instrument cluster BUICK LACROSSE 2011 User Guide

Black plate (23,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-23
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this light
comes on briefly when the engine
is started. It provides information
about tire pressures and the TPMS.
When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or
more of the tires are significantly
underinflated.
A tire pressure message can
accompany the light. SeeTire
Messages on page 5‑38 for more
information. Stop as soon as
possible, and inflate the tires to
the pressure value shown on the
Tire and Loading Information label.
See Tire Pressure on page 10‑54
for more information. When the Light Flashes First and
Then is On Steady
This indicates that there may
be a problem with the TPMS.
The light flashes for about a
minute and stays on steady for
the remainder of the ignition cycle.
This sequence repeats with every
ignition cycle. See
Tire Pressure
Monitor Operation on page 10‑57
for more information.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
{WARNING
Do not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced. Notice:
Lack of proper engine
oil maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil.
The oil pressure light should come
on briefly as the engine is started.
If it does not come on have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
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.
For vehicles with the uplevel cluster,
this telltale displays in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) screen.

Black plate (24,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-24 Instruments and Controls
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light, below the fuel gauge,
comes on briefly when the engine
is started.
If it does not come on have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
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, seeVehicle
Security on page 2‑14.
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 in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer on page 6‑2 for more
information.

Black plate (25,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-25
Front Fog Lamp Light
For vehicles with fog lamps, this
light comes on when the fog lamps
are on.
The light goes out when the fog
lamps are turned off. SeeFog
Lamps on page 6‑5 for more
information.
Taillamp Indicator Light
This light comes on when the
taillamps are in use.
Cruise Control Light
This light is white whenever the
cruise control is set and turns green
when the cruise control is active.
The light goes out when the cruise
control is turned off. See Cruise
Control on page 9‑39 for more
information.
For vehicles with the uplevel cluster,
this telltale will be shown in the
Driver Information Center (DIC)
screen.
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC)
displays information about the
vehicle. It also displays warning
messages if a system problem
is detected. See Vehicle Messages
on page 5‑33 for more information.
All messages appear in the DIC
display located in the center of
the instrument panel cluster.
On some models, the DIC may
have some warning lights or
indicators shown in the top portion
of the display. See Warning Lights,
Gauges, and Indicators on page 5‑9
for more information.
The vehicle may also have features
that can be customized through the
controls on the radio. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑39 for
more information.

Black plate (28,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-28 Instruments and Controls
Vehicle Information Menu
Items
Press MENU on the turn signal
lever until Vehicle Information Menu
is displayed. Use
w xto scroll
through the following menu items:
.Unit
.Tire Pressure
.Remaining Oil Life
.Battery Voltage
Unit
Move
w xto switch between
Metric or US when the Unit display
is active. Press SET/CLR to confirm
the setting. This will change the
displays on the cluster and DIC
to either metric or English (US)
measurements. Tire Pressure
The display will show a vehicle
with the approximate pressures
of all four tires. Tire pressure is
displayed in either kilopascal (kPa)
or pounds per square inch (psi).
See
Tire Pressure Monitor System
on page 10‑56 andTire Pressure
Monitor Operation on page 10‑57
for more information.
Remaining Oil Life
This display shows an estimate
of the oil's remaining useful life.
If REMAINING OIL LIFE 99% is
displayed, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display. See
Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑35. The oil should changed
as soon as possible. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑9. In addition
to the engine oil life system
monitoring the oil life, additional
maintenance is recommended
in the Maintenance Schedule
in this manual. See Scheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2 for
more information.
Remember, the Oil Life display
must be reset after each oil change.
It will not reset itself. Also, be
careful not to reset the Oil Life
display accidentally at any time
other than when the oil has just
been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
To reset the engine oil life system,
press SET/CLR while the Oil Life
display is active. See Engine Oil
Life System on page 10‑13.

Black plate (2,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
6-2 Lighting
Turn the control to the following
positions:
O(Off):Turns off the exterior
lamps. The knob returns to the
AUTO position after it is released.
Turn to off again to reactivate the
AUTO mode.
AUTO (Automatic): Automatically
turns the exterior lamps on and off,
depending on outside lighting.
The current status of the AUTO
system is displayed in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) uplevel
display. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑25.
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on
the parking lamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
5(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Parking Lamps
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A warning chime sounds if the driver
door is opened while the ignition is
off and the exterior lamps are on.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
2 3
Headlamp High/Low‐Beam
Changer: Push the turn signal/lane
change lever away from you and
release, to turn the high beams on.
To return to low beams, push the
lever again or pull it toward you
and release.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument panel cluster when the
high‐beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal/lane change lever toward
you, and release.

Black plate (4,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
6-4 Lighting
Adaptive Forward
Lighting (AFL)
The Adaptive Forward Lighting
System (AFL) pivots the headlamps
horizontally to provide greater
road illumination while turning.
To enable AFL, set the exterior
lamp switch to the AUTO position.
Moving the switch out of the AUTO
position deactivates the system.
AFL operates when the vehicle
speed is greater than 3 km/h
(2 mph). AFL does not operate
when the transmission is in
R (Reverse). AFL is not immediately
operable after starting the vehicle;
driving a short distance is required
to calibrate the AFL. SeeExterior
Lamp Controls on page 6‑1.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|
Hazard Warning Flasher:
Press this button located on the
instrument panel below the climate
control system, to make the front
and rear turn signal lamps flash
on and off. Press again to turn the
flashers off.
The hazard warning flashers turn on
automatically if the airbags deploy.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn. An arrow on the instrument panel
cluster flashes in the direction of the
turn or lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is completed. If the lever is
briefly pressed and released, the
turn signal flashes three times.
The turn and lane‐change signal
can be turned off manually by
moving the lever back to its
original position.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly
or does not come on, a signal bulb
might be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse.
See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 10‑39.

