2011 BUICK LACROSSE steering wheel

Black plate (29,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-29
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the
right front passenger and
the passenger seated directly
behind the right front passenger.The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the rear seat
passenger seated directly
behind the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the rear seat
passenger seated directly
behind the right front passenger.
All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for the
driver and on the instrument panel
for the right front passenger. With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.

Black plate (31,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-31
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑14
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
middle of the steering wheel.
The right front passenger frontal
airbag is in the instrument panel on
the passenger side.
Driver Side Shown,
Passenger Side Similar
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.

Black plate (32,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-32 Seats and Restraints
Rear Seat Driver Side Shown,Passenger Side Similar
If the vehicle has second row
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
they are in the sides of the rear
seatback closest to the door.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
that person causing severe
injury or even death. The path
of an inflating airbag must be
kept clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories
that block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path
of an inflating roof-rail airbag
will be blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed
to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near frontal crashes to
help reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or right
front passenger's head and chest.
However, they are only designed
to inflate if the impact exceeds
a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on
how fast your vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact, and how
quickly your vehicle slows down.

Black plate (34,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-34 Seats and Restraints
In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag should
have inflated simply because of
the damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle
hits, the angle of the impact, and
how quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact.
In a rollover event, roof‐rail airbag
deployment is determined by the
direction of the roll.What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbag modules in the side
of the front seatbacks closest to
the door. For vehicles with roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules
in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the
side windows that have occupant
seating positions.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel.
In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants
can contact the inside of the
vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the
force of the impact more evenly
over the occupant's upper body.

Black plate (42,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-42 Seats and Restraints
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might addto or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that
change the vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front
end or side sheet metal, they
may keep the airbag system
from working properly. Changing
or moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, front sensors, side impact
sensors, or airbag wiring can
affect the operation of the airbag
system.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system
for the right front passenger
position, which includes sensors that are part of the passenger
seat. The passenger sensing
system may not operate
properly if the original seat
trim is replaced with non-GM
covers, upholstery or trim,
or with GM covers, upholstery
or trim designed for a different
vehicle. Any object, such as
an aftermarket seat heater
or a comfort enhancing pad
or device, installed under or
on top of the seat fabric, could
also interfere with the operation
of the passenger sensing
system. This could either
prevent proper deployment
of the passenger airbag(s) or
prevent the passenger sensing
system from properly turning
off the passenger airbag(s).
See
Passenger Sensing
System on page 3‑37.
If you have questions,
call Customer Assistance.
The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two
of the Customer Satisfaction
Procedure in this manual.
See
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure (U.S. and Canada) on
page 13‑1 orCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure (Mexico)
on page 13‑3.
Q: Because I have a disability, I have to get my vehicle
modified. How can I find out
whether this will affect my
airbag system?
A: If you have questions,
call Customer Assistance.
The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two
of the Customer Satisfaction
Procedure in this manual.
See Customer Satisfaction
Procedure (U.S. and Canada) on
page 13‑1 orCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure (Mexico)
on page 13‑3.

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-3
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock (Without DateDisplay) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock (With Date Display) . . . . . 5-6
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11 Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-14
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-14
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-16
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Indicator Light . . . . . . . 5-22
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)/Traction Control
System (TCS) Indicator/
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22 Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-23
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-24
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-25
Taillamp Indicator Light . . . . . . 5-25
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . 5-29
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Battery Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-33
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-34
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35

Black plate (2,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-2 Instruments and Controls
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-36
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-36
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-36
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Object Detection SystemMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Anti-Theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-38
Window Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 5-39
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . 5-45
Universal Remote System Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Universal Remote System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Controls
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever (A) down.
2. Move the steering wheel up
or down.
3. Pull or push the steering wheel closer or away from you.
4. Pull the lever (A) up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Steering Wheel Controls
For vehicles with audio steering
wheel controls, some audio controls
can be adjusted at the steering
wheel.
b g(Push to Talk): For vehicles
with a Bluetooth®, OnStar®,
or navigation system, press
to interact with those systems.

Black plate (3,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-3
SeeBluetooth (Overview) on
page 7‑46 orBluetooth
(Infotainment Controls) on
page 7‑48 orBluetooth (Voice
Recognition) on page 7‑53,
the OnStar Owner's Guide, or
the separate Navigation System
Manual for more information.
$ i(Mute/End Call): Press
to silence the vehicle speakers
only. Press again to turn the
sound on. For vehicles with
OnStar or Bluetooth systems,
press to reject an incoming call,
or end a current call.
_SRC^(Rotary Control): Press
to select an audio source.
Press
_or^to select the next or
previous favorite radio station, CD,
DVD track/chapter (with navigation),
or MP3 track.
+
x− (Volume): Press + to
increase the volume. Press −to
decrease the volume.
Heated Steering Wheel
For vehicles with a heated steering
wheel, the button for this feature
is located on the climate control
system.
(: Press to turn the heated
steering wheel on or off. A light
on the button displays when the
feature is turned on.
The steering wheel takes about
three minutes to start heating.
Horn
Press near the horn symbols or
press on the steering wheel pad
to sound the horn.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper lever is
on the side of the steering
column. With the ignition in
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN,
move the windshield wiper lever
to select the wiper speed.
2: Use for fast wipes.
1: Use for slow wipes.