Lock BUICK PARK AVENUE 2001 User Guide

1-26
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
If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't move
or deform, the threshold level is about 9 to 15 mph
(14 to 24 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.

1-31
Rear Seat Passengers
It's very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren't safety belted can be thrown
out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap
-shoulder
belts. Here's how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
The 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.

1-33
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be less likely
to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the
body are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there's a sudden stop or a crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.

1-51
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle's safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child's face or
neck, put it behind the child restraint.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.

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
-15 Trunk
2
-17 Theft
2
-18 Content Theft-Deterrent System
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 Tilt Wheel
2
-36 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
-43 Exterior Lamps
2
-45 Interior Lamps
2
-49 Mirrors
2
-55 Storage Compartments
2
-62 OnStar
System (If Equipped)
2
-65 Sunroof (Option)
2
-66 HomeLink
Transmitter (If Equipped)
2
-70 The Instrument Panel -- Your
Information System
2
-72 Instrument Panel Clusters
2
-75 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
2
-86 Driver Information Center (DIC) (If Equipped)
2
-96 Head-Up Display (HUD) (If Equipped)
2
-99 Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA) (Option)

2-3 Power Windows
Switches on the driver's armrest control each of the
windows while the ignition is on or Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) is active. See ªRetained Accessory Power
(RAP) in the Index for more information. In addition,
each passenger door has a switch for its own window.Express
-Down Window
The switch for the driver's window has an express
-down
feature. Pull the switch back all the way, release it and
the window will lower automatically. To stop the
window from lowering, pull the switch again. To
partially open the window, pull the switch back half
way. When the switch is released, the window will
stop moving. To raise the window, press and hold the
switch forward.
Window Lock
Press the window lock button on the driver's armrest to
disable all passenger window switches, or just the rear
passenger switches. The middle of the switch will light
to indicate the window lockout is active. The driver's
window controls will still be operable.
Press the window lock button a second time to allow
passengers to use their window controls again. The light
in the center of the switch will go off to indicate that the
feature is disabled.
If you have the optional DIC, you can choose to lock out
only the rear windows. See ªPersonal Choice Featuresº
or ªDriver Information Centerº in the Index for
programming instructions.

2-5
The master key is used
for the ignition, as well as
the door lock, trunk and
glove box.
The VALET key is used for
the ignition and the driver's
door only. It will not open
the trunk or glove box. This
is a theft
-deterrent feature.
The VALET key should
always be used when valet
parking your vehicle.Your vehicle has the PASS
-Key
III vehicle theft
system. Both the master and VALET key have a
transponder in the key head that matches a decoder in
the vehicle's steering column. If a replacement key or
any additional key is needed, you must purchase this key
from your dealer. The key will have PK3 stamped on it.
Keep the bar code tag that came with the original keys.
Give this tag to your dealer if you need a new key made.
Any new PASS
-Key III key must be programmed before
it will start your vehicle. See ªPASS
-Key
IIIº in
the Index for more information on programming your
new key.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle has a number of features that can
help prevent theft. But you can have a lot of
trouble getting into your vehicle if you ever lock
your keys inside. You may even have to damage
your vehicle to get in. So be sure you have
extra keys.

2-6
Door Locks
CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.

Passengers -- especially children -- can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the
handle won't open it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle in
a crash if the doors aren't locked. So, wear
safety belts properly and lock the doors
whenever you drive.

Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.

Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or stop
your vehicle. Locking your doors can help
prevent this from happening.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your door key or remote keyless
entry transmitter.
To lock the door from the inside, move the manual lock
on the door handle forward.
To unlock the door, move the manual lock on the door
handle rearward.

2-7 Central Door Unlocking System
From outside the vehicle, if the driver's door key is held
in the unlock position for more than two seconds, or if
the key is turned to the unlock position twice within
three seconds, all doors will unlock.
Power Door Locks
With power door locks, you
can lock or unlock all doors
on your vehicle using either
the driver's or the front
passenger's 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 switch to lock the doors.
Customizing Your Automatic Door Locks Feature
You can program the automatic 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).

2-8
Each remote keyless entry transmitter can be programmed
to a different mode according to the user's preference.
To change modes:
1. Close all the doors and turn the ignition on. Keep all
doors closed throughout this procedure.
2. Press and hold LOCK on the power door lock switch
on the driver's door through Step 4.
3. Press the button with the lock symbol on the remote
keyless entry transmitter to enter the programming
mode. The automatic door lock mode will remain in
the current mode.
4. Press the button with the lock symbol on the
transmitter again. Each time the button with the lock
symbol is pressed, the mode will advance by one,
going from Mode 3 to Mode 0 to Mode 1, etc.
For each press of the button with the lock symbol,
the door locks will activate in the same manner they
would activate in the corresponding automatic door
lock mode. For example, pressing the button with the
lock symbol on the transmitter to advance to Mode 2
would result in all doors locking and then, only the
driver's door would unlock. For Mode 0, no locking
or unlocking will occur.5. Release the power door lock switch and turn the
ignition off. The automatic door locks will remain in
the most recent mode selected.
You can also program the automatic door locks feature
using the Driver Information Center. See ªDriver
Information Center Personal Choice Programmingº in
the Index.
Delayed Locking
This feature lets the driver delay the actual locking of
the doors. When the power door lock switch or the
remote keyless entry button with the lock symbol is
pressed with the key removed from the ignition and the
driver's door open, a chime will sound three times to
signal that the lock delay mode is active. When all doors
have been closed, the doors will lock automatically after
five seconds. If any door is opened before this, the
five
-second timer will reset itself once all the doors have
been closed again.
Pressing the door lock switch or the remote keyless
entry button with the lock symbol a second time will
override this feature.