transmission GMC SAVANA PASSENGER 2016 User Guide

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
168 Driving and Operating
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
. Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
. Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{Warning
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.
. Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, accident).
. Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For slippery road driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
. Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0188.
. Antilock Brake System (ABS)
improves vehicle stability during
hard stops, but the brakes
should be applied sooner than
when on dry pavement. See
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) 0187.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
170 Driving and Operating
If stuck too severely for the traction
system to free the vehicle, turn the
traction system off and use the
rocking method. SeeTraction
Control/Electronic Stability
Control 0188.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other
damage. Spin the wheels as little
as possible and avoid going
above 56 km/h (35 mph).
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Turn off any traction
system. Shift back and forth
between R (Reverse) and a low
forward gear, spinning the wheels
as little as possible. To prevent
transmission wear, wait until the
wheels stop spinning before shifting gears. Release the accelerator
pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
Slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. If the
vehicle does need to be towed out,
see
Towing the Vehicle 0282.
Vehicle Load Limits
It is very important to know how
much weight the vehicle can
carry. This weight is called the
vehicle capacity weight and
includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
Two labels on the vehicle may
show how much weight it was
designed to carry, the Tire and
Loading Information label and
the Certification/Tire label.
{Warning
Do not load the vehicle any
heavier than the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR), or either the
maximum front or rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
This can cause systems to
break and change the way the
vehicle handles. This could
cause loss of control and a
crash. Overloading can also
reduce stopping distance,
damage the tires, and shorten
the life of the vehicle.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
Driving and Operating 175
This position locks the ignition and
transmission.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to
a safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop, shift to P (Park), and turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF. On
vehicles with an automatic
transmission, the shift lever
must be in P (Park) to turn the
ignition switch to the LOCK/
OFF position. 4. Set the parking brake. See
Parking Brake 0188.
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
turn the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY.
Caution
Using a tool to force the key to
turn in the ignition could cause
damage to the switch or break the
key. Use the correct key, make
sure it is all the way in, and turn it
only with your hand. If the key
cannot be turned by hand, see
your dealer. 1 (ACC/ACCESSORY) :
This is the
position in which you can operate
things like the radio and the
windshield wipers when the engine
is off.
2 (ON/RUN) : This position can be
used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument cluster warning and
indicator lights. This position can
also be used for service and
diagnostics, and to verify the proper
operation of the malfunction
indicator lamp as may be required
for emission inspection purposes.
The switch stays in this position
when the engine is running.
If you leave the key in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position
with the engine off, the battery could
be drained. You may not be able to
start the vehicle if the battery is
allowed to drain for an extended
period of time.
3 (START) : This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
176 Driving and Operating
A warning tone will sound when the
driver door is opened, the ignition is
in ACC/ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF
and the key is in the ignition.
Starting the Engine
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax diesel
supplement.
To place the transmission in the
proper gear:
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already
moving, use N (Neutral) only.
Caution
If you add electrical parts or
accessories, you could change
the way the engine operates. Any
resulting damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
SeeAdd-On Electrical
Equipment 0211.
Caution
Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving. If you do, you
could damage the transmission.
Shift to P (Park) only when the
vehicle is stopped.
Caution
If the steering wheel is turned
until it reaches the end of its
travel, and is held in that position
while starting the vehicle, damage
may occur to the hydraulic power
steering system and there may be
loss of power steering assist.
Starting Procedure 1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START. When
the engine starts, let go of the
key. The idle speed will go
down as your engine gets
warm. Do not race the engine
immediately after starting it.
Operate the engine and transmission gently to allow the
oil to warm up and lubricate all
moving parts.
When the Low Fuel warning
lamp is on and the FUEL
LEVEL LOW message is
displayed in the Driver
Information Center (DIC), the
Computer-Controlled Cranking
System is disabled to prevent
possible vehicle component
damage. When this happens,
hold the ignition switch in the
START position to continue
engine cranking.
Caution
Cranking the engine for long
periods of time, by returning the
ignition to the START position
immediately after cranking has
ended, can overheat and damage
the cranking motor, and drain the
battery. Wait at least 15 seconds
between each try, to let the
cranking motor cool down.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
Driving and Operating 177
2. If the engine does not startafter 5-10 seconds, especially
in very cold weather (below
−18 °C or 0 °F), it could be
flooded with too much
gasoline. Try pushing the
accelerator pedal all the way to
the floor and holding it there as
you hold the key in START for
up to 15 seconds. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try,
to allow the cranking motor to
cool down. When the engine
starts, let go of the key and
accelerator. If the vehicle starts
briefly but then stops again, do
the same thing. This clears the
extra gasoline from the engine.
Do not race the engine
immediately after starting it.
Operate the engine and
transmission gently until the oil
warms up and lubricates all
moving parts.Fast Idle System
If equipped, this feature is available
only with cruise control. The manual
fast idle switch is operated using the
cruise control buttons on the left
side of the steering wheel.
