BUICK RAINIER 2004 Owner's Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-5
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-7
Child Restraints
.......................................1-26
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-45
Restraint System Check
............................1-55
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-17
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-19
Mirrors
....................................................2-31
OnStar
®System
......................................2-35
HomeLink®Transmitter
.............................2-36
Storage Areas
.........................................2-40
Sunroof
..................................................2-45
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-45
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-27
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-43
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-56Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-45
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-12
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-51
Rear Axle
...............................................5-51
Front Axle
...............................................5-53
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-54
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-56
Tires
......................................................5-59
Appearance Care
.....................................5-92
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-101
Electrical System
....................................5-102
Capacities and Specications
...................5-113
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-11
Index.................................................................1
2004 Buick Rainier Owner ManualM

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK,
the BUICK Emblem are registered trademarks and
the name Rainier is a trademark of General Motors
Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes after
that time without further 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.
Please keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be
there if you ever need it when you are on the road.
If you sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it
so the new owner can use it.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. B2438 A FIRST EDITION©
Copyright General Motors Corporation 07/14/03
All Rights Reserved
Canadian Owners
You can obtain a French language copy of this manual
from your dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning to
end when they rst receive their new vehicle. If you do
this, it will help you learn about the features and controls
for your vehicle. In this manual, you will nd that pictures
and words work together to explain things.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is in
the manual, and the page number where you will nd it.
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will nd a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you
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 don’t, you or others could be hurt.You will also nd a
circle with a slash
through it in this book.
This safety symbol
means “Don’t,”
“Don’t do this” or
“Don’t let this happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will nd these notices:
Notice:These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice will tell you about something that can damage
your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be
covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the
notice will tell you 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.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle.
They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle,
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 you may nd on your vehicle:
v

✍NOTES
vi

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Power Seats..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar...............................................1-2
Heated Seats.................................................1-3
Power Reclining Seatbacks..............................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-5
Rear Seats.......................................................1-5
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-5
Safety Belts.....................................................1-7
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-7
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-13
Driver Position..............................................1-13
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-19
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-20
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-20
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
for Children and Small Adults......................1-23
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-25
Child Restraints.............................................1-26
Older Children..............................................1-26
Infants and Young Children............................1-28
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-32
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-35Top Strap....................................................1-36
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-37
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-38
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Seat Position............................................1-42
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-43
Air Bag Systems............................................1-45
Where Are the Air Bags?...............................1-49
When Should an Air Bag Inate?....................1-51
What Makes an Air Bag Inate?.....................1-52
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?.....................1-52
What Will You See After an Air Bag
Inates?...................................................1-53
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle.........1-55
Restraint System Check..................................1-55
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-55
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-56
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Front Seats
Power Seats
The power seat
controls are located on
the outboard side of
the front seat cushions.
The horizontal control
adjusts the seat cushion
and the vertical control
adjusts the seatback.
Move the front of the horizontal seat control up or
down to adjust the front portion of the cushion.
Move the rear of the seat control up or down to
adjust the rear portion of the cushion.
Lift up or push down on the center of the seat
control to move the entire seat up or down.
To move the seat forward or rearward, slide the
seat control forward or rearward.
To recline the seatback, press the vertical control
rearward. To raise the seatback, press the vertical
control forward.
Power Lumbar
The seatback lumbar support can be adjusted by
moving a control located on the outboard side of the
seat cushions.
To increase or decrease support, hold the control
forward or rearward. Keep in mind that as your
seating position changes, as it may during long trips,
so should the position of your lumbar support. Adjust
the seat as needed.
1-2

Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have
heated front seats. The
buttons used to control
this feature are located
on the front door armrests.
The engine must be
running for the heated
seat feature to work.
To heat the entire seat, press the horizontal button with
the heated seat symbol. Press the button repeatedly
to cycle through the temperature settings of high,
medium, low and off. The indicator lights will glow to
designate the level of heat selected: three for high,
two for medium and one for low. The low setting warms
the seatback and cushion until the seat temperature
is near body temperature. The medium and high settings
heat the seatback and seat cushion to a slightly
higher temperature. You will be able to feel heat in
about two minutes.To heat only the seatback, press the button with the
words BACK ONLY. An indicator light on the switch will
glow to designate that only the seatback is being
heated. Additional presses will cycle through the heat
levels for the seatback only. Press the horizontal button
again to heat the whole seat.
The feature will shut off automatically when the ignition
is turned off.
1-3

Power Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicle may have this feature. The vertical power
seat control described earlier allows the seatback to
recline. SeePower Seats on page 1-2for more
information.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job
when you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job. In a crash,
you could go into it, receiving neck or other
injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In a crash
the belt could go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety belt
properly.
1-4