2003 BUICK CENTURY warning

Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-2
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-3
Other Warning Devices...................................3-4
Horn.............................................................3-4
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-4
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-5
Exterior Lamps.............................................3-11
Interior Lamps..............................................3-14
Auxiliary Power Connection
(Power Drop)............................................3-16
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter........................3-16
Climate Controls............................................3-17
Dual Climate Control System..........................3-17
Outlet Adjustment.........................................3-20
Passenger Compartment Air Filter...................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators.............3-22
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-23
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-24
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-24
Air Bag Readiness Light................................3-25
Charging System Light..................................3-26
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-27
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-28
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light.........3-28
Low Traction Light........................................3-29Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light......3-29
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-30
Tire Pressure Light.......................................3-30
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-31
Oil Pressure Light.........................................3-34
Low Oil Level Light.......................................3-35
Change Engine Oil Light................................3-35
Security Light...............................................3-36
Cruise Control Light......................................3-36
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light.....................3-36
Door/Trunk Ajar Warning Light........................3-36
Service Vehicle Soon Light............................3-37
Fuel Gage...................................................3-37
Low Fuel Warning Light.................................3-38
Audio System(s).............................................3-39
Setting the Time...........................................3-39
AM-FM Radio...............................................3-40
Radio with Cassette and CD..........................3-42
Theft-Deterrent Feature..................................3-48
Audio Steering Wheel Controls.......................3-50
Understanding Radio Reception......................3-50
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player.................3-51
Care of Your CDs.........................................3-52
Care of Your CD Player................................3-52
Fixed Mast Antenna......................................3-52
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1

The main components of the instrument panel are the
following:
A. Exterior Lamps Control. See
Exterior Lamps on
page 3-11.
B. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever. See
Turn
Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-5.
C. Instrument Panel Cluster. See
Instrument Panel
Cluster on page 3-23.
D. Audio Steering Wheel Controls. See
Audio Steering
Wheel Controls on page 3-50.
E. Gear Shift Lever. See
Automatic Transaxle
Operation on page 2-23.
F. Air Outlets. See
Outlet Adjustment on page 3-20.
G. Side Window Defogger Outlet.
H. Hood Release. See
Hood Release on page 5-11.
I. Tilt Wheel Lever. See
Tilt Wheel on page 3-4.
J. Horn. (See
Horn on page 3-4.
K. Audio System. See
Audio System(s) on page 3-39.
L. Ashtray. See
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter on
page 3-16.
M. Climate Control. See
Dual Climate Control System
on page 3-17.
N. Glove Box.
O. Instrument Panel Fuse Block. See
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers on page 5-89.
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.
3-3

The hazard warning
¯asher button is located
on the top of the steering
column.
Your hazard warning ¯ashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even if the key isn't in.
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 won't work.Other Warning Devices
If you carry re¯ective triangles, you can set one up at the
side of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind your
vehicle.
Horn
Press 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 it to the highest level
to give your legs more room when you exit and enter the
vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of the steering column.
3-4

Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
·Step lightly on the brake pedal, or
·move the cruise switch to OFF.
Ending Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, or
shift into PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N), your cruise control
set speed memory is erased.
Exterior Lamps
This control, located to the
left of the instrument
panel, operates the
exterior lamps.The exterior lamps control has three positions:
Off:Push the control all the way in to turn off all lamps
and lights.
Parking Lamps:Pull the control out, to the ®rst
position, to turn on the parking lamps together with the
following:
·Taillamps
·License Plate Lamps
·Sidemarker Lamps
·Instrument Panel Lights
Headlamps:Pull the control out all the way, to the
second position, to turn on the headlamps together with
the previously listed lamps and lights.
A warning chime will sound if you open the driver's door
when you turn the ignition switch to OFF, LOCK or
ACCESSORY with the lamps on.
3-11

Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that may
be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle's functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on brie¯y when you start the
engine just to let you know they're working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle's functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there's a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly ± and even
dangerous. So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They're a big help.
3-22

Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle's hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part isn't working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on brie¯y 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.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake doesn't
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake 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. See
Towing
Your Vehicle on page 4-32.
{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've pulled off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
United States
Canada
3-27

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this warning light
will come on for a few seconds when you turn the
ignition key to RUN. If the anti-lock brake system
warning light stays on longer than normal after you've
started your engine, turn the ignition off. Or, if the
light comes on and stays on when you're driving, stop
as soon as possible and turn the ignition off. Then
start the engine again to reset the system. If the light
still stays on, or comes on again while you're driving, the
anti-lock brake system needs service. If the light is on
and the regular brake system warning light isn't on, you
still have brakes, but you don't have anti-lock brakes.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come
on brie¯y when you turn the ignition key to RUN. This is
normal. If the light doesn't come on then, have it
®xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Enhanced Traction System Warning
Light
If your vehicle has the
Enhanced Traction
System, the warning light
may come on for the
following reasons:
·If you turn the system off by shifting to SECOND (2)
or FIRST (1), the warning light will come on and
stay on. To turn the system back on, shift to
THIRD (3) or AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
X). See
Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-10.
·If the Enhanced Traction System warning light
comes on and stays on for an extended period
of time when the system is turned on, your vehicle
needs service. Adjust your driving accordingly.
·The warning light will come on when you set your
parking brake with the engine running, and it will
stay on if your parking brake doesn't release fully. United States
Canada
3-28

If the transaxle shift lever is in any position other
than FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) and the warning
light stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means there's a problem with the
system.
·If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off
and the warning light will come on.
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
Low Traction Light
If your vehicle has the
Enhanced Traction
System, this light will come
on when the system is
limiting wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal. Slippery road conditions may exist if the low
traction light comes on, so adjust your driving
accordingly. The light will stay on for a few seconds after
the Enhanced Traction System stops limiting wheel spin.
See
Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-10.The low traction light also comes on brie¯y when you
turn the ignition key to RUN. If the light doesn't come on
then, have it ®xed so it will be there to tell you when
the Enhanced Traction System is active.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light
This light tells you that
your engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
The light will come on brie¯y when your ignition is
turned on to show you that it is working.
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.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-26.
3-29