2008 BUICK LACROSSE airbag

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-9
Child Restraints
.......................................1-29
Airbag System
.........................................1-54
Restraint System Check
............................1-68
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-11
Windows
.................................................2-17
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-20
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-24
Mirrors
....................................................2-38
Object Detection Systems
..........................2-41
OnStar
®System
......................................2-43
Universal Home Remote System
................2-47
Storage Areas
.........................................2-52
Sunroof
..................................................2-54
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-30
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-49
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-84Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-27
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-56
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-58
Windshield Replacement
...........................5-62
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-62
Tires
......................................................5-63
Appearance Care
.....................................5-99
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-107
Electrical System
....................................5-108
Capacities and Specications
...................5-116
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-15
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-17
Index................................................................ 1
2008 Buick LaCrosse Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Power Seats..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar...............................................1-3
Heated Seats.................................................1-3
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-6
Center Seat...................................................1-7
Rear Seats.......................................................1-8
Split Folding Rear Seat...................................1-8
Safety Belts.....................................................1-9
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-9
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-14
Lap-Shoulder Belt.........................................1-22
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-27
Lap Belt......................................................1-28
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-29
Child Restraints.............................................1-29
Older Children..............................................1-29
Infants and Young Children............................1-33
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-37
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-39Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)......................................1-41
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position....................................1-47
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Front Seat Position....................................1-50
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-50
Airbag System...............................................1-54
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-57
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-59
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-60
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-60
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-60
Passenger Sensing System............................1-62
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-66
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle....................................................1-67
Restraint System Check..................................1-68
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-68
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash...................................................1-69
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Will I be trapped in the vehicle after a crash if I
am wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so youcanunbuckle
and get out, ismuchgreater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you
are upside down.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental systems only; so they
workwithsafety belts — not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is provided, all occupants
still have to buckle up to get the most protection.
That is true not only in frontal collisions, but
especially in side and other collisions.
Q:If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in a
crash — even one that is not your fault — you and
your passenger(s) can be hurt. Being a good driver
does not protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-13

{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer protection for adults and older
children, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system
nor its airbag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide.
1-35

A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag if the system detects a
rear-facing child restraint, no system is
fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that an
airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off. We
recommend that rear-facing child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
If you secure a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-62
for additional information.
{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front
seat can be badly injured or killed by the
frontal airbags if they inate. Never secure a
child restraint in the center front seat. It is
always better to secure a child restraint in a
rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position.
1-40

6. If your child restraint has a top tether, follow the
child restraint manufacturer’s instructions regarding
the use of the top tether. SeeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41
for more information.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. If the top tether
is attached to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position
{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front
seat can be badly injured or killed by the
frontal airbags if they inate. Never secure a
child restraint in the center front seat. It is
always better to secure a child restraint in
a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-39.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-62
andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-34
for more information on this, including important safety
information.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
1-50

{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag if the system detects a
rear-facing child restraint, no system is
fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that an
airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off. We
recommend that rear-facing child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-62
for additional information.If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-41for how to install your child restraint
using LATCH. If you secure a child restraint using a
safety belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41for
top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions
that come with the child restraint say that the top
strap must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator on the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the vehicle.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-34.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1-51

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.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
If the airbag is off, the off indicator in the passenger
airbag status indicator will come on and stay on when
the vehicle is started.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.
Remove any additional material from the seat such as
blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters or seat
massagers before reinstalling or securing the child
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/retailer.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way.
1-53