2011 BUICK LACROSSE wheel

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.

Black plate (19,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-19
Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and
local governments may have
programs to inspect the on-vehicle
emission control equipment.
For the inspection, the emission
system test equipment is connected
to the vehicle’s Data Link
Connector (DLC).
The DLC is under the instrument
panel to the left of the steering
wheel. See your dealer if assistance
is needed.The vehicle may not pass
inspection if:
.The malfunction indicator lamp is
on with the engine running, or if
the light does not come on when
the ignition is turned to ON/RUN
while the engine is off.
.The critical emission control
systems have not been
completely diagnosed by
the system. This can happen
if the battery has recently
been replaced or if the battery
has run down. The diagnostic
system evaluates critical
emission control systems during
normal driving. This can take
several days of routine driving.
If this has been done and the
vehicle still does not pass the
inspection, your dealer can
prepare the vehicle for
inspection.
Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle brake system
consists of two hydraulic circuits.
If one circuit is not working, the
remaining circuit can still work to
stop the vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working.
If the warning light comes on, there
is a brake problem. Have your brake
system inspected right away.
EnglishMetric
If the vehicle has antilock brakes,
this light should come on when the
vehicle is placed in START. If it does
not, have the vehicle serviced by
your dealer.

Black plate (22,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-22 Instruments and Controls
Electronic Stability
Control (ESC) Indicator
Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally the
indicator light then goes off.If the light comes on and stays
on while driving, there could be
a problem with the ESC and the
vehicle might need service. When
this warning light is on, the ESC is
off and does not limit wheel spin.
The light flashes if the system is
active and is working to assist the
driver with directional control of the
vehicle in difficult driving conditions.
For vehicles with the uplevel cluster,
this light is shown in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) screen.
See
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) on page 9‑37 for more
information.
Electronic Stability
Control (ESC)/Traction
Control System (TCS)
Indicator/Warning Light
This light comes on when the
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is turned off. When the ESC
is off the Traction Control System
(TCS) is also off, and wheel spin
is not limited. If the ESC is off, the
system does not assist in controlling
the vehicle. Switch on the TCS
and the ESC and the warning
light turns off.
See Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑36 andElectronic
Stability Control (ESC) on
page 9‑37 for more information.

Black plate (26,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-26 Instruments and Controls
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by using
the DIC buttons located on the
turn signal lever located on the left
side of the steering wheel. The DIC
displays trip, fuel, vehicle system
information, and warning messages
if a system problem is detected.
The bottom of the DIC display
shows what position the shift lever
is in, the odometer, and the direction
the vehicle is driving.
In cold weather the DIC display
may change slowly. This is normal
and will move more quickly as the
vehicle's interior temperature rises.DIC Buttons
MENU:
Press to get to the
Trip/Fuel Menu and the Vehicle
Information Menu.
w x(Thumbwheel): Use to scroll
through the items in each menu.
A small marker will move across the
bottom of the page as you scroll
through the items. This shows
where each page is in the menu.
SET/CLR (Set/Clear): Press to set
or clear the menu item when it is
displayed.
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
Press MENU on the turn signal
lever until Trip/Fuel Information
Menu is displayed. Use
w xto
scroll through the following menu
items:
.Digital Speedometer
.Trip 1
.Trip 2
.Fuel Range
.Average Fuel Economy
.Average Vehicle Speed
.Timer
.Turn-by-Turn