Buick 2003 Century User manual

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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK,
the BUICK Emblem and the name CENTURY are
registeredtrademarks of General MotorsCorporation.
This manual includesthe latest informationat the time it
was printed. We reservethe right to make changes
after that time without further notice. For vehicles first
sold in Canada, substitutethe name “General Motors of
Canada Limited”for Buick Motor Divisionwhenever it
appears in this manual.
Please keep this manual 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.
Canadian Owners
YOU canobtain a Frenchcopy of this manual from your
dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people readtheir owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receivetheir new vehicle.
If
you do this, it will help you learn about the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain things.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back of the manual. It’s an alphabeticallist of what’s
inthe manual,and the page number where you’ll find it.
Litho in U.S.A.@CopyrightGeneral MotorsCorporation06/19/02
Part No. 10325196A First Edition
All RightsReserved
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word
CAUTION to tell you about
things that could hurt you
if you were to ignore the
warning.
I
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 to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If vou don’t, you
or others could be 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
let this happen.”
...
Ill

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
Notice: Thesemean there is somethingthat could
damage
your vehicle.
A notice will 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 differentcolors or
in different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle has components and labelsthat use
symbols instead
of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle,
are shown along with the text describing the operation
or information relatingto a specific component, control,
message, gage or indicator.
If you need help figuring out a specific name of a
component, gage or indicator reference the following
topics:
Seats and Restraint Systems in Section
1
Featuresand Controlsin Section 2
Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
Climate Controlsin Section 3
Warning Lights, Gagesand Indicators in Section 3
Audio System(s)in Section 3
Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle:
POSSIBLE /i\
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
SHIELDING
I CAUSTIC
I CAUSE %
BATERY
ACID COULD
I
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR
FLAME '\I/'
COULD
1 BAITERY
EXPLODE
-
LATCH BOTH LAP AND
SHOULDER BELTS
TO
PROTECTOCCUPANT $8: @
DONOTTWISTSAFETY
BELT WHENAnACHING
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
MOVE SEAT
FULLY \$$=
REARWARD+ />
SECURE
CHILD
SEAT
PULL BELT
COMPLETELY
THEN SECURE
CHILD SEAT
I
1
DO NOTINSTALL
A REAR-FACING
CHILD RESTRAINT
IN THIS SEATING
POSITION
DO NOT INSTALL A
CHILDRESTRAINT
@
'ORWARD-FACING
IN THIS SEATING
POSITION
1
I
LIGHTING -
MASTER SWITCH 8- 0 , \
SIGTNUARL:
LAMPS
pf
RUNNING :'tu
LAMPS
ENGINE
COOLANT
TEMP
-
CHARGING
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(@)
COOLANT
a
ENGINEOIL
PRESSURE
w4
OWNER'S
MANUAL
SERVICE

NOTES
vi

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Front Seats ...................................................... 1-2
Manual Seats ................................................ 1-2
Six-WayPower Seats
..................................... 1-3
Reclining Seatbacks
....................................... -1-3
Head Restraints
............................................. 1-5
Rear Seats ...................................................... .l -6
Split Folding RearSeat ................................... 1-6
Safety Belts .................................................... -1-7
Safety Belts: TheyAreforEveryone ................. 1-7
Questions andAnswersAboutSafety Belts
...... 1-11
How to WearSafety Belts Properly
................. 1-12
Driver Position
................................... .... 1-12
SafetyBeltUseDuringPregnancy
.................. 1-21
Right Front Passenger Position ....................... 1-21
Center Passenger Position
............................. 1-22
RearSeatPassengers
.................................. 1-24
RearSafetyBeltComfortGuidesfor Children
and Small Adults
....................................... 1.27
ChildRestraints ............................................. 1-30
Older Children .............................................. 1-30
Infants andYoung Children
............................ 1-32
Child Restraint Systems
................................. 1-36
Where to Put the Restraint
............................. 1-39
n-1-r n.1. t-
3dlely Dell LXiel Idel 1 -LY
. ^^
.....................................
Top Strap .................................................... 1.40
Top Strap Anchor Location
............................. 1-42
LowerAnchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)
........................... 1-42
Securing a Child Restraint Designedfor the
LATCHSystem
......................................... 1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in aRear Outside
Seat Position
............................................ 1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in aCenterRear
Seat Position
............................................ 1.48
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position
............................................ 1-50
Air Bag Systems ............................................ 1-53
Where Are the Air Bags?
............................... 1-56
WhenShouldanAirBag Inflate?
.................... 1-58
WhatMakesanAirBag Inflate?
..................... 1-59
HowDoesanAirBag Restrain?
..................... 1-59
What Will Ynll Spp After 3.n .Air Rac !nf!gtoc? ...... .-! -eQ
Servicing YourAirBag-Equipped Vehicle ......... 1-62
Restraint System Check .................................. 1-63
CheckingYour Restraint Systems
................... 1-63
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
............................................ 1-63
1-1

