key BUICK CENTURY 2002 Owner's Manual

1-20
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect
the mother. When a safety belt is worn properly,
it's more likely that the fetus won't be hurt in a crash.
For pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger's
safety belt properly, see ªDriver Positionº earlier
in this section.
The right front passenger's safety belt works the same
way as the driver's safety belt
-- except for one thing.
If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the belt out all
the way, you will engage the child restraint locking
feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the
way and start again.
Air Bag Systems
This part explains the frontal and side impact air
bag systems.
Your vehicle has air bags
-- a frontal air bag for the
driver and another frontal air bag for the right front
passenger. Your vehicle may also have a side impact
air bag for the driver.If your vehicle has a side impact air bag for the driver it
will say AIR BAG on the air bag covering on the side of
the driver's seatback closest to the door.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk
of injury from the force of an inflating frontal air bag.
But these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.

1-28 Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
air bag systems. To purchase a service manual, see
ªService and Owner Publicationsº in the Index.
CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service. You
can be injured if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid yellow connectors. They are
probably part of the air bag systems. Be sure to
follow proper service procedures, and make sure
the person performing work for you is qualified
to do so.
The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has front and rear bench seats, someone
can sit in the center positions.

2-
2-1
Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
2
-2 Windows
2
-4 Keys
2
-6 Door Locks
2
-10 Remote Keyless Entry
2
-17 Trunk
2
-22 Theft
2
-23 PASS-Key
II
2
-24 New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
2
-24 Ignition Positions
2
-26 Starting Your Engine
2
-27 Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
2
-28 Automatic Transaxle Operation
2
-32 Parking Brake
2
-33 Shifting Into PARK (P)
2
-35 Shifting Out of PARK (P)
2
-35 Parking Over Things That Burn
2
-36 Engine Exhaust2
-36 Running Your Engine While You're Parked
2
-37 Horn
2
-37 Tilt Wheel
2
-38 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
-43 Exterior Lamps
2
-46 Interior Lamps
2
-48 Mirrors
2
-52 Storage Compartments
2
-54 Sun Visors
2
-54 Auxiliary Power Outlet (If Equipped)
2
-56 Auxiliary Power Connection (Power Drop)
2
-57 OnStar
System (If Equipped)
2
-61 Sunroof (Option)
2
-62 The Instrument Panel -- Your
Information System
2
-64 Instrument Panel Cluster
2
-66 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators

2-4
Keys
CAUTION:
Leaving children in a vehicle with the ignition
key is dangerous for many reasons. A child or
others could be badly injured or even killed.
They could operate the power windows or other
controls or even make the vehicle move. Don't
leave the keys in a vehicle with children.

2-5
The ignition key is for
the ignition only.
The door key is for the
doors and all other locks.
The ignition and door keys don't have plugs. Your
dealer or Buick Roadside Assistance has the code for
your keys.If you need a new ignition or door key, contact
your dealer who can obtain the correct key code.
Also, see ªRoadside Assistanceº in the Index for
more information.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle has a number of features that can
help prevent theft. But you can have a lot of
trouble getting into your vehicle if you ever
lock your keys inside. You may even have to
damage your vehicle to get in. So be sure you
have extra keys.
If your vehicle is equipped with the OnStar
system
with an active subscription and you lock your keys
inside the vehicle, OnStar may be able to send a
command to unlock your vehicle. See ªOnStarº in
the Index for more information.

2-6
Door Locks
CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.

Passengers -- especially children -- can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked,
the handle won't open it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash if the doors aren't locked.
So, wear safety belts properly and lock
the doors whenever you drive.

Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.

Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or stop
your vehicle. Locking your doors can help
prevent this from happening.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your door key or remote keyless
entry transmitter.
From the inside, to manually lock the door, push the
lever forward. To unlock, push the lever rearward.

2-8
Mode 4:

Automatic all
-door lock when the transaxle is
shifted out of PARK (P).

Automatic driver's door only unlock when the
transaxle is shifted into PARK (P).

