2011 BUICK REGAL Brake

Black plate (26,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
5-26 Instruments and Controls
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages
BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE
This message displays when the
vehicle has detected that the battery
voltage is dropping beyond a
reasonable point. The battery saver
system starts reducing certain
features of the vehicle that you may
be able to notice. At the point that
features are disabled, this message
is displayed. It means that the
vehicle is trying to save the charge
in the battery. Turn off unnecessary
accessories to allow the battery to
recharge.
LOW BATTERY
This message is displayed when the
battery voltage is low. SeeBattery
on page 10‑27 for more information.
SERVICE BATTERY
CHARGING SYSTEM
This message is displayed when
there is a fault in the battery
charging system. Take the vehicle
to your dealer for service.
Brake System Messages
BRAKE FLUID LOW
This message is displayed when the
brake fluid level is low. See Brake
Fluid on page 10‑26.
PRESS BRAKE PEDAL TO
RELEASE PARK BRAKE
This message is displayed if you
attempt to release the electric
parking brake without the brake
pedal applied. See Parking Brake
on page 9‑31 for more information.
RELEASE PARK BRAKE
SWITCH
This message is displayed if the
electric parking brake is on while the
vehicle is in motion. Release it
before you attempt to drive. See
Parking Brake on page 9‑31 for
more information.
SERVICE PARKING BRAKE
This message is displayed when
there is a problem with the electric
parking brake. See Parking Brake
on page 9‑31 for more information.
Take the vehicle to your dealer.
Compass Messages
CAL
This message is displayed when the
compass needs to be calibrated.
See Compass on page 5‑4.
– – –
Three dashes will be displayed if the
compass needs service. See your
dealer for service.

Black plate (1,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-3
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-6
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is located
on the instrument panel on the
outboard side of the steering wheel.
Turn the control to the following
positions:
O(Off): Turns off the exterior
lamps. The knob returns to the
AUTO position after it is released.
Turn to
Oagain to reactivate the
AUTO mode. In Canada, the headlamps will
automatically reactivate once the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park) and
manual transmission vehicles when
the parking brake is released.
AUTO (Automatic):
Automatically
turns the exterior lamps on and off,
depending on outside lighting.
The current status of the AUTO
system is displayed in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) display.
See Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑22.
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on the
parking lamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights

Black plate (1,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-11
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-16
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Shifting out of Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-25
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-29
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 9-34
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Interactive Drive Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-42

Black plate (3,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-3
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a global
tragedy.
Alcohol affects four things that
anyone needs to drive a vehicle:
judgment, muscular coordination,
vision, and attentiveness.
Police records show that
almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve
alcohol. In most cases, these
deaths are the result of someone
who was drinking and driving.
In recent years, more than
17,000 annual motor vehicle-related
deaths have been associated with
the use of alcohol, with about
250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against
the law in every U.S. state to drink
alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental
reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the
leading highway safety problem is
for people never to drink alcohol
and then drive.Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person's system
can make crash injuries worse,
especially injuries to the brain,
spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been
drinking
—driver or passenger —is
in a crash, that person's chance of
being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not
been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems
help to control the vehicle while
driving —brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when
driving on snow or ice, it is easy to
ask more of those control systems
than the tires and road can provide.
Meaning, you can lose control of
the vehicle. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 9‑34.
Adding non‐dealer accessories can
affect vehicle performance. See
Accessories and Modifications on
page 10‑3.
Braking
See Brake System Warning Light on
page 5‑16.
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding
to push the brake pedal is
perception time. Actually doing
it is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
three‐fourths of a second. But that is
only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two
or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and
eyesight all play a part. So do
alcohol, drugs, and frustration.
But even in three‐fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft). That could be a lot of
distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between the
vehicle and others is important.

