tow BUICK RANDEZVOUS 2005 Owner's Guide

Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after awhile, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
be as good, and your engine may not run as
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that may
not be covered by your warranty.
Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake, or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires with
other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is
not running. If the light does not come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing— A misre condition has been
detected. A misre increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be required.
Light On Steady— An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Diagnosis and service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed
Avoiding hard accelerations
Avoiding steep uphill grades
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart
the engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following. If the light is still
ashing, follow the previous steps, and see your dealer
for service as soon as possible.
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If the seat recall feature has been programmed to ON,
the seat recall feature can also be programmed to
one of the following modes:
MEMORY:The position recalled will be the memory
driving position.
EXIT:The position recalled will be the previously
programmed exit position.
To determine the mode to which your vehicle is
programmed or to program your vehicle to a different
mode, do the following:
1. Follow the instructions for “Entering Programming
Mode” listed previously.
2. Follow the instructions for programming SEAT
RECALL to ON listed previously.
3. Press the MODE button until RECALL POSITION
appears on the DIC.
4. Press the SET button until the arrow is before
MEMORY or EXIT.
The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit
programming mode by following the instructions
later in this section or program the next feature available
on your vehicle.Tilt Mirror
The tilt mirror feature can be programmed to one of the
following modes:
ON:The passengers side outside rearview mirror will
tilt down towards the curb when the vehicle is shifted to
REVERSE (R) and returns to its previous position
when the vehicle is shifted out of REVERSE (R).
OFF:The mirror will not tilt.
To determine the mode to which your vehicle is
programmed or to program your vehicle to a different
mode, do the following:
1. Follow the instructions for “Entering Programming
Mode” listed previously.
2. Press the MODE button until TILT MIRROR
appears on the DIC.
3. Press the SET button until the arrow is before ON
or OFF.
The mode you selected is now set. You can exit
programming mode by following the instructions next in
this section.
3-74

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO:To adjust the balance between the right
and the left speakers, push and release the AUDIO
knob until BAL appears on the display. Then turn the
AUDIO knob to move the sound toward the right or
the left speakers. A bar graph with indicators will show
how the sound is balanced.
To adjust the fade between the front and the rear
speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE
appears on the display. Then turn the AUDIO knob to
move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. A
bar graph with indicators will show how the sound is
balanced.
To adjust balance or fade to the middle position, select
BAL or FADE. Then push and hold the AUDIO knob
for more than two seconds until you hear a beep. The
indicator will be centered on the display.
To adjust both tone controls and both speaker controls
to the middle position, rst end out of audio mode
by waiting ve seconds without making any changes.
Then push and hold the AUDIO knob for more than
two seconds until you hear a beep. ALL CENTERED
will appear on the display.
Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station
(RDS and XM™)
To select and nd a desired PTY perform the following:
1. Press P-TYP to activate program type select
mode. The PTY symbol will appear on the display.
2. Turn the AUDIO knob to select a PTY.
3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press either
SEEK arrow to select the PTY and take you to
the PTY’s rst station.
4. To go to another station within that PTY and the PTY
is displayed, press either SEEK arrow once. If the
PTY is not displayed, press either SEEK arrow twice
to display the PTY and then to go to another station.
5. Press P-TYP to exit program type select mode.
If PTY times out and is no longer on the display,
go back to Step 1.
If both PTY and TRAF are on, the radio will search for
stations with the selected PTY and traffic
announcements.
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Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO:To adjust the balance between the right
and the left speakers, push and release AUDIO until
BAL appears on the display. Then turn the AUDIO knob
to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers.
A bar graph with indicators will appear on the display.
To adjust the fade between the front and the rear
speakers, push and release AUDIO until FADE appears
on the display. Then turn the AUDIO knob to move
the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. A bar
graph with indicators will appear on the display.
To adjust balance or fade to the middle position, select
BAL or FADE. Then push and hold AUDIO for more
than two seconds until you hear a beep. The indicator
will be centered on the display.
To adjust both tone controls and both speaker controls
to the middle position, end out of audio mode by
waiting ve seconds without making any changes. Then
push and hold AUDIO for more than two seconds
until you hear a beep. ALL CENTERED will appear on
the display.
Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station
To select and nd a desired PTY perform the
following:
1. Press P-TYP to activate program type select mode.
P-TYPE will appear on the display.
2. Turn the AUDIO knob to select a PTY.
3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press either
SEEK arrow to select the PTY and to take you to
the PTY’s rst station.
4. To go to another station within that PTY and the PTY
is displayed, press either SEEK arrow once. If the
PTY is not displayed, press either SEEK arrow twice
to display the PTY and then to go to another station.
5. Press P-TYP to exit program type select mode.
If PTY times out and is no longer on the display,
go back to Step 1.
If both PTY and TRAF are on, the radio will search for
the selected PTY and traffic announcements.
3-91

