fuel BUICK LACROSSE 2010 Owner's Manual

2010 Buick LaCrosse Owner ManualM
Keys, Doors and Windows. . . 1-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 3-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 3-2 Instruments and Controls
. . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . 4-4
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 4-38
OnStar System
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-43
Universal Remote System . . . . 4-45
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 6-34
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 7-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 8-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 8-17
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 8-27
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 8-34
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
Object Detection Systems . . . . 8-40
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-49
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-54
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 8-60
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30

Introduction v
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means“Do
Not,” “Do not do this” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message, gage,
or indicator.
M: This symbol is shown when
you need to see your owner manual
for additional instructions or
information.
*: This symbol is shown when
you need to see a service manual
for additional instructions or
information. Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the index.
9:
Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid

Seats and Restraints 2-31
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 deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation 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.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, 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(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, 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.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate.
You can lock the doors, turn off the
interior lamps and hazard warning
flashers by using the controls for
those features.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a cash
has occurred.

Instruments and Controls 4-1
Instruments and
Controls
Instrument Panel Overview
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . 4-4
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 4-6
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 4-6
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 4-7
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 4-7
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Clock (Without DateDisplay) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
Clock (With Date Display) . . . . . 4-9
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Fuel Gage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 4-15
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 4-16
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Charging System Light . . . . . . 4-17
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20 Electric Parking Brake
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) Indicator Light . . . . . . . 4-22
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)/Traction Control
System (TCS) Indicator/
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 4-23
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 4-24
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24
High-Beam on Light . . . . . . . . . 4-24
Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24
Taillamp Indicator Light . . . . . . 4-25
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 4-25

4-2 Instruments and Controls
Information Displays
Driver InformationCenter (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . 4-28
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Battery Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . 4-33
Brake System Messages . . . . 4-33
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 4-33
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 4-34
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 4-34
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 4-35
Engine Power Messages . . . . 4-35
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 4-36
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 4-36
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36 Ride Control System
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Anti-Theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Transmission Messages . . . . . 4-37
Window Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 4-38
OnStar System®
OnStar®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-43
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-45
Universal Remote System Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-45
Universal Remote System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48

4-14 Instruments and Controls
Speedometer
The speedometer shows the
vehicle's speed in both kilometers
per hour (km/h) and miles per
hour (mph).
Odometer
The odometer shows how far the
vehicle has been driven, in either
kilometers or miles.
This vehicle has a tamper-resistant
odometer. If the vehicle needs a
new odometer installed, the new
one is set to the mileage of the old
odometer. If this is not possible, it is
set at zero and a label is put on the
driver's door to show the old
mileage reading.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine
speed in revolutions per
minute (rpm).
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on, the fuel
gage indicates about how much fuel
is left in the tank.
An arrow on the fuel gage indicates
the side of the vehicle the fuel door
is on.
When the indicator nears empty, the
low fuel light comes on. There is still
a little fuel left, but the fuel tank
should be filled soon.Here are four things that some
owners ask about. None of these
show a problem with the fuel gage:
.At the service station, the fuel
pump shuts off before the gage
reads full.
.It takes a little more or less fuel
to fill up than the gage indicated.
For example, the gage indicated
the tank was half full, but it
actually took a little more or less
than half the tank's capacity to
fill the tank.
.The gage moves a little while
turning a corner or speeding up.
.The gage takes a few seconds
to stabilize after the ignition is
turned on, and goes back to
empty when the ignition is
turned off.

Instruments and Controls 4-17
If the word OFF is lit on the airbag
status indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger
frontal airbag.
If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer/retailer for service.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light
on page 4‑16for more
information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
The charging system light comes on
briefly when the ignition is turned
on, but the engine is not running, as
a check to show the light is working.
It should go out when the engine is
started.
If the light stays on, or comes on
while driving, there could be a
problem with the electrical charging
system. Have it checked by your
dealer/retailer. Driving while this
light is on could drain the battery.
If a short distance must be driven
with the light on, be sure to turn off
all accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
Malfunction
Indicator Lamp
A computer system called OBD II
(On-Board Diagnostics-Second
Generation) monitors operation of
the fuel, ignition, and emission
control systems. It ensures that
emissions are at acceptable levels
for the life of the vehicle, helping to
produce a cleaner environment.
This light comes on when the
ignition is on, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show it is
working. If it does not, have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer/
retailer.

