Buick 2003 Regal User manual

The 2003 Buick Regal OwnerManual
SeatsandRestraintSystems ........................... 1-1
FrontSeats
............................................... 1-2
RearSeats ............................................... 1-6
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-7
Child Restraints
....................................... 1-30
AirBagSystems
...................................... 1-50
RestraintSystemCheck
............................ 1-59
FeaturesandControls ..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
DoorsandLocks
....................................... 2-9
Windows
................................................. 2-14
Theft-DeterrentSystems
............................ 2-16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
........... 2-18
Mirrors
.................................................... 2-31
Onstar@System
...................................... 2-34
StorageAreas
......................................... 2-36
Sunroof
.................................................. 2-37
InstrumentPanel ............................................. 3-1
InstrumentPanelOverview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
...................................... 3-19
WarningLights,Gagesand Indicators
......... 3-28
Driver InformationCenter (DIC)
.................. 3-44
Audio System(s)
....................................... 3-46
DrivingYourVehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
................................................... 4-31
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
HeadlampAiming
..................................... 5-50
Bulb Replacement
.................................... 5-52
Windshield WiperBladeReplacement
......... 5-57
Tires
...................................................... 5-58
AppearanceCare
..................................... 5-80
Vehicle Identification
................................. 5-88
Electrical System
...................................... 5-89
Capacities and Specifications
..................... 5-95
CheckingThingsUnder the Hood
............... 5-10
NormalMaintenanceReplacement Parts
...... 5-96
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
MaintenanceSchedule
................................ 6-2
CustomerAssistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
Index ................................................................ 1

Canadian Owners
GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, the
BUCK Emblem and the name REGAL are registered
trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includesthe latest informationat the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
after that time without further notice. For vehicles first
sold in Canada, substitute the 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.
Litho
in U.S.A.
Part
No. 10325195 A First Edition
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 receive their 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 picturesand words work togetherto 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
in the manual,and the page number where you’ll find it.
@CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation
06/19/02
All Rights Reserved

Safety Warningsand 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
warninq.
Thesemeanthere is somet - that could hurt
you or other people.
I 1
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 you don’t, you
or others could be hurt.
I 1 You will alsofind 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.”

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, inthis book you will find these notices:
Notice: Thesemeanthere is something that 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 tellyou 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 describingthe operation
or information relating to a specific component, control,
message, gage or indicator.
If you need help figuring out a specific nameof a
component, gage or indicator reference the following
topics
in the Index:
Seats and RestraintSystems
Featuresand Controls
Instrument Panel Overview
Climate Controls
Warning Lights, Gagesand Indicators
AudioSystems
EngineCompartmentOverview
Also see Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
on
page 3-28.
iv

These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYESBY
@
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
4CID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR
FLAME \\Ib
COULD
EXPLODE
BATTERY
LATCH BOTH LAP AND
SHOULDER BELTS TO
PROTECTOCCUPANT
48: @
DONOTTWISTSAFETY *
BELT WHEN ATTACHING
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
MOVE SEAT
FULLY
\!$!
REARWARD* /z
SECURE
CHILD SEAT
PULL BELT
COMPLETELY
THEN SECURE
CHILD SEAT
POWER
WINDOW
DO NOT INSTALL
A REAR-FACING
CHILD RESTRAINT
INTHISSEATING
POSITION
DO NOT INSTALL A
'ORWARD-FACING
CHILDRESTRAINT
IN THIS SEATING
POSITION
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
LIGHTING
-
MASTER SWITCH 8- / \
PARKING p(-
LAMPS
LAMPS
$0
ENGINE
COOLANT
TEMP
CHARGING
I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
COOLANT
a
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
w4
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
ENGINE
COOLANT
FAN
OWNERS
MANUAL
SERVICE
MANUAL

