2011 BUICK LACROSSE airbag off

Black plate (10,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
1-10 In Brief
Safety Belts
Refer to the following sections for
important information on how to use
safety belts properly.
.Safety Belts on page 3‑13.
.How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly on page 3‑17.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑22.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑52.
Sensing System for
Passenger Airbag
The passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags,
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
and roof‐rail airbags are not affected
by the passenger sensing system.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will be visible on the
instrument panel when the vehicle
is started. SeePassenger Sensing
System on page 3‑37 for more
information.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior
To adjust the mirrors:
1. Turn the control knob to the L (left) or R (right) selecting the
driver or passenger mirror.
2. Push the control knob to the left, right, up, or down to adjust the
mirror.

Black plate (30,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-30 Seats and Restraints
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing a safety belt—even if
the vehicle has airbags. Airbags
are designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed to
deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are the only
restraint. See When Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑32.
Wearing a safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{WARNING
Airbags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to any airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge
of the seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear a safety belt,
even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on
or sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{WARNING
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag
when it inflates 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.
Always secure children properly
in the vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 3‑44 or
Infants and Young Children on
page 3‑46.

Black plate (35,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-35
But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion
is not toward those airbags.
SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 3‑32 for more
information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may
not even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, see
What Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑34.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out
of the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
vehicle should get out as soon
as it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate.
You can lock the doors, turn off the
interior lamps and hazard warning
flashers by using the controls for
those features.

Black plate (37,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-37
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the right front
passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible
on the instrument panel when the
vehicle is started.
The words ON and OFF will be
visible during the system check.
If you are using remote start,if equipped, to start the vehicle from
a distance you may not see the
system check. When the system
check is complete, either the word
ON or the word OFF will be visible.
See
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑15.
The passenger sensing system
turns off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags,
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
and roof‐rail airbags are not affected
by the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part
of the right front passenger seat. The sensors are designed to detect
the presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the
right front passenger frontal airbag
should be enabled (may inflate)
or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the
correct child restraint for their
weight and size.
We recommend that children be
secured in a rear seat, including:
an infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child
riding in a forward-facing child seat;
an older child riding in a booster
seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.

Black plate (38,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-38 Seats and Restraints
A label on the 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.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag inflates.
This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag,
no system is fail-safe. No one
can guarantee that an airbag will
not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child
restraints 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. The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag if:.The right front passenger seat is
unoccupied.
.The system determines that an
infant is present in a rear-facing
infant seat.
.The system determines that a
small child is present in a child
restraint.
.The system determines that
a small child is present in a
booster seat.
.A right front passenger takes
his/her weight off of the seat for
a period of time.
.The right front passenger seat is
occupied by a smaller person,
such as a child who has
outgrown child restraints.
.Or, if there is a critical problem
with the airbag system or the
passenger sensing system.

Black plate (39,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-39
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag,
the off indicator will light and stay
lit to remind you that the airbags
are off. SeePassenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 5‑15.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on (may inflate)
the right front passenger frontal
airbag anytime the system senses
that a person of adult size is sitting
properly in the right front passenger
seat. When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the
airbag is active.
For some children who have
outgrown child restraints and for
very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, depending upon
the person's seating posture
and body build. Everyone in the
vehicle who has outgrown child
restraints should wear a safety
belt properly
—whether or not
there is an airbag for that person.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑14 for more
information, including important
safety information.
If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions
provided by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to
Securing Child Restraints
(Rear Seat) on page 3‑61 or
Securing Child Restraints (Front
Passenger Seat) on page 3‑63.

Black plate (40,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-40 Seats and Restraints
5. If, after reinstalling the childrestraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is
still lit, turn the vehicle off.
Then slightly recline the vehicle
seatback and adjust the seat
cushion, if adjustable, to make
sure that the vehicle seatback
is not pushing the child restraint
into the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped under
the vehicle head restraint.
If this happens, adjust the
head restraint. See Head
Restraints on page 3‑2.
6. Restart the vehicle.
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.If the Off Indicator is Lit for an
Adult-Size Occupant
If a person of adult-size is sitting
in the right front passenger seat,
but the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting
properly in the seat. If this happens, use the following steps to allow the
system to detect that person and
enable the right front passenger
frontal airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material
from the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for
two to three minutes after the on
indicator is lit.

Black plate (41,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-41
Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation
Safety belts help keep the
passenger in position on the
seat during vehicle maneuvers
and braking, which helps the
passenger sensing system
maintain the passenger airbag
status. See“Safety Belts” and
“Child Restraints” in the Index for
additional information about the
importance of proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion,
or aftermarket equipment such
as seat covers, seat heaters, and
seat massagers can affect how
well the passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that
you not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. See Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑42 for more information
about modifications that can
affect how the system operates.
{WARNING
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are
parts of the airbag system in
several places around the vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing
the vehicle and the airbag system.
To purchase a service manual,
see Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑15.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.