ignition BUICK TERRAZA 2007 Owner's Guide

Automatic Transaxle Operation
Maximum engine speed is limited when you are in
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N), to protect driveline
components from improper operation.
There are several different positions for your shift
lever.
PARK (P):This gear position locks your front
wheels. It is the best position to use when you start
your engine because your vehicle cannot move
easily.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P)
before starting the engine. Your vehicle has an
automatic transaxle shift lock control system. You
must fully apply your regular brakes rst and
then press the shift lever button before you can
shift from PARK (P) when the ignition key is
in RUN. If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), easepressure on the shift lever and push the shift lever
all the way info PARK (P) as you maintain
brake application. Then press the shift lever button
and move the shift lever into another gear. See
Shifting Out of Park (P) on page 139.
{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake rmly set. Your
vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine
is running unless you have to. If you have
left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle will not
move, even when you are on fairly level
ground, always set your parking brake
and move the shift lever to PARK (P). See
Shifting Into Park (P) on page 138.Ifyou
are pulling a trailer, seeTowing a Trailer
on page 386.
133

Parking Brake
The parking brake is
located under the
instrument panel on the
driver’s side of the
vehicle.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push down on
the parking brake pedal with your left foot.If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will come on. SeeBrake System Warning Light
on page 214.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down with your right foot while
you push down on the parking brake pedal with
your left foot. When you lift your left foot from the
parking brake pedal, it will pop up to the
released position.
Notice:Driving with the parking brake on can
overheat the brake system and cause
premature wear or damage to brake system
parts. Verify that the parking brake is fully
released and the brake warning light is
off before driving.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any
hill, seeTowing a Trailer on page 386.
137

Shifting Into Park (P)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake rmly 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 will not move, even
when you are on fairly level ground, use
the steps that follow. If you are pulling a
trailer, seeTowing a Trailer on page 386.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot
and set the parking brake with your left foot.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) by pulling
the shift lever toward you and moving it up as
far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you
can leave your vehicle with the ignition key in
your hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle
with the engine running. Your vehicle
could move suddenly if the shift lever is
not fully in PARK (P) with the parking
brake rmly set. And, if you leave the
vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch re. You or
others could be injured. Do not leave your
vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P)
and the parking brake is rmly set before
you leave it. After you move the shift lever into
PARK (P), hold the regular brake pedal down.
Then, see if you can move the shift lever away
from PARK (P) without rst pulling it toward you. If
you can, it means that the shift lever was not
fully locked into PARK (P).
138

Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift
your vehicle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of
the vehicle may put too much force on the
parking pawl in the transaxle. You may nd it
difficult to pull the shift lever out of PARK (P). This
is called torque lock. To prevent torque lock,
set the parking brake and then shift into PARK (P)
properly before you leave the driver’s seat. To
nd out how, seeShifting Into Park (P) on
page 138.When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever
out of PARK (P) before you release the parking
brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have
another vehicle push yours a little uphill to
take some of the pressure from the parking pawl
in the transaxle, so you can pull the shift lever
out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of Park (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift lock
control system which locks the shift lever in
PARK (P) when the ignition is in the LOCK position.
In addition, you must fully apply your regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition is in RUN. SeeAutomatic Transaxle
Operation on page 133.
139

Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning ashers let you warn others.
They also let police know you have a problem. Your
front and rear turn signal lamps will ash on and off.
The hazard warning
asher button is located
in the center of the
instrument panel.
Your hazard warning ashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even if the key is
not in the ignition switch.
Press the button to make the front and rear turn
signal lamps ash on and off. Press the button
again to turn the ashers off.
When the hazard warning ashers are on, your
turn signals will not work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reective triangles, you can set them
up at the side of the road about 300 feet (100 m)
behind your vehicle.
Horn
Press near or on the horn symbols on your
steering wheel pad to sound the horn.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can raise the steering
wheel to the highest level to give your legs more
room when you enter and exit the vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel
is located on the left side of the steering column.
To tilt the wheel, hold the
wheel and pull the lever.
Then move the wheel to
a comfortable position
and release the lever to
lock the wheel in place.
172

Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce the vehicle’s speed
while using cruise control:
Push the cruise control lever downward toward
the minus (set/coast/decelerate) position until
a lower speed is reached, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push
the cruise control lever downward toward the
minus (set/coast/decelerate) position briey.
Each time this is done, the vehicle will slow
down approximately one mph (1.6 km/h).
Passing Another Vehicle While
Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase the vehicle’s
speed. When you take your foot off the pedal,
the vehicle will slow down to the cruise control
speed set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work on hills
depends upon the vehicle’s speed, its load, and
the steepness of the hills. When going up steep
hills, the accelerator pedal might have to be
used in order to maintain the vehicle’s speed.When going downhill, the brakes might have to be
applied, or the transaxle might have to be shifted
to a lower gear to keep the vehicle’s speed down.
Doing either of these things will take the vehicle out
of cruise. It may be better not to use the cruise
control if the brakes constantly have to be applied,
or the vehicle continuously needs to be shifted to
a lower gear.
Cancelling Cruise Control
To cancel a cruise control session, pull the cruise
control lever forward, or step lightly on the
brake pedal.
Doing either of these things will only end the
current cruise control session, but the set speed
will be retained in memory.
Push the button at the end of the cruise control
lever to turn the system off.
Erasing Speed Memory
When the cruise control or the ignition is turned
off, the cruise control set speed memory is erased.
180

