Buick 1998 LeSabre User manual

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The 1998 Buick LeSabre Owner’s Manual
1-1 Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SRS” system.
2-1
3- 1
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
4-1
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
5-1
6- 1
7- 1
Problems on the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Service and AppearanceCare
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and loolung good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
8- 1
9- 1
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Buick for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-8.
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,BUICK,
the BUICK Emblemand the name LESABRE are
registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve theright to makechanges
in the
product after that time without further notice. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, substitutethe name
“General Motors of Canada Limited” for Buick Motor
Division whenever it appears inthis manual.
Please keep thismanual in your vehicle,
so it will be
there
if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If you
sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it
so the new
owner can use it.
Litho inU.S.A.
Part
No. 25655109 C First Edition
p?J CERTIFIED
r
We supportvoluntary
technician certification.
am-
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propribtaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer
un exemplairede ceguide en franGais chez
votre concessionaire ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1577Meyerside
Dr.
Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1B9
0
Copyright General Motors Corporation 1998
All Rights Reserved
ii

How to Use this Manual
Many peopleread their owner’s manual from beginning
to end whenthey first receivetheir new vehicle. If
you dothis,
it will help you learn about the features
and controls for yourvehicle. In thismanual, you’ll
find thatpictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back
of the manual.It’s an alphabetical list of what’s in
the manual, andthe page number where you’ll find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find anumber of safety cautions inthis book.
We use abox and the word
CAUTION to tell you
about thingsthat could hurtyou if you were to ignore
the warning.
A I
h!~ CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you
or other people.
In the caution area,we tell you what the hazard is. Then
we tell you what to do tohelp avoid
or reduce the
hazard. Pleaseread these cautions.If you don’t, you or
others couldbe hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this
book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,”
“Don’t
do this” or “Don’t
letthis happen.’’
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not be covered by your warranty, and it could be
costly. But the notice will tell you what
to do to help
avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals,you might
see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different
colors orin different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They
use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
iv

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on
an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYESBY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BATTERY
ACID COULD
CAUSE
BURNS
SPARK OR ,111,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
m
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols
have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
RUNNING * ' 0
DAYTIME *
LAMPS '**
FOGLAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (0)
h
ENGINEOIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
t
LIGHTER u
SPEAKER
cz
FUEL B
V

fi NOTES
vi

Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your Buick and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about somethings you should
not do with air bags and safety belts.
1-2
1-5
1-9
1-10
1-10
1-17
1-18
1-18
1-25
Seats and Seat Controls
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
Here AreQuestions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts and the Answers
How
to Wear Safety BeltsProperly
Driver Position
Safety BeltUse During Pregnancy
Right FrontPassenger Position
Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS)
Center PassengerPosition
1-26
1-29
1-32
1-35
1-47
1-50
1-50
1-50
Rear Seat Passengers
Rear Safety Belt ComfortGuides for Children
and Small Adults
Children
Child Restraints
Larger Children
Safety Belt Extender
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
1-1

Seats and Seat Controls
This section tellsyou about the seats -- how to
adjust them -- and also about recliningseatbacks and
head restraints.
Manual Front Seat
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
Pull up on the control bar under the front of the seat to
unlock it. Slide the seat to whereyou want it, then
release the bar and try
to move the seat with your body
to make surethe seat is locked into place.
1-2

Power Seat (If Equipped)
The power seat controls are on the armrest.
Front Control: Raise the front of the seat by pushing
the left sideof the switch. Push the right sideof the
switch to lower the frontof the seat.
Center Control: Move the seat forward or backward by
pushing the control on the front
or back. Raise the seat
by pushing the control on the left. Lower the seat by
pushing the control onthe,right.
Rear Control: Raise the rear of the seat by pushing the
switch on the left. Lower the rearof the seat by pushing
the switch
on the right.
RecliningFrontSeatbacks .
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer sideof
the seat and move the seatback to where you want it.
Release the lever to lock the seatback. Pull up on the
leverand the seat will go to an upright position.
1-3

But don’t have a seatbackreclined if your vehicle
is moving.
Sittingin a recmea position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even
if you buckle
up, your safetybelts can’t do their jobwhen
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do itsjobbecauseit
won’t be againstyour body. Instead, it will be in
frontof you. In
a crash you could go into it,
receiving neckorother injuries.
The lap belt can’t do
its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not atyour pelvic bones.
This could causeseriousinternalinjuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, havethe seatbackupright. Then sit well
back inthe seat and
wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest to the top
of your ears. Thisposition
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.
1-4

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly.It also tellsyou some thingsyou should notdo
with safety belts.
And
it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’twear
a safety belt properly. If you are ina crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
canbe much worse. You can hit thingsinside the
vehicle
or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not be
if you arebuckled up. Alwaysfasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
arefastened properlytoo.
I
Itis extremelydangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas aremore likely to be
seriously injured orkilled. Do not allow peopleto
ride in anyarea of your vehiclethat is not
equipped with seatsand safety belts. Be sure
everyonein your vehicle isin
a seat andusing a
safety belt properly.
1-5

z!
FASTEN
A BELTS
-
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in acrash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be
a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between.
In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away.Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
I
.. ..
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat
on wheels.
1-6

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed.Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop.
1-7

Tb person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, itcould be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel ...
a