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO:To adjust the balance between the right
and the left speakers, push the AUDIO knob until BAL
appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the
sound toward the right or the left speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and rear speakers,
push and hold the AUDIO knob until FAD appears on
the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the
front or the rear speakers.
To adjust the balance and the fade to the middle
position, select balance or fade and push and hold the
AUDIO knob. The display level will be adjusted to
the middle position and you will hear a beep.
To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle
position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone
or speaker controls are displayed. CENTERED will
appear on the display and you will hear one beep.
Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station
(RDS and XM™)
To select and nd a desired PTY perform the following:
1. Press the P-TYPE button to activate program
type select mode. P-TYPE and the last selected
PTY will appear on the display.
2. Turn the P-TYPE knob to select a PTY.
3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press either
SEEK arrow to select and to take you to the
PTY’s rst station.
4. To go to another station within that PTY and the PTY
is displayed, press either SEEK arrow once. If the
PTY is not displayed, press either SEEK arrow twice
to display the PTY and then to go to another station.
5. Press P-TYPE to exit program type select mode.
If PTY times out and is no longer on the display,
go back to Step 1.
If both P-TYPE and TRAF are on, the radio will search
for stations with the selected PTY and traffic
announcements.
3-104

Video Screen
The video screen is located in the overhead console.
To use the video screen, do the following:
1. Push forward on the release button and the screen
will fold down.
2. Push the screen away from you and adjust its
position as desired.
When the video screen is not in use, push it up into its
stowed and latched position.
The DVD player and display will continue to operate
when the video screen is in either the up or down
positions.
The video screen contains the transmitters for the
wireless headphones and the receiver for the remote
control. If the screen is in the closed position, the signals
will not be available for the operation of the headphones
or the remote control.
Notice:Directly touching the video screen may
damage it. Do not touch the screen. See “Cleaning
the Video Screen” later in this section for more
information.
DVD Player
The DVD player is located in the overhead console.
The DVD player can be controlled by the buttons on the
DVD player, and/or by the buttons on the remote
control. See “Remote Control” later in this section for
more information.
The RSE system DVD player is only compatible with
DVDs of the appropriate region code for the country that
the vehicle was sold in. The DVD region code is
printed on the jacket of most DVDs.
Standard audio CDs, CD-R, CD-RW, Video CD and
Photo CD/CD-R media are fully supported by this DVD
player. DVD-R and DVD-RW media is supported if
formatted as DVD-Video. DVD+R and DVD+RW media
may or may not be supported by the DVD player.
The DVD player does not support DVD-RAM,
DVD-ROM, and DVD Audio media. An error message
will appear on the display if this type of media is inserted
into the DVD player.
If an error message appears on the video screen, see
“DVD Messages” later in this section.
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Problem Recommended Action
My disc is stuck in the
player. The eject button
does not work.Press the eject button on
the DVD player. Turn the
power off, then on again,
then press the eject
button on the DVD player.
Do not attempt to force or
remove the disc from the
player. If the problem
persists, return to your
GM dealer for further
assistance.
I lost the remote control
and/or the headphones.Contact your GM dealer
for assistance.
Sometimes the wireless
headphone audio cuts out
or buzzes for a moment,
then it comes back.This could be caused by
interference from cell
towers or by using the
cellular telephone or other
radio transmitter device in
the vehicle.Problem Recommended Action
DVD System inoperable. In severe or extreme
temperatures the DVD
system might not be
operable. Temperatures
below−4°F (−20°C) or
above 140°F (60°C) could
damage the DVD system.
Operate the DVD system
under normal or
comfortable cabin
temperature ranges.
The wireless headphones
have audio distortion.Verify that the
headphones are facing to
the front of the vehicle,
left and right sides are
indicated on the
headphones to ensure
that the signal is received
properly.
In auxiliary mode, the
picture moves or scrolls.Check the signal coming
from the auxiliary device
and make sure that the
connection and the signal
are good.
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Driver Behavior..............................................4-2
Driving Environment........................................4-2
Vehicle Design...............................................4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-3
Drunken Driving.............................................4-3
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-6
Braking.........................................................4-6
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-7
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-9
Traction Control System (TCS).......................4-10
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System.......................4-11
Steering......................................................4-12
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-14
Passing.......................................................4-14
Loss of Control.............................................4-15Driving at Night............................................4-17
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-18
City Driving..................................................4-21
Freeway Driving...........................................4-22
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-23
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-24
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-24
Winter Driving..............................................4-26
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow........4-30
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-31
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-31
Towing..........................................................4-36
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-36
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-36
Level Control...............................................4-38
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-38
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will clear
the area around your front wheels. If your vehicle has
traction control, you should turn your traction control
system off. SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on
page 4-10. Then shift back and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal when
the transaxle is in gear. By slowly spinning your wheels in
the forward and reverse directions, you will cause a
rocking motion that may free your vehicle. If that does not
get you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed
out. If you do need to be towed out, seeTowing Your
Vehicle on page 4-36.
Loading Your Vehicle
It is very important to know how much weight your
vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants,
cargo, and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it may properly
carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and the
Certication/Tire label.
{CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either
the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, and it can change the way
your vehicle handles. These could cause you
to lose control and crash. Also, overloading
can shorten the life of your vehicle.
4-31

4. The resulting gure equals the available amount of
cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if
the “XXX” amount equals 1400 lbs and there will be
ve 150 lb passengers in your vehicle, the amount
of available cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs (1400−750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs).
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and
cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight
may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, the load from
your trailer will be transferred to your vehicle.
Consult this manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load capacity
for your vehicle.
SeeTowing a Trailer on page 4-38for important
information on towing a trailer, towing safety rules, and
trailering tips.
Item Description Total
AVehicle Capacity Weight
for Example 1=1,000 lbs (453 kg)
BSubtract Occupant
Weight 150 lbs
(68 kg)×2=300 lbs (136 kg)
CAvailable Occupant and
Cargo Weight=700 lbs (317 kg) Example 1
4-33