Wiper Activated Headlamps
This feature, if equipped, will automatically
activate the headlamps and parking lamps after
the windshield wipers have been in use for
about 30 seconds and when all of the following
conditions are met.
The exterior lamp control is in AUTO.
The headlamps have not already been
activated by automatic lighting.
The automatic lighting feature has not been
disabled using the exterior lamp control.
SeeExterior Lamps on page 181for additional
information.
If the wipers are activated for over 30 seconds
and the exterior lamp control is in the parking
lamps position, or the automatic lighting feature
has been disabled using the exterior lamp control,
a HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED message will
appear on the Driver Information Center,
if equipped.
Headlamps on Reminder
If you turn the ignition to LOCK while leaving the
lamps on, you will hear a warning chime once
the driver’s door is opened.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/
Automatic Headlamp System
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during
the day. DRL can be helpful in many different
driving conditions, but they can be especially
helpful in the short periods after dawn and before
sunset. Fully functional Daytime Running Lamps
are required on all vehicles rst sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel
makes the DRL work, so be sure it is not covered.
The DRL system will make front parking and
turn signal lamps come on in daylight when the
following conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
The exterior lamps control is off.
182

Interior Lamps Control
The interior lamp
control is located to
the right of the exterior
lamp controls on the
instrument panel to
the left of the steering
column.
R(Interior Lamp Override):Turn the outer
knob to this position to have your interior lamps
remain off while any door is open.
1(Door):Turn the outer knob to this position to
turn the interior lamps on while any door is open
and when the ignition key is removed from the
ignition.
+(Interior Lamps):Turn the outer knob to this
position to turn the interior lamps on.
Turn the inner knob to adjust the instrument panel
brightness, described earlier in this section.
Dome Lamp
The dome lamp is located in the headliner and has
two buttons to manually turn it on or off. The dome
lamp will come on each time you open a door,
unless you turn on the interior lamps override
feature. SeeInterior Lamps Control on page 184.
Entry Lighting
With entry lighting, the interior of your vehicle is
illuminated so that you can see inside before you
enter your vehicle. The lamps will come on for
20 seconds if you unlock your door using your key
or the remote keyless entry transmitter and the
ignition is in LOCK. After 20 seconds have passed,
the interior lamps will slowly fade out. The lamps
will turn off before the 20 seconds if you do one of
the following:
Lock all the doors using the key.
Press lock on the power door lock switch.
Press lock on the remote keyless entry
transmitter.
When any door is opened, entry lighting is
cancelled. The interior lamps will stay on while
any door or the liftgate is open, and slowly fade
out when all doors and the liftgate are closed.
184

The interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds
after all doors have been closed if they have not
been locked. SeeDelayed Lighting on page 185.
To turn the entry lighting feature off or on, see
DIC Vehicle Personalization (Uplevel Only)
on page 249.
Delayed Lighting
The delayed lighting feature will continue to
illuminate the interior for 20 seconds after all doors
have been closed, so that you can nd your
ignition and buckle your safety belt at night.
Delayed lighting will not occur while the ignition is
in RUN or ACCESSORY. After 20 seconds
have passed, the interior lamps will slowly fade
out. The lamps will fade out before the 20 seconds
have passed if you do one of the following:
Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY.
Lock all doors using the remote keyless entry
transmitter.
Lock all doors using the power door lock
switch or the key.
To turn the delayed lighting feature off or on,
seeDIC Vehicle Personalization (Uplevel Only)
on page 249.
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on
for about 25 seconds whenever you remove
the key from the ignition. If you turn the ignition
key to RUN or ACCESSORY, the lamps will fade
out. The lamps will also fade out if you lock the
doors with the power door lock switch or the
remote keyless entry transmitter.
When any door is opened, exit lighting is
cancelled. The interior lamps will stay on while
any door or the liftgate is open, and slowly fade out
when all doors and the liftgate are closed.
The interior lamps may stay on for up to
20 seconds after all doors have been closed if
they have not been locked. SeeDelayed Lighting
on page 185.
To turn the exit lighting feature off or on, see
DIC Vehicle Personalization (Uplevel Only)
on page 249.
185

The battery can be discharged at idle if the electrical
loads are very high. This is true for all vehicles. This
is because the generator (alternator) may not be
spinning fast enough at idle to produce all the power
that is needed for very high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when several of the
following loads are on: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger, climate
control fan at high speed, heated seats, engine
cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the
battery. It does this by balancing the generator’s
output and the vehicle’s electrical needs. It
can increase engine idle speed to generate more
power, whenever needed. It can temporarily
reduce the power demands of some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels,
without being noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action, this action
may be noticeable to the driver. If so, a Driver
Information Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as Battery Saver Active or Battery
Voltage Low. If this message is displayed, it is
recommended that the driver reduce the electrical
loads as much as possible.Battery Run-Down Protection
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you
from draining the battery, in case you accidentally
leave the interior lamps on. If you leave any
interior lamps on while the ignition is in lock or off,
they will automatically turn off after 10 minutes.
The lamps will not come back on again until
you do one of the following:
Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY
Open a closed door, or close and reopen
a door.
Turn the interior lamps on if they are in the
door or override position.
Turn the interior lamps to the door or override
position and then to on again if the interior
lamp control is in the on position.
If your vehicle has less than 15 miles (25 km)
on the odometer, the battery saver will turn off
the lamps after only three minutes.
187