child restraint BUICK LACROSSE 2007 Owner's Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems
....................... 7
Front Seats
.............................................. 9
Rear Seats
............................................. 14
Safety Belts
............................................ 16
Child Restraints
...................................... 39
Airbag System
........................................ 66
Restraint System Check
......................... 82
Features and Controls
................................ 85
Keys
....................................................... 87
Doors and Locks
.................................... 96
Windows
............................................... 102
Theft-Deterrent Systems
....................... 104
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
..... 109
Mirrors
.................................................. 124
OnStar
®System
................................... 126
Universal Home Remote System
.......... 130
Storage Areas
...................................... 141
Sunroof
................................................ 143Instrument Panel
....................................... 145
Instrument Panel Overview
................... 148
Climate Controls
................................... 168
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
.......................................... 179
Driver Information Center (DIC)
............ 199
Audio System(s)
................................... 238
Driving Your Vehicle
................................. 285
Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
..................................... 286
Towing
................................................. 325
Service and Appearance Care
.................. 337
Service
................................................. 340
Fuel
...................................................... 343
Checking Things Under
the Hood
........................................... 348
Headlamp Aiming
................................. 391
Bulb Replacement
................................ 394
2007 Buick LaCrosse Owner ManualM
1

Front Seats..................................................... 9
Power Seats................................................. 9
Power Lumbar............................................. 10
Heated Seats.............................................. 10
Reclining Seatbacks.................................... 11
Head Restraints.......................................... 13
Center Seat................................................ 14
Rear Seats.................................................... 14
Split Folding Rear Seat............................... 14
Safety Belts.................................................. 16
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone........... 16
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts............................................. 20
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly............. 21
Driver Position............................................. 22
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment................. 29
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy.............. 30
Right Front Passenger Position................... 30Center Front Passenger Position................. 31
Rear Seat Passengers................................ 32
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides................ 35
Safety Belt Pretensioners............................ 38
Safety Belt Extender................................... 38
Child Restraints............................................ 39
Older Children............................................. 39
Infants and Young Children......................... 42
Child Restraint Systems.............................. 45
Where to Put the Restraint.......................... 50
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH).................................... 51
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position................................... 58
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position....................... 61
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position......................... 61
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
7

Q:If I am a good driver, and I never drive far
from home, why should I wear safety
belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you are
in an accident — even one that is not your
fault — you and your passengers can be hurt.
Being a good driver does not protect you from
things beyond your control, such as bad
drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know
about safety belts and children. And there are
different rules for smaller children and babies.
If a child will be riding in your vehicle, seeOlder
Children on page 39orInfants and Young Children
on page 42. Follow those rules for everyone’s
protection.
First, you will want to know which restraint
systems your vehicle has.
We will start with the driver position.
21

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they do not wear
safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder
belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding, throughout the
pregnancy.The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is
more likely that the fetus will not 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, seeDriver Position on
page 22.
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.
When the safety belt is not in use, slide the latch
plate up so that it is stored on the safety belt
stitching, near the guide loop.
If your vehicle has a center passenger position, be
sure to use the correct buckle when buckling your
lap-shoulder belt. If the latch plate will not go fully
into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle for
the center passenger position.
30

Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the
driver and right front passenger. Although you
cannot see them, they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They help tighten the safety belts during
the early stages of a moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crash if the threshold conditions for
pretensioner activation are met.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a
crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably
other new parts for your safety belt system. See
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash on
page 83.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer
will order you an extender. When you go in to order
it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the
extender will be long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone else use it, and
use it only for the seat it is made to t. The extender
has been designed for adults. Never use it for
securing child seats. To wear it, just attach it to the
regular safety belt. For more information see the
instruction sheet that comes with the extender.
38

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety
belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt
and get the additional restraint a shoulder belt
can provide. The shoulder belt should not cross
the face or neck. The lap belt should t snugly
below the hips, just touching the top of the
thighs. It should never be worn over the
abdomen, which could cause severe or
even fatal internal injuries in a crash.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can
strike other people who are buckled up, or can be
thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need
to use safety belts properly.
39

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same
belt. The belt can not properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children
can be crushed together and seriously
injured. A belt must be used by only one
person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder
belt, but the child is so small that the
shoulder belt is very close to the child’s
face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
Also seeRear Safety Belt Comfort Guides on
page 35. If the child is sitting in the center rear
seat passenger position, move the child toward
the safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure
that the shoulder belt still is on the child’s
shoulder, so that in a crash the child’s upper
body would have the restraint that belts
provide.
40

Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This
includes infants and all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and size of the
traveler changes the need, for everyone, to use
safety restraints. In fact, the law in every state
in the United States and in every Canadian
province says children up to some age must
be restrained while in a vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped
around their neck and the safety belt
continues to tighten. Never leave children
unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have the protection provided
by appropriate restraints. Young children should
not use the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone,
unless there is no other choice. Instead, they
need to use a child restraint.
{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their
arms while riding in a vehicle. A baby
does not weigh much — until a crash.
During a crash a baby will become so
heavy it is not possible to hold it. For
example, in a crash at only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) baby will
suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force
on a person’s arms. A baby should be
secured in an appropriate restraint.
42

{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close
to, any airbag when it inates can be
seriously injured or killed. Airbags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer protection for
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
adults and older children, but not for
young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them. Young
children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide.
43

Q:What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by
the vehicle’s owner, are available in four basic
types. Selection of a particular restraint should
take into consideration not only the child’s
weight, height, and age but also whether or not
the restraint will be compatible with the motor
vehicle in which it will be used.
For most basic types of child restraints, there
are many different models available. When
purchasing a child restraint, be sure it is
designed to be used in a motor vehicle. If it is,
the restraint will have a label saying that it
meets federal motor vehicle safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that
come with the restraint state the weight and
height limitations for a particular child restraint.
In addition, there are many kinds of restraints
available for children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck.
This is necessary because a newborn
infant’s neck is weak and its head weighs
so much compared with the rest of its
body. In a crash, an infant in a rear-facing
seat settles into the restraint, so the crash
forces can be distributed across the
strongest part of an infant’s body, the back
and shoulders. Infants always should be
secured in appropriate infant restraints.
44