wheel GMC YUKON 2012 Owner's Guide

Black plate (8,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
7-8 Infotainment System
4(Information) (RDS Features):
For vehicles with RDS features,
press
4to display additional text
information related to the current
FM-RDS station. If information is
available, the song title information
displays on the top line of the
display and artist information
displays on the bottom line. When
information is not available, “NO
INFO” displays.
Finding a Station
BAND: Press to switch between
AM, FM, or XM™, if equipped.
f(Tune): Turn to manually select
radio stations.
©SEEK: Press to seek the
previous radio station. Press and
hold for a few seconds until a beep
sounds to scan for radio stations
in descending order, press the
©SEEK button again to stop
scanning radio stations. The radio
only seeks and scans stations with
a strong signal that are in the
selected band.
¨SEEK: Press to seek the next
radio station. Press and hold for a
few seconds until a beep sounds to
scan for radio stations in ascending
order, press the
¨SEEK button
again to stop scanning radio
stations. The radio only seeks and
scans stations with a strong signal
that are in the selected band.
sREV: Press to manually tune to
a radio station in descending order.
\FWD: Press to manually tune to
a radio station in ascending order.
FAV (Favorites): Press to select
different favorite pages for stored
radio stations.
Storing Radio Stations
Drivers are encouraged to store
radio station while the vehicle is
parked, see Defensive Driving on
page 9‑3. Tune to stored radio
stations using the presets, favorites
button, and steering wheel controls,
if the vehicle has this feature. Up to 36 stations can be
programmed as favorites using the
sixbutton. Press the FAV button 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,
if equipped, stations.
Storing a Radio Station as a
Favorite
To store a station as a favorite:
1. Tune to a radio station.
2. Press the FAV button to display
the page where the station will
be stored.
3. Press and hold one of the six softkeys until a beep sounds.
4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 to store additional radio stations.

Black plate (10,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
7-10 Infotainment System
FAV (Favorites):Press to select
different favorites pages for stored
radio stations.
CAT (Category): The CAT button is
used to find XM channels when the
radio is in the XM mode.
Finding a Category (CAT)
Station
To find XM channels in a category:
1. Press the CAT button to display the category tabs. Continue
pressing the CAT button until the
desired category name displays.
.Radios with CD and DVD
can also navigate the
category list by pressing the
\FWD or thesREV
buttons.
2. Press either of the two softkeys below the desired category tab
to immediately tune to the first
XM station in that category. To go to the previous or next XM
station in the selected category,
do one of the following:
.Turn thefknob.
.Press the softkey below the
right or left arrows in the
category tab.
.Press©SEEK or¨SEEK.
3. To exit the category search mode, press the FAV button or
BAND button to display the
favorites again.
Adding and Removing Categories
Categories cannot be added or
removed while the vehicle is moving
faster than 8 km/h (5 mph).
To add or remove a category:
1. Press the MENU button.
2. Press the softkey located below the XM CAT tab.
3. Turn the
fknob to display the
category to add or remove. 4. Press the softkey located under
the Add or Remove tab.
To restore all removed
categories, press the softkey
under the Restore All tab.
5. Repeat the steps to remove more categories.
Storing XM Channels
Drivers are encouraged to store
XM channels while the vehicle is
parked; see Defensive Driving on
page 9‑3. Tune to stored radio
stations using the presets, favorites
button, and steering wheel controls,
if the vehicle has this feature.
Up to 36 stations can be
programmed as favorites using the
six softkeys below the radio station
frequency tabs and by using the
FAV button. Press the FAV button 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,
if equipped, stations.

Black plate (48,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
7-48 Infotainment System
When to Speak:A short tone
sounds after the system responds
indicating when it is waiting for a
voice command. Wait until the tone
and then speak.
How to Speak: Speak clearly in a
calm and natural voice.
Audio System
When using the in‐vehicle Bluetooth
system, sound comes through the
vehicle's front audio system
speakers and overrides 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
Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2 for more information.
b/g(Mute/Push To Talk): Press
to answer incoming calls, confirm
system information, and start
speech recognition.
c/x(End): Press to end a call,
reject a call, or cancel an operation.
Pairing
A Bluetooth enabled cell phone
must be paired to the Bluetooth
system and then connected to the
vehicle before it can be used. See
the cell phone manufacturer's 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 equipped. See OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1 for more
information.
Pairing Information
.A Bluetooth phone with MP3
capability cannot be paired to
the vehicle as a phone and an
MP3 player at the same time.
.Up to five cell phones can be
paired to the Bluetooth system.
.The pairing process is disabled
when the vehicle is moving.
.Pairing only needs to be
completed once, unless the
pairing information on the cell
phone changes or the cell phone
is deleted from the system.
.Only one paired cell phone can
be connected to the Bluetooth
system at a time.
.If multiple paired cell phones are
within range of the system, the
system connects to the first
available paired cell phone in the
order that they were first paired
to the system. To connect to a
different paired phone, see
“Connecting to a Different
Phone” later in this section.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-1
Climate Controls
Climate Control Systems
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Dual Automatic Climate ControlSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Rear Climate Control System (Rear Climate
Control Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Rear Climate Control System (Rear Climate with Rear Seat
Audio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Air Vents
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Climate Control Systems
The heating, cooling, and ventilation in the vehicle can be controlled with
this system.
A. Fan Control
B. REAR (Rear Climate Control)
C. Recirculation
D. Air Delivery Mode Control
E. Air Conditioning F. Driver and Passenger
Temperature Controls
G. Rear Window Defogger
Temperature Control: Move the
thumbwheels up or down to
increase or decrease the
temperature on the driver side or
the passenger side of the vehicle for
the dual zone system.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL 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 . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
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 . . . . . . . . 9-11
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 9-13
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-15
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-21
Adjustable Throttle and BrakePedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22 Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Active Fuel Management
®. . . 9-29
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-31
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive (Two SpeedAutomatic
Transfer Case) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Four-Wheel Drive (Single Speed Automatic
Transfer Case) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 9-46
Ride Control Systems
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Continuous Damping Control (CDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Automatic Level Control . . . . . 9-50
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-53
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Gasoline Specifications (U.S.and Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . 9-62

