repaired with GM
original equipment collision parts.
If such insurance coverage is not
available from your current insurance
carrier, consider switching to another
insurance carrier.
If your vehicle is leased, the leasing
company may require you to have
insurance that assures repairs with
Genuine GM Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) parts or
Genuine Manufacturer replacement
parts. Read your lease carefully, as
you may be charged at the end of
your lease for poor quality repairs.
Customer Assistance Information 7-11

If a Crash Occurs
Here is what to do if you are
involved in a crash.
Check to make sure that you are
all right. If you are uninjured,
make sure that no one else in
your vehicle, or the other vehicle,
is injured.
If there has been an injury, call
emergency services for help. Do
not leave the scene of a crash
until all matters have been taken
care of. Move your vehicle only if
its position puts you in danger or
you are instructed to move it by a
police officer.
Give only the necessary and
requested information to police
and other parties involved in the
crash. Do not discuss your
personal condition, mental frame
of mind, or anything unrelated to
the crash. This will help guard
against post-crash legal action.
If you need roadside assistance,
call GM Roadside Assistance.
SeeRoadside Assistance
Program on page 7-6for more
information.
If your vehicle cannot be driven,
know where the towing service
will be taking it. Get a card from
the tow truck operator or write
down the driver’s name, the
service’s name, and the phone
number.
Remove any valuables from your
vehicle before it is towed away.
Make sure this includes your
insurance information and
registration if you keep these
items in your vehicle.
Gather the important information
you will need from the other
driver. Things like name, address,
phone number, driver’s license
number, vehicle license plate,
vehicle make, model and model
year, Vehicle Identication
Number (VIN), insurance
company and policy number, and
a general description of the
damage to the other vehicle.
If possible, call your insurance
company from the scene of the
crash. They will walk you through
the information they will need. If
they ask for a police report, phone
or go to the police department
headquarters the next day and
you can get a copy of the report
for a nominal fee. In some
states/provinces with “no fault”
insurance laws, a report may not
be necessary. This is especially
true if there are no injuries and
both vehicles are driveable.
7-12 Customer Assistance Information

Choose a reputable collision
repair facility for your vehicle.
Whether you select a dealer/
retailer or a private collision repair
facility to x the damage, make
sure you are comfortable with
them. Remember, you will have to
feel comfortable with their work for
a long time.
Once you have an estimate, read
it carefully and make sure you
understand what work will be
performed on your vehicle. If you
have a question, ask for an
explanation. Reputable shops
welcome this opportunity.
Managing the Vehicle Damage
Repair Process
In the event that your vehicle
requires damage repairs, GM
recommends that you take an active
role in its repair. If you have a
pre-determined repair facility of
choice, take your vehicle there, or
have it towed there. Specify to the
facility that any required replacement
collision parts be original equipment
parts, either new Genuine GM parts
or recycled original GM parts.
Remember, recycled parts will not be
covered by your GM vehicle
warranty.
Insurance pays the bill for the
repair, but you must live with the
repair. Depending on your
policy limits, your insurance
company may initially value the
repair using aftermarket parts.Discuss this with your repair
professional, and insist on Genuine
GM parts. Remember if your
vehicle is leased you may be
obligated to have the vehicle
repaired with Genuine GM parts,
even if your insurance coverage
does not pay the full cost.
If another party’s insurance
company is paying for the repairs,
you are not obligated to accept
a repair valuation based on
that insurance company’s collision
policy repair limits, as you have
no contractual limits with that
company. In such cases, you can
have control of the repair and
parts choices as long as cost stays
within reasonable limits.
Customer Assistance Information 7-13

Reporting Safety
Defects
Reporting Safety Defects
to the United States
Government
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying
General Motors.
If NHTSA receives similar
complaints, it may open an
investigation, and if it nds that a
safety defect exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved
in individual problems between
you, your dealer/retailer, or
General Motors.To contact NHTSA, you may
call the Vehicle Safety Hotline
toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to
safercar.gov; or write to:
Administrator, NHTSA
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington D.C., 20590
You can also obtain other
information about motor vehicle
safety from safercar.gov.
Reporting Safety Defects
to the Canadian
Government
If you live in Canada, and you
believe that your vehicle has
a safety defect, notify Transport
Canada immediately, in addition to
notifying General Motors of
Canada Limited. Call them at
1-800-333-0510 or write to:
Transport Canada
Road Safety Branch
2780 Sheffield Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1B 3V9
Reporting Safety Defects
to General Motors
In addition to notifying NHTSA
(or Transport Canada) in a situation
like this, please notify General
Motors.
Call 1-800-GMC-8782
(1-800-462-8782), or write:
GMC Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33172
Detroit, MI 48232-5172
In Canada, call 1-800-263-3777
(English) or 1-800-263-7854
(French), or write:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre,
CA1-163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
7-14 Customer Assistance Information

