
Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
76 Seats and Restraints
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end, or side sheet
metal, may keep the airbag system
from working properly. The
operation of the airbag system can
also be affected by changing any
parts of the front seats, safety belts,
the airbag sensing and diagnostic
module, steering wheel, instrument
panel, any of the airbag modules,
ceiling or pillar garnish trim, front
sensors, side impact sensors,
or airbag wiring.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about the location
of the airbag sensors, sensing and
diagnostic module, and airbag
wiring.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
front outboard passenger position,
which includes sensors that are part
of the passenger seat. The
passenger sensing system may not
operate properly if the original seat
trim is replaced with non-GMcovers, upholstery, or trim; or with
GM covers, upholstery, or trim
designed for a different vehicle. Any
object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort-enhancing pad
or device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of the
passenger sensing system. This
could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger
sensing system from properly
turning off the passenger airbag(s).
See
Passenger Sensing
System 071.
If the vehicle has rollover roof-rail
airbags, see Different Size Tires
and Wheels 0280 for additional
important information.
If you have to modify your vehicle
because you have a disability and
you have questions about whether
the modifications will affect the
vehicle's airbag system, or if you
have questions about whether the
airbag system will be affected if the
vehicle is modified for any other reason, call Customer Assistance.
See
Customer Assistance
Offices 0332.
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 0112.
Caution
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
coverings, have the airbag
covering and/or airbag module
replaced. For the location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 067. See your dealer
for service.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 83
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child is not
properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child
properly following the instructions
that came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the
Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position.
Whenever possible, children aged
12 and under should be secured in
a rear seating position.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great if the
airbag deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front passenger
airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
front passenger airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
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(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the 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
0 71 for additional information.
When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with the child
restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seats
vary considerably in size, and some
may fit in certain seating positions
better than others.
Depending on where you place the
child restraint and the size of the
child restraint, you may not be able
to access adjacent safety belt
assemblies or LATCH anchors for
additional passengers or child
restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 93
5. To tighten the belt, push downon 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 4 and 5. 6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 084 for more
information.
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.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it. If the
head restraint was removed,
reinstall it before the seating
position is used. See “Head
Restraint Removal and Reinstallation”
underLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 084 for additional
information on installing the head
restraint properly.
Securing Child Restraints
(Front Passenger Seat)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint 083.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions. See
Passenger Sensing System 071
and Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0112 for more information,
including important safety
information.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great if the
airbag deploys.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
94 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag inflates.
This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is
in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal
airbag, no system is fail-safe. No
one can guarantee that an airbag
will not 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(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
forward-facing child restraint in
the 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
0 71 for additional information.
If the child restraint uses a top
tether, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 084 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. When using the lap-shoulder belt to
secure the child restraint in this
position, follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the
following instructions:
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 front
outboard passenger frontal
airbag, the off indicator on the
passenger airbag status
indicator should light and stay
lit when the vehicle is started.
See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0112.
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.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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96 Seats and Restraints
7. Before placing a child in thechild 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 airbag is 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 071.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
100 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 101
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 101
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 101
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 102
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 111
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 112
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Charging System Light . . . . . . . 113 Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 114
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Electric Parking Brake
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . 117
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . . 118
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 119
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 120
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 120
Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . 121
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 121
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 121
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Information Displays
Power Flows (eAssist Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Energy Information (eAssist Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . . 126
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Battery Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Brake System Messages . . . . . 130
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . . 131
Cruise Control Messages . . . . . 131
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 132
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 133
Engine Power Messages . . . . . 133
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . . 133
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 133
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Airbag System Messages . . . . 137
Security Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Service Vehicle Messages . . . . 137

Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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112 Instruments and Controls
If the driver safety belt is buckled,
neither the light nor the chime
comes on.
Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
There is a passenger safety belt
reminder light near the passenger
airbag status indicator. See
Passenger Sensing System071.
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 stays
on 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
reminder 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
reminder 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 065.
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
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. See Passenger
Sensing System 071 for important
safety information. The overhead
console has a passenger airbag
status indicator.

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Instruments and Controls 113
United States
Canada and Mexico
When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF, or the symbol
for on and off, for several seconds
as a system check. Then, after
several more seconds, the status
indicator will light either ON or OFF,
or either the on or off symbol, to let
you know the status of the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag. If the word ON or the on symbol 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 or the off symbol 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 0112 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.
The light turns off when the engine
is started. If it does not, have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
If the light stays on, or comes on
while driving, there could be a
problem with the electrical charging
system. Have it checked by your
dealer. Driving while this light is on
could drain the battery.
If a short distance must be driven
with the light on, be sure to turn off
all accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.