
Black plate (4,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
iv Introduction
{WARNING
These mean there is something
that could hurt you or other
people.
Notice: This means there is
something that could result in
property or vehicle damage. This
would not be covered by the
vehicle's warranty.
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means “Do
Not,” “Do not do this,” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message,
gauge, or indicator.
M: This symbol is shown when
you need to see your owner manual
for additional instructions or
information.
*: This symbol is shown when
you need to see a service manual
for additional instructions or
information. Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:
Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
%:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
g:First Responder
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer

Black plate (12,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
1-12 In Brief
;:Turns on the parking lamps,
together with the sidemarker lamps,
taillamps, license plate lamps, and
instrument panel lights.
2: Turns on the headlamps,
together with the parking lamps,
sidemarker lamps, taillamps, license
plate lamps, and instrument panel
lights.
For more information, see:
.Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
.Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
on page 6‑2.
.Fog Lamps on page 6‑4.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer 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.
HI: Use for fast wipes.
LO: Use for slow wipes.
INT: Move the lever up to INT for
intermittent wipes, then turn the
3INT band up for more frequent
wipes or down for less frequent
wipes.
OFF: Use to turn the wipers off.
8:For a single wipe, briefly move
the wiper lever down. For several
wipes, hold the wiper lever down.
n L: Pull the windshield wiper
lever toward you to spray windshield
washer fluid and activate the wipers.
See Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑3.

Black plate (8,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
2-8 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Remote Vehicle Start
If available, this feature allows the
engine to be started from outside
the vehicle.
The
/button will be on the RKE
transmitter if the vehicle has remote
start.
Laws in some local communities
may restrict the use of remote
starters. For example, some laws
may require a person using remote
start to have the vehicle in view.
Check local regulations for any
requirements.
Starting the Engine Using Remote
Start
To start the engine using the remote
start feature:
1. Aim the RKE transmitter at the vehicle.
2. Press and release
Q. 3. Immediately after completing
Step 2, press and hold
/for at
least two seconds or until the
turn signal lamps flash. The turn
signal lamps flashing confirms
the request to remote start the
vehicle has been received.
When the engine starts, the
parking lamps will turn on and
remain on as long as the engine
is running. The doors will be
locked and the climate control
system may come on.
Turn the ignition to ON/RUN (key
access), or select the ON/RUN/
START ignition position (keyless
access), to drive the vehicle.
The engine will shut off after
10 minutes unless a time extension
is done or the ignition is put in ON/
RUN (key access) or ON/RUN/
START (keyless access).
The climate control system will use
the previous setting during a remote
start. The rear defog may come on
during remote start based on cold
ambient conditions. The rear defog indicator light does not come on
during remote start. See
“Remote
Start Climate Control Operation” in
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1. Vehicles with
heated or heated and ventilated
front seats can have this feature
turn on automatically during a
remote start. See “Remote Start
Heated Seats” and“Remote Start
Cooled Seats” underVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑39 for
more information.
Extending Engine Run Time
The engine will continue to run for
10 minutes. Repeat the steps for a
10-minute time extension. Remote
start can only be extended once.
When remote start is extended, the
second 10 minutes will start
immediately.
For example, if the vehicle has been
running for five minutes, and
10 minutes are added, the engine
will run for a total of 15 minutes.

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 (24,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
5-24 Instruments and Controls
If the light stays on and the engine
does not start, there could be a
problem with the theft-deterrent
system. SeeImmobilizer Operation
(Key Access) on page 2‑13 or
Immobilizer Operation (Keyless
Access) on page 2‑14.
For vehicles with an uplevel or
eAssist cluster, this light displays in
the Driver Information Center (DIC)
screen.
High-Beam On Light
This light comes on when the
high-beam headlamps are in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer on page 6‑2 for more
information.
Front Fog Lamp Light
For vehicles with fog lamps, this
light comes on when the fog lamps
are on.
The light goes out when the fog
lamps are turned off. See Fog
Lamps on page 6‑4 for more
information.
Lamps On Reminder
This light comes on when the
exterior lamps are in use. See
Exterior Lamp Controls on page 6‑1.
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. See Cruise
Control on page 9‑37.
For vehicles with the uplevel or
eAssist cluster, this telltale will be
shown in the Driver Information
Center (DIC) screen.

Black plate (40,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
5-40 Instruments and Controls
The following list of menu items may
be available:
.Climate and Air Quality
.Comfort and Convenience
.Collision/Detection Systems
.Language
.Lighting
.Power Door Locks
.Remote Lock/Unlock/Start
.Return to Factory Settings
Turn the Multifunction knob to
highlight the menu. Press SELECT
to select it. Each of the menus is
detailed in the following information.
Climate and Air Quality
Select the Climate and Air Quality
menu and the following may be
displayed:
.Auto Fan Speed
.Air Quality Sensor
.Auto Heated Seats
.Air Conditioning Mode
.Remote Start Auto Heated Seats
.Remote Start Cooled Seats
.Auto Defog
.Auto Rear Defog
Auto Fan Speed
This will allow you to select the
automatic fan speed. It can be
adjusted to run lower or higher than
normal.
Press SELECT when Auto Fan
Speed is highlighted to open the
menu. Turn the Multifunction knob
to highlight High, Medium, or Low.
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 Multifunction 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 Multifunction knob
to highlight On or Off. Press
SELECT to confirm the selection.
Press
/BACK to move to the
last menu.

Black plate (41,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Instruments and Controls 5-41
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
Multifunction 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 Multifunction knob to selectOn 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 Multifunction knob to select On
or Off. Press SELECT to confirm the
selection. Press
/BACK to move to
the last menu.
Auto Defog
This will allow you to turn the auto
defog on or off. Only vehicles with
the dual zone climate control will
have this option.
Press SELECT when Auto Defog is
highlighted to open the menu. Turn
the Multifunction knob to highlight
On or Off. Press SELECT to confirm
the selection. Press
/BACK to
move to the last menu. Auto Rear Defog
If equipped, this will allow you to
turn the auto rear defog on or off.
This feature will automatically turn
on the rear defogger when it is cold
outside.
Press SELECT when Auto Rear
Defog is highlighted to open the
menu. Turn the Multifunction knob
to highlight On or Off. Press
SELECT to confirm the selection.
Press
/BACK to move to the
last menu.
Comfort and Convenience
Select the Comfort and
Convenience menu and the
following will be displayed:
.Chime Volume
.Driver Seat Easy Exit
.Park Tilt Mirrors

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Sun Visor Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
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.