1996 BUICK CENTURY Owners Manual

I962 Buick Special
Built inside the walls of the old buildings in Buick’s
former Flint complex, which forrned the cornerstone of
General Motors, Buick City is a state-of-the-art
assembly facility with more than
200 robots and other
high-tech equipment.
It was completed in the fall
of
1985.
Buicks are, and will continue to be, premium American
motorcars with smooth power, high performance, rich
detail and comfortable accommodation.
I
Ed Mertz, General Managel; Buick Motor Division
Our mission is simple:
“Buick will provide Premium American Motorcars
backed with services that exceed our customers’
expectations, throughout the purchase, ownership, service and repurchase experience.”
Buicks are SUBSTANTIAL.
Buicks are DISTINCTIVE.
Buicks are POWERFUL.
Buicks are MATURE.
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How to Use This Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle.
If
you do this, it will help you learn about the features
and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll
find that pictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
the back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list
of all
that’s in the manual, and the page number where you’ll
find
it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word
CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore
the warning.
I A CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then
we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t, you or
others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
~ with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,’’
“Don’t
do this,” or “Don’t
let this happen.”
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Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
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.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
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Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols have
to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e e3
TURN
RUNNING
* ' 0
DAYTIME - a
LAMPS '
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT
TEMP
-
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other
symbols
you may see:
FUSE
P
LIGHTER
HORN
SPEAKER FUEL
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Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your
Buick and how to use
your safety belts properly. You
can also learn about some things you should
not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and also about reclining front seatbacks, head
restraints and folding seats.
Manual Front Seat
/c CAUTION: I
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you
push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
l the vehicle is not moving.
1
Move the lever under tne
front seat to the left to
unlock it.
Slide the seat to
I where you want it, then
release the lever to lock.
Try
to move the seat with your
body to make sure the seat
is locked into place.
I
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-ewer aeaI: (uption,
The power seat controls are located on the front of the
seat. To adjust the power seat:
Front Control (F): Raise the front of the seat by
holding the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower
the front of the seat.
Center Control (C): Move the seat forward or
backward by holding the control to the right or left.
Raise or lower the seat by holding the control up
or down.
Rear Control (R): Raise the rear of the seat by holding
the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower
the rear of
the seat.
x1
-
tE
The switch is located on the
front
of the seat. To recline
the seatback, hold the
switch up. Hold the switch
down
to raise the seatback.
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But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job-because it
won't be against your body. Instead,
it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go inta it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap. belt can't do its job either.
In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
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Yead Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
.restraint is closest to the top
of your ears. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Folding Ret Seats I
To add more cargo room, the seatback of your rear
second and optional rear-facing third seats can be easily
folded down. Be sure
to check your seatback latches
now and then by pushing the seatback back and forth.
If they do not latch properly, have them checked by
your dealer.
Remember to keep
safety belts clear of seat hinges and
latches
so they are not damaged when you raise and
lower the seatbacks.
Folding Second Seat
L
To lower the split second seatback:
Each seat has its own release button. Hold the release
button down and pull the seatback forward and down.
To raise the split second seatback:
Lift the seatback until it locks
in the upright position.
Push back and forth on the seatback to
be sure it is
locked
in place.
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