steering wheel BUICK SKYLARK 1993 Owners Manual

The rear doors of your vehicle cannot be opened from
inside when this feature is in use. If you want to open a
rear door when. the security lock is on:
1. Unlock the door from the inside..
2. Then open the door from the outside.
If you don’t cancel the security lock feature, adults or
older children who ride in the rear won’t be able to open
the rear door from the inside. You should let adults and
older children know how these security locks work, and
how to cancel the locks.
To cancel the rear door lock:
1. Unlock the door from the inside and open the door
2. Use a key to move the lever all the way down.
from the outside.
3. Do the
same for the other rear door.
. The rear door locks will now work norinally.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your Buick has a number
of theft deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you can
help.
Kev in the ipnition: If you walk away from your
vehicle with the keys inside, it’s an easy target for
joy
riders or professional thieves -- so don’t do it. . .) ..
When you park your Buick and open the driver’s’a*oor,
you’ll hear a tone reminding you to remove your key
from the ignition and take it with you. Always do this.
Your steering wheel will be locked, and
so will your
ignition and transaxle. And remember to lock the doors.
: .+.,-:.,: <::: ., .,<. , p,
Parking at Night: Park in a lighted spot, close all
windows and lock your vehicle. Remember to keep your
valuables out of sight. Put them in a storage area,
or take
them with you.

Ignition Key Positions
Your square-headed key
opgs.@gs ,. .r , your ignition lock. ..
This lock gives you five different positions.
Before you put the key in, your ignition will be in the
Lock position. This position locks your ignition, steering
wheel and transaxle. It’s a theft deterrent feature.
The other positions let you perform these functions:
ACC: Accessory lets you’use things like the radio and
the windshield wipers when the engine is
off. To use
“Acc,” push in the key and turn
it toward you. Your
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steering wheel will remain locked, just as it was before
you inserted the key.
OFF: This position lets you turn off the engine but still
turn the steering wheel. It doesn’t lock the steering
wheel like “Lock.” Use
“Off’” if you must .have your car
in motion while the engine is
off.
RUN: This is the position for driving.
START This key position starts your engine.
Starting .Your Engine
Engines start differently. The 8th digit of your Vehicle
Identification Number (VIN)
shows the code letter or
number for your engine. You will- find the VIN at the
top
left of your instrument panel. (See “Vehicle
Identification Number” in the Index.) Follow the proper
steps to start the engine.
Move your shift lever to
“P” (Park) or “N” (Neutral).
Your engine won’t start in any other position
-- that’s a
safety feature;
To restart when you’re already moving,
use
“N’ (Neutral) only.
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If YOU are on a hill: See “ Parking on Hills” in the Index.
That section shows how to tuk your front wheels.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill:
See
“ Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into 44 P 99 (Park)
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A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in “PYy (Park) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle won’t move,
when you’re on fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow.
If you are parking on a hill, or if
you’re pulling a trailer, also see “Parking On
Hills” or “Towing a Trailer”
in the Index.
Steering Column Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right fuot and
2. Move the shift lever into “F”’ (Park) position like
set
the parking brake.
this:
0 Pull the lever toward you.
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Power Windows (Option) Your driver's window has an express-down feature.
Quickly press and release the AUTO switch and the
driver's window will open a small amount.
If the AUTO
switch is pressed for more than
a few seconds, the
window will go all the way down. To stop a power
window while it is lowering, press and release the
switch. To raise a power window, press and hold the
control for that window.
You may
also have a lockout switch. Push LOCK to
disable the passenger power window switches. This will
prevent passengers from opening and closing windows.
i The driver can still control all windows with the switch
' in the locked position. Push UNLOCK to use the
1 window switches again.
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1 Horn
' To sound the horn, press the horn symbol on either side
of the steering wheel.
If your car has this option, the controls are near each
window.
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!
Tilt WheeI (Option)
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise it ,to the highest level to give your
legs more room when you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel in place. The lever on the left side
of the
steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
Headlight Operation
Headlight High-Low Beam & Passing Signal
Flash-To-Pass Feature
0 Cruise Control (Option)
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Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to.
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same time.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system fails to function, you can steer but it
will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you
turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction.
If you’ve ever
tried to steer
a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this. The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While
you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor you can
control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then
you suddenly accelerate.
Those two control systems
-- steering and acceleration --
can overwhelm those places where.the tires meet the
road and make you lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Let up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to
go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
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When you drive into a curve at night, it's harder to see
the road ahead
of you because it bends away from the
straight beams
of your lights. This is one good reason to
drive slower.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example,
you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front
Qf you. You can
avoid these problems by braking
-- if you can stop in
time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room. That's
the time for evasive action
-- steering around the
problem.
Your Buick can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. It is better to remove as
much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision.
If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended
9 and 3 o'clock positions, you can
turn it a full
180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as
quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object. You must then be prepared to steer
back to your original lane and then brake to a controlled
stop.
Depending
on your speed, this can be rather violent for
an unprepared driver. This is one of the reasons driving
experts recommend that you use your safety belts and
keep both hands on the steering wheel.
-1
3'
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good
reason to practice defensive driving at
all times.
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Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped off the edge
of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up to
1/4 turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn
your steering wheel to go straight down the roadway. If
the shoulder appears to be about four inches
(100 mm) or more below the pavement, this difference
can cause problems. If there
is not enough room to pull
entirely onto the shoulder and stop, then follow the same
procedures. But if the right front tire scrubs against the
side
of the pavement, do NOT steer more sharply. With
too much steering angle, the vehicle may jump back
onto the road with
so much steering input that it crosses
over into the oncoming traffic before you can bring it
back under control.
Instead, ease off again on the accelerator and steering
input, straddle the pavement once more, then try again.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
-- the head-on collision.

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Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lights are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a.little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t 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 Buick’s
three control systems. In the braking skid your wheels
aren’t 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 and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide (as when you- turn a corner
on a wet, snow- or ice-covered road), ease your foot
off
the accelerator pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle start
to slide. Quickly steer the way you want the vehicle to
go. If you start steering quickly enough, your vehicle
will straighten out. As it does, straighten the front
wheels.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you’l\
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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
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