
Black plate (27,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-27
Cruise Control Light
This light is white whenever the
cruise control is set and turns green
when the cruise control is active.
The light goes out when the cruise
control is turned off. SeeCruise
Control on page 9‑42 for more
information.
For vehicles with the uplevel or
eAssist cluster, this telltale will be
shown in the Driver Information
Center (DIC) screen.
Door Ajar Light
This light comes on in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) when a
door is open or not securely latched.
Before driving, check that all doors
are properly closed.
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 5‑35 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
show warning lights or indicators in
the top portion of the display. See
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators on page 5‑9 for more
information.
The vehicle may also have features
that can be customized through the
controls on the radio. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑43 for
more information. 

Black plate (32,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
5-32 Instruments and Controls
The images are projected through
the HUD lens located on the driver
side of the instrument panel.
Notice:If you try to use the HUD
image as a parking aid, you may
misjudge the distance and
damage your vehicle. Do not use
the HUD image as a parking aid.
The HUD information can be
displayed in one of three languages,
English, French, or Spanish. The
speedometer reading and other
numerical values can be displayed
in either English or metric units.
The language selection is changed
through the radio and the units of
measurement is changed through
the trip computer in the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See
AM-FM Radio (Radio with CD/DVD/
MEM) on page 7‑18 orAM-FM
Radio (Radio with CD and
Touchscreen) on page 7‑21 and
Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑27.
HUD Display on the Vehicle
Windshield
The HUD information appears as an
image focused out toward the front
of the vehicle.
When the ignition is placed in the
ON/RUN or ON/RUN/START
position, HUD will display an
introductory message for a short
time, until the HUD is ready. The following indicator lights come
on in the instrument panel when
activated and also appear on
the HUD:
.Turn Signal Indicators
.High-Beam Indicator Symbol
The HUD temporarily displays some
vehicle warnings, such as CHECK
TIRE PRESSURE and FUEL
LEVEL LOW when these messages
are on the DIC trip computer.
The HUD also displays the following
messages on vehicles with these
systems, when they are active:
.TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVE
.STABILITRAK ACTIVE 

Black plate (35,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-35
If You Cannot See the HUD
Image When the Ignition Is On
.Is anything covering the
HUD lens?
.Is the HUD dimmer setting bright
enough?
.Is the HUD image adjusted to
the proper height?
.Are you wearing polarized
sunglasses?
.Still no HUD image? Check the
fuse in the instrument panel fuse
block. SeeInstrument Panel
Fuse Block on page 10‑42.
If the HUD Image Is Not Clear
.Is the HUD image too bright?
.Are the windshield and HUD
lens clean?
If the HUD image is not correct,
contact your dealer.
Keep in mind that the windshield is
part of the HUD system.
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.
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. See Battery
on page 10‑25 for more information. 

Black plate (44,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
5-44 Instruments and Controls
Press SELECT to confirm the
selection. Press
/BACK to move to
the last menu.
Air Quality Sensor
This will allow you to select whether
the system will operate at high or
low sensitivity. Only vehicles with
the dual zone climate control will
have this option.
Press SELECT when Air Quality
Sensor is highlighted to open the
menu. Turn the Menu knob to
highlight High or Low. Press
SELECT to confirm the selection.
Press
/BACK to move to the
last menu.
Auto Heated Seats
If equipped and turned on, this
feature will automatically activate
heated seats at the level required by
the interior temperature. The auto
heated seats can be turned off by
using the heated seat buttons on
the climate control panel. Press SELECT when Auto Heated
Seats is highlighted to open the
menu. Turn the Menu knob to
highlight On or Off. Press SELECT
to confirm the selection. Press
/BACK to move to the last menu.
Air Conditioning Mode
This allows selection of automatic
start of the air conditioning upon
vehicle start. Selecting On indicates
the air conditioning will be on when
the vehicle is started. Selecting Off
turns the air conditioning off each
time the vehicle is started. Last
Setting will resume the last setting
when the vehicle was shut off.
Press SELECT when Air
Conditioning Mode is highlighted to
open the menu. Turn the Menu knob
to highlight Off, On, or Last Setting.
Press SELECT to confirm the
selection. Press
/BACK to move to
the last menu. Remote Start Auto Heated Seats
If equipped and turned on, this
feature will turn the heated seats on
when using remote start on
cold days.
Press SELECT when Remote Start
Auto Heated Seats is highlighted.
Turn the Menu knob to select On or
Off. Press SELECT to confirm the
selection. Press
/BACK to move to
the last menu.
Remote Start Cooled Seats
If equipped and turned on, this
feature will turn the cooled seats on
when using remote start on
warm days.
Press SELECT when Remote Start
Cooled Seats is highlighted. Turn
the Menu knob to select On or Off.
Press SELECT to confirm the
selection. Press
/BACK to move to
the last menu. 

