2007 Buick Lacrosse Owners Manual

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in order to receive the XM™ service. For more information, contact XM™; In the U.S. at www.xmradio.com or call 1-800-852-XMXM (9696) or in Canada at www.xmradio.ca or call 1-877-GET-XMSR (438-9677). Playing the Radio P (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off. v (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume. DISP (Display): Press this button to switch the display between the radio station frequency and time of day. When the ignition is turned off, press this knob to display the time. For XM™ (if equipped), press the DISP (display) button while in XM™ mode to retrieve four different categories of information related to the current song or channel: Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel Number/Channel Name. To change the default on the display, press the DISP button until you see the display you want, then hold this knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and the selected display will now be the default. SCV (Speed Compensated Volume): With SCV, the audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to select LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH. Each higher setting will allow for more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you drive, SCV increases the volume, as necessary, to overcome noise at any speed. The volume level should always sound the same to you as you drive. NONE will appear on the display if the radio cannot determine the vehicle speed. To turn SCV off, press this button until OFF appears on the display. 253 INFO (Information) (XM™ Satellite Radio Service Only): If the current station has a message, the information symbol will appear on the display. Press this button to see the message. The message may display the artist, song title, call in phone numbers, etc. If the entire message is not displayed, parts of the message will appear every three seconds. To scroll through the message, press and release the INFO button. A new group of words will appear on the display after every press of this button. Once the complete message has been displayed, the information symbol will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The last message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button. You can view the last message until a new message is received or a different station is tuned to. When a message is not available from a station, NO INFO will appear on the display. Finding a Station BAND: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). The display will show the selection. e (Tune): Turn this knob to select radio stations. o SEEK p: Press and release the right or the left arrow to go to the next or to the previous station and stay there. To scan stations, press and hold either arrow for more than two seconds. SCAN will appear on the display and the radio will produce one beep. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press either arrow again or one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets. To scan preset stations, press and hold either arrow for more than four seconds. PSCAN will appear on the display and the radio will produce two beeps. The radio will go to a preset station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset station. Press either arrow again or one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets. The radio will only seek and scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. 254 Setting Preset Stations Up to 30 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM, six XM1 and six XM2 (if equipped)), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press EQ to select the equalization. 5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until you hear a beep. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return and the equalization that was selected will be stored for that pushbutton. 6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton. Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) e (Bass/Treble): Push and release this knob until BASS or TREBLE appears on the display. Turn this knob to increase or to decrease. The display will show the bass or the treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. To adjust the bass and the treble to the middle position, push and hold the tone knob. The radio will produce one beep. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the tone knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. ALL CENTERED will appear on the display and you will hear a beep. EQ (Equalization): Press this button to select customized equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock, classical, and custom. To return the bass and treble to the manual mode, push and release the tone knob until BASS or TREBLE appears on the display. 255 Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) e (Balance/Fade): To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, push and release this knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, push and release the speaker knob until FAD (fade) appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. To adjust the balance and the fade to the middle position, push the speaker knob, then push it again and hold it until you hear one beep. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the speaker knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. ALL CENTERED will appear on the display and you will hear a beep. Finding a Category (CAT) Station (XM™ Satellite Radio Service Only) To select and ﬁnd a desired category perform the following: 1. Press the CAT button to activate category select mode. The current category will appear on the display. 2. Turn the tune knob to select a category. 3. Once the desired category is displayed, press either SEEK arrow to take you to the categories ﬁrst station. 4. To go to another station within that category and the category is displayed, press either SEEK arrow again. If CAT times out and is no longer on the display, go back to Step 1. 5. Press CAT to exit category select mode or wait for CAT to time out. If the radio cannot ﬁnd the desired category, NOT FOUND will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to. 256 Scanning Categories (CAT) (XM™ Satellite Radio Service Only) To scan a desired category perform the following: 1. Press the CAT button to activate category select mode. The current category will appear on the display. 