Black plate (2,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-2 Driving and Operating
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-62
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-64
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-72
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-76
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-86
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-86
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 9-86
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.

Black plate (4,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-4 Driving and Operating
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three‐fourths of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Hydraulic Power Steering
Your vehicle has hydraulic power
steering. It may require
maintenance. See Power Steering
Fluid
Power Steering Fluid on
page 10‑24.
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or the
power steering system is not
functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but may required increased
effort. See your dealer if there is a
problem.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see the
hybrid supplement for more
information.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
.Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
.Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve
.Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
.Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
.Antilock Brake System (ABS)
allows steering while braking.

Black plate (5,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-5
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator andthen, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge. 3. Then turn the steering wheel to
go straight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three
control systems:
.Braking Skid —wheels are not
rolling.
.Steering or Cornering
Skid —too much speed or
steering in a curve causes tires
to slip and lose cornering force.
.Acceleration Skid —too much
throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids
by taking reasonable care suited to
existing conditions, and by not
overdriving those conditions. But
skids are always possible. If the vehicle starts to slide, follow
these suggestions:
.Ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly
steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. The vehicle may
straighten out. Be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
.Slow down and adjust your
driving according to weather
conditions. Stopping distance
can be longer and vehicle
control can be affected when
traction is reduced by water,
snow, ice, gravel, or other
material on the road. Learn to
recognize warning clues
—such
as enough water, ice, or packed
snow on the road to make a
mirrored surface —and slow
down when you have any doubt.

Black plate (6,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-6 Driving and Operating
.Try to avoid sudden steering,
acceleration, or braking,
including reducing vehicle speed
by shifting to a lower gear. Any
sudden changes could cause
the tires to slide.
Remember: Antilock brakes help
avoid only the braking skid.
Off-Road Driving
Four-wheel-drive vehicles can be
used for off-road driving. Vehicles
without four-wheel drive and
vehicles not equipped with All
Terrain (AT) or On-Off Road (OOR)
tires must not be driven off-road
except on a level, solid surface. To
contact the tire manufacturer for
more information about the original
equipment tires, see the Limited
Warranty and Owner Assistance
Information manual. Controlling the vehicle is the key to
successful off-road driving. One of
the best ways to control the vehicle
is to control the speed.
{WARNING
When driving off-road, bouncing
and quick changes in direction
can easily throw you out of
position. This could cause you to
lose control and crash. You and
your passengers should always
wear safety belts.
Before Driving Off-Road
.Have all necessary maintenance
and service work completed.
.Fuel the vehicle, fill fluid levels,
and check inflation pressure in
all tires, including the spare,
if equipped.
.Read all the information about
four-wheel-drive vehicles in this
manual.
.Make sure all underbody
shields, if equipped, are properly
attached.
.Know the local laws that apply to
off-road driving.
To gain more ground clearance if
needed, it may be necessary to
remove the front fascia lower
air dam.
Notice: Operating the vehicle for
extended periods without the
front fascia lower air dam
installed can cause improper air
flow to the engine. Re‐attach the
front fascia air dam after off-road
driving.

Black plate (8,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-8 Driving and Operating
When driving on hills:
.Use a low gear and keep a firm
grip on the steering wheel.
.Maintain a slow speed.
.When possible, drive straight up
or down the hill.
.Slow down when approaching
the top of the hill.
.Use headlamps even during the
day to make the vehicle more
visible.
{WARNING
Driving to the top of a hill at high
speed can cause an accident.
There could be a drop-off,
embankment, cliff, or even
another vehicle. You could be
seriously injured or killed. As you
near the top of a hill, slow down
and stay alert.
.Never go downhill forward or
backward with either the
transmission or transfer case in
N (Neutral). The brakes could
overheat and you could lose
control.
{WARNING
If the vehicle has the two‐speed
automatic transfer case, shifting
the transfer case to N (Neutral)
can cause your vehicle to roll
even if the transmission is in
P (Park). This is because the
N (Neutral) position on the
transfer case overrides the
transmission. You or someone
else could be injured. If leaving
the vehicle, set the parking brake
and shift the transmission to
P (Park). Shift the transfer case to
any position but N (Neutral).
.When driving down a hill, keep
the vehicle headed straight
down. Use a low gear because
the engine will work with the
brakes to slow the vehicle and
help keep the vehicle under
control.
{WARNING
Heavy braking when going down
a hill can cause your brakes to
overheat and fade. This could
cause loss of control and you or
others could be injured or killed.
Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low
gear to keep vehicle speed under
control.
If the vehicle stalls on a hill:
1. Apply the brakes to stop the vehicle, and then apply the
parking brake.