AUTOMATIC BUICK LESABRE 2005 Owner's Manual

What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?
After the airbag inates, it quickly deates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the airbag
inated. Some components of the airbag module will be
hot for a short time. These components include the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal airbag and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag. For vehicles with side impact airbags, the side of
the seatback closest to the driver’s and/or right front
passenger’s door will be hot. The parts of the bag that
come into contact with you may be warm, but not
too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from the vents in the deated airbags.
Airbag ination does not prevent the driver from seeing
or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe
to do so. If you have breathing problems but
can not get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the
airbags inate (if battery power is available). You can
lock the doors again and turn the interior lamps off
by using the door lock and interior lamp controls.
1-54

Keys...............................................................2-3
Remote Keyless Entry System.........................2-5
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation...........2-6
Doors and Locks............................................2-10
Door Locks..................................................2-10
Central Door Unlocking System......................2-11
Power Door Locks........................................2-11
Door Ajar Reminder......................................2-11
Delayed Locking...........................................2-11
Programmable Automatic Door Locks..............2-12
Rear Door Security Locks..............................2-13
Lockout Protection........................................2-14
Trunk..........................................................2-14
Windows........................................................2-16
Power Windows............................................2-17
Sun Visors...................................................2-17
Theft-Deterrent Systems..................................2-18
Content Theft-Deterrent.................................2-18
PASS-Key
®III ..............................................2-19
PASS-Key®III Operation...............................2-20
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle................2-21
New Vehicle Break-In....................................2-21
Ignition Positions..........................................2-22Retained Accessory Power (RAP)...................2-23
Starting Your Engine.....................................2-23
Engine Coolant Heater..................................2-24
Automatic Transaxle Operation.......................2-25
Parking Brake..............................................2-27
Shifting Into Park (P).....................................2-28
Shifting Out of Park (P).................................2-30
Parking Over Things That Burn.......................2-30
Engine Exhaust............................................2-31
Running Your Engine While You
Are Parked...............................................2-31
Mirrors...........................................................2-32
Manual Rearview Mirror.................................2-32
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror................2-32
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
with Compass...........................................2-33
Outside Power Mirrors...................................2-35
Outside Curb View Assist Mirror.....................2-36
Outside Convex Mirror...................................2-36
Outside Automatic Dimming Heated Mirror........2-36
OnStar®System.............................................2-37
HomeLink®Transmitter...................................2-38
Programming the HomeLink®Transmitter.........2-39
Section 2 Features and Controls
2-1

Personalization Features
The following features, if available on your vehicle, can
be programmed to each driver’s preference.
Automatic Door Locks:This feature programs
your door locks to automatically lock or unlock
when shifting in and out of PARK (P).
Security Feedback:This feature provides feedback
to the driver when the vehicle receives a command
from the remote keyless entry transmitter.
Delayed Locking:This feature allows for a
ve second delay in locking the doors after
the closing of the last door.
Perimeter Lighting:This feature provides for the
daytime running lamps (DRL), parking lamps and
the back-up lamps to turn on when the unlock
button on the remote keyless entry transmitter
is pressed.
For more detailed information and programming
instructions, refer toDIC Vehicle Personalization on
page 3-51for each individual feature listed above.
Security Feedback
This feature provides feedback when the vehicle
receives a command from the remote keyless entry
transmitter. Feedback is only provided if all doors are
closed, the ignition is off and the Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) is inactive. One of the following modes
may be selected for each transmitter:
Mode 1:No feedback when locking or
unlocking vehicle.
Mode 2:Parking lamps, back-up lamps and the DRL
exterior lamps will ash twice when unlocking the vehicle
and ash once when locking the vehicle.
Mode 3:Horn chirps when all doors are unlocked
(second time the button is pressed) and when locking
the vehicle.
Mode 4:Parking lamps, back-up lamps and the DRL
exterior lamps will ash twice each time the unlock
button is pressed; the horn chirps when all doors are
unlocked. Parking lamps and the DRL exterior
lamps ash once and the horn chirps when locking
the vehicle.
The exterior lamps will not ash if the manual parking
lamps are on.
2-7