2. Turn the tune knob to select a category. 3. Once the desired category is displayed, press either SEEK arrow for two seconds to scan the stations in the category. 4. Press either SEEK arrow again to stop scanning. If the radio cannot ﬁnd the desired category, NOT FOUND will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to. Radio Messages CALIBRATE: The audio system has been calibrated for your vehicle from the factory. If CALIBRATE appears on the display it means that the radio has not been conﬁgured properly for your vehicle and it must be returned to your dealer for service. LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCK® system has locked up. Take your vehicle to your dealer for service. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your GM dealer. Radio Messages for XM™ Only See XM Radio Messages on page 278 later in this section for further detail. Playing a CD Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing. If you want to insert a CD with the ignition off, ﬁrst press the eject button or the DISP knob. If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start to play where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. When the CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on the display. As each new track starts to play, the track number will appear on the display. 257 The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner. If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur, check the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface of the CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will not play properly. If the surface of the CD is soiled, see Care of Your CDs on page 282 for more information. If there is no apparent damage, try a known good CD. Do not add any label to a CD, it could get caught in the CD player. If a CD is recorded on a personal computer and a description label is needed, try labeling the top of the recorded CD with a marking pen instead. Notice: If you add any label to a CD, insert more than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. 1 s (Reverse): Press this button to reverse within the current track. 2 \ (Fast Forward): Press this button to fast forward within the current track. 3 N (Repeat): Press this pushbutton to hear a track over again. REPEAT TRACK will appear on the display. The current track will continue to repeat. Press this pushbutton again to turn off repeat play. 4 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RANDOM ON will appear on the display. Press this pushbutton again to turn off random play. 258 o SEEK p: Press the left arrow to go to the start of the current or the previous track. Press the right arrow to go to the start of the next track. To scan tracks, press and hold either arrow for more than two seconds. SCAN will appear on the display. The radio will go to the next track, play 10 seconds, then go on to the next track. DISP (Display): Press this button to see how long the current track has been playing. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. To change the default on the display, track or elapsed time, press this button until you see the display you want, then hold the button for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and the selected display will now be the default. BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. CD: Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. The CD symbol will appear on the display when a CD is loaded. EQ (Equalization): Press EQ to select an equalization setting while playing a CD. The equalization will be set whenever a CD is played. See “EQ” listed previously for more information. If you select an EQ setting for your CD, it will be activated each time you play a CD. Z (Eject): Press this button to eject a CD. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs may be loaded with the ignition and radio off if this button is pressed ﬁrst. Playing an MP3 CD-R Disc Your vehicle’s radio system may have the MP3 feature. If it has this feature, it is capable of playing an MP3 CD-R disc. For more information on how to play an MP3 CD-R disc, see Using an MP3 on page 272 later in this section. 259 CD Messages CHECK CD: If this message appears on the display and/or the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons: (cid:127) It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play. (cid:127) You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play. (cid:127) The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down. (cid:127) The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again. (cid:127) The format of the CD may not be compatible. See “MP3 Format” earlier in this section. (cid:127) There may have been a problem while burning the CD. (cid:127) The label may be caught in the CD player. If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason, try a known good CD. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your GM dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer when reporting the problem. 260 Radio with Six-Disc CD XM™ Satellite Radio Service XM™ is a satellite radio service that is based in the 48 contiguous United States and Canada. XM™ offers a large variety of coast-to-coast channels including music, news, sports, talk, traffic/weather (U.S. subscribers), and children’s programming. XM™ provides digital quality audio and text information that includes song title and artist name. A service fee is required in order to receive the XM™ service. For more information, contact XM™; In the U.S. at www.xmradio.com or call 1-800-852-XMXM (9696) or in Canada at www.xmradio.ca or call 1-877-GET-XMSR (438-9677). Playing the Radio P (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off. v (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume. DISP (Display): When the ignition is turned off, press this knob to display the time. For XM™ (if equipped), press the DISP knob while in XM™ mode to retrieve four different categories of information related to the current song or channel: Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel Number/Channel Name. To change the default on the display, press the DISP knob until you see the display you want, then hold this knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and the selected display will now be the default. SCV (Speed Compensated Volume): With SCV, the audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to select LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH. Each higher setting will allow for more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you drive, SCV increases the volume, as necessary, to overcome noise at any speed. The volume level should always sound the same to you as you drive. To turn SCV off, press this button until OFF appears on the display. Finding a Station BAND: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). The display will show the selection. e (Tune): Turn this knob to select radio stations. o SEEK p: Press and release the right or the left arrow to go to the next or to the previous station and stay there. 