Eco BUICK LACROSSE 2012 Owner's Guide

Black plate (19,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-19
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
On vehicles with an automatic
dimming inside rearview mirror the
automatic dimming reduces the
glare from the headlamps of the
vehicle behind you.
Vehicles with OnStar have three
control buttons located at the
bottom of the mirror. See your
dealer for more information about
OnStar and how to subscribe to it.
SeeOnStar Overview on page 14‑1.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.
Windows
{WARNING
Leaving children, helpless adults,
or pets in a vehicle with the
windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the
extreme heat and suffer
permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Never leave a
child, a helpless adult, or a pet
alone in a vehicle, especially with
the windows closed in warm or
hot weather.
The vehicle aerodynamics are
designed to improve fuel economy
performance. This may result in a
pulsing sound when a window is
partially open. To reduce the sound,
open another window or the sunroof
(if equipped).

Black plate (21,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-21
Programming the Power
Windows
If the battery on the vehicle has
been recharged, disconnected, or is
not working, you will need to
reprogram each front power window
for the express-up feature to work.
Before reprogramming, replace or
recharge the vehicle's battery.
To program each front window:
1. With the ignition in ON/RUN orACC/ACCESSORY, or in
Retained Accessory Power
(RAP), close all doors.
2. Press and hold the power window switch until the window
is fully open.
3. Pull the power window switch up until the window is fully closed.
4. Continue holding the switch up for approximately two seconds
after the window is completely
closed. The window is now reprogrammed.
Repeat the process for the other
windows.
Sun Visors
Pull the sun visor down to block
glare. Detach the sun visor from the
center mount to pivot to the side
window, or to extend along the rod,
if available.
Rear Window Sunshade
On vehicles with a rear window
sunshade, the switch is on the
console to the right of the shift lever.
The sunshade only operates when
the ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY.
To open the sunshade, press and
release the switch. The sunshade
will fully extend. To close the
sunshade, press and release the
switch again. The sunshade will fully
close.
If the vehicle is shifted into
R (Reverse) when the sunshade is
extended, it will automatically close.

Black plate (22,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
2-22 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Roof
Sunroof
On vehicles with a sunroof, the
switch is located on the overhead
console.
The sunroof only operates when the
ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY, or in Retained
Accessory Power (RAP). See
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
on page 9‑27.
Vent
The sunroof has an express-vent
open feature. From the closed
position, press the rear of the
sunroof switch (B) to the first detent
to vent the sunroof. To close the
sunroof, press the front of the
sunroof switch (A) to the second
detent.
Express-Open/Express-Close
To express-open the sunroof from
the closed or vent position, fully
press and release the rear of the
switch (B). The sunroof opens
automatically. To stop the sunroof
partway, press the switch a second
time. To express-close the sunroof,
fully press and release the front of
the switch (A). The sunroof closes
automatically. To stop the sunroof
partway, press the switch a
second time.
If the sunshade is closed, it opens
automatically with the sunroof but
can also be express-opened/
express-closed by using thesunshade control (C) or (D). The
sunshade cannot be fully closed
with the sunroof open.
To express-open the sunshade from
the closed position, fully press and
release the rear of the switch (C).
The sunshade opens automatically.
To stop the sunshade partway,
press the switch a second time. To
express-close the sunshade fully
press and release the front of the
switch (D). The sunshade closes
automatically. To stop the sunshade
partway, press the switch a
second time.
Notice:
Forcing the sunshade
forward of the sliding glass panel
may cause damage and the
sunroof may not operate properly.
Always close the glass panel
before closing the sunshade.
The sunroof glass panel cannot be
opened or closed if the vehicle has
an electrical failure.

Black plate (8,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
3-8 Seats and Restraints
Memory Seats
On vehicles with the memory
feature, the“1”and “2”buttons on
the outboard side of the driver seat
are used to manually save and
recall the driver seat and outside
mirror positions. These manually
stored positions are referred to as
Button Memory positions. The vehicle will also automatically
save driver seat and outside mirror
positions to the current driver
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter when the ignition is
placed in OFF. These automatically
stored positions are referred to as
RKE Memory positions. See
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑4
for
more information.
Storing Button Memory Positions
To save positions into Button
Memory:
1. Adjust the driver seat, seatback recliner, and both outside mirrors
to the desired driving positions.
2. Press and hold MEM (Memory) and “1”at the same time until a
beep sounds.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for a second driver using “2.”Recalling Button Memory
Positions
To recall the manually saved Button
Memory positions, press and hold
“1”
or“2.” The driver seat and
outside mirrors move to the
positions stored to those buttons
when pressed. Releasing “1”or“2”
before the stored positions are
reached stops the recall.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling a memory
position, the recall may stop.
Remove the obstruction; then press
and hold the appropriate manual
control for the memory item that is
not recalling for two seconds. Try
recalling the memory position again
by pressing the appropriate memory
button. If the memory position is still
not recalling, see your dealer for
service.