Section 1
Seats and Restraint Systems
Front Seats ............................
ManualSeats ......................
Six-WayPowerSeats ...........
HeatedSeats .......................
Reclining Seatbacks ..............
HeadRestraints ...................
......................... 1-2
......................... 1-2
......................... 1-2
......................... 1-3
......................... 1-3
......................... 1-5
Rear Seats ....................................................... 1.6
Split Folding RearSeat
................................... 1-6
Safety Belts ..................................................... 1.7
How to WearSafety Belts Properly
................. 1-12
Driver Position
.............................................. 1-12
SafetyBeltUse During Pregnancy
.................. 1-20
RightFront Passenger Position
....................... 1-21
Center Passenger Position
............................. 1-21
RearSeatPassengers
.................................. 1-23
and Small Adults
....................................... 1-26
SafetyBelt Extender
..................................... 1-29
SafetyBelts:TheyAre for Everyone
................. 1-7
QuestionsandAnswersAbout Safety Belts
...... 1-11
RearSafety Belt ComfortGuidesfor Children
ChildRestraints ............................................. 1-30
Older Children
.............................................. 1.30
Infants and Young Children
............................ 1.32
Child Restraint Systems
.............................. 1-36
Where to Put the Restraint
............................. 1-39
Top Strap
.................................................... 1-39
Top Strap Anchor Location
............................. 4-40
Children (LATCH System)
........................... 1-41
LATCH System
......................................... 1-43
Seat Position
............................................ 1-44
Seat Position
............................................ 1-46
Seat Position
............................................ 1-47
LowerAnchoragesandTop Tethers for
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
Securing a Child Restraint in aRear Outside
Securing a Child Restraint in aCenterRear
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
AirBagSystems ............................................ 1-50
Where Are the Air Bags?
............................... 1-53
HowDoesanAir Bag Restrain?
...................... 1-56
What Will YouSeeAfteranAir Bag Inflates?
... 1-56
Servicing YourAirBag-Equipped Vehicle
......... 1-58
WhenShouldanAirBag Inflate? .................... 1-55
WhatMakesanAirBag Inflate?
..................... 1-55
Restraint System Check .................................. 1-59
CheckingYour Restraint Systems
................... 1-59
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a
Crash
...................................................... 1-59
1-1

Front Seats
Manual Seats
Lift the bar located under the front of the passenger’s
seat. This will unlock the seat. Slide the seat to
where you want it and releasethe bar. Try to move the
seat to besure the seat is locked into place.
Six-Way Power Seats
Your vehicle is equipped
with this feature
on the
driver’sside of the vehicle.
It may also be equipped
with this feature on
the passenger’s side of the
vehicle. The controlsfor
the power seats are
locatedon the outboard
sides
of the seat cushions.
Tomovethe seat forward or rearward,pushthe
To raise or lower theentire seat,pushthe control
To raise or lower the front of your seat, push the
control forward or rearward.
up or down.
front of the control up or down.
To raise or lower the rear of your seat, push the
rear of the control up or down.
1-2

Heated Seats RecliningSeatbacks
If your vehicle is equipped with heated seats, the
driver’s side and passenger’s side switches are located
on the center console,just behind the automatic
transaxleshift lever. Press
LO to warm the seat to a
lower temperature.Press
HI to warm the seat to a higher
temperature.
To turn this feature off, return the switch
to its center position.
Lift the lever located on the outboard side
of the seat to
releasethe 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 seatbackwill move forward.
1-3

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
Sitting
in a reclined Po:-..:on when your vt..-cle
is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job
when you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its jobbecause
it
won’t beagainst your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. In a crashyou could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its jobeither. Ina crash
the belt couldgo up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, havethe seatback upright. Then sit
well back
in the seat and wearyour safety belt
properly.
1 -4

Head Restraints
I
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.
1 -5

Rear Seats
Split Folding Rear Seat
If your vehicle has this
feature it allows you to
have access to the trunk
from inside of your vehicle.
Pull forward on the seat
tab, locatedon the front of
the rear seat, to fold the
rear seatback down.
To returnthe seatbackto its original position, 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.
Do.. - let __ -, meride -~ ~ lere he or she can’t
wear a safety belt properly. If you are
in a
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 notbe, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properlytoo.
It is extremel- langerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of avehicle.
In a
collision, people riding
in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed.
Do not
allow peopleto ride inany area 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.
1-7

Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminderto buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light
on page 3-30
in most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’swhy: They work.
You never know
if you’ll be in a 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 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.
Take the simplestvehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.
1 -8

L
a,
>

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

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.
or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as thevehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stopover more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
1-1 1

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 offered for 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 especially in side and other collisions.
Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
- even one that isn’t yourfault - 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 lessthan
40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
home, why should I wear safety belts?
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are specialthings to know about
safety belts and children.And there are different
rulesfor smaller childrenand babies.
If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see Older Children on page
1-30
or lnfants and Young Children on page 7-32. Follow
those rules for everyone’sprotection.
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 restraintsystem.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulderbelt. Here’s how to wear it
properly.
1. Closeand lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see “Seats” in the Index.
1-12

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.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as
you pull up on the shoulder belt.
1-13