
Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................1-19
Child Restraints
.......................................1-45
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-67
Restraint System Check
............................1-76
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-18
Mirrors
....................................................2-31
OnStar
®System
......................................2-32
HomeLink®Transmitter
.............................2-34
Storage Areas
.........................................2-37
Sunroof
..................................................2-45
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-46
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-24
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-33
Message Center
.......................................3-44
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
........................................3-53
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-64Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-31
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under
the Hood
............................................... 5-9
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-41
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-42
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-47
Tires
......................................................5-48
Appearance Care
.....................................5-77
Vehicle Identi cation
.................................5-85
Electrical System
......................................5-85
Capacities and Speci cations
.....................5-92
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......5-93
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
Index................................................................ 1
2003 Buick Rendezvous Owner ManualM
2003 - Rendezvous Owner Manual

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you willfind these notices:
Notice:These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice will tell you about something that can damage
your vehicle. Many times, this damage would 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.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle,
are shown along with the text describing the operation
or information relating to a specific component, control,
message, gage or indicator.
If you need helpfiguring out a specificnameofa
component, gage or indicator, reference the following
topics:
•Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
•Features and Controls in Section 2
•Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
•Climate Controls in Section 3
•Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators in Section 3
•Audio System(s) in Section 3
•Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv
2003 - Rendezvous OM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Passenger Seat..................................1-2
Four-Way Manual Driver Seat..........................1-2
Six-Way Power Seats.....................................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-4
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-5
Head Restraints.............................................1-6
Rear Seats.......................................................1-7
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-7
Split Bench Seats...........................................1-7
Captain Chairs.............................................1-12
Stowable Seat..............................................1-16
Safety Belts...................................................1-19
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-19
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-23
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-24
Driver Position..............................................1-24
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-32
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-33
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-34
Center Rear Passenger Position.....................1-38
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-40
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-44
Child Restraints.............................................1-45
Older Children..............................................1-45Infants and Young Children............................1-47
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-51
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-54
Top Strap....................................................1-54
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-56
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-59
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
................................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center
Rear Seat Position
....................................1-63
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
....................................1-65
Air Bag Systems
............................................1-67
Where Are the Air Bags?
...............................1-70
When Should an Air Bag Inflate?
....................1-72
What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?
.....................1-73
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?
.....................1-73
What Will You See After an Air Bag Inflates?
.......1-74
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
.........1-76
Restraint System Check
..................................1-76
Checking Your Restraint Systems
...................1-76
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash
. . .1-77
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1
2003 - Rendezvous OM

Front Seats
Manual Passenger Seat
Pull up on the lever,
located on the front of the
seat, to unlock and
move the seat.
Slide the seat to where you want it and release the
lever. To make sure the seat is locked into place, try to
move the seat back and forth with your body.
Four-Way Manual Driver Seat
Use the lever located on
the front left side of the
seat to adjust the seat
forward or rearward.
Pull up the lever to unlock the seat. Slide the seat to
where you want it and release the lever.
To make sure the seat is locked into place, try to move
the seat back and forth with your body.
1-2
2003 - Rendezvous OM

To raise the seat, pull
up on the lever located on
the front right side of
the seat.
To lower the seat, push the lever down. Adjust the seat
and release the lever.
{CAUTION:
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 pusha pedal
when you don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s
seat only when the vehicle is not moving.
Six-Way Power Seats
Your vehicle may have this
feature. If it does, the
six-way power seat control
is located on the outboard
sides of the driver’s and
front passenger’s seats.
Move the front of the control up or down to adjust the
front portion of the cushion up or down.
Move the rear of the control up or down to adjust the
rear portion of the cushion up or down.
Lift up or push down on the whole control to move
the entire seat up or down.
To move the whole seat forward or rearward, slide
the control forward or rearward.
1-3
2003 - Rendezvous OM

Manual Lumbar
The knob that controls this
feature is located on the
outboard sides of the
driver’s and front
passenger’s seats.
Turn the knob toward the front of the vehicle to increase
lumbar support. Turn the knob toward the rear of the
vehicle to decrease lumbar support.
Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have
heated seats. If it does,
the heated seat switches
are located in the
instrument panel
switchbank.
This feature will quickly heat the seat cushions and
lower back of the driver’s and front passenger’s seat.
The left switch is for the driver’s seat and the right switch
is for the front passenger’s seat.
Press the top of the switch to turn the heater on. Press
the bottom of the switch to turn the heater off. The
heated seat switch will turn off when the ignition
is turned to OFF and will resume operation when the
ignition is turned to ON, unless the switch is turned off.
1-4
2003 - Rendezvous OM

Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, pull up on the lever located on
the outboard sides of both the driver’s and front
passenger’s seats. Release the lever to lock the
seatback where you want it. Push and pull on the seat
to make sure it’s locked into position. Pull up on the
lever, and the seat will go to its original upright position.But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
1-5
2003 - Rendezvous OM

The rear seat head restraints in your vehicle may be
adjustable. They work the same as the front seat head
restraints, except they do not tilt forward or rearward.
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
The rear seats in your vehicle have seat operating
features to adjust, fold, remove and reinstall the seats.
By using the seat operating procedures, in the
correct order, you can easily remove the seats from
your vehicle.
When you put the seats back in the vehicle, be sure to
follow the label on the back of the seat for proper
location.
Split BenchSeats
If your vehicle has the split bench seat, the seatbacks
can be folded forward or reclined individually and
the sections can be flipped forward or removed
individually.
Folding or Reclining the Seatbacks
{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
To recline the seatback on
base-level split bench
seats, lift up on the recliner
lever located on the
outboard side of the
seatback.
Base-Level
1-7
2003 - Rendezvous OM