Buick LaCrosse (2009 year). Manual

How OnStar Service Works

The OnStar system can record and transmit vehicle
information. This information is automatically sent to an
OnStar Call Center when the OnStar button is
pressed, the emergency button is pressed, or if the
airbags or AACN system deploy. This information
usually includes the vehicle’s GPS location and, in the
event of a crash, additional information regarding
the crash that the vehicle was involved in (e.g. the
direction from which the vehicle was hit). When
the Virtual Advisor feature of OnStar Hands-Free Calling
is used, the vehicle also sends OnStar the vehicle’s
GPS location so they can provide services where it is
located.

OnStar service cannot work unless the vehicle is
in a place where OnStar has an agreement with a
wireless service provider for service in that area. OnStar
service also cannot work unless the vehicle is in a
place where the wireless service provider OnStar has
hired for that area has coverage, network capacity
and reception when the service is needed, and
technology that is compatible with the OnStar service.
Not all services are available everywhere, particularly in
remote or enclosed areas, or at all times.

Location information about the vehicle is only available
if the GPS satellite signals are unobstructed and
available.

The vehicle must have a working electrical system,
including adequate battery power, for the OnStar
equipment to operate. There are other problems OnStar
cannot control that may prevent OnStar from providing
OnStar service at any particular time or place. Some
examples are damage to important parts of the vehicle
in a crash, hills, tall buildings, tunnels, weather or
wireless phone network congestion.

Your Responsibility

Increase the volume of the radio if the OnStar
advisor cannot be heard. If the light next to the OnStar
buttons is red, the system may not be functioning
properly. Press the OnStar button and request a
vehicle diagnostic. If the light appears clear (no light is
appearing), your OnStar subscription has expired
and all services have been deactivated. Press the
OnStar button to confirm that the OnStar equipment
is active.

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Universal Home Remote
System

The Universal Home Remote System provides a way to
replace up to three hand-held radio-frequency (RF)
transmitters used to activate devices such as garage
door openers, security systems, and home lighting.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference.

2. This device must accept any interference received,

including interference that may cause undesired
operation.

The FCC Grant of Equipment Authorization Certificate
number is CB2SAHL3.

This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry Canada.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause interference.

2. This device must accept any interference received,

including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.

The Canadian Registration ID number is 2791021849A.

Changes or modifications to this system by other
than an authorized service facility could void
authorization to use this equipment.

Universal Home Remote System
Operation

If there is one triangular Light Emitting Diode (LED)
indicator light above the Universal Home Remote
buttons, follow the instructions below.

This system provides a way to replace up to three
remote control transmitters used to activate devices
such as garage door openers, security systems,
and home automation devices.

Do not use the Universal Home Remote with any
garage door opener that does not have the stop and
reverse feature. This includes any garage door opener
model manufactured before April 1, 1982.

Read the instructions completely before attempting to
program the Universal Home Remote. Because of
the steps involved, it may be helpful to have another
person available to assist you in the programming
the Universal Home Remote.

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Keep the original hand-held transmitter for use in other
vehicles as well as for future Universal Home Remote
programming. It is also recommended that upon the sale
of the vehicle, the programmed Universal Home
Remote buttons should be erased for security purposes.
See “Erasing Universal Home Remote Buttons” later
in this section.

When programming a garage door, park outside of the
garage. Park directly in line with and facing the
garage door opener motor-head or gate motor-head. Be
sure that people and objects are clear of the garage
door or gate you are programming.

It is recommended that a new battery be installed in
your hand-held transmitter for quicker and more
accurate transmission of the radio-frequency signal.

Programming the Universal Home
Remote System

If you have questions or need help programming the
Universal Home Remote System, call 1-800-355-3515 or
go to www.homelink.com.

Programming a garage door opener involves
time-sensitive actions, so read the entire procedure
before you begin. If you do not follow these actions, the
device will time out and you will have to repeat the
procedure.

To program up to three devices:

1. Turn the ignition to ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN.

Programming can only occur with the vehicle in
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN and until 10 minutes
after the ignition is turned off.

2. From inside the vehicle, press and hold down the two

outside buttons at the same time, releasing only
when the Universal Home Remote indicator light
begins to flash, after 20 seconds. This step will erase
the factory settings or all previously programmed
buttons.

Do not hold down the buttons for longer than
30 seconds and do not repeat this step to program
the remaining two Universal Home Remote buttons.

3. Hold the end of your hand-held transmitter about

1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 cm) away from the Universal
Home Remote buttons while keeping the indicator
light in view. The hand-held transmitter was supplied
by the manufacturer of your garage door opener
receiver (motor head unit).

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4. At the same time, press and hold both the Universal

Home Remote button that you would like to use to
control the garage door and the hand-held
transmitter button. Do not release the Universal
Home Remote button or the hand-held transmitter
button until Step 5 has been completed.

