window 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

{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

A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system.
Some booster seats have a shoulder belt
positioner, and some high-back booster seats have
a ve-point harness. A booster seat can also help a
child to see out the window.
Q:How Should I Use a Child Restraint?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed
for use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or
position children. A built-in child restraint
system is a permanent part of the motor
vehicle. An add-on child restraint system is
a portable one, which is purchased by the
vehicle’s owner. To help reduce injuries, an
add-on child restraint must be secured in the
vehicle. With built-in or add-on child restraints,
the child has to be secured within the child
restraint.
When choosing an add-on child restraint, be
sure the child restraint is designed to be used in
a vehicle. If it is, it will have a label saying that it
meets federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint.
You may nd these instructions on the restraint
itself or in a booklet, or both.
47

Airbag System
Your vehicle has a frontal airbag for the driver and a
frontal airbag for the right front passenger. Your
vehicle may also have roof-mounted side impact
airbags. Roof-mounted side impact airbags are
available for the driver and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver and for the right front
passenger and the passenger seated directly
behind that passenger.
If your vehicle has roof-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on
the airbag covering on the ceiling near the
side windows.
Airbags are designed to supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Even though today’s
airbags are also designed to help reduce the risk
of injury from the force of an inating bag, all
airbags must inate very quickly to do their job.Here are the most important things to know about
the airbag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a
crash if you are not wearing your safety
belt — even if you have airbags. Wearing
your safety belt during a crash helps
reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it.
Airbags are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. All airbags are designed
to work with safety belts but do not
replace them.
Frontal airbags for the driver and right
front passenger are designed to deploy in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They are not designed to inate in
CAUTION: (Continued)
66

The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver and the person seated directly
behind the driver, it is located in the ceiling
above the side windows.
69

If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front passenger and the person
directly behind that passenger, it is located in
the ceiling above the side windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant
and an airbag, the bag might not inate
properly or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury or even
death. The path of an inating airbag must
be kept clear. Do not put anything between
an occupant and an airbag, and do not
attach or put anything on the steering
wheel hub or on or near any other airbag
covering. And, if your vehicle has
roof-mounted side impact airbags, never
secure anything to the roof of your vehicle
by routing the rope or tie down through any
door or window opening. If you do, the path
of an inating side impact airbag will be
blocked. The path of an inating airbag
must be kept clear.
70

In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have inated simply because
of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the
repair costs were. For frontal airbags, ination is
determined by what the vehicle hits, the angle
of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows
down. For roof-mounted side impact airbags,
ination is determined by the location and severity
of the impact.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is in a
crash. The sensing system triggers a release of
gas from the inator, which inates the airbag. The
inator, airbag, and related hardware are all part of
the airbag modules inside the steering wheel and in
the instrument panel in front of the right front
passenger. For vehicles with roof-mounted side
impact airbags, there are also airbag modules in
the ceiling of the vehicle, near the side windows.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the
steering wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate
to severe side collisions, even belted occupants
can contact the inside of the vehicle. Airbags
supplement the protection provided by safety belts.
Airbags distribute the force of the impact more
evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. But the frontal airbags
would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts, and many side
impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is
not toward the airbag. Side impact airbags would
not help you in many types of collisions, including
many frontal or near frontal collisions, rollovers,
and rear impacts.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts, and then
only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions for the driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe side
collisions for vehicles with side impact airbags.
73

What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After a frontal airbag inates, it quickly deates, so
quickly that some people may not even realize the
airbag inated. Roof-mounted side impact airbags
may still be at least partially inated minutes after
the vehicle comes to rest. Some components of the
airbag module — the steering wheel hub for the
driver’s airbag, the instrument panel for the right
front passenger’s airbag, or the ceiling of your
vehicle near the side windows for vehicles with
roof–mounted side impact airbags — may be hot for
a short time. The parts of the airbag that come into
contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to
touch. There may be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deated airbags. Airbag
ination does not prevent the driver from seeing out
of the windshield or being able to steer the vehicle,
nor does it prevent people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there may be
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 cannot 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 may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on, and
turn on the hazard warning ashers when the
airbags inate. You can lock the doors again, turn
the interior lamps off, and turn the hazard warning
ashers off by using the controls for those features.
74

Restraint System Check
Checking the Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder
light and all your belts, buckles, latch plates,
retractors and anchorages are working properly.
Look for any other loose or damaged safety
belt system parts. If you see anything that might
keep a safety belt system from doing its job, have
it repaired. SeeCare of Safety Belts on page 442
for more information.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in
a crash. They can rip apart under impact forces.
If a belt is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.Also look for any opened or broken airbag covers,
and have them repaired or replaced. The airbag
system does not need regular maintenance.
Notice:If you damage the covering for the
driver’s or the right front passenger’s airbag, or
the side impact airbag covering (if equipped) on
the ceiling near the side windows, the airbag
may not work properly. You may have to replace
the airbag module in the steering wheel, both
the airbag module and the instrument panel for
the right front passenger’s airbag, or side
impact airbag module and ceiling covering for
roof-mounted side impact airbags (if equipped.)
Do not open or break the airbag coverings.
82

Keys.............................................................. 87
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System.......... 89
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation................................................. 90
Doors and Locks.......................................... 96
Door Locks................................................. 96
Power Door Locks....................................... 97
Delayed Locking.......................................... 97
Automatic Door Lock................................... 98
Programmable Automatic Door Unlock........ 98
Rear Door Security Locks........................... 98
Lockout Protection....................................... 99
Trunk........................................................ 100
Windows...................................................... 102
Power Windows........................................ 103
Sun Visors................................................ 104
Theft-Deterrent Systems............................. 104
Content Theft-Deterrent............................. 104
PASS-Key
®III ........................................... 106
PASS-Key®III Operation........................... 107Starting and Operating Your Vehicle......... 109
New Vehicle Break-In................................ 109
Ignition Positions....................................... 109
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)............. 110
Starting the Engine.................................... 111
Engine Coolant Heater.............................. 112
Automatic Transaxle Operation.................. 114
Parking Brake........................................... 117
Shifting Into Park (P) ................................. 118
Shifting Out of Park (P)............................. 120
Parking Over Things That Burn................. 121
Engine Exhaust......................................... 122
Running the Engine While Parked............. 123
Mirrors......................................................... 124
Manual Rearview Mirror............................. 124
Manual Rearview Mirror with OnStar
®....... 124
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror.......... 124
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
with OnStar
®.......................................... 125
Outside Power Mirrors............................... 125
Outside Power Heated Mirrors................... 126
Outside Convex Mirror............................... 126
Section 2 Features and Controls
85