Central Door Unlocking System
If your vehicle has a theft-deterrent system, all doors
will unlock if the key is held in the outside key cylinder
unlock position for more than two seconds. The
doors will also unlock if the key is turned to the unlock
position twice in three seconds.
Power Door Locks
With power door locks, you can lock or unlock all the
doors on your vehicle.
The power door lock
switches are located on
the driver’s and front
passenger’s door panels.
Door Ajar Reminder
If your vehicle is equipped with the Driver Information
Center (DIC), and a door is not fully closed, the DIC will
display a DOOR AJAR message. SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-47.
Delayed Locking
This feature lets the driver delay the actual locking of
the vehicle. When the driver’s power door lock switch or
remote keyless entry lock button is pressed with the
key removed from the ignition, and the driver’s
door open, a chime will sound three times to signal that
the delayed locking system is active. When all doors
have been closed, the doors will lock automatically after
ve seconds. If any door is opened before this, the
ve-second timer will reset itself once all the doors have
been closed again.
Pressing the driver’s or passenger’s power door lock
switch or the remote keyless entry transmitter button
again will override this feature.
2-11

Personal Choice Programming
The delayed locking feature can be turned on or off.
If your vehicle is equipped with the DIC, you must use it
to program this feature. SeeDriver Information Center
(DIC) on page 3-47.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC, use the
following procedure to change modes:
1. Close all the doors and turn the ignition to RUN.
Keep all doors closed throughout this procedure.
2. Press and hold LOCK on the driver’s power door
lock switch throughout this procedure. All the
doors will lock.
3. Press the unlock button on the transmitter. The lock
delay is still off and all doors will remain locked.
4. Press the unlock button on the transmitter again.
Lock delay is now active and all doors will unlock.
5. Release the power door lock switch.
To turn this feature off, repeat the previous procedure.
This procedure only changes the mode for the
transmitter used to change this setting.
Programmable Automatic
Door Locks
Close the doors and turn the ignition to RUN. Every
time you move the shift lever out of PARK (P), all of the
doors will lock. And, every time you stop and move
the shift lever into PARK (P), the doors will unlock. If
someone needs to get out while you’re not in PARK (P),
have that person use the manual door lock control or
power door lock switch. When the door is closed again,
it will not lock automatically. If you need to lock the
doors before shifting out of PARK (P), use the manual
door lock control or power door lock switch.
Personalization Programming
You can program the automatic door locks feature to
change to the following modes:
Mode 0:No automatic door lock or unlock.
Mode 1:All doors automatically lock when shifted out
of PARK (P). No automatic door unlock.
Mode 2:All doors automatically lock when shifted out
of PARK (P). Only the driver’s door automatically
unlocks when shifted into PARK (P).
Mode 3:All doors automatically lock when shifted out
of PARK (P). All doors automatically unlock when shifted
into PARK (P).
2-12

If your vehicle is equipped with the DIC, you must use
it to program this feature. SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-47.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC, use the
following procedure to change modes:
1. Close all the doors and turn the ignition to RUN.
Keep all doors closed throughout this procedure.
2. Press and hold LOCK on the driver’s power door
lock switch throughout this procedure. All the
doors will lock.
3. Press the lock button on the remote keyless entry
transmitter. The automatic door locks will remain in
the current mode.
4. Press the lock button on the transmitter again. Each
time this button is pressed, the mode will advance
by one, going from 3 to 0 to 1, etc.
The door locks will cycle according to the mode
entered while customizing the memory door locks.
(Mode 0 has no feedback.)
5. Release the power door lock switch. The
automatic door locks will remain in the most
recent mode selected.
This procedure only changes the mode for the
transmitter used to change this setting.Rear Door Security Locks
Your vehicle is equipped
with rear door security
locks that prevent
passengers from opening
the rear doors of your
vehicle from the inside.
To use one of these locks, do the following:
1. Open the rear door you want to lock.
2. Move the lever located on the inside door edge, all
the way to the lock symbol.
3. Close the door.
4. Do the same thing to the other rear door lock.
The rear doors of your vehicle cannot be opened from
the inside when this feature is in use.
2-13

