warning BUICK RAINIER 2004 User Guide

If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on briey when you turn the
ignition key to RUN. If it doesn’t come on then, have it
xed so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-45.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you
have pulled off the road and stopped carefully,
have the vehicle towed for service.
United States
Canada
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That’s normal. A chime
may also sound when
the light comes on.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-32earlier
in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briey when you turn the ignition key to RUN.
If the light doesn’t come on then, have it xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, the engine
coolant has overheated.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-29.
United StatesCanada
3-34

This light may also come on if there is a problem with
the Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) system. If this
happens, take the vehicle in for service as soon
as possible.
Service All-Wheel Drive Light
This light should come on
briey when you turn on
the ignition, as a check to
show you it is working.
The service all-wheel drive light comes on to indicate
that there may be a problem with the drive system and
service is required. Malfunctions can be indicated by
the system before any problem is apparent, which may
prevent serious damage to the vehicle. This system
is also designed to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing a malfunction.
Check Gages Warning Light
The check gages light will
come on briey when you
are starting the engine.
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your coolant temperature and engine oil pressure
gages to see if they are in the warning zones.
Gate Ajar Light
If this light comes on,
your liftgate or liftglass
is not completely shut.
Close the liftgate or liftglass. Never drive with the liftgate
or liftglass even partially open.
3-41

Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on, the fuel gage tells you about
how much fuel you have remaining.Here are four things that some owners ask about.
None of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took
a little more or less than half the tank’s capacity
to ll the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to empty when you turn
off the ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
The light next to the fuel gage will come on briey when
you are starting the engine.
This light comes on when the fuel tank is low on fuel. To
turn it off, add fuel to the fuel tank. SeeFuel on page 5-4. United States
Canada
3-42

Driver Information Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located on the instrument panel
cluster above the steering wheel. The DIC can display
information such as the trip odometer, fuel economy and
personalization features. The DIC buttons are located
on the steering wheel.
A.Trip Information:Press this button to display the
odometer, trip odometer and the timer.
B.Fuel Information:Press this button to display the
current range, average fuel economy, instant
fuel economy and engine oil life.C.Personalization:Press this button to change
personal settings for some of the options on your
vehicle.
D.Select:Press this button to reset certain functions
and turn off or acknowledge messages on the DIC.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After a short
delay the DIC will display the current driver and the
information that was last displayed before the engine
was turned off.
If a problem is detected, a warning message will appear
on the display. Pressing the trip stem will acknowledge
any warning or service messages. Pressing any of
the DIC steering wheel buttons (Trip Information,
Fuel Information, Personalization or Select button) will
also acknowledge any warnings or service messages.
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Personalization
You can program certain features to a preferred setting
for up to two people. Press the personalization button
to scroll through the following personalization features.
All of the personalization options may not be available
on your vehicle. Only the options available will be
displayed on your DIC.
ALARM WARNING TYPE
AUTOMATIC LOCKING
AUTOMATIC UNLOCKING
SEAT POSITION RECALL
PERIMETER LIGHTING
REMOTE LOCK FEEDBACK
REMOTE UNLOCK FEEDBACK
HEADLAMPS ON AT EXIT
MIRROR CURB VIEW ASSIST
EASY EXIT DRIVER SEAT
DISPLAY UNITS — U.S./MET
DISPLAY LANGUAGE
The driver’s preferences are recalled by pressing the
unlock button on the remote keyless entry transmitter or
by pressing the appropriate memory button 1 or 2
located on the driver’s door.
Alarm Warning Type
Press the personalization button until ALARM
WARNING TYPE appears in the display. To select your
personalization for alarm warning type, press the
select button while ALARM WARNING TYPE is
displayed on the DIC. Pressing the select button will
scroll through the following choices:
ALARM WARNING: BOTH (default): If you choose
BOTH, the headlamps will ash and the horn will
chirp when the alarm is active.
ALARM WARNING: OFF: If you choose OFF,
there will be no alarm warning on activation.
ALARM WARNING: HORN: If you choose HORN,
the horn will chirp when the alarm is active.
ALARM WARNING: LAMPS: If you choose LAMPS,
the headlamps will ash when the alarm is active.
Choose one of the four settings and press the
personalization button while it is displayed on
the DIC to select it and move on to the next feature.
For more information on alarm warning type, see
Content Theft-Deterrent on page 2-17.
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Display Language
To select your personalization for display language,
press the select button while DISPLAY LANGUAGE is
displayed on the DIC. Pressing the select button
will scroll through the available languages:
Choosing a language will display all of the information
on the DIC in the desired language.
If your vehicle is equipped with an Information Center,
press and hold the trip stem while the odometer is
displayed. While holding down the trip stem button,
the Information Center will begin to list the available
languages. The name of each language will be
displayed in its native language (ENGLISH for English,
FRANCAIS for French and ESPANOL for Spanish).
When you see the language that you would like, release
the trip stem. The Information Center will then display
the information in the language you chose.
If you accidentaly choose a language you do not want
or understand, press and hold the trip information
button and the personalization button at the same
time. After a short time, the display will begin cycling
through the available languages. Release the buttons
when you see a language you would like. This will also
reset all of the current driver’s personalization features
to their factory default settings.
For vehicles with redundant steering wheel controls,
see “Personalization” under the DIC.
Select
The select button is used to reset certain functions and
turn off or acknowledge messages on the DIC display.
The select button also toggles through the options
available in each personalization menu. For example,
this button will reset the trip odometers, turn off the FUEL
LEVEL LOW message, and toggle through the languages
you can select the DIC to display information in.
DIC Warnings and Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC to notify the driver
that the status of the vehicle has changed and that some
action may be needed by the driver to correct the
condition. More than one message may appear at one
time. They will appear one behind the other. Some
messages may not require immediate action but you
should press the trip stem to acknowledge that you
received the message and clear it from the display.
Pressing any of the DIC steering wheel buttons
(Trip Information, Fuel Information, Personalization or
Select button) will also acknowledge any warnings or
service messages. Some messages cannot be cleared
from the display because they are more urgent.
These messages require action before they can be
removed from the DIC display. The following are the
possible messages that can be displayed and some
information about them.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-34.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights and
chime will come on each time the ignition is turned on
until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for service.
4-7

Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes,
steering and acceleration) do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not “overdriving”
those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much
speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much
throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.If you have the Traction Assist System, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid. If you do not have
this system, or if the system is off, then an acceleration
skid is also best handled by easing your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety,
you will want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues — such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a “mirrored surface” — and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
4-15

Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle.
If you can not avoid deep puddles or standing water,
drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
If you try to drive through owing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can
be carried away. As little as six inches of
owing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious
about trying to drive through owing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth.
SeeTires on page 5-59.
4-33