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
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
Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-4
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Sun Visor Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-7
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-8
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 off again to reactivate the
AUTO mode.
AUTO (Automatic): Automatically
turns the exterior lamps on and off,
depending on outside lighting. 

Black plate (2,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
6-2 Lighting
;(Parking Lamps):Turns on the
parking lamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
5(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Parking Lamps
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A warning chime sounds if the driver
door is opened while the ignition is
off and the exterior lamps are on.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
2 3
(Headlamp High/Low‐Beam
Changer): Push the turn signal/
lane change lever away from you
and release, to turn the high beams
on. To return to low beams, push
the lever again or pull it toward you
and release.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument panel cluster when the
high‐beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal/lane change lever toward
you, and release.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can
make it easier for others to see the
front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running
lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system turns on the
low-beam headlamps at a reduced
brightness. For vehicles with High
Intensity Discharge (HID)
headlamps, the dedicated DRL will
come on when all of the following
conditions are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamps control is
in AUTO.
.The light sensor determines it is
daytime.
.The parking brake is released or
the vehicle is not in P (Park). 

Black plate (3,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-3
When the DRL are on, the
low-beam headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker lamps,
instrument panel lights, and other
lamps will not be on.
The DRL turn off when the
headlamps are turned to
Oor the
ignition is off.
This vehicle may have a DRL
disabling function. When the DRL
are on and a turn signal is activated,
the DRL on that side will be off until
the turn signal goes off.
Automatic Headlamp
System
When the exterior lamp control is
set to AUTO and it is dark enough
outside, the headlamps come on
automatically.
There is a light sensor located on
top of the instrument panel. Do not
cover the sensor; otherwise the
headlamps will come on when they
are not needed.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel.
When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps will turn off or may
change to Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL).
The automatic headlamp system
turns off when the exterior lamp
control is turned to
Oor the ignition
is off.
Adaptive Forward
Lighting (AFL)
The Adaptive Forward Lighting
System (AFL) pivots the headlamps
horizontally to provide greater road
illumination while turning. To enable
AFL, set the exterior lamp switch to
the AUTO position. Moving the
switch out of the AUTO position
deactivates the system. AFL
operates when the vehicle speed is
greater than 3 km/h (2 mph). AFL
does not operate when the
transmission is in R (Reverse). AFL
is not immediately operable after
starting the vehicle; driving a short
distance is required to calibrate the
AFL. See Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1. 

Black plate (4,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
6-4 Lighting
Hazard Warning Flashers
|Hazard Warning Flasher:
Press this button to make the front
and rear turn signal lamps flash on
and off. Press again to turn the
flashers off.
The hazard warning flashers turn on
automatically if the airbags deploy.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument panel
cluster flashes in the direction of the
turn or lane change. Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is completed. If the lever is
briefly pressed and released, the
turn signal flashes three times.
The turn and lane‐change signal
can be turned off manually by
moving the lever back to its original
position.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
might be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse.
See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 10‑38.