wheel BUICK LESABRE 2001 Owner's Manual

Table of Contents
Windows
Keys and Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry System
Trunk Release
Automatic Transaxle
Parking Brake
Tilt Wheel
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
Windshield Wipers
Cruise Control
Exterior and Interior LampsMirrors
Storage Compartments
Convenience Net
Auxiliary Power Outlets
OnStar® System (If Equipped)
Sunroof (Option)
HomeLink® Transmitter (If Equipped)
Instrument Panel, Warning Lights and Gages
Driver Information Center (If Equipped)
Personal Choice Features
Head-Up Display (If Equipped) Seats and Seat Controls
Safety BeltsAir Bag Systems
Restraint Systems for Children
Section
1
Section
2
Seats and Restraint Systems
Features and Controls
ii

Table of Contents (cont'd)
Defensive Driving
Drunken Driving
Control of a Vehicle
Braking
SteeringDriving Tips for Various Road Conditions
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer Heating and Air Conditioning
Setting the Radio Clock
Radio/Cassette Player/CD PlayerRadio Theft-Deterrent Feature
Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
Hazard Warning Flashers
Jump Starting
Towing Your VehicleEngine Overheating
Changing a Flat Tire
If You're Stuck
Problems on the Road
iii
Section
5
Section
4
Section
3
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
Your Driving and the Road

Table of Contents (cont'd)
Maintenance Schedule Service and Appearance Care
Section
7
Section
6
Scheduled Maintenance
Owner Checks and Services
Periodic Maintenance InspectionsRecommended Fluids and Lubricants
Maintenance Records
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
Tires and Wheels
Appearance Care
Electrical System/Fuses and Circuit Breakers
Capacities and Specifications
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts Fuel
Checking Fluids and Lubricants
GM Oil Life System™ (If Equipped)
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
Passenger Compartment Air Filter (If Equipped)
Brakes
Bulb Replacement
iv

1-9 Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels.
Put someone on it.

1-23 How the Air Bag Systems Work
Where are the air bags?
The driver's frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
The right front passenger's frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger's side.
The driver's side impact air bag is in the side of the
driver's seatback closest to the door.

1-24
The right front passenger's side impact air bag is in the
side of the passenger's seatback closest to the door.
CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don't
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don't attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
air bag covering and don't let seat covers block
the inflation path of a side impact air bag.
When should an air bag inflate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near
-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º

1-25
In addition, your vehicle has ªdual stageº frontal air bags,
which tailor the amount of restraint according to crash
severity. For moderate frontal impacts, these air bags
inflate at a level less than full deployment. For more
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front
of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't move
or deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment
is about 10 to 16 mph (16 to 26 km/h), and the threshold
level for a full deployment is about 18 to 24 mph
(29 to 38.5 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however,
with specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range.
If your vehicle strikes something that will move or
deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will be
higher. The driver's and right front passenger's frontal
air bags are not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
The side impact air bags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact air bag
will inflate if the crash severity is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design. Side impact air bags are not
designed to inflate in frontal or near
-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant. A side impact air bag will only deploy on the side of the
vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. For
frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle of
the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in
frontal and near
-frontal impacts. For side impact air
bags, inflation is determined by the location and severity
of the impact.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates
the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware
are all part of the air bag modules inside the steering
wheel, instrument panel and the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door.

1-26
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The air bag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But the frontal air
bags would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts, and side impacts,
primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward
the air bag. Side impact air bags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including frontal or near
frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily
because an occupant's motion is not toward those air
bags. Air bags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in
moderate to severe frontal or near
-frontal collisions for
the driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags,
and only in moderate to severe side collisions for the
driver's and right front passenger's side impact air bags.What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly that
some people may not even realize the air bag inflated.
Some components of the air bag module
-- the steering
wheel hub for the driver's air bag, the instrument panel for
the right front passenger's bag, the side of the seatback
closest to the door for the driver and right front
passenger's side impact air bags
-- will be hot for a short
time. The parts of the bag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will be
some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn't prevent the
driver from seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor
does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
CAUTION:
When an air bag inflates, there is 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 breathing problems but can't get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or a door.

1-27
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the air
bags inflate (if battery power is available). You can lock
the doors again and turn the interior lamps off by using
the door lock and interior lamp controls.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger air bag.

Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an
air bag inflates, you'll need some new parts for your
air bag system. If you don't get them, the air bag
system won't be there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include air bag modules
and possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.

Your vehicle is equipped with an electronic frontal
sensor, which helps the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. Your vehicle is also equipped
with a crash sensing and diagnostic module, which
records information about the frontal air bag system. The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the system commands air bag
inflation and driver's safety belt usage at
deployment. The module also records speed,
engine rpm, brake and throttle data.

Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
systems. Improper service can mean that an air bag
system won't work properly. See your dealer for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver's or
the right front passenger's air bag, or the air bag
covering on the driver's and right front
passenger's seatback, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel, both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger's air bag, or both the air bag
module and seatback for the driver's and right
front passenger's side impact air bag. Do not
open or break the air bag coverings.

2-
2-1
Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
2
-2 Windows
2
-4 Keys
2
-6 Door Locks
2
-10 Remote Keyless Entry System
2
-16 Trunk
2
-17 Theft
2
-18 Content Theft-Deterrent (If Equipped)
2
-20 PASS-Key
III
2
-22 New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
2
-22 Ignition Positions
2
-24 Starting Your Engine
2
-25 Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
2
-26 Automatic Transaxle Operation
2
-29 Parking Brake
2
-30 Shifting Into PARK (P)
2
-33 Shifting Out of PARK (P)
2
-33 Parking Over Things That Burn
2
-34 Engine Exhaust2
-34 Running Your Engine While You're Parked
2
-35 Horn
2
-35 Tilt Wheel
2
-36 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
-43 Exterior Lamps
2
-47 Interior Lamps
2
-50 Mirrors
2
-55 Storage Compartments
2
-56 Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
2
-57 Sun Visors
2
-66 The Instrument Panel -- Your
Information System
2
-68 Instrument Panel Clusters
2
-71 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
2
-82 Driver Information Center (DIC)
(If Equipped)
2
-91 Head-Up Display (HUD) (If Equipped)