Front Seats
Manual Seats
Lift the bar located under the front of the passenger’s
seat. This will unlockthe seat. Slide the seat to
where you want it and release the bar. Try to move the
seat to be sure the seat
is locked into place.
1 -2

Six-Way Power Seats Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicle is equipped
with this feature on the
driver’s side of the vehicle.
It may also be equipped
with this feature on
the passenger’sside of the
vehicle. The controls for
the power seats are
located on the outboard
sides of the seat cushions.
e
e
e
e
To move the seat forward or rearward,push the
controlforward or rearward.
To raise or lower the entire seat, push the control
up or down.
To raise or lower the front of your seat, push the
front of the control
up or down.
To raise or lowerthe rear of your seat, push the
rear of the control up or down.
Lift the lever locatedon the outboard side of the seat to
release the seatback, then move the seatback to
where you want it. Release the lever to lock the
seatback in place. Pull up on the lever without pushing
on the seatback and the seatback will move forward.
1-3

3ut don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
Sitting
in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion canbe dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job
when you’re reclined like
this.
The shoulder beltcan’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its jobeither.
In a crash
the belt could go up over yourabdomen. The
belt forces wouldbe there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright.Then sit
well back
in the seat andwear your safety belt
properly.
1 -4

HeadRestraints
Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top
of your head. This position
reducesthe chance
of a neck injury in a crash.
’ -5

Rear Seats
Split Folding Rear Seat
If your vehicle has this
feature it allows you to
have access to the trunk
from the inside of your
vehicle.
Pull forward on
the seat tab, located
on the front of the rear
seat, to fold the rear
seatback down.
To return the seatbackto its originalposition, push it
back up and make sure it latches.
1 -6

Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t
crash and you’re not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can
hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check
that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properly too.
’ wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
I
IC IS extremely dangerous to ridein a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle.
In a
collision, people riding
in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed.
Do not
allow people to ride in anyarea of your vehicle
that
is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone
in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder
to buckle up.
See Safety Belt Reminder
Light
on page 3-29.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces,the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’swhy: They
work.
1-7

You never know if you’ll be ina crash. 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 crashesare 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.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose
it’s just a seat on
wheels.
1 -8

6- 1

The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield
...
or the instrument panel ...
1-10

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
Y"! set !?-!ere ?!?e tc! stcp. YX skp S'JCY EC.::: zlistzzcc,
Questions and Answers About
Safety
Belts
Q: Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be - whether you're wearing a safety
belt or not, But you can unbucklea safety belt,
even
if you're upsidedown. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckleand get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them
in the future. But they are
supplementalsystems only;
so they work with
safety belts - not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offeredfor sale has requiredthe use
of
safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has
air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection.That's true not only infrontal collisions,
but especiaiiy in siae ana other coiiisions.
1-1 1

Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
- even one that isn’t your fault - you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children.And there are different
rulesfor smaller children and babies.
If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see Older Children
on page 1-30
or Infants and Young Children on page 1-32. Follow
those rulesfor everyone’s protection.
First,you’ll want to know which restraintsystems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describesthe driver’s restraint system.
1-12

Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulderbelt. Here’s how to wear it
properly.
1. Closeand lockthe door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see “Seats” in the Index.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock
if you pull the belt
across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across
you more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is
secure.
If the belt isn’t long enough, see Safety
Belt Extender on page
1-29.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
1-13