Black plate (5,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-5
Fog Lamps
For vehicles with fog lamps, the
button is located on the exterior
lamp control, on the outboard side
of the steering wheel.
To turn on the fog lamps, the ignition
and the headlamps or parking lamps
must be on.
If the fog lamps are turned on while
the exterior lamp switch is in the
AUTO position, the headlamps
come on automatically.
#:Press to turn on or off. An
indicator light on the instrument
panel cluster comes on when the
fog lamps are on.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The brightness of the instrument
panel lighting and steering
wheel controls can be adjusted.
Use the thumbwheel located next
to the exterior lamps control on the
outboard side of the steering wheel.
D: Move the thumbwheel up or
down to brighten or dim the lights.
Dome Lamps
The interior lamps control located in
the overhead console controls both
the front and rear interior lamps.
To operate, press the following
buttons:
((Off): Turns the lamps off.
HDoor: Turns the lamps on
when any door is opened.
'ON: Keeps the lamps on all
the time.
Reading Lamps
There are front and rear reading
lamps.
The front reading lamps are located
in the overhead console.
# $: Press to turn each lamp on
or off.
The rear reading lamps are located
in the headliner.
Sun Visor Lamps
This lamp turns on when the cover
is opened.

Black plate (31,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-31
Uplevel Display Shown,Base Model Similar
The display on the instrument panel
cluster will show which gear the
vehicle is in. The number indicates
the requested gear range when
moving the shift lever forward or
rearward. The transmission will only allow
you to shift into gears appropriate
for the vehicle speed and engine
revolutions per minute (rpm). The
transmission will not automatically
shift to the next lower gear if the
engine rpm is too high, nor to the
next higher gear when the maximum
engine rpm is reached.
While in the DSC mode, the
transmission will automatically
downshift when the vehicle comes
to a stop. This will allow for more
power during take-off.
When accelerating the vehicle from
a stop in snowy and icy conditions,
you may want to shift into second
gear. A higher gear allows you to
gain more traction on slippery
surfaces.
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive
Vehicles with this feature always
send engine power to all four
wheels. It is fully automatic, and
adjusts itself as needed for road
conditions.
When using a compact spare
tire on an AWD vehicle, the
system automatically detects
the compact spare and disables
AWD. To restore AWD operation
and prevent excessive wear on
the system, replace the compact
spare with a full-size tire as soon as
possible. See
Compact Spare Tire
on page 10‑85 for more information.

Black plate (39,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-39
Cruise Control
With cruise control, the vehicle can
maintain a speed of about 40 km/h
(25 mph) or more without keeping
your foot on the accelerator. Cruise
control does not work at speeds
below 40 km/h (25 mph).
On vehicles with the Traction
Control System (TCS) or Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), the system
may begin to limit wheel spin
while you are using cruise control.
If this happens, the cruise control
will automatically disengage. See
Traction Control System (TCS) on
page 9‑36orElectronic Stability
Control (ESC) on page 9‑37.
{WARNING
Cruise control can be dangerous
where you cannot drive safely at
a steady speed. So, do not use
the cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes in tire traction can
cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use
cruise control on slippery roads.
The cruise control buttons are
located on the steering wheel.
5(On/Off): Press to turn the
cruise control system on and off.
An indicator light will turn on or
off in the instrument panel cluster.
\(Cancel): Press to disengage
cruise control without erasing the
set speed from memory.

Black plate (40,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
9-40 Driving and Operating
RES/+ (Resume/Accelerate):
Move the thumbwheel up to make
the vehicle resume to a previously
set speed or to accelerate.
SET/−(Set/Coast): Move the
thumbwheel down to set the speed
and activate cruise control or make
the vehicle decelerate.
Setting Cruise Control
If the cruise button is on when not in
use, it could get bumped and go into
cruise when not desired. Keep the
cruise control switch off when cruise
is not being used.
1. Press
5to turn the cruise
control system on. The indicator
light in the instrument panel
cluster comes on.
2. Get to the speed desired. 3. Move the thumbwheel down
toward SET/− and release it.
The desired set speed briefly
appears in the instrument panel
cluster.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
If the cruise control is set at a
desired speed and then the brakes
are applied or the Cancel button
is pressed, the cruise control is
disengaged without erasing the
set speed from memory.
Once the vehicle reaches about
40 km/h (25 mph) or more, move
the thumbwheel up toward RES/+
briefly. The vehicle returns to the
previous set speed and stays there. Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated,
.Move the thumbwheel up
toward RES/+ and hold it until
the vehicle accelerates to
the desired speed, and then
release it.
.To increase the speed in small
amounts, move the thumbwheel
up toward RES/+ briefly and
then release it. Each time this
is done, the vehicle goes about
1.6 km/h (1 mph) faster.