GMC TERRAIN 2010 Owner's Manual

Driving and Operating 8-63
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
Speed, altitude, road grades,
outside temperature, special
equipment, and the amount of
tongue weight the vehicle can carry
must be considered. See“Weight of
the Trailer Tongue” later in this
section for more information.
Maximum trailer weight is calculated
assuming only the driver is in the
tow vehicle and it has all the
required trailering equipment. The
weight of additional optional
equipment, passengers and cargo
in the tow vehicle must be
subtracted from the maximum trailer
weight. Use the following chart to determine how much the vehicle can weigh,
based upon the vehicle model and options.
Vehicle Maximum Trailer
Weight with Trailer Brakes† GCWR*
L4 Engine, FWD 680 kg (1,500 lbs) 2 625 kg (5,787 lbs)
L4 Engine, AWD 680 kg (1,500 lbs) 2 700 kg (5,952 lbs)
V6 Engine, FWD 1 588 kg (3,500 lbs) 3 600 kg (7,937 lbs)
V6 Engine, AWD 1 588 kg (3,500 lbs) 3 700 kg (8,157 lbs)
† For trailers without trailer brakes the maximum trailer weight is 454 kg
(1,000 lbs) and the GCWR is 2 300 kg (5,071 lbs). See Towing Equipment
on page 8‑65for more information.
*The Gross Combination Weight
Rating (GCWR) is the total
allowable weight of the completely
loaded vehicle and trailer including
any passengers, cargo, equipment
and conversions. The GCWR for the
vehicle should not be exceeded. Ask your dealer/retailer for our
trailering information or advice. See
Customer Assistance Offices
on
page 12‑3for more information.

8-64 Driving and Operating
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is
an important weight to measure
because it affects the total gross
weight of the vehicle. The Gross
Vehicle Weight (GVW) includes the
curb weight of the vehicle, any
cargo carried in it, and the people
who will be riding in the vehicle.
If there are a lot of options,
equipment, passengers or cargo in
the vehicle, it will reduce the tongue
weight the vehicle can carry, which
will also reduce the trailer weight the
vehicle can tow. If towing a trailer,
the tongue load must be added to
the GVW because the vehicle will
be carrying that weight, too. See
Vehicle Load Limits on page 8‑22.
If a weight-carrying hitch or a
weight-distributing hitch is being
used, the trailer tongue (A) should
weigh 10 to 15 percent of the total
loaded trailer weight (B).
After loading the trailer, weigh the
trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they are not, adjustments
might be made by moving some
items around in the trailer.Trailering may be limited by the
vehicle's ability to carry tongue
weight. Tongue weight cannot cause
the vehicle to exceed the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) or
the RGAWR (Rear Gross Axle
Weight Rating). The effect of
additional weight may reduce the
trailering capacity more than the
total of the additional weight.
It is important that the vehicle
does not exceed any of its
ratings
—GCWR, GVWR, RGAWR,
Maximum Trailer Rating or Tongue
Weight. The only way to be sure it is
not exceeding any of these ratings
is to weigh the vehicle and trailer.

Driving and Operating 8-65
Total Weight on the
Vehicle's Tires
Inflate the vehicle's tires to the
upper limit for cold tires. These
numbers can be found on the
Certification label or seeVehicle
Load Limits
on page 8‑22for more
information. Do not go over the
GVW limit for the vehicle, or the
GAWR, including the weight of the
trailer tongue. If using a weight
distributing hitch, do not go over the
rear axle limit before applying the
weight distribution spring bars.
Towing Equipment
Hitches
Use the correct hitch equipment.
See your dealer/retailer or a hitch
dealer for assistance.
.The rear bumper on the vehicle
is not intended for hitches. Do
not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to it. Use
only a frame-mounted hitch that
does not attach to the bumper.
.Will any holes be made in the
body of the vehicle when the
trailer hitch is installed? If there
are, seal the holes when the
hitch is removed. If the holes are
not sealed, dirt, water, and
deadly carbon monoxide (CO)
from the exhaust can get into the
vehicle. See Engine Exhaust
on
page 8‑34.
Safety Chains
Always attach chains between the
vehicle and the trailer. Cross the
safety chains under the tongue of
the trailer to help prevent the tongue
from contacting the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch.
Leave enough slack so the rig can
turn. Never allow safety chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Does the trailer have its own
brakes? Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for the trailer brakes
so they are installed, adjusted and
maintained properly.
Because the vehicle has antilock
brakes, do not tap into the vehicle's
brake system. If this is done, both
brake systems will not work well,
or at all.

