light BUICK LACROSSE 2018 Repair Manual

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
146 Lighting
There is a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Do not cover the
sensor; otherwise the headlamps
will come on when they are not
needed.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel.
When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps will turn off or may
change to Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL).
The automatic headlamp system
turns off when the exterior lamp
control is turned to
Oor the ignition
is off.
Adaptive Forward
Lighting (AFL)
If equipped, the AFL pivots the
headlamps horizontally to provide
greater road illumination while
turning. To enable AFL, set the
exterior lamp control 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. See Exterior
Lamp Controls 0144.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|:Press 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.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
Lighting 147
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument 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 any burned out bulbs
replaced. If the bulb is not burned
out, check the fuse. See
Fuses and
Circuit Breakers 0253.
Fog Lamps
The fog lamps button is on the
instrument panel to left 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 control is in the
AUTO position, the headlamps
come on automatically.
9:
Press to turn on or off. An
indicator light on the instrument
cluster comes on when the fog
lamps are on.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
148 Lighting
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The brightness of the instrument
cluster display, infotainment display
and controls, steering wheel
controls, and all other illuminated
controls, as well as feature status
indicators can be adjusted.
The knob for this feature is on the
instrument panel beside the steering
column.
Press to extend the knob, then turn
it clockwise or counterclockwise to
brighten or dim the lights.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamp controls are in the
overhead console.
To operate, press the following
buttons:
jOFF :Press to turn off the
dome lamps when a door is open.
An indicator light on the button will
turn on when the dome lamp
override is activated. Press
j
OFF again to deactivate this feature
and the indicator light will turn off.
The dome lamps will come on when
doors are opened. +
ON/OFF : Press to turn the dome
lamps on manually.
Reading Lamps
There are reading lamps on the
overhead console and over the rear
passenger doors.
Front Reading Lamps
Press the lamp lenses to turn the
front reading lamps on or off.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
Lighting 149
Rear Reading Lamps
Press the lamp lenses to turn the
rear passenger reading lamps on
or off.
Sun Visor Lamps
This lamp turns on when the cover
is opened.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
Some exterior lamps and most of
the interior lamps turn on briefly at
night or in areas with limited lighting
when the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter
Kbutton is
pressed. See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation 028. After
about 30 seconds the exterior lamps
turn off, then the dome lamps and
remaining interior lamps dim to off.
Entry lighting can be disabled
manually by turning the ignition on
or to ACC/ACCESSORY, or by
pressing
Qon the RKE transmitter.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization 0133.
Exit Lighting
Some exterior lamps and interior
lights come on at night, or in areas
with limited lighting, when the driver
door is opened after the ignition is
turned off. The dome lamp comes
on after the ignition turned off. The exterior lamps and dome lamp
remain on for a set amount of time,
then automatically turn off.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamp control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization
0133.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
150 Lighting
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all of the
power needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, rear
window defogger, climate control fan
at high speed, heated seats, engine
cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads
plugged into accessory power
outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a DIC message might
be displayed and it is recommended
that the driver reduce the electrical
loads as much as possible.
Battery Power Protection
The battery saver feature is
designed to protect the vehicle's
battery.
If the exterior lamps or any interior
lamp is left on and the ignition is
turned off, the battery rundown
protection system automatically
turns the lamp off after about
10 minutes.
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver
The exterior lamps turn off about
10 minutes after the ignition is
turned off, if the parking lamps or
headlamps have been manually left
on. This protects against draining
the battery. To restart the 10-minute
timer, turn the exterior lamp control
to the off position and then back to
the parking lamp or headlamp
position.
To keep the lamps on for more than
10 minutes, the ignition must be on
or in ACC/ACCESSORY.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
Climate Controls 155
To change the current mode, select
one or more of the following:
6:Air is directed to the floor
outlets, with some air to the
windshield and side windows.
Y: Air is directed to the instrument
panel outlets.
X: Clears the windows of fog or
moisture. Air is directed to the
windshield.
1MAX : Air is directed to the
windshield, the fan runs at a higher
speed, and the temperature of the
air is increased if not already at
maximum. This mode overrides the
previous mode selected and clears
fog or frost from the windshield
more quickly. When the control is
pressed again, the system returns
to the previous mode setting and
fan speed.
For best results, clear all snow and
ice from the windshield before
defrosting.
For eAssist vehicles that have the
auto defog feature, Auto Stops can
occur in defrost mode. In this mode, the Auto Stops are shorter and less
frequent than other air delivery
modes to prevent window fogging.
A/C (Air Conditioning) :
Touch A/C
on the climate control display to
cycle between the MAX, ECO, and
OFF modes. The MAX, ECO or OFF
indicator will appear on the display.
If the fan is turned off, the air
conditioner will not run and the
indicator light will turn off.
Touch AUTO to return to automatic
operation and the air conditioner
runs automatically as needed. The
A/C will return to ECO a/c operation.
For MAX a/c, touch A/C. Auto Stops
will occur less frequently, be shorter,
and will not occur in extremely warm
weather.
For ECO a/c, touch A/C again. This
setting balances fuel economy and
air conditioning comfort. In warm
weather conditions, Auto Stops may
occur more frequently, last longer,
and the vehicle interior may be
warmer during Auto Stops as
compared to the MAX A/C setting.
This setting allows higher humidity inside the vehicle and window
fogging may occur before the
engine restarts.
@:
Press to turn on recirculation.
An indicator light comes on. Air is
recirculated to quickly cool the
inside of the vehicle or to reduce the
entry of outside air and odors.
If selected during cool or cold
weather, the windshield and
windows may fog. Turn off
recirculation to help clear the
windshield and windows.
If equipped, the Air Quality Sensor
may operate the recirculation mode
automatically. See “Climate and Air
Quality” underVehicle
Personalization 0133.
Auto Defog : If equipped, the
climate control system may have a
sensor to automatically detect high
humidity inside the vehicle. When
high humidity is detected, the
climate control system may adjust to
outside air supply and turn on the
air conditioner. The fan speed may
slightly increase to help prevent
fogging. If the climate control
system does not detect possible

