Seats and Restraint Systems
....................... 7
Front Seats
.............................................. 9
Rear Seats
............................................. 15
Safety Belts
............................................ 30
Child Restraints
...................................... 57
Airbag System
........................................ 88
Restraint System Check
....................... 104
Features and Controls
.............................. 107
Keys
..................................................... 109
Doors and Locks
.................................. 114
Windows
............................................... 120
Theft-Deterrent Systems
....................... 122
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
..... 127
Mirrors
.................................................. 142
OnStar
®System
................................... 144
Universal Home Remote System
.......... 147
Storage Areas
...................................... 158
Sunroof
................................................ 169Instrument Panel
....................................... 171
Instrument Panel Overview
................... 174
Climate Controls
................................... 200
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
.......................................... 211
Message Center
................................... 225
Driver Information Center (DIC)
............ 235
Audio System(s)
................................... 250
Driving Your Vehicle
................................. 301
Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
..................................... 302
Towing
................................................. 337
Service and Appearance Care
.................. 351
Service
................................................. 354
Fuel
...................................................... 356
Checking Things Under the Hood
......... 362
Bulb Replacement
................................ 399
Windshield Replacement
....................... 404
2007 Buick Rendezvous Owner ManualM
1
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they do not wear
safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder
belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding, throughout the
pregnancy.The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it
is more likely that the fetus will not be hurt
in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone,
the key to making safety belts effective is wearing
them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s
safety belt properly, seeDriver Position on
page 36.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the
same way as the driver’s safety belt — except
for one thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion
of the belt out all the way, you will engage the
child restraint locking feature. If this happens, let
the belt go back all the way and start again.
46
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped
around their neck and the safety belt
continues to tighten. Secure any unused
safety belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull the
shoulder belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock, if your vehicle
has one, after the child restraint has been
installed. Be sure to follow the
instructions of the child restraint
manufacturer.
Notice:Contact between the child restraint or
the LATCH attachment parts and the vehicle’s
safety belt assembly may cause damage to
these parts. Make sure when securing unused
safety belts behind the child restraint that
there is no contact between the child restraint
or the LATCH attachment parts and the
vehicle’s safety belt assembly.Folding an empty rear seat with the safety
belts secured may cause damage to the safety
belt or the seat. When removing the child
restraint, always remember to return the safety
belts to their normal, stowed position before
folding the rear seat.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to
the lower anchors. If the child restraint does
not have lower attachments or the desired
seating position does not have lower anchors,
secure the child restraint with the top tether
and the safety belts. Refer to your child
restraint manufacturer instructions and the
instructions in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired
seating position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower
attachments on the child restraint to the
lower anchors.
77
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and
shoulder portions of the vehicle’s safety belt
through or around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions will show you how.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button
is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor to set the lock.
86
6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child
restraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt
to tighten the lap portion of the belt, and
feed the shoulder belt back into the retractor.
If you are using a forward-facing child
restraint, you may nd it helpful to use your
knee to push down on the child restraint
as you tighten the belt. You should not be able
to pull more of the belt from the retractor
once the lock has been set.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.8. If your vehicle has the passenger sensing
system and the airbag is off, the off indicator
will be lit and stay lit in the inside rearview
mirror when the key is turned to ON or
START.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove
the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the
child restraint.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to
make sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not
pressing the child restraint into the seat cushion. If
this happens, slightly recline the vehicle’s
seatback and adjust the seat cushion if possible.
Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the
child restraint in a rear seat position in the
vehicle and check with your dealer.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the
vehicle’s safety belt and let it go back all the way.
The safety belt will move freely again and be
ready to work for an adult or larger child
passenger.
87
Keys
{CAUTION:
Leaving children in a vehicle with the
ignition key is dangerous for many
reasons. They could operate the power
windows or other controls or even make
the vehicle move. The children or others
could be badly injured or even killed.
Do not leave the keys in a vehicle with
children.
Your vehicle’s key can be used for the ignition as
well as the driver’s door lock, the oor console, and
the glove box. If you need a new key, contact your
dealer, who can obtain the correct key code.
109
Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers, especially children, can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not open it.
You increase the chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash if
the doors are not locked. So, wear
safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out.
A child can be overcome by extreme
heat and can suffer permanent injuries
or even death from heat stroke.
Always lock your vehicle whenever
you leave it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down
or stop your vehicle. Locking your
doors can help prevent this from
happening.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your
vehicle.
From the outside, use your key or the remote
keyless entry transmitter.
114
Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both
control systems — steering and braking — have
to do their work where the tires meet the road.
Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock brakes,
adding the hard braking can demand too much of
those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you are steering
through a sharp curve and you suddenly
accelerate. Those two control systems — steering
and acceleration — can overwhelm those places
where the tires meet the road and make you lose
control. SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on
page 310.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up
on the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the
vehicle the way you want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you
should adjust your speed. Of course, the posted
speeds are based on good weather and road
conditions. Under less favorable conditions you will
want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach
a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while
your front wheels are straight ahead.Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive”
through the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady
speed. Wait to accelerate until you are out of
the curve, and then accelerate gently into
the straightaway.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modi cations on page 354.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more
effective than braking. For example, you come
over a hill and nd a truck stopped in your lane, or
a car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a
child darts out from between parked cars and
stops right in front of you. You can avoid these
problems by braking — if you can stop in time. But
sometimes you cannot; there is not room. That
is the time for evasive action — steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes.
SeeBraking on page 306. It is better to remove as
much speed as you can from a possible collision.
Then steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available.
312