2013 BUICK LACROSSE trailer

Black plate (17,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Instruments and Controls 5-17
This light comes on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing:A misfire condition
has been detected. A misfire
increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control
system on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required.
To prevent more serious damage to
the vehicle:
.Reduce vehicle speed.
.Avoid hard accelerations.
.Avoid steep uphill grades.
.If the vehicle is towing a trailer,
reduce the amount of cargo
being hauled as soon as it is
possible.
If the light continues to flash, find a
safe place to stop and park the
vehicle. Turn the vehicle off, wait at
least 10 seconds, and restart the
engine. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps and see
your dealer for service as soon as
possible. Light On Steady:
An emission
control system malfunction has
been detected on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be
required.
The following may correct an
emissions control system
malfunction:
.Check that the fuel cap is fully
installed. See Filling the Tank on
page 9‑50. The diagnostic
system can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap allows fuel to
evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap
properly installed should turn the
light off.
.Check that good quality fuel is
used. Poor fuel quality causes
the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed and may
cause stalling after start-up,
stalling when the vehicle is
changed into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration.
These conditions might go away
once the engine is warmed up.
If one or more of these conditions
occurs, change the fuel brand used.
It may require at least one full tank
of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
See Recommended Fuel on
page 9‑47.
If none of the above have made the
light turn off, your dealer can check
the vehicle. The dealer has the
proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any
mechanical or electrical problems
that might have developed.
Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Depending on where you live, your
vehicle may be required to
participate in an emission control
system inspection and maintenance
program. For the inspection, the
emission system test equipment will
likely connect to the vehicle's Data
Link Connector (DLC).

Black plate (7,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Lighting 6-7
Exit Lighting
The headlamps, taillamps, parking
lamps, back-up lamps, and license
plate lamps come on at night, or in
areas with limited lighting, when the
key is removed from the ignition.
The dome lamps also come on
when the key is removed from the
ignition. The exterior lights and
dome lamps remain on after the
door is closed for a set amount of
time, then automatically turn off.
For vehicles with keyless access,
the exterior lamps and dome lamps
automatically turn on when a door is
opened after the ignition is turned
off. SeeIgnition Positions (Keyless
Access) on page 9‑15 orIgnition
Positions (Key Access) on
page 9‑17.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamps control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑39.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast enough at idle to produce all of the
power needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a DIC message might
be displayed and it is recommended

Black plate (2,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
9-2 Driving and Operating
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Trailer Towing (Except
eAssist) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Trailer Towing (eAssist) . . . . . . 9-56
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Driving Information
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention away
from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, always
keep your eyes on the road, hands
on the wheel, and mind on the drive.
.Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
.Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices.
.Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions.
.Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
.Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
.Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children.
.Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint.
.Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.

Black plate (12,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
9-12 Driving and Operating
6.If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, the load from your
trailer will be transferred to
your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
See Trailer Towing (Except
eAssist) on page 9‑54 orTrailer
Towing (eAssist) on page 9‑56
for important information on
towing a trailer, towing safety
rules, and trailering tips.
Example 1
1.
Vehicle Capacity Weight for
Example 1 = 453 kg
(1,000 lbs).
2.Subtract Occupant Weight @
68 kg (150 lbs) × 2 = 136 kg
(300 lbs).
3.Available Occupant and
Cargo Weight = 317 kg
(700 lbs).
Example 2
1.
Vehicle Capacity Weight for
Example 2 = 453 kg
(1,000 lbs).
2.Subtract Occupant Weight @
68 kg (150 lbs) × 5 = 340 kg
(750 lbs).
3.Available Cargo Weight =
113 kg (250 lbs).

Black plate (15,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Driving and Operating 9-15
above 110 km/h (68 mph)
should be limited to
five minutes per use.
.Avoid making hard stops for
the first 322 km (200 mi) or
so. During this time the new
brake linings are not yet
broken in. Hard stops with
new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this
breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake
linings.
.Do not tow a trailer during
break-in. SeeDriving
Characteristics and Towing
Tips on page 9‑51 for the
trailer towing capabilities of
your vehicle and more
information.
Following break‐in, engine speed
and load can be gradually
increased.
Ignition Positions
(Keyless Access)
The vehicle has an electronic
keyless ignition with pushbutton
start.
Pressing the button cycles it through
three modes, ACC/ACCESSORY,
ON/RUN/START, and Stopping the
Engine/OFF.
The transmitter must be in the
vehicle for the system to operate.
If the pushbutton start is not
working, the vehicle may be near a strong radio antenna signal causing
interference to the keyless access
system. See
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation on
page 2‑3 for more information.
To shift out of P (Park), the vehicle
must be in ACC/ACCESSORY or
ON/RUN and the brake pedal must
be applied.
Stopping the Engine/OFF (No
Indicator Lights): When the
vehicle is stopped, press the engine
START/STOP button once to turn
the engine off.
If the vehicle is in P (Park), the
ignition will turn off, and Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) will remain
active. See Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) on page 9‑24 for more
information.
If the vehicle is not in P (Park), the
ignition will return to ACC/
ACCESSORY and display the
message SHIFT TO PARK in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
See Transmission Messages on
page 5‑39 for more information.