Power Windows
The power window controls located on the driver’s door
armrest operate each of the windows while the
ignition is in RUN, ACCESSORY, or while Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) is active. SeeRetained
Accessory Power (RAP) on page 2-23. In addition, each
passenger door has a control for its own window.
Express-Down Window
The driver’s and front passenger’s windows have an
express-down feature. Pull the AUTO control back
all the way; release it and the window will lowerautomatically. To stop the window from lowering, pull
the AUTO control again. To partially open the window,
pull the AUTO control back slightly. To raise the
window, push and hold the AUTO control forward.
Window Lock Out
Press the LOCK button on the driver’s door armrest to
disable all passenger window controls. The driver’s
window controls will still be operable. If you have
a Driver Information Center (DIC), you can also set the
control to only lock out the rear window controls.
SeeDriver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-47.
Press the LOCK button again to allow passengers to use
their window controls.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, swing down the visor. The visors
can also be removed from the center mount and moved
to the side to block glare from the side.
Lighted Visor Vanity Mirror
When you open the cover to the passenger’s visor
vanity mirror, the lamp will turn on.
Your vehicle may also have a lighted driver’s visor
vanity mirror.
2-17

How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Your automatic transaxle has a shift lever located on
the steering column.
PARK (P):This position locks your front wheels. It is
the best position to use when you start your engine
because your vehicle cannot move easily.
{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured. To
be sure your vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground, always set your
parking brake and move the shift lever to
PARK (P). SeeShifting Into Park (P) on
page 2-28. If you are pulling a trailer, see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-38.
Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before starting
the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift
lock control system. You have to fully apply your regular
brakes before you can shift from PARK (P) while the
ignition is in RUN. If you cannot shift out of PARK (P),
ease pressure on the shift lever and push the shift lever
all the way into PARK (P) as you maintain brake
application. Then move the shift lever into the gear you
want. SeeShifting Out of Park (P) on page 2-30.
2-25

REVERSE (R):Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage the transaxle.
The repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, seeIf
You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-30.
NEUTRAL (N):In this position, your engine does not
connect with the wheels. To restart when you are
already moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
{CAUTION:
Shifting into a drive gear while your engine is
running at high speed is dangerous. Unless
your foot is rmly on the brake pedal, your
vehicle could move very rapidly. You could
lose control and hit people or objects. Do not
shift into a drive gear while your engine is
running at high speed.Notice:Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
with the engine racing may damage the transaxle.
The repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Be sure the engine is not racing when shifting
your vehicle.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
X):This position is for
normal driving. If you need more power for passing, and
you are:
Going less than about 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You will shift down to the next gear and have
more power.
THIRD (3):This position is also used for normal driving.
However, it offers more power and lower fuel economy
than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
X).
Here are some times you might choose THIRD (3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
X):
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
When going down a steep hill.
2-26

SECOND (2):This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy than THIRD (3). You can use
SECOND (2) on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want to use your brakes off and on.
Notice:Driving in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (40 km) or at speeds over 55 mph (90 km/h)
may damage the transaxle. Also, shifting into
SECOND (2) at speeds above 65 mph (105 km/h) can
cause damage. Drive in THIRD (3) or AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (
X)instead of SECOND (2).
FIRST (1):This position gives you even more power
but lower fuel economy than SECOND (2). You can use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
shift lever is put in FIRST (1), the transaxle will not shift
into rst gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in
one place on a hill using only the accelerator
pedal may damage the transaxle. If you are stuck,
do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill,
use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.
Parking Brake
This vehicle has a PUSH
TO RELEASE parking
brake pedal. To set
the parking brake, hold the
regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking
brake pedal with your
left foot.
If the ignition is in RUN or OFF, the brake system
warning light will turn on while the parking brake is set.
The parking brake uses the brakes on the rear wheels.
2-27