Page 50 of 450
Black plate (18,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
First, before you or your passenger(s) wear a safety
belt, there is important information you should know.
Sit up straight and always keep your feet on the floor
in front of you. The lap part of the belt should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs.In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones
and you would be less likely to slide under the lap belt.
If you slid under it, the belt would apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining forces.
The shoulder belt locks if there is a sudden stop or
crash.
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Page 58 of 450

Black plate (26,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle have a lap-shoulder
except for the center front passenger position
(if equipped), which has a lap belt. SeeLap Belt
on
page 2‑32for more information.
The following instructions explain how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt properly. 1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats”in the
Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt is pulled
out all the way, the child restraint locking feature
may be engaged. If this happens, just let the belt
go back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature in
the right front seating position may affect the
passenger sensing system. See Passenger
Sensing System
on page 2‑64for more
information.
3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
If the latch plate will not go fully into the buckle,
check if the correct buckle is being used.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt
Extender
on page 2‑33.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
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Page 60 of 450

Black plate (28,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt height adjuster for the
driver and right front passenger seating positions.
Adjust the height so the shoulder portion of the belt
is on the shoulder and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not contacting, the neck.
Improper shoulder belt height adjustment could
reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
SeeHow to Wear Safety Belts Properly on page 2‑17.
Press the release
button (A) and move the
height adjuster to the
desired position. The
adjuster can be moved
up by pushing up on the
shoulder belt guide.
After the adjuster is set to the desired position, try to
move it down without pressing the release button to
make sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for front
outboard occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they are part of the
safety belt assembly. They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a moderate to severe
frontal or near frontal crash if the threshold conditions
for pretensioner activation are met. And, if your vehicle
has side impact airbags, safety belt pretensioners can
help tighten the safety belts in a side crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If the pretensioners
activate in a crash, they will need to be replaced, and
probably other new parts for the vehicle's safety belt
system. See Replacing Restraint System Parts After a
Crash on page 2‑71.
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Page 78 of 450

Black plate (46,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
According to accident statistics, children and infants
are safer when properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system secured in a rear
seating position. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint
on
page 2‑41for additional information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System
{WARNING:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached to
anchors, the child restraint will not be able to
protect the child correctly. In a crash, the child
could be seriously injured or killed. Install a
LATCH-type child restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle safety belts to secure
the restraint, following the instructions that came
with the child restraint and the instructions in this
manual.
{WARNING:
Do not attach more than one child restraint to a
single anchor. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause the
anchor or attachment to come loose or even
break during a crash. A child or others could be
injured. To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries during a crash, attach only one child
restraint per anchor.
{WARNING:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Buckle any
unused safety belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull the shoulder
belt all the way out of the retractor to set the lock,
if the vehicle has one, after the child restraint has
been installed.
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Page 82 of 450
Black plate (50,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
4. Pull the shoulder belt all the way out of theretractor to set the lock. When the retractor lock
is set, the belt can be tightened but not pulled out
of the retractor.5. To tighten the belt, push down on the childrestraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt, and feed the
shoulder belt back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child restraint, it may
be helpful to use your knee to push down on the
child restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure
the retractor is locked. If the retractor is not locked,
repeat Steps 4 and 5.
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Page 86 of 450
Black plate (54,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the way out of theretractor to set the lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but not pulled out of
the retractor.6. To tighten the belt, push down on the childrestraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt, and feed the
shoulder belt back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child restraint, it may
be helpful to use your knee to push down on the
child restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure
the retractor is locked. If the retractor is not locked,
repeat Steps 5 and 6.
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Page 91 of 450
Black plate (59,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver, right front passenger,
and second row outboard passengers are in the ceiling
above the side windows.
{WARNING:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into 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.
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Page 95 of 450

Black plate (63,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
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.
{WARNING:
A crash severe enough to inflate the airbags may
have also damaged important functions in the
vehicle, such as the fuel system, brake and
steering systems, etc. Even if the vehicle appears
to be drivable after a moderate crash, there may
be concealed damage that could make it difficult
to safely operate the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt to restart the
engine after a crash has occurred.In many crashes severe enough to inflate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate only once. After an
airbag inflates, you will need some new parts for
the airbag system. If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there to help protect you
in another crash. A new system will include airbag
modules and possibly other parts. The service
manual for your vehicle covers the need to replace
other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing and diagnostic
module which records information after a crash.
See
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
on
page 8‑16and Event Data Recorderson
page 8‑16.
.Let only qualified technicians work on the airbag
systems. Improper service can mean that an
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer for service.
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