8-66 Driving and Operating
Trailer Sway
Control (TSC)
The vehicle has a Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) feature as part of the
StabiliTrak system. If TSC detects
that the trailer is swaying, the
vehicle's brakes are automatically
applied.
When TSC is applying the brakes,
the TCS/StabiliTrak indicator light
flashes to notify the driver to reduce
speed. SeeTraction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Lighton
page 4‑21. If the trailer continues to
sway, StabiliTrak will reduce engine
torque to help slow the vehicle.
TSC will not function if StabiliTrak is
turned off.
Conversions and
Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment
Notice: Do not add anything
electrical to the vehicle unless
you check with your dealer/
retailer first. Some electrical
equipment can damage the
vehicle and the damage would
not be covered by the vehicle's
warranty. Some add-on electrical
equipment can keep other
components from working as
they should. Add-on equipment can drain the
vehicle battery, even if the vehicle is
not operating.
The vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to add anything
electrical to the vehicle, see
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicleon page 2‑38and
Adding
Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 2‑38.

Vehicle Care 9-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 9-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Engine Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 9-12
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13 Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . 9-13
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Power Steering Fluid
(2.4L L4 Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Power Steering Fluid (3.0L V6 Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . 9-26
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . 9-28
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, Stoplamps,and Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . 9-34
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Electrical System
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . 9-46
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Tire Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49

9-2 Vehicle Care
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Tire Pressure MonitorSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . 9-76Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-81
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-81
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-85
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-89
General Information
For service and parts needs, visit
your dealer/retailer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:

Vehicle Care 9-3
California Proposition
65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this
one, contain and/or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. Engine
exhaust, many parts and systems,
many fluids, and some component
wear by-products contain and/or
emit these chemicals.
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt pretensioners,
and lithium batteries contained in
remote keyless transmitters, may
contain perchlorate materials.
Special handling may be necessary.
For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate.
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non‐dealer/non‐retailer
accessories to the vehicle can affect
vehicle performance and safety,
including such things as airbags,
braking, stability, ride and handling,
emissions systems, aerodynamics,
durability, and electronic systems
like antilock brakes, traction control,
and stability control. Some of these
accessories could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty.
Damage to vehicle components
resulting from the installation or use
of non‐GM certified parts, including
control module modifications, is not
covered under the terms of the
vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. Your GM
dealer/retailer can accessorize
the vehicle using genuine GM
Accessories. When you go to your
GM dealer/retailer and ask for GM
Accessories, you will know that
GM-trained and supported service
technicians will perform the work
using genuine GM Accessories.
Also, see
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
on
page 2‑38.

9-4 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own
Service Work
{WARNING
You can be injured and the
vehicle could be damaged if you
try to do service work on a vehicle
without knowing enough about it.
.Be sure you have sufficient
knowledge, experience,
the proper replacement
parts, and tools before
attempting any vehicle
maintenance task.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Be sure to use the proper
nuts, bolts, and other
fasteners. English and metric
fasteners can be easily
confused. If the wrong
fasteners are used, parts can
later break or fall off. You
could be hurt. If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, see
Service
Publications Ordering Information
on
page 12‑12.
This vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to do your own
service work, see Airbag System
Check on page 2‑40.
Keep a record with all parts receipts
and list the mileage and the date of
any service work performed. See
Maintenance Records
on
page 10‑10.

Vehicle Care 9-5
Hood
To open the hood:
1. Pull the release handle locatedbelow the instrument panel to
the left of the steering wheel.
2. Pull up on the secondary hoodrelease. The lever is near the
middle of the hood.
3. Lift the hood.
Before closing the hood, check all
filler caps are properly installed.

9-6 Vehicle Care
Engine Compartment Overview
2.4L L4 Engine