2013 BUICK LACROSSE airbag

Black plate (50,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
3-50 Seats and Restraints
WARNING (Continued)
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑26 for additional
information.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑39 for how and
where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is
secured using a safety belt and it
uses a top tether, see LowerAnchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3‑39
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 5‑15.
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.

Black plate (51,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Seats and Restraints 3-51
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.
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.
6. To tighten the belt, push down
on the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back
and forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
If the airbags are off, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator will come on and
stay on when the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit, see “If the
On Indicator Is Lit for a Child
Restraint” underPassenger Sensing
System on page 3‑26 for more
information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Clock (Radio with CD andTouchscreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Driver Efficiency Gauge . . . . . . 5-12
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-13 Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-14
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-15
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-20
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-21
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-23
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-23
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-24
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . 5-29
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Battery Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-33
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-34
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-35
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-35
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-36
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Security Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Starting the Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37

Black plate (14,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
5-14 Instruments and Controls
their safety belt. Then the light stays
on solid until the belt is buckled.
This cycle may continue several
times if the driver remains or
becomes unbuckled while the
vehicle is moving.
If the driver safety belt is buckled,
neither the chime nor the light
comes on.
Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
There is a passenger safety belt
reminder light near the passenger
airbag status indicator. See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑26.
When the vehicle is started, this
light flashes and a chime may come
on to remind passengers to fasten
their safety belt. Then the light stayson solid until the belt is buckled.
This cycle continues several times if
the passenger remains or becomes
unbuckled while the vehicle is
moving.
If the passenger safety belt is
buckled, neither the chime nor the
light comes on.
The front passenger safety belt
warning light and chime may turn on
if an object is put on the seat such
as a briefcase, handbag, grocery
bag, laptop, or other electronic
device. To turn off the warning light
and/or chime, remove the object
from the seat or buckle the
safety belt.
Airbag Readiness Light
This light shows if there is an
electrical problem with the airbag
system. The system check includes
the airbag sensor(s), passenger
sensing system, the pretensioners,
the airbag modules, the wiring, and
the crash sensing and diagnostic
module. For more information on the
airbag system, see
Airbag System
on page 3‑19.
The airbag readiness light comes on
for several seconds when the
vehicle is started. If the light does
not come on then, have it fixed
immediately.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
(Continued)

Black plate (15,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Instruments and Controls 5-15
WARNING (Continued)
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑26 for
important safety information. The
instrument panel has a passenger
airbag status indicator.
When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF for several
seconds as a system check. If you are using remote start,
if equipped, to start the vehicle from
a distance, you may not see the
system check. Then, after several
more seconds, the status indicator
will light either ON or OFF to let you
know the status of the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag.
If the word ON is lit on the
passenger airbag status indicator, it
means that the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag is allowed
to inflate.
If the word OFF is lit on the airbag
status indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag.
If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer for service.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑14 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
The charging system light comes on
briefly when the ignition is turned
on, but the engine is not running, as
a check to show the light is working.

Black plate (4,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
6-4 Lighting
transmission is in R (Reverse). AFL
is not immediately operable after
starting the vehicle; driving a short
distance is required to calibrate the
AFL. SeeExterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|(Hazard Warning Flashers):
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
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 any burned out bulbs
replaced. If the bulb is not burned
out, check the fuse. See
Fuses and
Circuit Breakers on page 10‑35.
Fog Lamps
For vehicles with fog lamps, the
button is on the exterior lamp
control, left of the steering wheel.

Black plate (5,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Lighting 6-5
To turn on the fog lamps, the ignition
and the headlamps or parking lamps
must be on.
If the fog lamps are turned on while
the exterior lamp switch is in the
AUTO position, the headlamps
come on automatically.
#(Fog Lamps):Press to turn on
or off. An indicator light on the
instrument cluster comes on when
the fog lamps are on.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The brightness of the instrument
panel lighting and steering wheel
controls can be adjusted.
D(Instrument Panel
Illumination): Move and hold the
thumbwheel up or down to brighten
or dim the lights.
Dome Lamps
The interior lamps control located in
the overhead console controls both
the front and rear interior lamps.
To operate:
((Off): Turns the lamps off.
H(Door): Turns the lamps on
when any door is opened.
'(On): Keeps the lamps on all
the time.
The interior lamps turn on
automatically if the airbags are
deployed.

Black plate (16,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
9-16 Driving and Operating
When the vehicle is shifted into
P (Park), the ignition system will
switch to OFF.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steadypressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to a
safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop, shift to P (Park), and turn the ignition
to OFF. On vehicles with an
automatic transmission, the shift lever must be in P (Park) to turn
the ignition switch to the OFF
position.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9‑32.
{WARNING
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
press and hold the engine START/
STOP button for longer than
two seconds, or press twice in
five seconds.
ACC/ACCESSORY (Amber
Indicator Light): This mode allows
you to use some electrical
accessories when the engine is off. With the ignition off, pressing the
button one time without the brake
pedal applied will place the ignition
system in ACC/ACCESSORY.
The ignition will switch from ACC/
ACCESSORY to OFF after
five minutes to prevent battery
rundown.
ON/RUN/START (Green Indicator
Light):
This mode is for driving and
starting. With the ignition off, and
the brake pedal applied, pressing
the button once will place the
ignition system in ON/RUN/START.
Once engine cranking begins,
release the button. Engine cranking
will continue until the engine starts.
See Starting the Engine on
page 9‑19 for more information. The
ignition will then remain in ON/RUN.
Service Only Mode
This power mode is available for
service and diagnostics, and to
verify the proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp as may
be required for emission inspection
purposes. With the vehicle off, and