2012 BUICK LACROSSE brakes

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
2012 Buick LaCrosse Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
eAssist Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Performance and
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-2
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-43
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-49
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 7-47
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-80 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-17
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-31
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-38
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-44
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-63
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47

Black plate (20,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
5-20 Instruments and Controls
.The OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics) system determines
that critical emission control
systems have not been
completely diagnosed. The
vehicle would be considered not
ready for inspection. This can
happen if the 12-volt battery has
recently been replaced or run
down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical
emission control systems during
normal driving. This can take
several days of routine driving.
If this has been done and the
vehicle still does not pass the
inspection for lack of OBD II
system readiness, your dealer
can prepare the vehicle for
inspection.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 your brake
system inspected right away.
MetricEnglish
If the vehicle has antilock brakes,
this light should come on when the
vehicle is placed in START. If it does
not, have the vehicle serviced by
your dealer. If the light comes on while driving,
pull off the road and stop carefully.
The pedal may be harder to push or
it can go closer to the floor. It may
take longer to stop. Try turning off
and restarting the vehicle one or
two times. If the light is still on, have
the vehicle towed for service. See
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light on page 5‑21
and
Towing the Vehicle on page 10‑99.
{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.

Black plate (22,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
5-22 Instruments and Controls
If the ABS light is the only light on,
the vehicle has regular brakes, but
the antilock brakes are not
functioning.
If both the ABS and the brake
system warning light are on, the
vehicle's antilock brakes are not
functioning and there is a problem
with the regular brakes. See your
dealer for service.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 5‑20.
See Brake System Messages on
page 5‑36 for all brake related DIC
messages.Traction Off Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer.
This light comes on when the
Traction Control System (TCS) has
been turned off by pressing and
releasing the TCS/StabiliTrak
button.
This light also comes on and the
system turns off if there is a problem
with the traction control system.
If the light comes on and stays on
for an extended period of time while
the system is turned on, the vehicle
needs service. See
Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑38 andStabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑40 for more
information.
StabiliTrak®OFF Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer.
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.

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
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 . . . . . . . . 9-17
Ignition Positions (KeyAccess) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20 Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-31
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 9-38
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . 9-41
Selective Ride Control . . . . . . . 9-41
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-44
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Gasoline Specifications (U.S.and Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-53
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56

Black plate (4,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
9-4 Driving and Operating
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three‐fourths of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will 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.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
If your vehicle has electric power
steering it does not have power
steering fluid. Regular maintenance
is not required.
If power steering assist is lost due
to a system malfunction, the vehicle
can be steered, but may require
increased effort.
If the steering wheel is turned in
either direction several times until it
stops, or it is held until it is stopped
for an extended time, power
steering assist should return shortly
after a few normal steering
movements.
See specific vehicle steering
messages under Vehicle Messages
on page 5‑35.
See your dealer if there is a
problem.

Black plate (7,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-7
.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.
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.
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.

Black plate (8,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
9-8 Driving and Operating
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.Allow extra following distance.
.Pass with caution.
.Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
.Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
.Have good tires with proper
tread depth. SeeTires on
page 10‑47.
.Turn off cruise control.
Highway Hypnosis
Always be alert and pay attention to
your surroundings while driving.
If you become tired or sleepy, find a
safe place to park the vehicle
and rest.
Other driving tips include:
.Keep the vehicle well ventilated.
.Keep the interior
temperature cool.
.Keep your eyes moving —scan
the road ahead and to the sides.
.Check the rearview mirror and
vehicle instruments often.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips for
driving in these conditions include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
.Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
.Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{WARNING
If you do not shift down, the
brakes could get so hot that they
would not work well. You would
then have poor braking or even
none going down a hill. You could
crash. Shift down to let the engine
assist the brakes on a steep
downhill slope.

Black plate (9,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-9
{WARNING
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. The brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down
and they could get so hot that
they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
could crash. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle in
gear when going downhill.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
.Be alert on top of hills,
something could be in your lane
(stalled car, accident).
.Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the
condition. Accelerate gently so
traction is not lost. Accelerating too
quickly causes the wheels to spin
and makes the surface under the
tires slick, so there is even less
traction.Try not to break the fragile traction.
If you accelerate too fast, the drive
wheels will spin and polish the
surface under the tires even more.
The
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 9‑35 improves vehicle
stability during hard stops on
slippery roads, but apply the brakes
sooner than when on dry pavement.
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road and watch for
slippery spots. Icy patches can
occur on otherwise clear roads in
shaded areas. The surface of a
curve or an overpass can remain icy
when the surrounding roads are
clear. Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
Turn off cruise control on slippery
surfaces.