Some entry gates and garage door openers may
require you to substitute Step 4 with the procedure
noted in “Gate Operator and Canadian
Programming” later in this section.

5. The indicator light on the Universal Home Remote

will flash slowly at first and then rapidly after
Universal Home Remote successfully receives the
frequency signal from the hand-held transmitter.
Release both buttons.

6. Press and hold the newly-trained Universal Home

Remote button and observe the indicator light.

If the indicator light stays on continuously,
the programming is complete and your garage door
should move when the Universal Home Remote
button is pressed and released. You do not need to
continue the programming Steps 7 through 9 and
can stop here.

If the Universal Home Remote indicator light blinks
rapidly for two seconds and then turns to a
constant light, continue with the programming Steps
7 through 9.

It may be helpful to have another person available
to assist with the remaining steps.

7. After Steps 1 through 6 have been completed,

locate inside the garage the garage door opener
receiver (motor-head unit). Locate the “Learn”
or “Smart” button. The name and color of the button
may vary by manufacturer.

8. Firmly press and release the “Learn” or “Smart”

button. After you press this button, you will have
30 seconds to complete Step 9.

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9. Immediately return to the vehicle. Firmly press

and hold the Universal Home Remote button,
chosen in Step 4 to control the garage door, for
two seconds, and then release it. If the garage door
does not move, press and hold the same button
a second time for two seconds, and then release it.
Again, if the door does not move, press and hold
the same button a third time for two seconds,
and then release.

The Universal Home Remote should now activate
the garage door.

To program the remaining two Universal Home Remote
buttons, begin with Step 3 of “Programming the
Universal Home Remote System.” Do not repeat Step 2,
as this will erase all previous programming from the
Universal Home Remote buttons.

Gate Operator and Canadian
Programming

If you have questions or need help programming the
Universal Home Remote System, call 1-800-355-3515 or
go to www.homelink.com.

Canadian radio-frequency laws require transmitter
signals to time out or quit after several seconds of
transmission. This may not be long enough for Universal
Home Remote to pick up the signal during programming.
Similarly, some U.S. gate operators are manufactured
to time out in the same manner.

If you live in Canada, or you are having difficulty
programming a gate operator or garage door opener by
using the “Programming Universal Home Remote”
procedures, regardless of where you live, replace Step
4 under “Programming Universal Home Remote”
with the following:

Continue to press and hold the Universal Home Remote
button while you press and release every two seconds
(cycle) the hand-held transmitter button until the
frequency signal has been successfully accepted by the
Universal Home Remote. The Universal Home Remote
indicator light will flash slowly at first and then rapidly.
Proceed with Step 5 under “Programming Universal
Home Remote” to complete.

Using Universal Home Remote

Press and hold the appropriate Universal Home Remote
button for at least half of a second. The indicator light
will come on while the signal is being transmitted.

Operation can only occur with the vehicle in
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN and until 10 minutes
after the ignition is turned off.

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Erasing Universal Home Remote
Buttons

Erase the programmed buttons when you sell or
terminate your lease.

To erase all programmed buttons on the Universal
Home Remote device:

1. Press and hold down the two outside buttons until

the indicator light begins to flash, after 20 seconds.

2. Release both buttons.

Reprogramming a Single Universal
Home Remote Button

To reprogram any of the three Universal Home Remote
buttons, repeat the programming instructions earlier in
this section, beginning with Step 3.

For help or information on the Universal Home Remote
System, call the customer assistance phone number
under Customer Assistance Offices on page 7-6.

Storage Areas

Glove Box

Lift up on the glove box lever to open it.

Cupholders

Cupholders may be built into the front center console,
front portion of the front center seat and rear armrest of
the vehicle.

Center Console Storage

If your vehicle has a five-passenger console, the center
console has a padded cover that can be used as an
armrest. Lift the armrest cover to access a storage bin
with a coin holder and a CD holder. Located under
the cover is a card clip.

If your vehicle has a six-passenger console, there is a
flip and fold center armrest that allows you to choose
between a three-passenger front row bench seat
or a center console. For more information see Center
Seat on page 1-7. Flip the center armrest down
and it can be used as an armrest for the driver and
passenger seat. Lift the armrest cover to access
the storage area.

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Convenience Net

Use the convenience net, located in the rear, to store
small loads as far forward as possible. The net
should not be used to store heavy loads.

Sunroof

The vehicle may have a sunroof. It includes a sliding
glass panel and a sunshade.

The sunroof control is
on the headliner, by the
map lamps.

The sunroof control works only when the ignition is on
or in ACC/ACCESSORY, or when Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) is active. See Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) on page 2-22.

To raise the sunroof to the vent position, open the
sunshade by hand, then press the back of the control.
Push and hold the front of the control to close the
sunroof from the vent position.

With the sunroof in the vent position, press and release
the back of the control to express-open the sunroof.
The sunshade will automatically open with the sunroof.
To stop the express-open function, press the back
of the control again.

