2003 BUICK LESABRE brake

The air bag readiness light should ¯ash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Battery Warning Light
When you turn the key to
RUN, this light will turn on
brie¯y to show that the
generator and battery
charging systems
are working.
If the light stays on, a chime will sound indicating that
the vehicle needs service. You should take your vehicle
to the dealer as soon as possible. To save the battery
until you get there, turn off all accessories and set
the climate control system to OFF.
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 when you turn the 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.
United StatesCanada
3-37

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 you try to drive off with the parking brake
set, a chime will also come on until you release the
parking brake. If the light 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 4-31.
{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.
Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light(s) will
come on when your engine
is started and may stay
on for several seconds.
That's normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes 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, your vehicle
needs service. If the regular brake system warning
light isn't on, you still have brakes, but you don't have
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don't have anti-lock brakes
and there's a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-37.
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.
3-38

Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light
For vehicles equipped with
the traction control system,
this warning light should
come on brie¯y when
the engine is started.
If the warning light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there's a problem.
If it stays on, or comes on when you're driving, there
may be a problem with your traction control system and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning
light is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust
your driving accordingly.The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
·If you turn the system off by pressing the button
located on the end of the gearshift lever, the
warning light will come on and stay on. To turn the
system back on, press the button again. The
warning light should go off. See
Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 4-9for more information.
·If there's a brake system problem that is speci®cally
related to traction control, the traction control
system will turn off and the warning light will come
on. If your brakes begin to overheat, the traction
control system will turn off and the warning light will
come on until your brakes cool down.
·If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
3-39

DIC Warnings and Messages
Other messages or warnings may appear in the DIC
display. For Canadian drivers, in addition to the
DIC message your DIC will display EXP with a number
after it which re¯ects the following messages:
EXP
(Export ID) Warning Message
20 TURN SIGNAL STILL ON?
24 TRUNK AJAR
25 WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID LOW
27 BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE
36 ENGINE OIL LOW ± CHECK LEVEL
40 THEFT ATTEMPT DETECTED
54 SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM
55 STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE
61 GAS CAP LOOSE ± CHECK CAP
81 CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
91
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM ACTIVE
102 CHECK CHARGE SYSTEM
139 DOOR AJAR
144 CHECK TIRE PRESSURES
The EXP codes are used to make translation from
English to other languages easier.
Pressing any of the DIC control buttons will remove
the messages or warnings from the DIC display.SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM ± 54:If you ever see
the SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM message, it
means there may be a problem with your stability
enhancement system. If you see this message, try to
reset the system (stop; turn off the engine; then start the
engine again). If the SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM
message still comes on, it means there is a problem.
You should see your dealer for service. Reduce
your speed and drive accordingly.
STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE ± 55:You may see the
STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE message on the Driver
Information Center. It means that an advanced,
computer-controlled system has come on to help your
vehicle continue to go in the direction in which you're
steering. This stability enhancement system activates
when the computer senses that your vehicle is just
starting to spin, as it might if you hit a patch of ice or
other slippery spot on the road. When the system is on,
you may hear a noise or feel a vibration in the brake
pedal. This is normal.
When the STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE message is on,
you should continue to steer in the direction you want
to go. The system is designed to help you in bad
weather or other difficult driving situations by making the
most of whatever road conditions will permit. If the
STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE message comes on, you'll
know that something has caused your vehicle to start
to spin, so you should consider slowing down.
3-49

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. See
Safety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-6.
Defensive driving really means ªbe ready for anything.º
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
ªalways expect the unexpected.º
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It's the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know when
the vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn
suddenly.Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving
task Ð such as concentrating on a cellular telephone call,
reading, or reaching for something on the ¯oor Ð makes
proper defensive driving more difficult and can even
cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to
help do things like this, or pull off the road in a safe place
to do them yourself. These simple defensive driving
techniques could save your life.Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It's the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
·Judgment
·Muscular Coordination
·Vision
·Attentiveness.
4-2

{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your re¯exes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a serious Ð or
even fatal Ð collision if you drive after drinking.
Please don't drink and drive or ride with a driver
who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if
you're with a group, designate a driver who will
not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go
where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering
and the accelerator. All three systems have to do their
work at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's
easy to ask more of those control systems than the
tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle. Also see
Traction Control System
(TCS) on page 4-9.
4-5

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That'sperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That'sreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But
that's only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and others is
important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you're driving, brake
normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
4-6

Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
If there's a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. See
Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-38
.
Let's say the road is wet and you're driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here's what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
4-7