Service Publications
Ordering Information
Service Manuals
Service Manuals have the diagnosis
and repair information on engines,
transmission, axle suspension,
brakes, electrical, steering, body, etc.
Service Bulletins
Service Bulletins give additional
technical service information needed
to knowledgeably service General
Motors cars and trucks. Each bulletin
contains instructions to assist in the
diagnosis and service of your
vehicle.
Owner Information
Owner publications are written
specically for owners and intended
to provide basic operational
information about the vehicle.
The owner manual includes the
Maintenance Schedule for all
models.
In-Portfolio: Includes a Portfolio,
Owner Manual, and Warranty
Booklet.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$35.00 (U.S.) plus processing fee
Without Portfolio: Owner
Manual only.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$25.00 (U.S.) plus processing fee
Current and Past Model Order
Forms
Technical Service Bulletins and
Manuals are available for current
and past model GM vehicles.
To request an order form, specify
year and model name of the vehicle.ORDER TOLL FREE:
1-800-551-4123 Monday-Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Time
For Credit Card Orders Only
(VISA-MasterCard-Discover), visit
Helm, Inc. on the World Wide
Web at: helminc.com
Or you can write to:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
Prices are subject to change
without notice and without incurring
obligation. Allow ample time for
delivery.
Note to Canadian Customers: All
listed prices are quoted in U.S.
funds. Canadian residents are to
make checks payable in U.S. funds.
Customer Assistance Information 7-15

Vehicle Data
Recording and
Privacy
Your GM vehicle has a number of
sophisticated computers that record
information about the vehicle’s
performance and how it is driven.
For example, your vehicle uses
computer modules to monitor and
control engine and transmission
performance, to monitor the
conditions for airbag deployment and
deploy airbags in a crash and, if so
equipped, to provide antilock braking
to help the driver control the vehicle.
These modules may store data to
help your dealer/retailer technician
service your vehicle. Some modules
may also store data about how you
operate the vehicle, such as rate of
fuel consumption or average speed.
These modules may also retain the
owner’s personal preferences, such
as radio pre-sets, seat positions, and
temperature settings.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle has an Event
Data Recorder (EDR). The main
purpose of an EDR is to record, in
certain crash or near crash-like
situations, such as an airbag
deployment or hitting a road
obstacle, data that will assist in
understanding how a vehicle’s
systems performed. The EDR is
designed to record data related to
vehicle dynamics and safety
systems for a short period of time,
typically 30 seconds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed
to record such data as:
How various systems in your
vehicle were operating
Whether or not the driver and
passenger safety belts were
buckled/fastened
How far, if at all, the driver was
pressing the accelerator and/or
brake pedal
How fast the vehicle was
travelingThis data can help provide a better
understanding of the circumstances
in which crashes and injuries occur.
Important:EDR data is recorded
by your vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data is
recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal
data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) is recorded.
However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the
EDR data with the type of personally
identifying data routinely acquired
during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR,
special equipment is required,
and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed. In addition to
the vehicle manufacturer, other
parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment, can
read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR.
7-16 Customer Assistance Information

GM will not access this data or
share it with others except: with the
consent of the vehicle owner or, if the
vehicle is leased, with the consent
of the lessee; in response to an
official request of police or similar
government office; as part of GM’s
defense of litigation through the
discovery process; or, as required
by law. Data that GM collects or
receives may also be used for GM
research needs or may be made
available to others for research
purposes, where a need is shown
and the data is not tied to a specic
vehicle or vehicle owner.OnStar®
If your vehicle has OnStar and you
subscribe to the OnStar services,
please refer to the OnStar Terms and
Conditions for information on data
collection and use. See alsoOnStar
®
System on page 2-41in this manual
for more information.
Navigation System
If your vehicle has a navigation
system, use of the system may
result in the storage of destinations,
addresses, telephone numbers, and
other trip information. Refer to the
navigation system operating manual
for information on stored data and for
deletion instructions.
Radio Frequency
Identication (RFID)
RFID technology is used in some
vehicles for functions such as
tire pressure monitoring and ignition
system security, as well as in
connection with conveniences such
as key fobs for remote door
locking/unlocking and starting, and
in-vehicle transmitters for garage
door openers. RFID technology in
GM vehicles does not use or record
personal information or link with
any other GM system containing
personal information.
Customer Assistance Information 7-17