261 INFO (Information) (XM™ Satellite Radio Service Only): If the current station has a message, the information symbol will appear on the display. Press this button to see the message. The message may display the artist, song title, call in phone numbers, etc. If the entire message is not displayed, parts of the message will appear every three seconds. To scroll through the message, press and release the INFO button. A new group of words will appear on the display after every press of this button. Once the complete message has been displayed, the information symbol will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The last message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button. You can view the last message until a new message is received or a different station is tuned to. When a message is not available from a station, NO INFO will appear on the display. To scan radio stations, press and hold either arrow for more than two seconds. SCAN will appear on the display and the radio will produce one beep. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press either arrow again or one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets. To scan the preset stations, press and hold either arrow for more than four seconds. PSC will appear on the display and the radio will produce two beeps. The radio will go to a preset station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset station. Press either arrow again or one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets. The radio will only seek and scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. SCAN: Press this button until SC appears on the display. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press this button again to stop scanning stations. The radio will only scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. 262 Setting Preset Stations Up to 30 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM, six XM1 and six XM2 (if equipped)), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press EQ to select the equalization. 5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until you hear a beep. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return and the equalization that was selected will be stored for that pushbutton. 6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton. Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) e (Bass/Treble): Push and release this knob until BASS or TREB appears on the display. Turn this knob to increase or to decrease. The display will show the bass or the treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. To adjust the bass and the treble to the middle position, push and hold the tone knob. The radio will produce one beep. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the tone knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. ALL CENTERED will appear on the display and you will hear a beep. EQ (Equalization): Press this button to select customized equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock, classical, and custom. To return the bass and treble to the manual mode, push and release the tone knob until BASS or TREBLE appears on the display. 263 Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) e (Balance/Fade): To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, push and release this knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, push and release the speaker knob until FADE appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. To adjust the balance and the fade to the middle position, push the speaker knob, then push it again and hold it until you hear one beep. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the speaker knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. CEN will appear on the display and you will hear a beep. Finding a Category (CAT) Station (XM™ Satellite Radio Service Only) To select and ﬁnd a desired category perform the following: 1. Press the CAT button to activate category select mode. The current category will appear on the display. 2. Turn the tune knob to select a category. 3. Once the desired category is displayed, press either SEEK arrow to take you to the categories ﬁrst station. 4. To go to another station within that category and the category is displayed, press either SEEK arrow again. If CAT times out and is no longer on the display, go back to Step 1. 5. Press CAT to exit category select mode or wait for CAT to time out. If the radio cannot ﬁnd the desired category, NOT FOUND will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to. 264 Scanning Categories (CAT) (XM™ Satellite Radio Service Only) To scan a desired category perform the following: 1. Press the CAT button to activate category select mode. The current category will appear on the display. 2. Turn the tune knob to select a category. 3. Once the desired category is displayed, press either SEEK arrow for two seconds to scan the stations in the category. 4. Press either SEEK arrow again to stop scanning. If the radio cannot ﬁnd the desired category, NOT FOUND will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to. Radio Messages CALIBRATE: The audio system has been calibrated for your vehicle from the factory. If CALIBRATE appears on the display it means that the radio has not been conﬁgured properly for your vehicle and it must be returned to your GM dealer for service. LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCK® system has locked up. Take your vehicle to your GM dealer for service. