2006 BUICK LUCERNE ESP

Radio Reception
You may experience frequency interference and static
during normal radio reception if items such as cellphone
chargers, vehicle convenience accessories, and
external electronic devices are plugged into the
accessory power outlet. If there is interference or static,
unplug the item from the accessory power outlet.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with each other. For
better radio reception, most AM radio stations will boost
the power levels during the day, and then reduce
these levels during the night. Static can also occur when
things like storms and power lines interfere with radio
reception. When this happens, try reducing the treble on
your radio.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to fade in and out.
XM™ Satellite Radio Service
XM™ Satellite Radio Service gives digital radio
reception from coast-to-coast in the 48 contiguous
United States, and in Canada (if available). Just as with
FM, tall buildings or hills can interfere with satellite
radio signals, causing the sound to fade in and
out. In addition, traveling or standing under heavy
foliage, bridges, garages, or tunnels may cause loss of
the XM™ signal for a period of time. The radio may
display NO SIGNAL to indicate interference.
Care of Your CDs
Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct
sunlight and dust. The CD player scans the bottom
surface of the disc. If the surface of a CD is damaged,
such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will
not play properly or not at all. If the surface of a CD is
soiled, take a soft, lint free cloth or dampen a clean, soft
cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution mixed with
water, and clean it. Make sure the wiping process starts
from the center to the edge.
Do not touch the bottom side of a CD while handling it;
this could damage the surface. Pick up CDs by
grasping the outer edges or the edge of the hole and
the outer edge.
3-100

The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the
right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need
to take sudden action, as when a child darts into
the street? A person with even a moderate BAC
might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid
the collision.
There is something else about drinking and driving
that many people do not know. Medical research
shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain,
spinal cord, or heart. This means that when anyone
who has been drinking — driver or passenger — is in
a crash, that person’s chance of being killed or
permanently disabled is higher than if the person had
not been drinking.
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or
even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking.
Please do not drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a
cab; or if you are with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.
4-5

Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle has a traction control system that limits
wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery road
conditions. The system operates only if it senses that the
front wheels are spinning too much or beginning to lose
traction. When this happens, the system works the front
brakes and reduces engine power (by closing the throttle
and managing engine spark) to limit wheel spin.
The traction control system and StabiliTrak
®warning
light will ash when the traction control system is limiting
wheel spin. SeeTraction Control System (TCS) Warning
Light on page 3-41for more information. You may feel or
hear the system working, but this is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. SeeCruise Control
on page 3-11for more information.
The SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL message, the
traction control system warning light and the StabiliTrak
®
warning light will come on to let you know if there is a
problem with the traction control system. SeeDIC
Warnings and Messages on page 3-56.When this light and the SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL message are on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel
spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can turn the
traction control system off if you ever need to.
You can turn the system on or off at any time by
pressing the traction control system button located on
the console. The DIC will display TRACTION CONTROL
OFF when you press the button.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3for more information.
4-9

Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you are awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you are following a larger vehicle. Also,
you will not have adequate space if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and do
not get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into
the other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will
have a running start that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your
pass, you need only slow down and drop back again
and wait for another opportunity.
If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle,
wait your turn. But take care that someone is not
trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder
and check the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. Remember that
your passenger side outside mirror is convex. The
vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther away
from you than it really is.
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not ashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you can
ease a little to the right.
4-14

Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by
not overdriving those conditions. But skids are
always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your
wheels are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid,
too much speed or steering in a curve causes tires
to slip and lose cornering force. And in the
acceleration skid, too much throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.Remember: Any traction control system helps avoid only
the acceleration skid. If your traction control system is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled
by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you
will want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear. Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues — such as enough water, ice, or packed snow
on the road to make a mirrored surface — and
slow down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
4-15

Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to be
impaired — by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or
by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Do not drink and drive.
Adjust the inside rearview mirror to reduce the glare
from headlamps behind you.
Since you cannot see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between you
and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
vehicle’s headlamps can light up only so much
road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you are tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But
as we get older these differences increase. A
50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes
will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you
are driving, do not wear sunglasses at night. They may
cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also
make a lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare, as from a driver
who does not lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps, slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep the windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean — inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a lm caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and ash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that the headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep
your eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as the headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from
night blindness — the inability to see in dim light — and
are not even aware of it.
4-16

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build
up under your tires that they can actually ride on
the water. This can happen if the road is wet enough
and you are going fast enough. When your vehicle
is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if
your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reections
from trees, telephone poles, or other vehicles, and
raindrops dimple the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If
you cannot avoid deep puddles or standing water,
drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
If you try to drive through owing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can
be carried away. As little as six inches of
owing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious
about trying to drive through owing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. SeeTires
on page 5-56.
4-18

{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You cannot see it
or smell it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get
and it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so
until help comes.
4-27