Index BUICK PARK AVENUE 2002 Owner's Manual

iv
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could damage
your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that
can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage
would not be covered by your warranty, and it could
be costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help
avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different
colors or in different words.
You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle.
They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle may be equipped with components and
labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols,
used on your vehicle, are shown along with the text
describing the operation or information relating to a
specific component, control, message, gage or indicator.
If you need help figuring out a specific name of a
component, gage or indicator reference the following
topics in the Index:

ªEngine Compartment Overviewº

ªInstrument Panelº

ªComfort Controlsº

ªAudio Systemsº
Also see ªWarning Lights and Gagesº in the Index.

1-3 Four-Way Power Lumbar Control (Option)
If your vehicle has this
option, the driver's and
passenger's seatback lumbar
support can be adjusted four
ways by moving the single
control located on the
outboard side of the seat.
To increase or decrease support, hold the control
forward or rearward. To move the lumbar up or down,
hold the control upward or downward.
If you have the independent front cushion moved down
as far as it will go, you may feel the lumbar support
higher in your back. Readjust the position of the cushion
until you are comfortable. You may also want to adjust
the seatback for maximum comfort.
Memory Seat and Mirrors (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this
feature, the controls are
located on the driver's
door panel, and are used to
program and recall memory
settings for the driver's
seating, outside mirror
positions and comfort
controls. See ªComfort
Controlsº in the Index for
more information.

1-4
To save your seat and mirror positions into memory, use
the following procedure:
1. First identify the DRIVER # on the Driver
Information Center (DIC) by pressing the
MEMORY button (1 or 2) or by pressing the
button with the unlock symbol on the remote
keyless entry transmitter. See ªDriver Information
Center (DIC)º in the Index.
2. Adjust the driver's seat and lumbar position to a safe
and comfortable driving position. Adjust both
outside mirrors to suit you. See ªOutside Mirrorsº
in the Index.
3. 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 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. First identify the DRIVER # by pressing the
MEMORY button (1 or 2) or by pressing the
button with the unlock symbol on the transmitter.
2. Adjust the driver's seat to the desired exit position.
3. Press and hold the EXIT button for longer than
three seconds. You will hear two beeps confirming
that the seat exit position has been entered
into memory.
To set the exit position for a second driver, follow the
previous steps, but use the MEMORY button (1 or 2)
which corresponds to the DRIVER # identified by the
other transmitter.
To recall your memory positions, your vehicle must be
in PARK (P). Push and release the MEMORY button
(1 or 2) corresponding to the desired driving position.
The seat and mirrors will move to the position
previously stored for the currently identified driver.
You will hear one beep.

1-5
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 currently identified driver. You will hear one beep.
If an exit position has not been stored for the currently
identified driver, the seat will move all the way back.
To stop recall movement of the seat at any time, press
the driver's power seat control located on the outboard
side of the front seat.
Mirrors, lumbar and shoulder belt height adjuster
positions will not be stored or recalled for the
exit position.
If you would like your stored driving or exit position
to be recalled when unlocking your vehicle with the
transmitter, see ªPersonal Choice Features, Memory
Seat Recallº in the Index.Heated Seats (Option)
If your vehicle has this option, press this button to turn
on the heating element in the seat.
The heated seat controls
are located next to the
climate controls on the
instrument panel.
When the heated seat control is first pressed, the
HI setting is activated. Press the button again for
the LO setting. The third press of the button turns
the feature off.
The LO setting warms the seatback and cushion until the
seat nears body temperature. The HI setting heats the
seat to a slightly higher temperature.
A light on the control reminds you that the heating
system is in use. When the ignition is turned off, the
heating element is also turned off.

1-9
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!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.

1-14
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 so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see ªSeatsº in the Index.
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.

1-24
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.

1-30 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.

1-51 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.
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.

1-55
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.