2012 BUICK LACROSSE light

Black plate (35,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-35
Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not need
regularly scheduled maintenance or
replacement. Make sure the airbag
readiness light is working. See
Airbag Readiness Light on
page 5‑16for more information.
Notice: If an airbag covering is
damaged, opened, or broken, the
airbag may not work properly. Do
not open or break the airbag
coverings. If there are any
opened or broken airbag covers,
have the airbag covering and/or
airbag module replaced. For the
location of the airbags, see
Where Are the Airbags? on
page 3‑24. See your dealer for
service.
Replacing Airbag System
Parts after a Crash
{WARNING
A crash can damage the airbag
systems in the vehicle.
A damaged airbag system may
not work properly and may not
protect you and your
passenger(s) in a crash, resulting
in serious injury or even death. To
help make sure the airbag
systems are working properly
after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.
If an airbag inflates, you will need to
replace airbag system parts. See
your dealer for service.
If the airbag readiness light stays on
after the vehicle is started or comes
on when you are driving, the airbag
system may not work properly. Have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness Light
on page 5‑16 for more information.
Vehicles with eAssist have a high
voltage battery and a standard
12‐volt battery. If an airbag inflates
or the vehicle has been in a crash,
the vehicle's sensing system may
shut down the high voltage system.
When this occurs, the high voltage
battery is disconnected and the
vehicle is not charging the 12‐volt
battery or the electrical system. The
vehicle may start but it shuts down
once the 12‐volt battery is depleted.
When the 12‐volt battery is
depleted, the vehicle will not start
and the on‐board jump start feature
is disabled. The airbag readiness
light and/or the 12‐volt battery
warning light are displayed. Before
the vehicle can be operated again, it
must be serviced at your dealer.

Black plate (56,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
3-56 Seats and Restraints
uses a top tether, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3‑44 for
top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached. You will be using the lap-shoulder
belt to secure the child restraint in
this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it
will go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag
and seat‐mounted side airbag,
the off indicator on the
passenger airbag status
indicator should light and stay lit
when you start the vehicle. See
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑16.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of
the vehicle's safety belt through
or around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-3
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock (Radio with CD andTouchscreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Driver Efficiency Gauge . . . . . . 5-13
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-15 Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-16
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-17
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-22
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-23
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-25
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-25
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-26
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Battery Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-36
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-36
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-38
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-38
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-39
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-39
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Starting the Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41

Black plate (3,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-3
b/g(Push to Talk):For vehicles
with a Bluetooth®, OnStar,
or navigation system, press to
interact with those systems. See
Bluetooth (Overview) on page 7‑57
or Bluetooth (Infotainment Controls)
on page 7‑59 orBluetooth (Voice
Recognition) on page 7‑63 or
Bluetooth (UHP Mexico Only) on
page 7‑69, OnStar Overview on
page 14‑1, or the navigation manual
for more information.
$/i(Mute/End Call): Press to
silence the vehicle speakers only.
Press again to turn the sound on.
For vehicles with OnStar or
Bluetooth systems, press to reject
an incoming call, or end a
current call.
_SRC^(Thumbwheel Control):
Turn to select an audio source.
Press
_or^to select the next or
previous favorite radio station, CD,
or MP3 track. +
x−
(Volume): Press + to
increase the volume. Press −to
decrease the volume.
Heated Steering Wheel
For vehicles with a heated steering
wheel, the button for this feature is
located on the climate control
system.
(: Press to turn the heated
steering wheel on or off. A light on
the button displays when the feature
is turned on.
The steering wheel takes about
three minutes to start heating.
Horn
Pressaon the steering wheel
pad to sound the horn.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper lever is on the
right side of the steering column.
With the ignition in ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN, move
the windshield wiper lever to select
the wiper speed.
2: Use for fast wipes.
1: Use for slow wipes.

