Black plate (16,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
5-16 Instruments and Controls
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 the brake
system inspected right away.
EnglishMetric
The Brake System Warning Light
should come on briefly as the
engine is started. If it does not come
on, have the vehicle serviced by
your dealer.
{WARNING
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
If the light comes on while driving,
a chime sounds. Pull off the road
and stop. The pedal might be harder
to push or go closer to the floor.
It might also take longer to stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle on page 10‑74.
Electric Parking Brake
Light
EnglishMetric
The parking brake status light
comes on when the brake is
applied. If the light continues
flashing after the parking brake
is released, or while driving,
there is a problem with the Electric
Parking Brake system. A SERVICE
PARKING BRAKE message
may also display on the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See Brake
System Messages on page 5‑26 for
more information.
If the light does not come on,
or remains flashing, see your dealer.
Black plate (18,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
5-18 Instruments and Controls
Traction Off 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.
The traction off light comes on when
the Traction Control System (TCS)
has been turned off or if there is a
problem with the TCS.
If the light comes on and stays on
while the system is turned on, the
vehicle needs service.
A message also appears in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
SeeRide Control System Messages
on page 5‑29 for more information. See
Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑34 andStabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑36 for more
information.
StabiliTrak®OFF Light
This light comes on when the
StabiliTraK system is turned off.
If the Traction Control System (TCS)
is off, wheel spin is not limited.
If StabiliTrak is off, the system does
not assist in controlling the vehicle.
Turn on the TCS and the StabiliTrak
system and the warning light
turns off.
See Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑34 andStabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑36 for more
information.
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak®Light
The Traction Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak Light comes on briefly
when the engine is started.
If the light does not come on, have
the vehicle serviced by the dealer.
If the system is working normally,
the indicator light turns off.
If the light is on while certain DIC
messages display, this indicates
that the TCS and StabiliTrak
systems are not working or are
disabled.
Black plate (22,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
5-22 Instruments and Controls
Cruise Control Light
The cruise control light is white
whenever the cruise control is set,
and turns green when the cruise
control is active.
The light turns off when the cruise
control is turned off. SeeCruise
Control on page 9‑39 for more
information.
Door Ajar Light
This light comes when a door is
open or not securely latched.
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC)
displays information about the
vehicle. It also displays warning
messages if a system problem is
detected. See Vehicle Messages on
page 5‑25 for more information.
All messages appear in the DIC
display located in the center of the
instrument panel cluster.
On some models, the DIC may have
some warning lights or indicators
shown in the top portion of the
display. See Warning Lights,
Gauges, and Indicators on page 5‑7
for more information.
The vehicle may also have features
that can be customized through the
controls on the radio. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑31 for
more information.
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, and vehicle
system information, and warning
messages if a system problem is
detected.
The bottom of the DIC display
shows the position of the shift lever
and the odometer. It may also show
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.
Black plate (23,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-23
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:
.Trip 1
.Trip 2
.Fuel Range
.Fuel Economy
.Average Vehicle Speed
.Timer
.Digital Speedometer
.Turn-by-Turn
Trip 1 and Trip 2
This display shows the current
distance traveled, in either
kilometers (km) or miles (mi), since
the last reset for the trip odometer.
The trip odometer can be reset to
zero by pressing SET/CLR while the
trip odometer display is showing. Fuel Range
This display shows the approximate
distance the vehicle can be driven
without refueling. The fuel range
estimate is based on an average of
the vehicle's fuel economy over
recent driving history and the
amount of fuel remaining in the fuel
tank. Fuel range cannot be reset.
Fuel Economy
This display shows both the
average fuel economy and the
instantaneous fuel economy.
They are shown in liters per
100 kilometers (L/100 km) or miles
per gallon (mpg).
Average fuel economy is
calculated based on the number of
L/100 km (mpg) recorded since the
last time this menu item was reset.
The average fuel economy can be
reset by pressing SET/CLR while
the Fuel Economy display is
showing.
Black plate (24,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
5-24 Instruments and Controls
The instantaneous fuel economy
reflects only the current fuel
economy and changes frequently as
driving conditions change. Unlike
average economy, this display
cannot be reset.
Average Vehicle Speed
This display shows the average
speed of the vehicle in kilometers
per hour (km/h) or miles per
hour (mph). This average is
calculated based on the various
vehicle speeds recorded since the
last reset of this value. The average
speed can be reset by pressing
SET/CLR while the Average Vehicle
Speed display is showing.