Black plate (9,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-9
Recalling RKE Memory Positions
(Memory Remote Recall)
The Memory Remote Recall feature
can recall the driver seat and
outside mirrors to previously stored
RKE Memory positions when
entering the vehicle.
Every time the ignition is placed in
OFF, the positions of the driver seat
and outside mirrors are
automatically stored to the RKE
transmitter that was used to start
the vehicle. These positions are
called RKE Memory positions and
may be different than the previously
mentioned Button Memory positions
saved to the“1”or“2” buttons. To
automatically recall RKE Memory
positions, unlock the driver door
with the RKE transmitter, and open
the driver door. On vehicles with
Keyless Access, opening the driver
door when an RKE transmitter is
present will activate the RKE
Memory recall. If the driver door is
already open, pressing the RKE
transmitter Kbutton will also
activate the RKE Memory recall. The driver seat and outside mirrors
will move to the previously saved
RKE Memory positions.
This feature is turned on or off using
the vehicle personalization menu.
See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑43 for more information.
To stop recall movement, press one
of the memory, power mirror,
or power seat controls.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling a memory
position, the recall may stop.
Remove the obstruction; then press
and hold the appropriate manual
control for the memory item that is
not recalling for two seconds. Try
recalling the memory position again
by opening the driver door and
pressing the RKE transmitter K
button. If the memory position is still
not recalling, see your dealer for
service. Easy Exit Driver Seat
This feature moves the seat
rearward allowing the driver more
room to exit the vehicle.
To activate, place the ignition in
OFF and open the driver door. If the
driver door is already open, placing
the ignition in OFF will activate the
easy exit driver seat.
This feature is turned on or off using
the vehicle personalization menu.
See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑43 for more information.
To stop recall movement, press one
of the memory or power seat
controls.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling the exit position,
the recall may stop. Remove the
obstruction; then press and hold the
power seat control rearward for
two seconds. Try recalling the exit
position again. If the exit position is
still not recalling, see your dealer for
service.

Black plate (15,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-15
There are important things to know
about wearing a safety belt properly.
.Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front
of you.
.Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position.
.Wear the lap part of the belt low
and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong
pelvic bones and you would be
less likely to slide under the lap
belt. If you slid under it, the beltwould apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
.Wear the shoulder belt over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining
forces. The shoulder belt locks if
there is a sudden stop or crash.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly.
.Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted.
.Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back.
.Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is
adjustable, so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it
get twisted.

Black plate (22,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
3-22 Seats and Restraints
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the front
outboard passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the front outboard
passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the front
outboard passenger and the
passenger seated directly
behind the front outboard
passenger.
The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
.Seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the second row
outboard passengers. All of the airbags have the word
AIRBAG embossed on the trim or
on a label near the deployment
opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the center of the
steering wheel for the driver and on
the instrument panel for the front
outboard passenger.
For seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the
side of the seatback closest to
the door.
For roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the ceiling or trim.
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
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt, even
with airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, not replace them. Also,
airbags are not designed to inflate
in every crash. In some crashes
safety belts are the only restraint.
See
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 3‑25.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce the chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or
being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the
safety belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly, whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.

Black plate (24,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
3-24 Seats and Restraints
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
center of the steering wheel.
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The driver and front outboard
passenger seat-mounted side
impact airbags are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
front outboard passenger, and
second row outboard passengers
are in the ceiling above the side
windows.Rear Seat Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar
On vehicles with second row
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
they are in the sides of the rear
seatback closest to the door.

Black plate (28,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
3-28 Seats and Restraints
the 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 crash
has occurred.In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the front outboard
passenger airbag..Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly
other parts. The service manual
for the vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13‑20 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑20.
.Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.

Black plate (29,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-29
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the front
outboard passenger position. The
passenger airbag status indicator
will light on the instrument panel
when the vehicle is started.
The words ON and OFF will be
visible during the system check.
If you use remote start, if equipped,
to start the vehicle from a distance
you may not see the system check.
When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or the
word OFF will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑16.
The passenger sensing system
turns off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. No other airbag
is affected by the passenger
sensing system.The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the front outboard passenger seat.
The sensors are designed to detect
the presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
should be allowed to inflate or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
We recommend that children be
secured in a rear seat, including: an
infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child
riding in a forward-facing child seat;
an older child riding in a booster
seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.