This system can be used to
increase engine idle speed
whenever the following conditions
are met:
.The parking brake is set.
. The brake pedal is not pressed.
. The vehicle must not be moving
and the accelerator must not be
pressed.
To control the fast idle:
. To enable the Fast Idle System,
press and release the cruise
control on/off button and ensure
that the switch indicator light
is lit.
. Press and release the cruise
control SET- button. Engine
speed will be held at
approximately 1200 rpm. When the fast idle is active, the
Driver Information Center (DIC) will
display FAST IDLE ON.
One of the following actions will turn
off the fast idle:
.
Pressing the brake.
. Selecting the cruise control
cancel button.
. Releasing the parking brake.
. Moving the transmission shift
lever out of P (Park) or
N (Neutral).
. Selecting the cruise control on/
off button when it was
previously on.
. Pressing the cruise control SET-
button a second time.
. Pressing the accelerator more
than one-quarter of the
way down.
. Turning the ignition switch to the
LOCK/OFF position.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
180 Driving and Operating
first pulling it toward you. If you can,
it means that the shift lever was not
fully locked into P (Park).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you
do not shift the transmission into
P (Park) properly, the weight of the
vehicle can put too much force on
the parking pawl in the
transmission. It might be difficult to
pull the shift lever out of P (Park).
This is called torque lock. To
prevent torque lock, set the parking
brake and then shift into P (Park)
properly before you leave the driver
seat. To find out how, seeShifting
Into Park 0179.
When you are ready to drive, move
the shift lever out of P (Park) before
releasing the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you might
need to have another vehicle push
yours a little uphill to take some of
the pressure from the parking pawl
in the transmission. Then you
should be able to pull the shift lever
out of P (Park).
Shifting out of Park
The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control
system. You have to fully apply the
brakes before you can shift from
P (Park) when the ignition is in ON/
RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY. See
Automatic Transmission 0182.
The shift lock control system is
designed to:
. Prevent the ignition key from
being removed unless the shift
lever is in P (Park).
. Prevent movement of the shift
lever out of P (Park), unless the
ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY and the regular
brake pedal is applied.
The shift lock control system is
always functional except in the case
of a dead battery or low voltage
(less than 9 V) battery.
If the vehicle has an uncharged
battery or a battery with low voltage,
try charging or jump starting the
battery. See Jump Starting - North
America 0279. To shift out of P (Park):
1. Apply the brake pedal.
2. Turn the ignition to ACC/ ACCESSORY or ON/RUN.
3. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you still are unable to shift out of
P (Park): 1. Ease the pressure on the shift lever.
2. While holding down the brake pedal, push the shift lever all
the way into P (Park).
3. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you are still having a problem
shifting, have the vehicle serviced.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
182 Driving and Operating
Running the Vehicle
While Parked
It is better not to park with the
engine running.
If the vehicle is left with the engine
running, follow the proper steps to
be sure the vehicle will not move.
SeeShifting Into Park 0179 and
Engine Exhaust 0181.
If parking on a hill and pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips 0201.
Automatic
Transmission
A shift position indicator is in the
instrument cluster.
There are several different positions
for the shift lever.
See “Range Selection Mode” under
Manual Mode 0185.
P : This position locks the rear
wheels. It is the best position to use
when starting the engine because
the vehicle cannot move easily.
When parked on a hill, especially
when the vehicle has a heavy load,
you might notice an increase in the
effort to shift out of P (Park). See
“Torque Lock” underShifting Into
Park 0179.
{Warning
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
See Shifting Into Park 0179 and
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips 0201.
R : Use this gear to back up.
Caution
Shifting to R (Reverse) while the
vehicle is moving forward could
damage the transmission. The
(Continued)

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
Driving and Operating 183
Caution (Continued)
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Shift to
R (Reverse) only after the vehicle
is stopped.
To rock the vehicle back and forth to
get out of snow, ice, or sand without
damaging the transmission, see If
the Vehicle Is Stuck 0169.
N : In this position, the engine does
not connect with the wheels.
To restart when you are already
moving, use N (Neutral) only. Also,
use N (Neutral) when the vehicle is
being towed.
{Warning
Shifting into a drive gear while the
engine is running at high speed is
dangerous. Unless your foot is
firmly on the brake pedal, the
vehicle could move very rapidly.
You could lose control and hit
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
people or objects. Do not shift
into a drive gear while the engine
is running at high speed.
Caution
Shifting out of P (Park) or
N (Neutral) with the engine
running at high speed may
damage the transmission. The
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Be sure the
engine is not running at high
speed when shifting the vehicle.
D : This position is for normal
driving. It provides the best fuel
economy. If you need more power
for passing, and you are:
. Going less than about 55 km/h
(35 mph), push the accelerator
pedal about halfway down.
. Going about 55 km/h (35 mph) or
more, push the accelerator all
the way down. By doing this, the vehicle shifts
down to the next gear and has
more power.
D (Drive) can be used when towing
a trailer, carrying a heavy load,
or driving on steep hills. You might
want to shift the transmission to a
lower gear selection if the
transmission shifts too often.