Automatic door relock when any door is unlocked,
opened and then all doors are again closed while the
vehicle is not in PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and
the driver's foot is on the brake pedal.
Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was
programmed to Mode 3. The mode to which your
vehicle was programmed may have been changed since
it left the factory. To determine the programmable mode
to which your vehicle is programmed or to program
your vehicle to a different mode, do the following:
1. Turn the ignition key to RUN.
2. Close all of the doors.3. Apply your regular brakes.
4. Press and hold the power door lock switch in the
lock position. While holding the door lock switch
in the lock position, move the shift lever out of and
back into PARK (P).
After an initial transaxle cycle, each additional cycle
will advance the operating mode by one, starting from
the current operating mode. During this procedure, the
automatic door lock and unlock functions will operate
as defined by each mode listed previously, providing
the driver with feedback of the current operating mode.
If cycled beyond Mode 4, the vehicle will enter
operating Mode 1. When the door lock switch is
released, the vehicle will remain in the most recent
operating mode.
Disconnecting the vehicle's battery for up to a year will
not change the programmed mode for the programmable
automatic power door locks.

2-9 Rear-Door Child Security Locks
Your vehicle is equipped with rear-door child security
locks that help prevent passengers from opening the rear
doors of your vehicle from the inside. To use one of
these locks:
1. Open one of the rear doors.
2. On the inside of the rear
door will be a lock.
Insert your door key into
this lock and turn it
upward. This will
engage the safety lock.
To disengage the feature,
turn the lock downward.
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. If you want to
open the rear door when the security lock is on, unlock
the door from the inside and then open the door from
the outside.
Lockout Protection Feature
This feature prevents a driver who has left the key in the
vehicle's ignition from locking the doors by using the
power door locks while any door is open. The feature
works by disabling the power door locks when a key is
in the ignition and any door is open.
You may override the lockout protection feature by
holding the power door lock switch in the lock position
for more than three seconds while the key is in the
ignition and any door is open.
Remember, this feature can't guarantee that you'll
never be locked out of your vehicle. If you use the
manual door lock or if you don't leave the key in the
ignition, you could still lock your keys inside your
vehicle. Always remember to take your keys with you.
Leaving Your Vehicle
If you are leaving the vehicle, take your keys, open your
door and set the locks from inside. Then get out and
close the door. (Also see ªDelayed Lockingº in this
section for more information.)

2-10
Remote Keyless Entry
With this feature, you can lock and unlock your doors
or unlock your trunk from about 3 feet (1 m) up to
30 feet (9 m) away using the remote keyless entry
transmitter supplied with your vehicle.
Your remote keyless entry system operates on a
radio frequency subject to Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Rules and with Industry Canada.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
This device complies with RSS
-210 of Industry Canada.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.Changes or modifications to this system by other than
an authorized service facility could void authorization
to use this equipment.
At times you may notice a decrease in range. This is
normal for any remote keyless entry system. If the
transmitter does not work or if you have to stand closer
to your vehicle for the transmitter to work, try this:

Check the distance. You may be too far from your
vehicle. You may need to stand closer during rainy
or snowy weather.

Check the location. Other vehicles or objects may
be blocking the signal. Take a few steps to the left
or right, hold the transmitter higher, and try again.

Check to determine if battery replacement is
necessary. See the instructions that follow.

If you're still having trouble, see your dealer or
a qualified technician for service.

2-11 Operation
Press UNLOCK once to
unlock the driver's door and
to turn on the interior lamps
(see ªIllumination on
Remote Activationº in the
Index for more details).
Press UNLOCK again within five seconds to unlock all
the doors. To lock all doors, press LOCK. To unlock the
trunk, press the button with the trunk symbol on the
remote keyless entry transmitter. The trunk will only
unlock if your transaxle is in PARK (P).Panic Alarm
This feature allows you to activate an alarm by pressing
the panic button on the remote keyless entry transmitter.
Your ignition must be off for the panic alarm to work.
When you press the panic button with the horn symbol on
the remote keyless entry transmitter, the headlamps will
flash, the horn will honk repeatedly, and the interior lamps
will illuminate, attracting attention if you need it. The
alarm will continue until one of the following occurs:

You press the panic button on the remote keyless
entry transmitter a second time,

the ignition is moved to RUN, or

an alarm period of about two minutes has elapsed.
Security Feedback
Security feedback provides audible and/or visible
feedback that a remote keyless entry lock or unlock
command has been received and executed. The ignition
must be off for this feature to work.
You may select one of four operating modes for reception
of a lock command. You may also select one of four
operating modes for reception of an unlock command.
The selection and programming of the lock and unlock
operating modes are independent of each other.