Timer
This display can be used as a timer.
To start the timer, press SET/CLR
while Timer is displayed. The
display will show the amount of time
that has passed since the timer was
last reset, not including time theignition is off. Time will continue to
be counted as long as the ignition is
on, even if another display is being
shown on the DIC. The timer will
record up to 99 hours, 59 minutes,
and 59 seconds (99:59:59) after
which the display will return to zero.
To stop the timer, press SET/CLR
briefly while Timer is displayed.
To reset the timer to zero, press and
hold SET/CLR.
Digital Speedometer
The speedometer shows how fast
the vehicle is moving in either
kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles
per hour (mph). The speedometer
cannot be reset.
Turn-by-Turn
This display is used for the
Navigation System Turn-by-Turn
guidance. See the Navigation
manual, if the vehicle has
navigation, for more information.Vehicle Information Menu
Items
Press MENU on the turn signal
lever until Vehicle Information Menu
is displayed. Use
w xto scroll
through the following menu items:
.Unit
.Tire Pressure
.Remaining Oil Life
Unit
Move
w xto switch between
Metric or US when the Unit display
is active. Press SET/CLR to confirm
the setting. This will change the
displays on the cluster and DIC to
either metric or English (US)
measurements.
Black plate (25,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-25
Tire Pressure
The display will show a vehicle with
the approximate pressures of all
four tires. Tire pressure is displayed
in either kilopascal (kPa) or pounds
per square inch (psi). SeeTire
Pressure Monitor System on
page 10‑51 andTire Pressure
Monitor Operation on page 10‑52
for more information.
Remaining Oil Life
This display shows an estimate
of the oil's remaining useful life.
If REMAINING OIL LIFE 99% is
displayed, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑28. The oil should be
changed as soon as possible. See
Engine Oil on page 10‑9. In addition
to the Engine Oil Life System monitoring the oil life, additional
maintenance is recommended in the
Maintenance Schedule in this
manual. See
Scheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2 for more
information.
Remember, the Remaining Oil Life
display must be reset after each
oil change. It will not reset itself.
Also, be careful not to reset the
Remaining Oil Life display
accidentally at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
Engine Oil Life System, press SET/
CLR while the Remaining Oil Life
display is active. See Engine Oil
Life System on page 10‑13.
Compass
The vehicle has a compass display
in the DIC. See Compass on
page 5‑4 for more information.
Vehicle Messages
Messages displayed on the DIC
indicate the status of the vehicle or
some action that may be needed
to correct a condition. Multiple
messages may display one after
the other.
The messages that do not
require immediate action can be
acknowledged and cleared by
pressing SET/CLR. The messages
that require immediate action cannot
be cleared until that action is
performed. All messages should be
taken seriously and clearing the
messages does not correct the
problem.
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 (27,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-27
Door Ajar Messages
DRIVER DOOR OPEN
This message will display when the
driver door is open. Close the door
completely.
HOOD OPEN
This message will display when the
hood is open. Close the hood
completely.
LEFT REAR DOOR OPEN
This message will display when the
driver side rear door is open. Close
the door completely.
PASSENGER DOOR OPEN
This message will display when the
front passenger door is open. Close
the door completely.
RIGHT REAR DOOR OPEN
This message will display when the
passenger side rear door is open.
Close the door completely.
TRUNK OPEN
This message will display when
the trunk is open. Close the trunk
completely.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
A/C OFF DUE TO HIGH
ENGINE TEMP
This message displays when the
engine coolant becomes hotter than
the normal operating temperature.
To avoid added strain on a hot
engine, the air conditioning
compressor automatically turns off.
When the coolant temperature
returns to normal, the air
conditioning compressor turns back
on. You can continue to drive the
vehicle.
If this message continues to appear,
have the system repaired by your
dealer as soon as possible to avoid
damage to the engine.
COOLANT LEVEL LOW ADD
COOLANT
This message will display if the
coolant is low. SeeEngine Coolant
on page 10‑18.
ENGINE OVERHEATED —
IDLE ENGINE
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
hot. Stop and allow the vehicle to
idle until it cools down.
ENGINE OVERHEATED —
STOP ENGINE
This message displays and a
continuous chime sounds if the
engine cooling system reaches
unsafe temperatures for operation.
Stop and turn off the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so to avoid
severe damage. This message
clears when the engine has cooled
to a safe operating temperature.