BUICK LACROSSE 2011 Owner's Manual

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Storage 4-1
Storage
Storage Compartments
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Front Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Center Console Storage . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Storage
Compartments
Glove Box
The glove box is located on the
passenger side of the instrument
panel. Lift up on the lever to open it.
Cupholders
There are removable cupholders
located in the center console.
Slide the cover (A) to access the
cupholders. Cupholders are also
located in the rear armrest.
Front Storage
The driver's storage compartment
is located near the left side of the
steering column on the bottom of
the instrument panel. Pull the cover
down to open.
Center Console Storage
The armrest can be adjusted by
sliding it to the desired position.
The center console has an upper
tray and a lower main storage area.

Black plate (2,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
4-2 Storage
To access the main storage area,
adjust the armrest to the rear
position and push button (A) to
open. Push button (B) to access
the upper tray.
An accessory power outlet is in the
lower area. SeePower Outlets on
page 5‑7.
Some vehicles might also have
input jacks for auxiliary audio
devices. See Auxiliary Devices
(Radio with CD) on page 7‑31
or Auxiliary Devices (Radio with
CD/DVD and MEM) on page 7‑34.Additional Storage
Features
Convenience Net
Use the convenience net located in
the trunk to store small loads as far
forward as possible. The net should
not be used to store heavy loads.
Attach the loops on each corner of
the net to the hooks located on the
sides of the trunk.

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-3
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock (Without DateDisplay) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock (With Date Display) . . . . . 5-6
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11 Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-14
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-14
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-16
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Indicator Light . . . . . . . 5-22
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)/Traction Control
System (TCS) Indicator/
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22 Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-23
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-24
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-25
Taillamp Indicator Light . . . . . . 5-25
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . 5-29
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Battery Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-33
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-34
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35

Black plate (2,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-2 Instruments and Controls
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-36
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-36
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-36
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Object Detection SystemMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Anti-Theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-38
Window Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 5-39
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . 5-45
Universal Remote System Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Universal Remote System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Controls
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever (A) down.
2. Move the steering wheel up
or down.
3. Pull or push the steering wheel closer or away from you.
4. Pull the lever (A) up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Steering Wheel Controls
For vehicles with audio steering
wheel controls, some audio controls
can be adjusted at the steering
wheel.
b g(Push to Talk): For vehicles
with a Bluetooth®, OnStar®,
or navigation system, press
to interact with those systems.

Black plate (3,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-3
SeeBluetooth (Overview) on
page 7‑46 orBluetooth
(Infotainment Controls) on
page 7‑48 orBluetooth (Voice
Recognition) on page 7‑53,
the OnStar Owner's Guide, or
the separate Navigation System
Manual for more information.
$ i(Mute/End Call): Press
to silence the vehicle speakers
only. Press again to turn the
sound on. For vehicles with
OnStar or Bluetooth systems,
press to reject an incoming call,
or end a current call.
_SRC^(Rotary Control): Press
to select an audio source.
Press
_or^to select the next or
previous favorite radio station, CD,
DVD track/chapter (with navigation),
or MP3 track.
+
x− (Volume): Press + to
increase the volume. Press −to
decrease the volume.
Heated Steering Wheel
For vehicles with a heated steering
wheel, the button for this feature
is located on the climate control
system.
(: Press to turn the heated
steering wheel on or off. A light
on the button displays when the
feature is turned on.
The steering wheel takes about
three minutes to start heating.
Horn
Press near the horn symbols or
press on the steering wheel pad
to sound the horn.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper lever is
on the side of the steering
column. With the ignition in
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN,
move the windshield wiper lever
to select the wiper speed.
2: Use for fast wipes.
1: Use for slow wipes.

Black plate (4,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-4 Instruments and Controls
&(Adjustable Interval Wipes):
Turn the band up for more frequent
wipes or down for less frequent
wipes.
9(Off): Use to turn the windshield
wipers off.
3(Mist): For a single wipe,
briefly move the wiper lever down.
For several wipes, hold the wiper
lever down.
Clear ice and snow from the
wiper blades before using them.
If they are frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. Damaged wiper blades should
be replaced. See
Wiper Blade
Replacement on page 10‑29.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wipers. A circuit breaker stops them
until the motor cools.
Wipe Parking
If the ignition is turned to
LOCK/OFF while the wipers
are on 1, 2, or
&, they will
immediately stop.
If the windshield wiper lever is
then moved to OFF before the
driver door is opened, or within
10 minutes, the wipers will restart
and move to the base of the
windshield.
If the ignition is turned to
LOCK/OFF during a windshield
wash, the wipers will stop when
they reach the base of the
windshield.
Windshield Washer
Pull the windshield wiper lever
toward you to spray windshield
washer fluid and activate the wipers.
The wipers will continue until the
lever is released or the maximum
wash time is reached.
When the windshield wiper lever
is released, additional wipes may
occur depending on how long
the windshield washer had been
activated. See Washer Fluid on
page 10‑24 for information on
filling the windshield washer
fluid reservoir.
{WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use
the washer until the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the
washer fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.