Black plate (5,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-5
Compass
The vehicle may have a compass
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC). The compass receives
its heading and other information
from the Global Positioning
System (GPS) antenna, StabiliTrak,
and vehicle speed information.
Avoid covering the GPS antenna for
long periods of time with objects
that may interfere with the antenna's
ability to receive a satellite signal.
SeeBackglass Antenna on
page 7‑27 andSatellite Radio
Antenna on page 7‑27 for the
location of the vehicle's antennas.
The compass system is designed to
operate for a certain number of
miles or degrees of turn before
needing a signal from the GPS
satellites. When the compass
display shows CAL, drive the
vehicle for a short distance in an
open area where it can receive a GPS signal. The compass system
will automatically determine when
the GPS signal is restored and
provide a heading again. See
Compass Messages on page 5‑36
for more information on the
messages that may be displayed for
the compass.
Clock (Radio with CD and
Touchscreen)
The infotainment system controls
are used to access the time and
date settings through the menu
system. See
Overview (Radio with
CD) on page 7‑3 orOverview
(Radio with CD/DVD and MEM) on
page 7‑5 orOverview (Radio with
CD and Touchscreen) on page 7‑7
and Operation on page 7‑13 for
information about how to use the
menu system.
Setting the Time (Without Date
Display)
1. Press the CONFIG button and
select Time Settings,
or press
H.
2. Select Set Time.
3. Turn the Menu knob to adjust the highlighted value.
4. Press SELECT to select the next value.
5. To save the time and return to the Time Settings menu, press
the
/BACK button at any time
or press SELECT after adjusting
the minutes.

Black plate (6,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
5-6 Instruments and Controls
Setting the 12/24 Hour Format
1. Press the CONFIG button andselect Time Settings,
or press
H.
2. Highlight 12/24 Hour Format.
3. Press SELECT to select the 12 hour or 24 hour display
format.
Setting the Time and Date
(With Date Display)
1. Press the CONFIG button and
select Time and Date Settings,
or press
H.
2. Select Set Time or Set Date.
3. Turn the Menu knob to adjust the highlighted value.
4. Press SELECT to select the next value. 5. To save the time or date and
return to the Time and Date
Settings menu, press the
/BACK button at any time or
press SELECT after adjusting
the minutes or year.
Setting the 12/24 Hour Format
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings,
or press
H.
2. Highlight Set Time Format.
3. Press SELECT to select the 12 hour or 24 hour display
format.
Setting the Month and Day Format
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings,
or press
H.
2. Highlight Set Date Format. 3. Press SELECT to select MM/
DD/YY (month/day/year) or DD/
MM/YY (day/month/year).
Setting the Auto Time Adjust
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings,
or press
H.
2. Highlight Auto Time Adjust.
3. Press SELECT to turn Auto Time Adjust on or off.
4. Press SELECT button to select Time Zone, and then select the
Time Zone.
5. Press SELECT to turn Daylight Savings on or off.

Black plate (8,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
5-8 Instruments and Controls
Certain electrical accessories may
not be compatible with the
accessory power outlet and could
overload vehicle or adapter fuses.
If there is a problem, see your
dealer.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the installation
instructions included with the
equipment. SeeAdd-On Electrical
Equipment on page 9‑63.
Notice: Hanging heavy
equipment from the power outlet
can cause damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for
accessory power plugs only, such
as cell phone charge cords. Power Outlet 110 Volt Alternating
Current
The vehicle may have a power
outlet that can be used to plug in
electrical equipment with a
maximum limit of 150 watts.
The power outlet is located on the
rear of the center console.An indicator light on the outlet
comes on when in use. The light
comes on when the ignition is in
ON/RUN, equipment requiring less
than 150 watts is plugged into the
outlet, and no system fault is
detected.
The indicator light on the outlet will
not turn on if the plug is not fully
seated.
If you try to connect equipment
using more than 150 watts or a
system fault is detected, the
equipment may operate for a short
period and turn itself off.
A protection circuit shuts off the
power supply and the indicator light
turns off. To reset the circuit, unplug
the item and plug it back in or turn
the Remote Accessory Power (RAP)
off and then back on. See
Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑27. Prolonged usage of the
power outlet at the maximum load of
150 watts may cause the outlet to
overheat and automatically shut
down. The power restarts when

Black plate (9,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-9
equipment that operates within the
limit is plugged into the outlet and a
system fault is not detected.
The power outlet is not designed for
the following equipment, and may
not work properly if any of the
following is plugged in:
.Equipment with high initial peak
wattage such as:
compressor-driven refrigerators
and electric power tools.
.Other equipment requiring an
extremely stable power supply
such as:
microcomputer-controlled
electric blankets, touch sensor
lamps, etc.
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges can
signal that something is wrong
before it becomes serious enough
to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to the
warning lights and gauges could
prevent injury.
Warning lights come on when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Some warning lights come
on briefly when the engine is started
to indicate they are working.Gauges can indicate when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Often gauges and warning
lights work together to indicate a
problem with the vehicle.
When one of the warning lights
comes on and stays on while
driving, or when one of the gauges
shows there may be a problem,
check the section that explains what
to do. Follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
and even dangerous.