4-18 Instruments and Controls
If the check engine light comes on
and stays on, while the engine is
running, this indicates that there is
an OBD II problem and service is
required.
Malfunctions often are indicated by
the system before any problem is
apparent. Being aware of the light
can prevent more serious damage
to the vehicle. This system assists
the service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice:If the vehicle is
continually driven with this light
on, after a while, the emission
controls might not work as well,
the vehicle's fuel economy might
not be as good, and the engine
might not run as smoothly. This
could lead to costly repairs that
might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Notice:
Modifications made to the
engine, transmission, exhaust,
intake, or fuel system of the
vehicle or the replacement of the
original tires with other than
those of the same Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) can
affect the vehicle's emission
controls and can cause this light
to come on. Modifications to
these systems could lead to
costly repairs not covered by the
vehicle warranty. This could also
result in a failure to pass a
required Emission Inspection/
Maintenance test. See
Accessories and Modifications
on page 9‑3.
This light comes on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing: A misfire condition
has been detected. A misfire
increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control
system on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required. The following can prevent more
serious damage to the vehicle:
.Reduce vehicle speed.
.Avoid hard accelerations.
.Avoid steep uphill grades.
.If towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled as
soon as it is possible.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so, stop the vehicle.
Find a safe place to park the
vehicle. Turn the vehicle off, wait at
least 10 seconds, and restart the
engine. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps and see
your dealer/retailer for service as
soon as possible.
Light On Steady: An emission
control system malfunction has
been detected on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be
required.

Instruments and Controls 4-19
An emission system malfunction
might be corrected.
.Make sure the fuel cap is fully
installed. SeeFilling the Tankon
page 8‑52. The diagnostic
system can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap allows fuel to
evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap
properly installed should turn the
light off.
.If the vehicle has been driven
through a deep puddle of water,
the vehicle's electrical system
might be wet. The condition is
usually corrected when the
electrical system dries out. A few
driving trips should turn the
light off.
.Make sure to fuel the vehicle
with quality fuel. Poor fuel quality
causes the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed and may
cause: stalling after start-up,
stalling when the vehicle is
changed into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration,
or stumbling on acceleration.
These conditions might go away
once the engine is warmed up.
If one or more of these
conditions occurs, change the
fuel brand used. It will require at
least one full tank of the proper
fuel to turn the light off.
See Gasoline Specifications
on
page 8‑50.
If none of the above have made the
light turn off, your dealer/retailer can
check the vehicle. The dealer/
retailer has the proper test
equipment and diagnostic tools to
fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that might have
developed.
Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local
governments have or might begin
programs to inspect the emission
control equipment on the vehicle.
Failure to pass this inspection could
prevent getting a vehicle
registration.
Here are some things to know to
help the vehicle pass an inspection:
.The vehicle will not pass this
inspection if the check engine
light is on with the engine
running, or if the ignition is in
ON/RUN and the light is not on.
.The vehicle will not pass this
inspection if the OBD II
(on-board diagnostic) system
determines that critical emission
control systems have not been
completely diagnosed by the
system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for
inspection. This can happen if

4-24 Instruments and Controls
If the light comes on and stays on, it
means that oil is not flowing through
the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and might have
some other system problem. See
your dealer/retailer.
For vehicles with the uplevel cluster
this telltale displays in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) screen.
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light, below the fuel gage,
comes on briefly when the engine is
started.
If it does not come on have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer/
retailer. If the system is working
normally the indicator light then
goes off.This light also comes on when the
fuel tank is low on fuel. When fuel is
added the light should go off. If it
does not, have your vehicle
serviced.
For vehicles with the uplevel cluster,
this telltale displays in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) screen.
Security Light
This light flashes when the security
system is activated.
For more information, see
Vehicle
Security on page 1‑13.
For vehicles with the uplevel cluster
this telltale displays in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) screen.
High-Beam on Light
This light comes on when the
high-beam headlamps are on.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
on page 5‑2for more
information.
Fog Lamp Light
For vehicles with fog lamps, this
light comes on when the fog lamps
are on.