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
156 Climate Controls
window fogging, it returns to normal
operation. For eAssist vehicles,
there may be shorter and less
frequent Auto Stops when auto
defog is in use.
To turn Auto Defog off or on, see
“Climate and Air Quality”under
Vehicle Personalization 0133.
Ionizer : If equipped with an ionizer,
this feature helps to clean the air
inside the vehicle and remove
contaminants; such as pollen,
odors, and dust. If the climate
control system is on and the ionizer
is enabled, the ionizer status
indicator will be lit on the climate
control display. To turn the ionizer
on or off, see “Climate and Air
Quality” underVehicle
Personalization 0133.
Rear Window Defogger
K:Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. An indicator light
on the control comes on to show
that the rear window defogger is on.
The rear window defogger only
works when the engine is running.
It turns off when the ignition is
turned off or in ACC/ACCESSORY. The rear window defogger can be
set to automatic operation. See
“Climate and Air Quality”
under
Vehicle Personalization 0133.
When Auto Rear Defog is selected,
the rear window defogger turns on
automatically when the interior
temperature is cold and the outside
temperature is about 4 °C (40 °F)
and below. The auto rear defogger
turns off automatically after about
10 minutes, or after five minutes if
the outside temperature is not
as cold.
For eAssist vehicles, auto rear
defog will only run during a remote
start and the feature is not available
in the Vehicle Personalization menu.
The upper gridlines on the rear
window are antenna lines and are
not intended to heat when the
defogger is activated.
If the vehicle is equipped with
heated outside mirrors, they turn on
when the rear window defogger
control is on and help to clear fog or
frost from the surface of the mirror.
See Heated Mirrors 045.
Caution
Do not try to clear frost or other
material from the inside of the
front windshield and rear window
with a razor blade or anything
else that is sharp. This may
damage the rear window
defogger grid and affect the
radio's ability to pick up stations
clearly. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Heated and Ventilated Seats
LorM:If equipped, pressLorMto heat the driver or passenger seat.
{orC:If equipped, press{orCto ventilate the driver or
passenger seat. See Heated and
Ventilated Seats 012.
Remote Start Climate Control
Operation : If equipped with remote
start, the climate control system
may run when the vehicle is started
remotely. If equipped with heated or
ventilated seats, they may come on

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
164 Driving and Operating
Warning (Continued)
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
flowing water could cause the
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under the vehicle's
tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is
wet enough and you are going fast
enough. When the vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road.There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.
Allow extra following distance.
. Pass with caution.
. Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
. Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
. Have good tires with proper
tread depth. See Tires0259.
. Turn off cruise control.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips include:
.
Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
. Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission. .
Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{Warning
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
166 Driving and Operating
Warning (Continued)
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See “Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0180.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running the engine, push the
accelerator pedal slightly so the
engine runs faster than the idle
speed. This keeps the battery
charged to restart the vehicle and to
signal for help with the headlamps.
Do this as little as possible, to
save fuel.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
If stuck too severely for the traction
system to free the vehicle, turn the
traction system off and use the
rocking method. See Traction
Control/Electronic Stability Control
0 190.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other
damage. Spin the wheels as little
as possible and avoid going
above 56 km/h (35 mph).
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Turn off any traction
system. Shift back and forth between R (Reverse) and a low
forward gear, spinning the wheels
as little as possible. To prevent
transmission wear, wait until the
wheels stop spinning before shifting
gears. Release the accelerator
pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
Slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. If the
vehicle does need to be towed out,
see
Towing the Vehicle 0297.
Vehicle Load Limits
It is very important to know how
much weight the vehicle can
carry. This weight is called the
vehicle capacity weight and
includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
Two labels on the vehicle may
show how much weight it may

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10999169) -
2018 - crc - 3/28/17
170 Driving and Operating
Starting and
Operating
New Vehicle Break-In
Caution
The vehicle does not need an
elaborate break-in. But it will
perform better in the long run if
you follow these guidelines:. Do not drive at any one
constant speed, fast or slow,
for the first 805 km (500 mi).
Do not make full-throttle
starts. Avoid downshifting to
brake or slow the vehicle.
. Avoid making hard stops for
the first 322 km (200 mi) or
so. During this time the new
brake linings are not yet
broken in. Hard stops with
new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake
linings.
Following break-in, engine speed
and load can be gradually
increased.
Ignition Positions
The vehicle has an electronic
keyless ignition with pushbutton
start. If the pushbutton start is not
working, the vehicle may be near a
strong radio antenna signal causing
interference to the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) system. See
Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation 028.
To shift out of P (Park), the ignition
must be on and the brake pedal
must be applied.
Stopping the Engine/OFF (No
Indicator Light) : When the vehicle
is stopped, press ENGINE START/
STOP once to turn the vehicle off.
The transmission will shift to
P (Park) automatically.
If the vehicle is in P (Park), the
ignition will turn off, and Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) will remain
active. See Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) 0176.
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
(Continued)