2005 BUICK LACROSSE ignition

Shifting Into Park (P)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicle will
not move, even when you are on fairly level
ground, use the steps that follow. If you are
pulling a trailer, seeTowing a Trailer on
page 4-35.
Steering Column Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the
parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into the PARK (P) like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
Console Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the
parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into the PARK (P) position by
holding in the button on the shift lever and pushing
it all the way toward the front of the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
2-28

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake rmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch re.
You or others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is rmly set before you leave it. After you
have moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can move
the shift lever away from PARK (P) without rst pushing
the button. If you can, it means that the shift lever
was not fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may nd it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To nd out how, seeShifting Into Park (P)
on page 2-28.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle, so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of Park (P)
The vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift lock control
system which locks the shift lever in PARK (P) when
the ignition is in the OFF position. The regular brakes
must be fully applied before the vehicle can be
shifted from PARK (P) when the ignition in RUN. See
Automatic Transaxle Operation on page 2-24.
If the vehicle cannot be shifted out of PARK (P), ease
pressure on the shift lever and push the shift lever all the
way into PARK (P) as brake application is maintained.
Then, move the shift lever into the desired gear.
2-29

Sunroof
The vehicle may have a sunroof. It includes a sliding
glass panel and a sunshade.
The sunroof control is
on the headliner, by the
map lamps.The sunroof control works only when the ignition is on
or in accessory, or when Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) is active. SeeRetained Accessory Power (RAP)
on page 2-22.
To raise the sunroof to the vent position, press the back
of the control. Push and hold the front of the control
to close the sunroof from the vent position.
With the sunroof in the vent position, press and release
the back of the control to express-open the sunroof.
The sunshade will automatically open with the sunroof.
To stop the express-open function, press the back
of the control again.
To close the sunroof, press and hold the front of the
control. To stop the sunroof, release the control.
The sunshade must be closed manually.
The sunroof panel cannot be opened or closed if your
vehicle has an electrical failure.
2-42

Turn and Lane-Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the lever up or down. The lever
returns to its original position when the turn is completed.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will ash in
the direction of the
turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, raise or lower the lever until
the arrow starts to ash. Hold it there until the lane
change is completed. The lever will return to its original
position when released.
Arrows that ash rapidly when signaling for a turn or lane
change, or that fail to work, may indicate a burned-out
signal bulb or fuse. Other drivers will not see the signal.
SeeFront Turn Signal and Parking Lamps on page 5-47
andTaillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps on page 5-48for turn signal bulb
replacement procedures. Also seeFuses and Circuit
Breakers on page 5-88for location of fuses.
A chime will sound if the turn signal is left on for more
than 3/4 mile (1.2 km).
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high beam,
push the turn signal/multifunction lever away from you.
When the high beams are
on, a light on the
instrument panel cluster
also will be on if the
ignition is in ON.
To change the headlamps from high beam to low beam,
pull the turn signal lever toward you.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps
momentarily to signal a driver in front of you that
you want to pass.
To use it, pull the turn signal/multifunction lever toward
you until the high-beam headlamps come on, then
release the lever to turn them off.
3-8

Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press the SET−button until you reach the lower
speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, briey press
the SET−button. Each time you do this, you will
go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase the vehicle’s
speed. When you take your foot off the pedal, the
vehicle will slow down to the cruise control speed you
set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work on hills depends
upon the speed and load of the vehicle, and the
steepness of the hills. When going up steep hills, you
may have to step on the accelerator pedal to maintain
the vehicle’s speed. When going downhill, you may have
to brake or shift to a lower gear to keep the vehicle’s
speed down. Of course, applying the brake takes
the vehicle out of cruise control. Many drivers nd this
to be too much trouble and do not use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
To end a cruise control session, step lightly on the
brake pedal.
Stepping on the brake will end the current cruise control
session only. Press the cruise on/off button to turn off
the system completely.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
3-12

<(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

When it is bright enough outside, the headlamps will go
off and the DRL will come on.
To idle the vehicle with the DRL off, turn the exterior
lamp control off and then do one of the following:
Turn the exterior lamp control to the parking
lamp position.
Turn the exterior lamp control to the
headlamp position.
Turn the exterior lamp control from AUTO to off and
back to AUTO.
This feature is not available for vehicles rst sold
in Canada.
To turn off the automatic headlamp feature when it is
dark outside, move the exterior lamp control to the
parking lamp position. The parking lamps will remain
illuminated and the headlamps will turn off. The
fog lamps will also go on if they were on previously.
As with any vehicle, the regular headlamp system
should be turned on when needed.
Fog Lamps
Press the fog lamps
button, located in the
center of the exterior lamps
control on the left side of
the steering column, to turn
the fog lamps on or off.
While the high-beam headlamps are on, the fog lamps
are off.
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver
If the parking lamps or headlamps have been left on
after the ignition has been turned to off, the exterior
lamps will turn off after approximately 10 minutes. This
protects the battery from being drained.
If the lamps need to be left on for more than
10 minutes, use the exterior lamp control to turn the
lamps back on.
3-15

Interior Lamps
Your interior lamps control
is located next to the
exterior lamps control
and to the left of the
steering wheel on the
instrument panel.
9(Off):Turn the control to this position to disable
courtesy lamps, entry lighting, delayed entry lighting, and
delayed exit lighting.
1(Door):Turn the control to this position to turn the
interior lamps on when any door is open and when
the ignition key is removed from the ignition.
+(On):Turn the control to this position to turn the
interior lamps on.
The interior lamps can be controlled, or automatically
turned on or off under certain conditions. They are
explained in the following text.
Instrument Panel Brightness
The instrument panel lights can be brightened or
dimmed by pressing the center knob of the interior lamp
controls until it pops out. Turn the knob clockwise to
brighten the lights or counterclockwise to dim them.
Courtesy Lamps
Courtesy lamps come on to make it easier to enter and
exit the vehicle. These lamps will come on when the
interior lamp control is in the door position and any door
is opened.
Entry Lighting
The courtesy lamps will come on and stay on for a set
time whenever the interior lamp control is in the door
position and the UNLOCK button on the remote keyless
entry transmitter is pressed.
The lamps will stay on while a door is opened and then
turn off automatically about 25 seconds after it is
closed. If the UNLOCK button is pressed and a door is
not opened, the lamps will turn off after about
25 seconds.
3-16