Black plate (5,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-5
Compass
The vehicle may have a compass
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC). The compass receives
its heading and other information
from the Global Positioning
System (GPS) antenna, StabiliTrak,
and vehicle speed information.
Avoid covering the GPS antenna
for long periods of time with objects
that may interfere with the antenna's
ability to receive a satellite signal.
SeeBackglass Antenna on
page 7‑19 andSatellite Radio
Antenna on page 7‑20 for the
location of the vehicle's antennas. The compass system is designed
to operate for a certain number of
miles or degrees of turn before
needing a signal from the GPS
satellites. When the compass
display shows CAL, drive the
vehicle for a short distance in an
open area where it can receive
a GPS signal. The compass
system will automatically determine
when the GPS signal is restored
and provide a heading again.
See
Compass Messages on
page 5‑34 for more information
on the messages that may be
displayed for the compass.
Clock (Without Date
Display)
The infotainment system controls
are used to access the time and
date settings through the menu
system. See Operation on page 7‑7
for information about how to use the
menu system.
Setting the Time
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time Settings,
or press
H.
2. Select Set Time.

Black plate (6,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-6 Instruments and Controls
3. Turn the Menu knob to adjustthe highlighted value.
4. Press the SELECT button to select the next value.
5. To save the time and return to the Time Settings menu, press
the
0BACK button at any time
or press the SELECT button
after adjusting the minutes.
Setting the 12/24 Hour Format
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time Settings,
or press
H.
2. Highlight 12/24 Hour Format.
3. Press the SELECT button to select the 12 hour or 24 hour
display format.
Clock (With Date Display)
The infotainment system controls
are used to access the time and
date settings through the menu
system. See Operation on page 7‑7
for information about how to use
the menu system.
Setting the Time and Date
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings,
or press
H.
2. Select Set Time or Set Date.
3. Turn the Menu knob to adjust the highlighted value. 4. Press the SELECT button to
select the next value.
5. To save the time or date and return to the Time and
Date Settings menu, press
the
0BACK button at any time
or press the SELECT button
after adjusting the minutes
or year.
Setting the 12/24 Hour Format
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings,
or press
H.
2. Highlight Set Time Format.
3. Press the SELECT button to select the 12 hour or 24 hour
display format.

Black plate (7,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-7
Setting the Month & Day
Format
1. Press the CONFIG button andselect Time and Date Settings,
or press
H.
2. Highlight Set Date Format.
3. Press the SELECT button to select MM/DD/YY
(month/day/year) or DD/MM/YY
(day/month/year).
Setting the Auto Time Adjust
1. Press the CONFIG button andselect Time and Date Settings,
or press
H.
2. Highlight Auto Time Adjust.
3. Press the SELECT button to turn Auto Time Adjust on or off.
4. Press the SELECT button to select Time Zone, and then
select the Time Zone.
5. Press the SELECT button to turn Daylight Savings on or off.
Power Outlets
The accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
There are two accessory power
outlets. One is located under the
armrest inside the center console
storage and the other is on the rear
of the center floor console.
These outlets are powered
when the ignition is in ON/RUN
or ACC/ACCESSORY, or until
the driver door is opened within
10 minutes of turning off the vehicle.
See Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑24.

Black plate (8,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-8 Instruments and Controls
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
Certain electrical accessories
may not be compatible with the
accessory power outlets and could
overload vehicle or adapter fuses.
If there is a problem, see your
dealer.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the installation
instructions included with the
equipment. SeeAdd-On Electrical
Equipment on page 9‑62.
Notice: Hanging heavy
equipment from the power
outlet can cause damage not
covered by the vehicle warranty.
The power outlets are designed
for accessory power plugs only,
such as cell phone charge cords. Power Outlet 110 Volt Alternating
Current
The vehicle may have a power
outlet that can be used to plug
in electrical equipment with a
maximum limit of 150 watts.
The power outlet is located on the
rear of the center console.An indicator light on the outlet
comes on when in use. The light
comes on when the ignition is in
ON/RUN and equipment requiring
less than 150 watts is plugged into
the outlet, and no system fault is
detected.
If you try to connect equipment
using more than 150 watts or
a system fault is detected, the
equipment may operate for a
short period and turn itself off.
A protection circuit shuts off the
power supply and the indicator
light turns off. To reset the circuit,
unplug the item and plug it back
in or turn the Remote Accessory
Power (RAP) off and then back on.