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
216 Driving and Operating
other fuels containing more than
15% ethanol must be used only in
FlexFuel vehicles.
Caution
Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal
parts in the fuel system and also
damage plastic and rubber parts.
That damage would not be
covered under the vehicle
warranty.
Some gasolines, mainly high octane
racing gasolines, can contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT). Do not use
gasolines and/or fuel additives with
MMT as they can reduce spark plug
life and affect emission control
system performance. The
malfunction indicator lamp may turn
on. If this occurs, see your dealer
for service.
California Fuel
Requirements
If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specifications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California Emissions
Standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission
control system performance might
be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and the
vehicle may not pass a smog-check
test. See Malfunction Indicator
Lamp (Check Engine Light) 0114.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized dealer for diagnosis. If it
is determined that the condition is
caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs may not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
If planning to drive in countries
outside the U.S. or Canada, the
proper fuel might be hard to find.
Check regional auto club or fuel
retail brand websites for availability
in the country where driving. Never
use leaded gasoline, fuel containing
methanol, manganese, or any other
fuel not recommended. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper
fuel would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuel Additives
To keep fuel systems clean, TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline is
recommended. See Fuel0215.
If TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is
not available, one bottle of Fuel
System Treatment PLUS added to
the fuel tank at every engine oil
change can help. Fuel System
Treatment PLUS is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.
Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
Driving and Operating 217
Do not use additives with E85 or
FlexFuel.
E85 or FlexFuel
Vehicles with a yellow fuel cap can
use either unleaded gasoline or fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85).
All other vehicles should use only
the unleaded gasoline as described
inFuel 0215.
The use of E85 or FlexFuel is
encouraged when the vehicle is
designed to use it. E85 or FlexFuel
is made from renewable sources.
To help locate fuel stations that
carry E85 or FlexFuel, the U.S.
Department of Energy has an
alternative fuel website. See
www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/
stations.
E85 or FlexFuel should meet ASTM
Specification D 5798 or CAN/
CGSB–3.512 in Canada. Do not use
the fuel if the ethanol content is
greater than 85%. Fuel mixtures that do not meet ASTM or CGSB
specifications can affect driveability
and could cause the malfunction
indicator lamp to come on.
The starting characteristics of E85
or FlexFuel make it unsuitable for
use when temperatures fall below
−18 °C (0 °F). Use gasoline or add
gasoline to the E85 or FlexFuel.
Because E85 or FlexFuel has less
energy per liter (gallon) than
gasoline, the vehicle will need to be
refilled more often. See
Filling the
Tank 0217.
Caution
Some additives are not
compatible with E85 or FlexFuel
and can harm the vehicle's fuel
system. Do not add anything to
E85 or FlexFuel. Damage caused
by additives would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty.
Caution
Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal
parts in the fuel system and also
damage plastic and rubber parts.
That damage would not be
covered under the vehicle
warranty.
Filling the Tank
{Warning
Fuel vapors and fuel fires burn
violently and can cause injury or
death.
. To help avoid injuries to you
and others, read and follow
all the instructions on the
fuel pump island.
. Turn off the engine when
refueling.
. Keep sparks, flames, and
smoking materials away
from fuel.
(Continued)
Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9159288) - 2016 - CRC - 10/5/15
Index 359
Front SeatsAdjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . . 56
Front Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 120
Requirements, California . . . . . 216
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Fuses
Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 258
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Gauges
Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 Gauges (cont'd)
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 313
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 151
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Head-up Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
HeadlampsAdaptive ForwardLighting (AFL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Headlamps (cont'd)
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 120
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 149
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 121
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
High Voltage Devices and
Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . 272
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 168
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . 192
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . 175, 176
Ignition Transmission LockCheck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41