traction control GMC CANYON 2012 Owner's Manual

Black plate (5,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
J:OnStar®Hands-Free Phone
J:Brake System
Warning Light
": Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
M:Windshield Washer Fluid

Black plate (1,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-9 Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Steering Wheel
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-12
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-18
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-19
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Black plate (17,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-17
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC is located on the
instrument panel cluster. It displays
the status of many vehicle systems
and enables some features to be
personalized.
Use the trip reset stem located on
the instrument panel cluster to scroll
through the available functions.
For more information, seeDriver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑20.
Vehicle Personalization
Some vehicle features can be
personalized through the DIC.
These features include:
.Language: English, Spanish,
or French
.Automatic Door Locks
.RKE Feedback
For more information, see Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑20.
Power Outlets
The accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
The vehicle may have an accessory
power outlet located below the
climate control system and on the
rear of the center console.
See Power Outlets on page 5‑5.
Performance and
Maintenance
Traction Control
System (TCS)
The traction control system limits
wheel spin. The system turns on
automatically every time the vehicle
is started.
.To turn off traction control, press
and release the TCS/StabiliTrak
button
don the instrument
panel.
gilluminates and the
appropriate DIC message is
displayed. See Ride Control
System Messages on page 5‑26.
.Press and release the TCS/
StabiliTrak button again to turn
on traction control.
For more information, see Traction
Control System (TCS) on
page 9‑44.

Black plate (18,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
1-18 In Brief
StabiliTrak®System
The StabiliTrak system assists with
directional control of the vehicle in
difficult driving conditions. The
system turns on automatically every
time the vehicle is started.
.To turn off both traction control
and StabiliTrak, press and hold
the TCS/StabiliTrak button
d
untilgilluminates and the
appropriate DIC message is
displayed. See Ride Control
System Messages on page 5‑26.
.Press and release the TCS/
StabiliTrak button again to turn
on both systems.
For more information, see
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑45.
Tire Pressure Monitor
This vehicle may have a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS).
The TPMS warning light alerts you
to a significant loss in pressure of
one of the vehicle's tires. If the
warning light comes on, stop as
soon as possible and inflate the
tires to the recommended pressure
shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label. See Vehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑18. The warning
light will remain on until the tire
pressure is corrected. During cooler conditions, the low tire
pressure warning light may appear
when the vehicle is first started and
then turn off. This may be an early
indicator that the tire pressures are
getting low and the tires need to be
inflated to the proper pressure.
The TPMS does not replace normal
monthly tire maintenance. It is the
driver
’s responsibility to maintain
correct tire pressures.
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
on page 10‑56.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-2
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Chime Level Adjustment . . . . . . 5-6
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8 Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-9
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-10
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-12
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-17
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-17
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-18
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-23
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-25
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-25
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-27
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-27

Black plate (17,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-17
StabiliTrak®OFF Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by
your dealer.
This light comes on when the
StabiliTrak system is turned off.
If StabiliTrak is off, the Traction
Control System (TCS) is also off.
If the TCS is off, the system does
not assist in controlling the vehicle.
Turn on the TCS and the StabiliTrak
systems and the warning light
turns off.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑44 andStabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑45 for more
information
Traction Control
System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak
®Light
The StabiliTrak and Traction Control
System (TCS) indicator/warning light
comes on briefly while starting the
engine.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally the
indicator light then goes off.
The light flashes while the
StabiliTrak system and TCS are
working to assist the driver with
directional control of the vehicle in
difficult driving conditions.
If the StabiliTrak system and TCS
light comes on and stays on while
driving and a TRACTION FAULT or SERVICE STAB SYS message
displays on the DIC, the vehicle
needs service.
See
StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑45, Traction Control System
(TCS) on page 9‑44 andRide
Control System Messages on
page 5‑26 for more information.
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this light
comes on briefly when the engine is
started. It provides information
about tire pressures and the TPMS.
When the Light Is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of
the tires are significantly
underinflated.

Black plate (26,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
5-26 Instruments and Controls
Ride Control System
Messages
SERVICE STAB (Stability)
SYS (System)
This message displays if there is a
problem with the StabiliTrak system.
Have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑45 for more information.
STAB (Stability)
SYS (System) OFF
This message displays when the
StabiliTrak system is turned off. See
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑45
for more information.
TRAC (Traction) OFF
This message displays when the
Traction Control System (TCS) is
turned off by pressing the
StabiliTrak button. See StabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑45for more
information.
TRAC (Traction) ON
This message displays when the
Traction Control System (TCS) is
turned on when it was previously off
during the same ignition cycle.
TRAC (Traction) LOW
This message displays when the
Traction Control System (TCS)
is active.
TRACTION FAULT
This message will display if there is
a problem with the TCS. Have your
vehicle serviced by your dealer. See
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑45
for more information. Press and
release the reset stem to
acknowledge the message and
clear it from the display.

Black plate (22,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
7-22 Infotainment System
CD Messages
CHECK CD:If this message
displays and/or the CD comes out, it
could be for one of the following
reasons:
.It is very hot. When the
temperature returns to normal,
the CD should play.
.You are driving on a very rough
road. When the road becomes
smoother, the CD should play.
.The CD is dirty, scratched, wet,
or upside down.
.The air is very humid. If so, wait
about an hour and try again.
.The format of the CD might not
be compatible. See “Using an
MP3” later in this section.
.There could have been a
problem while burning the CD.
.The label could be caught in the
CD player.
If the CD is not playing correctly, for
any other reason, try a known
good CD.
If any error occurs repeatedly or
if an error cannot be corrected,
contact your dealer. If the radio
displays an error message, write it
down and provide it to your dealer
when reporting the problem.
Phone
Bluetooth
For vehicles equipped with
Bluetooth capability, the system can
interact with many cell phones,
allowing:
.Placement and receipt of calls in
a hands-free mode.
.Sharing of the cell phone’s
address book or contact list with
the vehicle.
To minimize driver distraction,
before driving, and with the
vehicle parked:
.Become familiar with the
features of the cell phone.
Organize the phone book and
contact lists clearly and delete
duplicate or rarely used entries.
If possible, program speed dial
or other shortcuts.
.Review the controls and
operation of the infotainment
system.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . 9-12
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 9-13
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-16
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Truck-Camper LoadingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-24
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shifting out of Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Parking (Manual Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-33
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-35
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . 9-46
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47

Black plate (2,1)GMC Canyon Owner Manual - 2012
9-2 Driving and Operating
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Gasoline Specifications(U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . 9-50
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-50
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Driving Information
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention
away from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction.
Become familiar with the local laws
in your area.
To avoid distracted driving, always
keep your eyes on the road, hands
on the wheel, and mind on the drive.
.Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
.Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices.
.Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions.
.Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
.Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
.Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children.
.Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint.
.Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.