Downshifting the transmission in
slippery road conditions could result
in skidding. See “Skidding”under
Loss of Control 0166.
The vehicle has a shift stabilization
feature that adjusts the transmission
shifting to the current driving
conditions in order to reduce rapid
upshifts and downshifts. This shift
stabilization feature is designed to
determine, before making an
upshift, if the engine is able to
maintain vehicle speed by analyzing
things such as vehicle speed,
throttle position, and vehicle load.
If the shift stabilization feature
determines that a current vehicle
speed cannot be maintained, the
transmission does not upshift and
instead holds the current gear.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
184 Driving and Operating
In some cases, this could appear to
be a delayed shift, however the
transmission is operating normally.
The transmission uses adaptive
shift controls. Adaptive shift controls
continually compare key shift
parameters to pre-programmed
ideal shifts stored in the
transmission’s computer. The
transmission constantly makes
adjustments to improve vehicle
performance according to how the
vehicle is being used, such as with
a heavy load or when the
temperature changes. During this
adaptive shift control process,
shifting might feel different as the
transmission determines the best
settings.
The shift quality of a new vehicle
may not be ideal because the
adaptive shift control process may
not have determined the best
settings for a particular shift or
condition. Shift quality will improve
with continued driving.
When temperatures are very cold,
the transmission's gear shifting
could be delayed, providing morestable shifts until the engine warms
up. Shifts could be more noticeable
with a cold transmission. This
difference in shifting is normal.
M :
This position lets drivers select
the range of gears appropriate for
current driving conditions. If the
vehicle has this feature, see “Range
Selection Mode” underManual
Mode 0185.
3 : This position is also used for
normal driving. It reduces vehicle
speed more than D (Drive) without
using the brakes. You might choose
3 (Third) instead of D (Drive) when
driving on hilly, winding roads; when
towing a trailer, so there is less
shifting between gears; and when
going down a steep hill. See “Range
Selection Mode” underManual
Mode 0185.
2 : This position reduces vehicle
speed even more than 3 (Third)
without using the brakes. You can
use 2 (Second) on hills. It can help
control vehicle speed as you go
down steep mountain roads, but
then you would also want to use the brakes off and on. See
“Range
Selection Mode” underManual
Mode 0185.
If you manually select 2 (Second) in
an automatic transmission, the
transmission will start in
second gear. You can use this
feature for reducing the speed of the
rear wheels when trying to start the
vehicle from a stop on slippery road
surfaces.
1 : This position reduces vehicle
speed without using the brakes.
You can use it for major/severe
downgrades where the vehicle
would otherwise accelerate due to
steepness of grade. When you shift
to 1 (First) it provides the lowest
gear appropriate to current road
speed and continues to downshift
as the vehicle slows, eventually
downshifting to 1 (First) gear. The
transmission can be held in 1 (First)
gear using Range Selection Mode
or the shift lever. See “Range
Selection Mode” underManual
Mode 0185.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-9159232) -
2016 - crc - 11/11/15
Driving and Operating 185
Caution
Spinning the tires or holding the
vehicle in one place on a hill
using only the accelerator pedal
may damage the transmission.
The repair will not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. If you are
stuck, do not spin the tires. When
stopping on a hill, use the brakes
to hold the vehicle in place.
Normal Mode Grade Braking
This mode is enabled when the
vehicle is started, but is not enabled
in Range Selection Mode. It assists
in maintaining desired vehicle
speeds when driving on downhill
grades by using the engine and
transmission to slow the vehicle.
The first time the system activates
for each ignition key cycle, a DIC
message will be displayed. See
Transmission Messages0117.
To disable or enable Normal Mode
Grade Braking within the current
ignition key cycle, press and hold
the Tow/Haul button for three seconds. A DIC message
displays. See
Transmission
Messages 0117.
For other forms of grade braking,
see Tow/Haul Mode 0186 and
Cruise Control 0190.
Manual Mode
Range Selection Mode
If equipped, Range Selection Mode
helps control the vehicle's
transmission and vehicle speed
while driving downhill or towing a
trailer by letting you select a desired
range of gears.
To use this feature:
1. Move the shift lever to M (Manual Mode). 2. Press the +/−
buttons on the
shift lever, to select the desired
range of gears for current
driving conditions.
When M (Manual Mode) is selected
a number displays in the DIC next to
the M indicating the current gear.
This number is the highest gear that
can be used. However, the vehicle
can automatically shift to lower
gears as it adjusts to driving
conditions. This means that all
gears below that number are
available. When 5 (Fifth) is selected,
1 (First) through 5 (Fifth) gears are
automatically shifted by the vehicle,
but 6 (Sixth) cannot be used until
the +/− button on the steering
column lever is used to change to
the gear.
Grade Braking is not available when
Range Selection Mode is active.
See Tow/Haul Mode 0186.
While using Range Selection Mode,
cruise control and the Tow/Haul
Mode can be used.