Page 1 of 414

2010 Buick LaCrosse Owner ManualM
Keys, Doors and Windows. . . 1-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 3-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 3-2 Instruments and Controls
. . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . 4-4
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 4-38
OnStar System
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-43
Universal Remote System . . . . 4-45
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 6-34
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 7-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 8-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 8-17
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 8-27
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 8-34
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
Object Detection Systems . . . . 8-40
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-49
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-54
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 8-60
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Page 2 of 414
2010 Buick LaCrosse Owner ManualM
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-75
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-79
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-82
Service and Maintenance . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 10-2
Recommended Fluids,
Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . . 10-7
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 10-10
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Customer Information . . . . . . . 12-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 12-1
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 12-13
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Page 3 of 414

Introduction iii
GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM
Emblem, BUICK, the BUICK
Emblem, and the name LaCrosse
are registered trademarks of
General Motors Corporation.
This manual describes features that
may or may not be on your specific
vehicle either because they are
options that you did not purchase or
due to changes subsequent to the
printing of this owner manual.
Please refer to the purchase
documentation relating to your
specific vehicle to confirm each of
the features found on your vehicle.For vehicles first sold in Canada,
substitute the name
“General
Motors of Canada Limited” for Buick
Motor Division wherever it appears
in this manual.
Manufactured under license under
U.S. Patent #'s: 5,451,942;
5,956,674; 5,974,380; 5,978,762;
6,487,535 & other U.S. and
worldwide patents issued &
pending. DTS and DTS Digital
Surround are registered trademarks
and the DTS logos and Symbol are trademarks of DTS, Inc. ©
1996-2007 DTS, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
Manufactured under license from
Dolby Laboratories. Dolby and the
double-D symbol are trademarks of
Dolby Laboratories. Copyright
1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories. All
rights reserved.
Litho in the U.S.A.
Part No. 25919686 A First Printing©2009 General Motors Corporation. All rights Reserved.
Page 4 of 414

iv Introduction
This product incorporates copyright
protection technology that is
protected by U.S. patents and other
intellectual property rights. Use of
this copyright protection technology
must be authorized by Macrovision,
and is intended for home and other
limited viewing uses only unless
otherwise authorized by
Macrovision. Reverse engineering
or disassembly is prohibited.
“Made for iPod”means that an
electronic accessory has been
designed to connect specifically
to iPod and has been certified by
the developer to meet Apple
performance standards. iPod is a
trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.,
registered in the U.S. and other
countries.
Canadian Vehicle Owners
Canadian Owners
(Propriétaires Canadiens)
A French language copy of this
manual can be obtained from your
dealer/retailer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de
ce guide en français auprès du
concessionnaire ou à l'adresse
suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue
française
www.helminc.com
Using this Manual
To quickly locate information about
the vehicle use the Index in the
back of the manual. It is an
alphabetical list of what is in the
manual and the page number where
it can be found.
Danger, Warnings, and
Cautions
Warning messages found on vehicle
labels and in this manual describe
hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
Danger indicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result in
serious injury or death.
Warning orCaution indicates a
hazard that could result in injury or
death.
{WARNING
These mean there is something
that could hurt you or other
people.
Notice: This means there is
something that could result in
property or vehicle damage. This
would not be covered by the
vehicle's warranty.
Page 5 of 414

Introduction v
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means“Do
Not,” “Do not do this” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message, gage,
or indicator.
M: This symbol is shown when
you need to see your owner manual
for additional instructions or
information.
*: This symbol is shown when
you need to see a service manual
for additional instructions or
information. Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the index.
9:
Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Page 6 of 414
Page 7 of 414

Keys, Doors and Windows 1-1
Keys, Doors and
Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Remote KeylessEntry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation (Key Access) . . . . . 1-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation
(Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Doors
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Vehicle Security
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . 1-13
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Immobilizer Operation (Key Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Immobilizer Operation (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Exterior Mirrors
Power Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Park Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror . . . . . . 1-16
Windows
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Power Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Roof
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Page 8 of 414

1-2 Keys, Doors and Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys
{WARNING
Leaving children in a vehicle with
the ignition key is dangerous for
many reasons, children or others
could be badly injured or even
killed. They could operate the
power windows or other controls
or even make the vehicle move.
The windows will function with the
keys in the ignition and children
could be seriously injured or killed
if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave the keys in
a vehicle with children.
{WARNING
Leaving children in a vehicle with
the keyless access transmitter is
dangerous for many reasons,
children or others could be badly
injured or even killed. They could
operate the power windows or
other controls or even make the
vehicle move. The windows will
function with the keyless access
transmitter in the vehicle and they
could be seriously injured or killed
if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave the keyless
access transmitter in a vehicle
with children.
The key, that is part of the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter,
can be used for the ignition and all
locks if the vehicle is a key access