BUICK CENTURY 2005 Owner's Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-6
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-6
Child Restraints
.......................................1-27
Airbag System
.........................................1-49
Restraint System Check
............................1-58
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-17
Mirrors
....................................................2-29
OnStar
®System
......................................2-31
Storage Areas
.........................................2-33
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-18
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-28
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-44Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
........ 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-36
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-45
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-47
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-52
Tires
......................................................5-53
Appearance Care
.....................................5-82
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-90
Electrical System
......................................5-90
Capacities and Specications
.....................5-96
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index.................................................................1
2005 Buick Century Owner ManualM

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK,
the BUICK Emblem, and the name CENTURY are
registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in
the product after that time without notice. For vehicles
rst sold in Canada, substitute the name “General
Motors of Canada Limited” for Buick Motor Division
whenever it appears in this manual.
Keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be there if
you ever need it while you are on the road. If you
sell the vehicle, leave this manual in the vehicle.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 05CENTURY A First Edition©
Copyright General Motors Corporation 3/22/04
All Rights Reserved
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people read the owner manual from beginning to
end when they rst receive their new vehicle. If this
is done, it can help you learn about the features
and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work
together in the owner manual to explain things.
Index
A good place to quickly locate information about the
vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is
an alphabetical list of what is in the manual and
the page number where it can be found.
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
There are a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about
things that could hurt you if you were to ignore
the warning.
{CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is.
Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce
the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not,
you or others could be hurt.You will also nd a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Do Not,”
“Do Not do this” or “Do Not
let this happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this manual you will nd these notices:
Notice:These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice tells about something that can damage the
vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered
by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But
the notice will tell what to do to help avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors
or in different words.
There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or information
relating to a specic component, control, message,
gage, or indicator.
If you need help guring out a specic name of a
component, gage, or indicator, reference the
following topics:
Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
Features and Controls in Section 2
Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
Climate Controls in Section 3
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3
Audio System(s) in Section 3
Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle:
v

✍NOTES
vi

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Power Seat...................................................1-3
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-5
Rear Seats.......................................................1-6
Split Folding Rear Seat...................................1-6
Safety Belts.....................................................1-6
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-6
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-11
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-12
Driver Position..............................................1-12
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment.....................1-18
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-19
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-19
Center Passenger Position.............................1-20
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-21
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults..........................1-24
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-26
Child Restraints.............................................1-27
Older Children..............................................1-27
Infants and Young Children............................1-30
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-33Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-36
Top Strap....................................................1-37
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-39
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-42
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position.........................1-42
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center
Rear Seat Position....................................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-46
Airbag System...............................................1-49
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-52
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-54
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-55
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-55
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?.........................................1-56
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-58
Restraint System Check..................................1-58
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-58
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-59
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Front Seats
Manual Seats
{CAUTION:
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle
is moving. The sudden movement could startle
and confuse you, or make you push a pedal
when you do not want to. Adjust the driver’s
seat only when the vehicle is not moving.
Lift the bar located under the front of the passenger’s
seat to unlock the seat. Slide the seat to the desired
position and release the bar. Try to move the seat to
be sure it is locked into place.
1-2

Power Seat
If your vehicle has this feature, the power seat control is
located on the outboard side of the driver’s seat cushion.To adjust the power seat, do the following:
To move the seat forward or rearward, push the
control forward or rearward.
To raise or lower the entire seat, push the control
up or down.
To raise or lower the front of the seat, push the
front of the control up or down.
To raise or lower the rear of the seat, push the rear
of the control up or down.
1-3

Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the
outboard side of the seat and move the seatback
to where you want it. Release the lever to lock the
seatback. Pull up on the lever without pushing on the
seatback and the seatback will go to an upright position.But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
1-4