Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
Driving and Operating 163
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 168
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 168
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 170
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 174
Ignition Positions (KeylessAccess) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Ignition Positions (Key Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 186
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 192
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . 194
Selective Ride Control . . . . . . . . 194
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . 197
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 204
Assistance Systems for Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 205
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Front Automatic Braking (FAB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 211
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 216
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
194 Driving and Operating
Caution
Do not repeatedly brake or
accelerate heavily when TCS is
off. The vehicle driveline could be
damaged.
To turn off only TCS, press and
release the
gbutton. The traction
off light
idisplays in the instrument
cluster. The appropriate DIC
message displays. See Ride Control
System Messages 0136.
To turn TCS on again, press and
release the
gbutton. The traction
off light
idisplayed in the
instrument cluster will turn off.
If TCS is limiting wheel spin when
the
gbutton is pressed, the system
will not turn off until the wheels stop
spinning. To turn off both TCS and StabiliTrak,
press and hold the
gbutton until
the traction off light
iand
StabiliTrak OFF light
gcome on
and stay on in the instrument
cluster. The appropriate DIC
message displays. See Ride Control
System Messages 0136.
To turn TCS and StabiliTrak on
again, press and release the
g
button. The traction off lightiand
StabiliTrak OFF light
gin the
instrument cluster turn off.
Adding accessories can affect the
vehicle performance. See
Accessories and
Modifications 0228.
Limited-Slip Differential
Vehicles with a limited-slip
differential can give more traction on
snow, mud, ice, sand, or gravel.
It works like a standard differential
most of the time, but when traction
is low, this feature allows the drive
wheel with the most traction to
move the vehicle.
Selective Ride Control
The vehicle may have a ride control
system called Selective Ride
Control. The system provides the
following performance benefits:
.
Reduced Impact Harshness
. Improved Road Isolation
. Improved High-Speed Stability
. Improved Handling Response
. Better Control of Body Ride
Motions
Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
Index 357
CleaningExterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 337
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Compressor Kit, Tire Sealant . . . 285
Connections OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Control Traction and ElectronicStability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Engine Temperature Gauge . . . 111
Engine TemperatureWarning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Cooling System (cont'd)
Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Cruise Control, Adaptive . . . . . . . . 197
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 333 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Customer Information
Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . . . 340
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . 337
Danger, Warning, and Caution . . . . 2
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . 343
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Diagnostics OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349 Differential, Limited-Slip . . . . . . . . 194
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Door
Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . 329
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . 189, 251
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . 204
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Driving
Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . 207
Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 25
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 168
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 170
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
Index 361
Lights (cont'd)Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . .118
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . . . 194
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . 120
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Maintenance and Care
Additional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . 314 Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . 114 Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 132
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Object Detection System . . . . . 134
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 136
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Starting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Mirrors
Automatic Dimming
Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Tilt in Reverse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Mirrors, Interior Rearview . . . . . . . . 44
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
N
NavigationOnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Net, Convenience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . 174
O
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 238
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
Index 365
Tires (cont'd)Sealant and Compressor
Kit, Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Terminology and Definitions . . 268
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 282
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Towing
Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 220
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 220
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 301
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222, 224
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Limited-Slip Differential . . . . . . . 194
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Selective Ride Control . . . . . . . . 194
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Trailer
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222, 224
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Transportation Program,
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
U
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . 281
Universal Remote System . . . . . . 145Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
V
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Identification Number (VIN) . . . 326
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Vehicle (cont'd)
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . 117
Vehicle Care Storing the Tire Sealant
and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . 291
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . 257
W
Warning
Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Caution and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Lane Departure (LDW) . . . . . . . 213
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Warnings Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Wheels Alignment and Tire Balance . . 282