index BUICK PARK AVENUE 2000 Owner's Manual

Table of Contents (cont'd)
Customer Assistance Information
In the Index you will find an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual.
You can use it to quickly find something you want to read.
Section
8Customer Satisfaction Procedures
Customer Assistance Offices
Roadside Assistance and Courtesy Transportation
Warranty Information (See Warranty Manual)
Reporting Safety Defects on page 8-9
Service Publications
Index
Section
9
Please refer to the last page of this manual for your Service Station Guide
v

1-3 4-Way Power Lumbar Control (Option)
If you have this option, the
driver's and passenger's
seatback lumbar support
can be adjusted four ways
by moving the single switch
located on the side of
the seat.
To increase or decrease support, hold the switch forward
or rearward. To move the lumbar up or down, hold the
switch upward or downward.
Memory Seat and Mirrors (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this
feature, the controls on the
driver's door panel are used
to program and recall
previous settings.
You can use this function to save your seat cushion
positions (including the shoulder belt height adjuster),
lumbar, mirror adjustment, personal choice settings,
comfort controls and radio settings. Activate the
MEMORY button (1 or 2) which corresponds to the
appropriate DRIVER # identified by your remote
keyless entry transmitter. For more information,
see ªDriver Information Center, Personal Choice
Programmingº in the Index.

1-4
To save your seat and mirror positions into memory,
use the following procedure:
1. You must first turn on the SEAT RECALL feature on
the Driver Information Center (DIC). See ªPersonal
Choice Features, Memory Seat Recallº in the Index
for instructions.
2. Synchronize the transmitter with the appropriate
MEMORY button.
This can be accomplished by pressing the button
with the unlock symbol on the transmitter with the
ignition in RUN. The DRIVER # will be displayed
on the DIC.
3. Adjust the driver's seat and lumbar position (if
equipped) to a safe and comfortable driving position.
Adjust both outside mirrors to suit you. See ªOutside
Mirrorsº in the Index.
4. Press and hold the MEMORY button (1 or 2)
corresponding with your DRIVER # displayed on the
DIC for longer than three seconds. You will hear two
beeps confirming that the seat and mirror positions
have been entered into memory.To set the seat and mirror positions for a second driver,
follow the previous steps, but start by pressing the
button with the unlock symbol on the transmitter that
displays the other DRIVER # on the DIC. Be sure to use
the MEMORY button (1 or 2) which corresponds to the
DRIVER # identified by the second transmitter.
To store the exit position for an easy exit, use the
following procedure:
1. Adjust the driver's seat to the desired exit position.
2. Press and hold the EXIT button for longer than three
seconds. You will here two beeps confirming that the
seat exit position has been entered into memory.
To recall your memory positions, your vehicle must be
in PARK (P). Push and release the MEMORY button
(1 or 2) or the appropriate keyless entry transmitter
corresponding to the desired driving position. The seat
and mirrors will move to the position previously stored
for the identified driver. You will hear one beep.
To recall the exit position, your vehicle must be in
PARK (P). Push and release the EXIT button and the
seat will move to the exit position previously stored for
the current identified driver. You will hear one beep.
If an exit position has not been stored for the current
identified driver, the seat will move all the way back.

1-8
CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See ªSafety
Belt Reminder Lightº in
the Index.)In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here's why: They work.
You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!

1-13
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different rules
for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see the part of this manual
called ªChildren.º Follow those rules for
everyone's protection.
First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We'll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver's restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here's how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see ªSeatsº in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
The lap
-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.

1-23
There is an air bag
readiness light on
the instrument panel,
which shows
AIR BAG.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See ªAir Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index
for more information.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.

1-28 Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
air bag systems. To purchase a service manual, see
ªService and Owner Publicationsº in the Index.
CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service. You
can be injured if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid yellow connectors. They are
probably part of the air bag systems. Be sure to
follow proper service procedures, and make sure
the person performing work for you is qualified
to do so.
The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front split seat and a rear bench
seat, someone can sit in the center positions.

1-48
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt. It will be ready to work for an adult or larger
child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. Never
put a rear
-facing child restraint in this seat. Here's why:
CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear
-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating air bag. Always secure
a rear
-facing child restraint in the rear seat.
Although a rear seat is a safer place, you can secure a
forward
-facing child restraint in the right front seat.
You'll be using the lap
-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one. Be sure
to follow the instructions that came with the child
restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and
as the instructions say.
1. Because your vehicle has a right front passenger air
bag, always move the seat as far back as it will go
before securing a forward
-facing child restraint.
(See ªSeatsº in the Index.)
2. Put the restraint on the seat.

1-51
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat. But they need to use the
safety belts properly.

Children who aren't buckled up can be thrown out
in a crash.

Children who aren't buckled up can strike other
people who are.
CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt. The
belt can't properly spread the impact forces. In a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured. A belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child's face or neck?
A:Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the child's
shoulder, so that in a crash the child's upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide. If the
child is sitting in a rear seat outside position, see
ªRear Safety Belt Comfort Guidesº in the Index.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child's face or neck, you might
want to place the child in the center seat position,
the one that has only a lap belt.

2-5 Power Door Locks
With power door locks, you
can lock or unlock all doors
of your vehicle by using
either the driver or front
passenger power door
lock switch.
Door Ajar Reminder (If Equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped with the Driver Information
Center (DIC), and a door is not fully closed, the DIC
will display a DOOR AJAR message. See ªDriver
Information Centerº in the Index.
Automatic Door Locks
Close the doors and turn on the ignition. If all the doors
are closed, every time you move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) all of the doors will lock. And, every time
you stop and move the shift lever into PARK (P), the doors will unlock. If someone needs to get out while
you're not in PARK (P), have that person use the manual
or power lock. When the door is closed again, it will not
lock automatically. Just use the manual or power lock to
lock the door again. If you need to lock the doors before
shifting out of PARK (P), just use the manual or power
lock button to lock the doors.
Customizing Your Automatic Door Locks Feature
You can program the memory door locks feature to one
of the following modes:
Mode 0: No automatic door lock or unlock.
Mode 1: All doors automatically lock when shifted out
of PARK (P). No automatic door unlock.
Mode 2: All doors automatically lock when shifted out
of PARK (P). Only the driver's door automatically
unlocks when shifted into PARK (P).
Mode 3: All doors automatically lock when shifted out
of PARK (P). All doors automatically unlock when
shifted into PARK (P).
Vehicles are delivered programmed in Mode 3; however,
each remote keyless entry transmitter can be
programmed to a different mode according to the
user's preference.