2005 BUICK LACROSSE warning

C (RUN):This position is where the key returns to after
the vehicle is started. This position displays some of
the warning and indicator lights.
D (START):This position starts the engine.
A warning chime will sound and the Driver Information
Center will display a warning message when the driver’s
door is opened if the ignition is in OFF, LOCK or
ACCESSORY and the key is in the ignition. SeeDIC
Warnings and Messages on page 3-53for more
information.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
If the vehicle has Retained Accessory Power (RAP),
certain features will continue to operate for up to
10 minutes after the ignition key is turned to OFF unless
a door is opened.
Starting the Engine
Move your shift lever to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
The engine will not start in any other position — that is
a safety feature. To restart when you are already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only.
Notice:Shifting into PARK (P) with the vehicle
moving could damage the transaxle. Shift into
PARK (P) only when your vehicle is stopped.
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START. When the engine starts,
let go of the key. The idle speed will go down as the
engine gets warm.
Notice:Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to
be drained much sooner. And the excessive heat
can damage your starter motor. Wait about
15 seconds between each try to help avoid draining
your battery or damaging your starter.
2-22

Notice:Driving in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (40 km) or at speeds over 55 mph (90 km/h)
may damage the transaxle. Also, shifting into
SECOND (2) at speeds above 65 mph (105 km/h) can
cause damage. Drive in THIRD (3) or AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) instead of SECOND (2).
SECOND (2): This position gives the vehicle more
power but lower fuel economy than THIRD (3). You can
use SECOND (2) on hills. It can help control the
speed going down steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want to use the brakes off and on.
FIRST (1): This position gives the vehicle even more
power but lower fuel economy than SECOND (2).
You can use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or
mud. If the shift lever is put in FIRST (1), the transaxle
will not shift into rst gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in
one place on a hill using only the accelerator
pedal may damage the transaxle. If you are stuck,
do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill,
use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right
foot. Push down the
parking brake pedal with
your left foot.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. When you lift your
left foot, the parking brake pedal will follow it to the
released position.
A warning chime will sound if the parking brake is set,
the ignition is on, and the vehicle speed is greater
than 5 mph (8 km/h).
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 parking on any hill, see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-35. That section shows what
to do rst to keep the trailer from moving.
2-27

Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-4
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-6
Other Warning Devices...................................3-6
Horn.............................................................3-6
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-6
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-7
Turn and Lane-Change Signals........................3-8
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer..................3-8
Flash-to-Pass.................................................3-8
Windshield Wipers..........................................3-9
Windshield Washer.........................................3-9
Cruise Control..............................................3-10
Exterior Lamps.............................................3-13
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/Automatic
Headlamp System.....................................3-14
Fog Lamps..................................................3-15
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver........................3-15
Interior Lamps..............................................3-16
Instrument Panel Brightness...........................3-16
Courtesy Lamps...........................................3-16
Entry Lighting...............................................3-16
Delayed Entry Lighting...................................3-17
Theater Dimming..........................................3-17
Delayed Exit Lighting.....................................3-17
Perimeter Lighting.........................................3-18Overhead Console Reading Lamps.................3-18
Rear Assist Handle Reading Lamps................3-18
Battery Run-Down Protection..........................3-18
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA)............3-18
Accessory Power Outlets...............................3-20
Climate Controls............................................3-21
Climate Control System.................................3-21
Dual Automatic Climate Control System...........3-24
Outlet Adjustment.........................................3-28
Passenger Compartment Air Filter...................3-28
Steering Wheel Climate Controls.....................3-30
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators............3-30
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-31
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-32
Tachometer.................................................3-32
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-32
Airbag Readiness Light..................................3-33
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator...................3-34
Charging System Light..................................3-35
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-36
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-37
Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light...........................................3-37
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light......3-38
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-38
Low Coolant Warning Light............................3-39
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-39
Oil Pressure Light.........................................3-42
Change Engine Oil Light................................3-43
Security Light...............................................3-43
Cruise Control Light......................................3-43
Reduced Engine Power Light.........................3-44
Highbeam On Light.......................................3-44
Headlamps Suggested Light...........................3-44
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light.....................3-45
Door Ajar Light.............................................3-45
Trunk Ajar Light............................................3-45
Service Vehicle Soon Light............................3-45
Fuel Gage...................................................3-46
Low Fuel Warning Light.................................3-46
Check Gas Cap Light....................................3-46Driver Information Center (DIC).......................3-47
DIC Operation and Displays...........................3-47
DIC Warnings and Messages.........................3-53
DIC Vehicle Personalization............................3-71
Audio System(s).............................................3-79
Setting the Time...........................................3-79
Radio with CD (Base)...................................3-79
Radio with CD (UpLevel)...............................3-84
Radio with CD (MP3)....................................3-92
Radio with Six-Disc CD................................3-105
Theft-Deterrent Feature................................3-117
Audio Steering Wheel Controls......................3-118
Radio Reception.........................................3-119
Care of Your CDs.......................................3-119
Care of Your CD Player...............................3-119
Backglass Antenna......................................3-120
Chime Level Adjustment...............................3-120
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-2

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
near 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.
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 adjustment of the steering wheel
before you drive. The steering wheel can be raised to
the highest level to give the driver’s 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, pull the lever down. Then move the
wheel to a comfortable position and pull the lever up to
lock the wheel in place.
3-6

<(Parking Lamps):Turn the control to this
position to turn on the parking lamps together with
the following:
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
2(Headlamps):Turn the control to this position to
turn your headlamps on, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.
A warning chime will sound if the driver’s door is
opened when the ignition switch is turned to OFF or
ACCESSORY and the headlamps are on.
-(Foglamps):Press this button to turn the
foglamps on and off. SeeFog Lamps on page 3-15
for additional information.
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. Daytime running
lamps are required to function at all times 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 the low-beam headlamps
come on at reduced brightness when the following
conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
The exterior lamps control is off.
The parking brake is released.
While the DRL are on, only the vehicle’s low-beam
headlamps will be on at reduced brightness. The turn
signal, taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps will not be
on. The instrument panel will not be lit up either.
When it is dark enough outside, the DRL will turn off
and the vehicle’s headlamps and parking lamps will turn
on. The other lamps that come on with the headlamps
will also come on.
3-14

Steering Wheel Climate Controls
If your vehicle has this
feature, you can control
the temperature inside
your vehicle by using the
controls located on
your steering wheel.
yz(Temperature):Press the up arrow to increase
or the down arrow decrease the temperature inside
your vehicle.
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on the 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
the 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 the vehicle’s functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briey when you start the
engine just to let you know they are 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 is 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
the warning lights and gages. They are a big help.
3-30

Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part is not 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 and the parking brake is
not applied, there is a brake problem. Have your
brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on
briey when you turn the
ignition key to RUN.
If it does not come on then, have it xed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is 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 does
not 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, a chime will
sound and you should 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. SeeTowing Your Vehicle
on page 4-34.
{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 have pulled off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
3-36