To close the sunroof, press and hold the front of the
control. To stop the sunroof, release the control.
The sunshade must be closed manually.

The sunroof panel cannot be opened or closed if your
vehicle has an electrical failure.

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The main components of the instrument panel are the following:

A. Outlet Adjustment on page 3-28.

B. Interior Lamps on page 3-16.

C. Exterior Lamps on page 3-13. Fog Lamps on

page 3-15.

D. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-7.

E. Cruise Control on page 3-10.

F. Instrument Panel Cluster on page 3-31.

G. DIC Operation and Displays on page 3-48

(If Equipped) and Hazard Warning Flashers
on page 3-6.

H. Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-34.

I. Audio System(s) on page 3-82.

J. Hood Release on page 5-11.

K. Parking Brake on page 2-29.

L. Tilt Wheel on page 3-6.

M. Horn on page 3-6.

N. Audio Steering Wheel Controls on page 3-110

(If Equipped).

O. Shift Lever. See Shifting Into Park on page 2-29.

P. Accessory Power Outlet(s) on page 3-20.

Q. Climate Control System on page 3-21 or Dual

Automatic Climate Control System on page 3-25.

R. Glove Box on page 2-47.

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Hazard Warning Flashers

(Hazard Warning Flasher): Press this button

located on the instrument panel, to make the front and
rear turn signal lamps flash on and off. This warns others
that you are having trouble.

Press

again to turn the flashers off.

Horn

Press near or on the horn symbols on the steering
wheel pad to sound the horn.

Tilt Wheel

If the vehicle has a tilt wheel the steering wheel can be
adjusted to a higher or lower position.

The lever used to tilt the
steering wheel is located
on the left side of the
steering column.

To tilt the wheel, pull the lever towards you, move the
wheel to a comfortable position, and then release the
lever to lock the wheel in place. Do not adjust the steering
wheel while driving.

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Telescoping Column

If the vehicle has a telescoping column on the steering
wheel it adjusts the distance of the steering wheel
to the driver without having to move the driver’s seat.

The lever that makes this
adjustment is located on
the left side of the steering
column and behind the tilt
lever, if the vehicle has this
feature.

To adjust the steering wheel, pull the steering wheel
column lever down and push or pull the steering wheel
to a comfortable position. Then pull the lever up to
lock the wheel in place.

Do not drive the vehicle unless the telescoping column
is locked.

Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever

The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:

: Turn and Lane Change Signals

: Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer

: Windshield Wipers

: Windshield Washer

Flash-to-Pass.

For information on the headlamps, see Exterior Lamps
on page 3-13.

Information for these features is on the pages following.

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Turn and Lane-Change Signals

An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster flashes in the
direction of the turn or
lane change.

Move the lever up or down to signal a turn.

Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane change is
complete.

The lever returns to its original position whenever it is
released.

If after signaling a turn or lane change the arrow flashes
rapidly or does not come on, a signal bulb may be
burned out.

Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb is not burned out,
check the fuse. See Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker,
Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps on page 5-50 for turn
signal bulb replacement procedures and Fuses and
Circuit Breakers on page 5-99 for location of fuses.

A chime will sound if the turn signal is left on for more
than 3/4 mile (1.2 km).

Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer

To change the headlamps from low beam to high beam,
push the turn signal/multifunction lever away from you.

This instrument panel cluster light

comes on if

the high beam lamps are turned on while the ignition
is in ON/RUN.

To change the headlamps from high beam to low beam,
pull the turn signal lever toward you.

Flash-to-Pass

This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps
momentarily to signal a driver in front of you that
you want to pass.

To use it, pull the turn signal/multifunction lever toward
you until the high-beam headlamps come on, then
release the lever to turn them off.

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Windshield Wipers

Turn the band with the wiper symbol to control the
windshield wipers.

(Mist): Turn to mist for a single wiping cycle. Hold it

there until the wipers start. Then let go. The wipers stop
after one wipe. Hold the band on mist longer, for more
wipe cycles.

(Off): Turns the wipers off.

(Delay): Turn the band to adjust the delay time.

The delay between wiping cycles becomes shorter as
the band is moved to the top of the lever. This can
be very useful in light rain or snow.

(Low Speed): For steady wiping at low speed.

(High Speed): For high-speed wiping.

Clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before using
them. If they are frozen to the windshield, gently loosen
or thaw them. Damaged wiper blades may not clear the
windshield well, making it harder to see and drive safely.

If the blades do become damaged, install new blades or
blade inserts. For more information, see Windshield
Wiper Blade Replacement on page 5-53.

Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools down.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.

Windshield Washer

(Washer Fluid): There is a paddle marked

with the windshield washer symbol at the top of the
multifunction lever. To spray washer fluid on the
windshield, push the paddle. The wipers will clear the
window and then either stop or return to your preset
speed.

{

CAUTION:

In freezing weather, do not use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking your
vision.

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Buick LaCrosse (2009 year). Manual - part 8