Buick 2006 Rainier Guide

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-6
Safety Belts .............................................. 1-8
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-26
Airbag System ......................................... 1-48
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-62
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-7
Windows ................................................. 2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-17
Mirrors .................................................... 2-29
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-41
Universal Home Remote System ................ 2-43
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-46
Sunroof .................................................. 2-50
Vehicle Personalization ............................. 2-51
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-19
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-25
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-43
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-58
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-50
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-45
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-45
Front Axle ............................................... 5-46
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-47
Windshield Replacement ........................... 5-50
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-50
Tires ...................................................... 5-52
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-85
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-94
Electrical System ...................................... 5-94
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-105
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-13
Index ................................................................ 1
2006 Buick Rainier Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, the
BUICK Emblem, and the name RAINIER are registered
trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
after that time without notice. For vehicles first sold in
Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada
Limited” for Buick Motor Division whenever it appears
in this manual.
Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if it
is needed while you are on the road. If the vehicle
is sold, leave this manual in the vehicle.
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people read the owner manual from beginning to
end when they first receive their new vehicle. If this
is done, it can help you learn about the features
and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work
together in the owner manual to explain things.
Index
A good place to quickly locate information about the
vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is
an alphabetical list of what is in the manual and
the page number where it can be found.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 06RAINIER A First Printing
©
2005 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
There are a number of safety cautions in this book. We
use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about things
that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning.
{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 to help avoid or reduce
the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not,
you or others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Do Not,”
“Do Not do this” or
“Do Not let this happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this manual you will find these notices:
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice tells about something that can damage the
vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered
by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But
the notice will tell what to do to help avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors
or in different words.
There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or information
relating to 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
•Features and Controls in Section 2
•Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
•Climate Controls in Section 3
•Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3
•Audio System(s) in Section 3
•Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle:
v

✍NOTES
vi

Front Seats ......................................................1-2
Power Seats ..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-3
Heated Seats .................................................1-3
Power Reclining Seatbacks ..............................1-4
Head Restraints .............................................1-5
Rear Seats .......................................................1-6
Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-6
Safety Belts .....................................................1-8
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-8
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-13
Driver Position ..............................................1-13
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-19
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-20
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-20
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides ....................1-23
Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-25
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-25
Child Restraints .............................................1-26
Older Children ..............................................1-26
Infants and Young Children ............................1-29
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-32
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-36
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH) ......................................1-37
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position .........................1-42
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Rear Seat Position ..........................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position ............................1-44
Airbag System ...............................................1-48
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-50
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-53
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-54
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-54
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inflates? .........................................1-55
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-56
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-60
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-61
Restraint System Check ..................................1-62
Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-62
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-62
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Front Seats
Power Seats The power seat controls
are located on the
outboard side of the front
seat cushions. The
horizontal control adjusts
the seat cushion and
the vertical control adjusts
the seatback.
•Move the front of the horizontal seat control up or
down to adjust the front portion of the cushion.
•Move the rear of the horizontal seat control up or
down to adjust the rear portion of the cushion.
•Lift up or push down on the center of the horizontal
seat control to move the entire seat up or down.
•To move the seat forward or rearward, slide the
horizontal seat control forward or rearward.
•To recline the seatback, press the vertical control
rearward. To raise the seatback, press the vertical
control forward. See Power Reclining Seatbacks on
page 1-4 for more information.
1-2

Power Lumbar
Your vehicle has power lumbar on the driver’s and front
passenger’s seats.
The seatback lumbar
support can be adjusted
by moving the control
located on the outboard
side of the seat cushions.
To increase or decrease support, hold the control
forward or rearward.
Keep in mind that as your seating position changes,
as it may during long trips, so should the position of your
lumbar support. Adjust the seat as needed.
Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have
heated front seats. The
buttons used to control this
feature are located on
the front door armrests.
The engine must be
running for the heated
seat feature to work.
To heat the entire seat, press the horizontal button with
the heated seat symbol. Press the button repeatedly to
cycle through the temperature settings of high, medium,
low and off. The indicator lights above the button will glow
to designate the level of heat selected: three for high,
two for medium, and one for low. The low setting warms
the seatback and seat cushion until the seat temperature
is near body temperature. The medium and high settings
heat the seatback and seat cushion to a slightly higher
temperature. You will be able to feel heat in about
two minutes.
1-3

To heat only the seatback, press the button with the
words BACK ONLY. An indicator light on the switch will
glow to designate that only the seatback is being
heated. Additional presses will cycle through the heat
levels for the seatback only.
The feature will shut off automatically when the ignition
is turned off.
Power Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicle may have this feature. The vertical
power seat control described earlier allows the
seatback to recline. See Power Seats on page 1-2
for more information.
But do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
1-4

{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts cannot do their
job when you are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt cannot do its job. In a
crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or
other injuries.
The lap belt cannot do its job either. In a
crash the belt could go 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, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
Head Restraints
Pull the head restraint
up to raise it. Press the
release button, located
at the base of the
head restraint, and
push the head restraint
down to lower it.
1-5

Adjust the head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top of the occupant’s head. This
position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Your vehicle has a 60/40 folding rear seat which lets
you fold the seatbacks down for more cargo space.
Pull up on the loop located where the seat cushion
meets the seatback to fold the seat cushion up and out
of the way. This will allow the seatbacks to fold flat
and increase the cargo area.
1-6

The rear seatback levers
are located on the
outboard side of each
rear seatback.
Pull the seatback toward you as you lift up on the lever.
The head restraint will automatically fold out of the
way when the seatback is folded down.
To raise the seatback, lift up the seatback and push
until it locks into the upright position. Push and pull on
each seatback to make sure they are latched securely.
Then fold the bottom seat cushion back into place.
To return the head restraint to the upright position,
reach behind the seat and pull the restraint up until it
locks into place. Push and pull on the head restraint to
make sure that it is latched securely.
1-7

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.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she cannot
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you are 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.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in 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 any 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.
1-8

Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
See Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-28.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here is why: They work.
You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have
a crash, you do not 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 would not
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 simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat
on wheels.
1-9

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle.
The rider does not stop.
1-10

The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield... or the instrument panel...
1-11

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident
if I am wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you are upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater
if you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Airbags are in many vehicles today and will be
in most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work with
safety belts — not instead of them. Every airbag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has
airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
1-12

Q: If I am 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 are in an
accident — even one that is not your fault — you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver does not 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
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-26
or Infants and Young Children on page 1-29. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you will want to know which restraint systems
your vehicle has.
We will start with the driver position.
Driver Position
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the 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.
Do not 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.
1-13

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 is not long enough, see Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-25.
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 up on the
shoulder belt.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this
applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would
be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid
under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen.
This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across
the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
1-14