Buick LUCERNE - 2009 User manual

Seats and Restraint System ............................. 1-1
Head Restraints ......................................... 1-2
Front Seats ............................................... 1-4
Rear Seats .............................................. 1-13
Safety Belts ............................................. 1-14
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-35
Airbag System ......................................... 1-62
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-78
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ...................................... 2-10
Windows ................................................. 2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-17
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-20
Mirrors .................................................... 2-34
Object Detection Systems .......................... 2-38
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-46
Universal Home Remote System ................ 2-49
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-56
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-22
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-34
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-51
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-80
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle ....... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-23
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-12
Headlamp Aiming ..................................... 5-49
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-52
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-55
Tires ...................................................... 5-57
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-89
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-97
Electrical System ...................................... 5-98
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-106
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-15
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy ........... 7-17
Index ................................................................ 1
2009 Buick Lucerne Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK,
the BUICK Emblem, and the name LUCERNE are
registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. GM reserves 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 Division
wherever it appears in this manual.
This manual describes features that may or may not be
on your specific vehicle.
Read this manual from beginning to end to learn about
the vehicle’s features and controls. Pictures, symbols,
and words work together to explain vehicle operation.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer/retailer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
www.helminc.com
Propriétaires Canadiens
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français
auprès de concessionnaire ou à l’adresse suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
www.helminc.com
Index
To quickly locate information about the vehicle, use 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. 15888659 B Second Printing
©
2008 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
A circle with a slash
through it is a safety
symbol which means “Do
Not,” “Do not do this,”
or “Do not let this happen.”
A box with the word CAUTION is used to tell about
things that could hurt you or others if you were to ignore
the warning.
{CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
Cautions tell what the hazard is and what to do to avoid
or reduce the hazard. Read these cautions.
A notice tells about something that can damage the
vehicle.
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
Many times, this damage would not be covered by the
vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. The notice
tells what to do to help avoid the damage.
There are also warning labels on the vehicle which 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.
M:This symbol is shown when you need to see your
owner manual for additional instructions or information.
*:This symbol is shown when you need to see a
service manual for additional instructions or information.
iii

Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may be found on
the vehicle and what they mean. For more information
on the symbol, refer to the index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls or OnStar
®
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.:Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i:Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
j:LATCH System Child Restraints
*:Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
iv

Head Restraints ...............................................1-2
Front Seats ......................................................1-4
Manual Seats ................................................1-4
Power Seats ..................................................1-5
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-6
Heated Seats .................................................1-7
Heated and Cooled Seats ................................1-8
Memory Seat and Mirrors ................................1-9
Reclining Seatbacks ......................................1-10
Center Seat .................................................1-13
Rear Seats .....................................................1-13
Rear Seat Pass-Through Door ........................1-13
Safety Belts ...................................................1-14
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-19
Lap-Shoulder Belt .........................................1-28
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-33
Lap Belt ......................................................1-34
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-35
Child Restraints .............................................1-35
Older Children ..............................................1-35
Infants and Young Children ............................1-39
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-43
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-46
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) ..................................................1-48
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position ....................................1-55
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position ..........................1-58
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position ............................1-58
Airbag System ...............................................1-62
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-64
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-67
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-69
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-69
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-70
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-71
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-76
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-77
Restraint System Check ..................................1-78
Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-78
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-79
Section 1 Seats and Restraint System
1-1

Head Restraints
The vehicle’s front seats have adjustable head restraints
in the outboard seating positions.
{CAUTION:
With head restraints that are not installed and
adjusted properly, there is a greater chance that
occupants will suffer a neck/spinal injury in a
crash. Do not drive until the head restraints for all
occupants are installed and adjusted properly.
Adjust the head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is at the same height as the top of the occupant’s
head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury
in a crash.
1-2

Pull the head restraint up to raise it. To lower the head
restraint, press the button, located on the top of the
seatback, and push the restraint down.
Push down on the head restraint after the button is
released to make sure that it is locked in place.
The head restraints are not designed to be removed.
1-3

Front Seats
Manual Seats
{CAUTION:
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
do not want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
If the vehicle has a manual seat, it can be moved
forward or rearward.
1. Lift the bar to unlock
the seat.
2. Slide the seat to the
desired position and
release the bar.
Try to move the seat with your body to be sure the seat
is locked in place.
1-4

Power Seats
To adjust a power seat, do any of the following:
•Move the seat forward or rearward by sliding the
control forward or rearward.
•Raise or lower the front part of the seat cushion by
moving the front of the control up or down.
•Raise or lower the rear part of the seat cushion by
moving the rear of the control up or down.
•Raise or lower the entire seat by moving the entire
control up or down.
On vehicles with power reclining seatbacks, see “Power
Reclining Seatbacks” under Reclining Seatbacks on
page 1-10.
1-5

Power Lumbar
On vehicles with power lumbar, the control is located on
the outboard side of the front seats.
For vehicles with a two-way lumbar control, press the
control top or bottom to increase or decrease support in
the lower seatback.
On vehicles with a four-way lumbar control, press the
control forward or rearward to increase or decrease
support in the lower seatback. Press the top or bottom
of the control to raise or lower the support in the
seatback.
The lumbar support may need to be re-adjusted when
changing the seating position.
1-6

Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have heated front seats. To operate
the heated seats, the ignition must be on.
The buttons are located on
the front doors.
J(Heated Seat Cushion and Seatback): Press this
button to turn on the heated seat cushion and seatback.
I(Heated Seatback): Press this button to turn on
the heated seatback.
Press the button to turn on the desired feature. A light
on that button will display to show which feature is on.
There are three temperature settings for each feature.
A column of three lights next to the buttons will display
which setting the feature is in: high, medium or low.
Three lights indicate the highest setting, two lights
indicate medium and one light indicates the lowest
setting.
When you press a button, the feature will turn on at
the highest setting. Each time you press the button,
the feature will decrease one temperature setting.
To turn the feature off, keep pressing the button until
the display lights turn off.
If your vehicle has remote vehicle start and is started
using the remote keyless entry transmitter, the front
heated seats will be turned on to the high setting if it is
cold outside. See “Remote Vehicle Start” under
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation on
page 2-5. When the key is inserted into the ignition and
the ignition is turned on, the heated seat feature will
turn off. To turn the heated seat feature back on, press
the desired button.
Driver’s Side Buttons
shown
1-7

Heated and Cooled Seats
The front seats may have the heated and cooled seat
feature. To heat or cool the seats, the ignition must
be on.
The buttons are located on
the front doors.
J(Heated Seat Cushion and Seatback): Press this
button to heat the seat cushion and seatback.
I(Heated Seatback): Press this button to heat the
seatback.
H(Cooled Seat Cushion and Seatback): Press this
button to cool the seat cushion and seatback.
Press each button to turn on the desired feature. A light
on that button will display indicating which feature is on.
There are three temperature settings for each feature.
A column of three lights next to the buttons will display
which setting the feature is in: high, medium or low.
Three lights indicate the highest setting, two lights
indicate medium and one light indicates the lowest
setting.
When you press a button, the feature will turn on at
the highest setting. Each time you press the button,
the feature will decrease one temperature setting.
To turn the feature off, keep pressing the button until
the display lights turn off.
If your vehicle has remote vehicle start and is started
using the remote keyless entry transmitter, the front
heated seats will be turned on to the high setting if it is
cold outside. See “Remote Vehicle Start” under
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation on
page 2-5. When the key is inserted into the ignition and
the ignition is turned on, the heated seat feature will
turn off. To turn the heated seat feature back on, press
the desired button.
Driver’s Side Buttons
shown
1-8

Memory Seat and Mirrors
On vehicles with the memory feature the buttons are
located on the driver’s door.
1: Saves the seating position for driver 1.
2: Saves the seating position for driver 2.
B:Recalls the easy exit position.
For more programming information, see DIC Vehicle
Customization on page 3-70.
To save your positions in memory:
1. Adjust the driver’s seat, including the seatback
recliner and lumbar, and both outside mirrors to
your preferred position.
2. Press and hold button 1 until two beeps sound to
let you know that the position has been stored.
3. Repeat the procedure for a second driver using
button 2.
The vehicle must be in (P) Park to recall your memory
positions.
Press and release either button to recall the stored
setting. Each time a memory button is pressed, a single
beep sounds.
If you use the remote keyless entry transmitter to enter
your vehicle and the remote recall memory feature
is on, automatic seat and mirror movement occurs.
To stop recall movement of the memory feature, press
one of the power seat controls, memory buttons, or
power mirror buttons.
If something has blocked the driver’s seat while recalling
a memory position, the driver’s seat recall may stop
working. If this happens, press the control for the area
that is not recalling for two seconds, after the obstruction
is removed. Try recalling the memory position again
by pressing the appropriate memory button. If the
memory position is still not recalling, see your
dealer/retailer for service.
Easy Exit Seat
B:With the vehicle in (P) Park, press to recall the exit
position.
You will hear a single beep and the driver’s seat
moves back.
1-9

Reclining Seatbacks
Manual Reclining Seatbacks
{CAUTION:
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
do not want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
{CAUTION:
If either seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
push and pull on the seatbacks to be sure they
are locked.
If the seats have manual reclining seatbacks, the lever
used to operate them is located on the outboard
side of the seats.
To recline the seatback, do the following:
1. Lift the recline lever.
2. Move the seatback to the desired position, then
release the lever to lock the seatback in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is
locked.
Passenger’s Seat shown
1-10

To return the seatback to an upright position, do the
following:
1. Lift the lever fully without applying pressure to the
seatback and the seatback will return to the upright
position.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is
locked.
Power Reclining Seatbacks
If the seats have power reclining seatbacks, the controls
used to operate them are located on the outboard
side of the seats.
•Tilt the top of the control rearward to recline the
seatback.
•Tilt the top of the control forward to raise the
seatback.
Driver’s Seat with Power Seat Control, Power
Recline, and Power Lumbar shown
1-11

{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.
Do not have the seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
1-12

Center Seat
The vehicle may have a front center seat. This seat can
be converted to a storage area by lowering the
seatback. See Center Flex Storage Unit on page 2-56.
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Pass-Through Door
Your vehicle has a pass-through door that provides
access to the trunk from the rear seats. See “Rear Seat
Pass-Through Door” under Trunk on page 2-13.
1-13

Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This section of the manual describes how to use
safety belts properly. It also describes some things not
to do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where a safety belt cannot
be worn properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing safety belts, the
injuries can be much worse. You can hit things
inside the vehicle harder or be ejected from the
vehicle. You and your passenger(s) 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 passenger(s)
are restrained 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.
This vehicle has indicators as a reminder to buckle the
safety belts. See Safety Belt Reminders on page 3-37
for additional information.
1-14

In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing safety belts. Here is why:
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 serious 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 safety belts, they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than 40 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.
1-15

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
does not stop.
1-16