✍NOTES
7-18 Customer Assistance Information

A
Accessories and
Modications...................... 5-3
Accessory Power Outlets......3-20
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle....1-60
Additives, Fuel...................... 5-5
Add-On Electrical
Equipment.......................5-89
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine.......5-15
Air Conditioning...........3-22, 3-25
Airbag
Passenger Status
Indicator.......................3-36
Readiness Light................3-36
Airbag System.....................1-48
Adding Equipment to
Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle........................1-60
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?.....................1-53
Passenger Sensing
System........................1-55
Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle........................1-59Airbag System (cont.)
What Makes an Airbag
Inate?........................1-53
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inates?........1-54
When Should an
Airbag Inate?..............1-51
Where Are the Airbags?.....1-50
All-Wheel Drive....................5-33
All-Wheel-Drive (AWD)
System............................. 4-7
Antilock Brake
System (ABS).................... 4-4
Antilock Brake, System
Warning Light...................3-39
Appearance Care
Aluminum or
Chrome-Plated Wheels . . . 5-86
Care of Safety Belts..........5-84
Chemical Paint Spotting.....5-88
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/
Lenses........................5-85
Fabric/Carpet...................5-83
Finish Care......................5-85
Finish Damage.................5-88
Instrument Panel, Vinyl,
and Other Plastic
Surfaces......................5-84Appearance Care (cont.)
Interior Cleaning...............5-81
Leather...........................5-83
Sheet Metal Damage........5-87
Tires...............................5-87
Underbody Maintenance....5-88
Washing Your Vehicle........5-84
Weatherstrips...................5-84
Windshield, Backglass,
and Wiper Blades..........5-86
Appointments, Scheduling
Service............................. 7-8
Audio System......................3-72
Audio Steering Wheel
Controls.....................3-121
Navigation/Radio System,
see Navigation Manual . . . 3-99
Radio Reception.............3-121
Rear Audio
Controller (RAC)..........3-120
Rear Seat Audio (RSA)....3-118
Setting the Clock..............3-73
Theft-Deterrent Feature....3-120
Audio System(s)..................3-74
Automatic Transmission
Fluid...............................5-16
Operation........................2-24
INDEX i-1

B
Battery...............................5-28
Electric Power
Management.................3-15
Run-Down Protection.........3-16
Bluetooth
®..........................3-99
Brake
Emergencies...................... 4-5
Brake Fluid.........................5-25
Brakes...............................5-25
System Warning Light.......3-38
Braking................................ 4-3
Braking in Emergencies.......... 4-5
Break-In, New Vehicle..........2-20
Bulb Replacement................5-33
Halogen Bulbs..................5-33
Headlamp Aiming..............5-33
License Plate Lamps.........5-34
Replacement Bulbs...........5-34
Buying New Tires.................5-49
C
Calibration..........................3-54
California Fuel....................... 5-5
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements....... 5-3
California Proposition 65
Warning............................ 5-3
Canadian Owners..................... ii
Capacities and
Specications...................5-96
Carbon
Monoxide........2-11, 2-30, 4-13
Care of
Safety Belts.....................5-84
Cargo Cover.......................2-52
Cargo Management System . . . 2-52
Cargo Tie Downs.................2-52
CD, MP3 ....................3-89, 3-93
Center Console
Storage Area....................2-49Chains, Tire........................5-54
Charging System Light..........3-37
Check
Engine Lamp...................3-41
Checking Things Under
the Hood ........................... 5-9
Chemical Paint Spotting........5-88
Child Restraints
Child Restraint Systems.....1-34
Infants and Young
Children.......................1-31
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children..................1-37
Older Children..................1-29
Securing a Child Restraint
in a Rear Seat Position....1-43
Securing a Child Restraint
in the Right Front
Seat Position................1-45
Where to Put the
Restraint......................1-35
i-2 INDEX