Black plate (4,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
9-4 Driving and Operating
And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the
surface of the road, whether it is
pavement or gravel; the condition
of the road, whether it is wet, dry,
or icy; tire tread; the condition of the
brakes; the weight of the vehicle;
and the amount of brake force
applied.
Avoid needless heavy
braking. Some people drive in
spurts—heavy acceleration
followed by heavy braking —rather
than keeping pace with traffic. This
is a mistake. The brakes might not
have time to cool between hard
stops. The brakes will wear out
much faster with a lot of heavy
braking. Keeping pace with the
traffic and allowing realistic following
distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life. If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. If the brakes are pumped,
the pedal could get harder to push
down. If the engine stops, there will
still be some power brake assist but
it will be used when the brake is
applied. Once the power assist is
used up, it can take longer to stop
and the brake pedal will be harder
to push.
Adding non‐dealer accessories can
affect vehicle performance. See
Accessories and Modifications on
page 10‑3.
Steering
Power Steering
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or the
power steering system is not
functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but it will take more effort.
Speed Variable Assist Steering
Some vehicles have a steering
system that varies the amount of
effort required to steer the vehicle in
relation to the speed of the vehicle.
The amount of steering effort
required is less at slower speeds
to make the vehicle more
maneuverable and easier to park.
At faster speeds, the steering effort
increases to provide a sport-like
feel to the steering. This provides
maximum control and stability.
If the vehicle seems harder to steer
than normal when parking or driving
slowly, there may be a problem with
the system. You will still have power
steering, but steering will be stiffer
than normal at slow speeds. See
your dealer for service.

Black plate (5,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-5
Steering Tips
It is important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
Traction in a curve depends on the
condition of the tires and the road
surface, the angle at which the
curve is banked, and vehicle speed.
While in a curve, speed is the one
factor that can be controlled.
If there is a need to reduce speed,
do it before entering the curve, while
the front wheels are straight.
Try to adjust the speed so you can
drive through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until out of the curve, and
then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can
be more effective than braking.
For example, you come over a hill
and find a truck stopped in your
lane, or a car suddenly pulls out
from nowhere, or a child darts out
from between parked cars and stops
right in front of you. These problems
can be avoided by braking—if you
can stop in time. But sometimes you
cannot stop in time because there is
no room. That is the time for
evasive action —steering around
the problem.
The vehicle can perform very well
in emergencies like these. First
apply the brakes. See Braking on
page 9‑3. It is better to remove as
much speed as possible from a
collision. Then steer around the
problem, to the left or right
depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires
close attention and a quick decision.
If holding the steering wheel at the
recommended 9 and 3 o'clock
positions, it can be turned a full
180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have
to act fast, steer quickly, and just as
quickly straighten the wheel once
you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency
situations are always possible is a
good reason to practice defensive
driving at all times and wear safety
belts properly.

Black plate (6,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
9-6 Driving and Operating
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only
slightly below the pavement,
recovery should be fairly easy.
Ease off the accelerator and then,
if there is nothing in the way, steerso that the vehicle straddles the
edge of the pavement. Turn the
steering wheel 8 to 13 cm (3 to
5 in), about one-eighth turn, until
the right front tire contacts the
pavement edge. Then turn the
steering wheel to go straight down
the roadway.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts
say about what happens when the
three control systems
—brakes,
steering, and acceleration —do not
have enough friction where the tires
meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up.
Keep trying to steer and constantly
seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of
the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions,
and by not overdriving those
conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to the vehicle's three control
systems. In the braking skid, the
wheels are not rolling. In the
steering or cornering skid, too much
speed or steering in a curve causes
tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin.
If the vehicle starts to slide, ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal
and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start
steering quickly enough, the vehicle
may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.

Black plate (7,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-7
Of course, traction is reduced when
water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material is on the road. For safety,
slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to
slow down on slippery surfaces
because stopping distance is longer
and vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with
reduced traction, try to avoid
sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing
vehicle speed by shifting to a lower
gear. Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You might
not realize the surface is slippery
until the vehicle is skidding. Learn to
recognize warning clues—such as
enough water, ice, or packed snow
on the road to make a mirrored
surface —and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember: Antilock brakes help
avoid only the braking skid.Driving on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce
vehicle traction and affect your
ability to stop and accelerate.
Always drive slower in these types
of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and
deep‐standing or flowing water.
{WARNING
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a
quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
flowing water could cause the
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under the vehicle's
tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road
is wet enough and you are going
fast enough. When the vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.