Black plate (25,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Driving and Operating 9-25
WARNING (Continued)
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
SeeShifting Into Park on
page 9‑24. If you are towing a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑51.
If you have to leave the vehicle with
the engine running, be sure the
vehicle is in P (Park) and the
parking brake is firmly set before
you leave it. After you have moved
the shift lever into P (Park), hold
down the regular brake pedal. See if
you can move the shift lever away
from P (Park) without first pulling it toward you. If you can, it means that
the shift lever was not fully locked
into P (Park).
Torque Lock
Torque lock is when the weight of
the vehicle puts too much force on
the parking pawl in the
transmission. This happens when
parking on a hill and shifting the
transmission into P (Park) is not
done properly and then it is difficult
to shift out of P (Park). To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake
and then shift into P (Park). To find
out how, see "Shifting Into P (Park)"
listed previously.
If torque lock does occur, your
vehicle may need to be pushed
uphill by another vehicle to relieve
the parking pawl pressure, so you
can shift out of P (Park).
If you are towing a trailer and
parking on a hill, see
Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips on
page 9‑51.
Shifting out of Park
Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock
The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control
system. The shift lock control
system is designed to:
.Prevent ignition key removal
unless the shift lever is in
P (Park).
.Prevent movement of the shift
lever out of P (Park), unless the
ignition is in ON/RUN and the
brake pedal is applied.
The shift lock is always functional
except in the case of an uncharged
or low voltage (less than 9‐volt)
battery.
If the vehicle has an uncharged
battery or a battery with low voltage,
try charging or jump starting the
battery. See Jump Starting
(On-board with eAssist Only) on
page 10‑87 orJump Starting (with
or without eAssist) on page 10‑87.

Black plate (27,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Driving and Operating 9-27
WARNING (Continued)
.There are holes or openings
in the vehicle body from
damage or aftermarket
modifications that are not
completely sealed.
If unusual fumes are detected or
if it is suspected that exhaust is
coming into the vehicle:
.Drive it only with the windows
completely down.
.Have the vehicle repaired
immediately.
Never park the vehicle with the
engine running in an enclosed
area such as a garage or a
building that has no fresh air
ventilation.
Running the Vehicle
While Parked
It is better not to park with the
engine running.
If the vehicle is left with the engine
running, follow the proper steps to
be sure the vehicle will not move.
See Shifting Into Park on page 9‑24
and Engine Exhaust on page 9‑26.
If parking on a hill and pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑51.
Automatic
Transmission
P (Park): This position locks the
front wheels. It is the best position
to use when starting the engine
because the vehicle cannot move
easily.

Black plate (33,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Driving and Operating 9-33
If the parking brake warning light is
on, the EPB has detected an error
in another system and is operating
with reduced functionality. To apply
the EPB when this light is on, lift up
on the EPB switch and hold it in the
up position. Full application of the
parking brake by the EPB system
may take longer than normal when
this light is on. Continue to hold the
switch until the parking brake status
light remains on. If the parking
brake warning light is on, see your
dealer.
If the EPB fails to apply, the rear
wheels should be blocked to
prevent vehicle movement.
EPB Release
To release the EPB, place the
ignition in the ACC/ACCESSORY or
ON/RUN position, apply and hold
the brake pedal, and push down
momentarily on the EPB switch.
If you attempt to release the EPB
without the brake pedal applied, a
chime will sound, and a DIC
message will be displayed. SeeBrake System Messages on
page 5‑33. The EPB is released
when the parking brake status light
is off.
If the parking brake warning light is
on, the EPB has detected an error
in another system and is operating
with reduced functionality. To
release the EPB when this light is
on, push down on the EPB switch
and hold it in the down position.
EPB release may take longer than
normal when this light is on.
Continue to hold the switch until the
parking brake status light is off.
If the light is on, see your dealer.
Notice:
Driving with the parking
brake on can overheat the brake
system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system
parts. Make sure that the parking
brake is fully released and the
brake warning light is off before
driving.
Automatic EPB Release
The EPB will automatically release if
the vehicle is running, placed into
gear, and an attempt is made to
drive away. Avoid rapid acceleration
when the EPB is applied, to
preserve parking brake lining life.
For maximum EPB force when
towing a trailer or parking on a hill,
pull the EPB switch twice. If you are
towing a trailer and parking on a hill,
see Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips on page 9‑51 for more
information.