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your GM dealer. Radio Messages for XM™ Only See XM Radio Messages on page 278 later in this section for further detail. Playing a CD If the ignition or radio is turned off, with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. 265 When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on the CD. As each new track starts to play, the track number will appear on the display. The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner. If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur, check the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface of the CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will not play properly. If the surface of the CD is soiled, see Care of Your CDs on page 282 for more information. If there is no apparent damage, try a known good CD. Do not add any label to a CD, it could get caught in the CD player. If a CD is recorded on a personal computer and a description label is needed, try labeling the top of the recorded CD with a marking pen instead. Notice: If you add any label to a CD, insert more than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. 266 LOAD: Press this button to load CDs into the CD player. This CD player will hold up to six CDs. To insert one CD, do the following: 1. Turn the ignition on. 2. Press and release the LOAD button. 3. Wait for the indicator light, located to the right of the slot, to turn green. 4. Load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull the CD in. To insert multiple CDs, do the following: 1. Turn the ignition on. 2. Press and hold the LOAD button for two seconds. You will hear a beep and the indicator light, located to the right of the slot, will begin to ﬂash and MULTI LOAD # will appear on the display. 3. Once the light stops ﬂashing and turns green, INSERT CD # will appear on the display, load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull the CD in. Once the CD is loaded, the indicator light will begin ﬂashing again. Once the light stops ﬂashing and turns green, you can load another CD. The CD player takes up to six CDs. Do not try to load more than six. To load more than one CD but less than six, complete Steps 1 through 3. When ﬁnished loading CDs, press the LOAD button to cancel the loading function. The radio will begin to play the last CD loaded. If more than one CD has been loaded, a number for each CD will appear on the display. Playing a Speciﬁc Loaded CD For every CD loaded, a number will appear on the display. To play a speciﬁc CD, press the numbered pushbutton that corresponds to the CD. A small bar will appear under the CD number that is playing and the track number will appear on the display. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. Z (Eject): Press this button to eject CD(s). To eject the CD that is currently playing, press and release this button. 267 To eject multiple CDs, do the following: 1. Press and hold the CD eject button for two seconds. You will hear a beep and the indicator light, located to the right of the slot, will begin to ﬂash and EJECT ALL will appear on the display. 2. Once the light stops ﬂashing, REMOVE CD # will appear on the display. The CD will eject and can be removed. Once the CD is removed, the indicator light will begin ﬂashing again and another CD will eject. To stop ejecting the CDs, press the LOAD or the eject button. If the CD is not removed, after 25 seconds, the CD will be automatically pulled back into the player. If CD is pushed back into the player, before the 25 second time period is complete, the player will sense an error and will try to eject the CD several times before stopping. Do not repeatedly press the CD eject button to eject a CD after you have tried to push it in manually. The player’s 25-second eject timer will reset at each press of eject, causing the player to not eject the CD until the 25-second time period has elapsed. s (Reverse): Press this button to reverse within the current track. \ (Fast Forward): Press this button to fast forward within the current track. N (Repeat): With repeat, one track or an entire CD can be repeated. To use repeat, do the following: (cid:127) To repeat the track you are listening to, press and release the repeat button. RPT # will appear on the display. Press this button again to turn off repeat play. (cid:127) To repeat the CD you are listening to, press and hold the repeat button for two seconds. REPEAT CD # will appear on the display. Press this button again to turn off repeat play. 268 RDM (Random): With random, you can listen to the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order, on one CD or on all of the CDs. To use random, do one of the following: (cid:127) To play the tracks on the CD you are listening to in random order, press and release the random button. RANDOM ONE will appear on the display. Press this button again to turn off random play. (cid:127) To play the tracks on all of the CDs that are loaded in random order, press and hold this button for more than two seconds. You will hear a beep and RANDOM ALL will appear on the display. Press this button again to turn off random play. o SEEK p: Press the left arrow to go to the start of the current track, if more than ten seconds have played. Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If either arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD. To scan one CD, press and hold either SEEK arrow for more than two seconds until TRACK SCAN appears on the display and you hear a beep. The radio will go to the next track, play for 10 seconds, then go on to the next track. Press either SEEK arrow again, to stop scanning. To scan all loaded CDs, press and hold either SEEK arrow for more than four seconds until ALL CD SCAN appears on the display and you hear a beep. Use this feature to listen to 10 seconds of the ﬁrst track of each loaded CD. Press either SEEK arrow again, to stop scanning. DISP (Display): Press this knob to see how long the current track has been playing. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. To change the default on the display, track or elapsed time, press this knob until you see the display you want, then hold the knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and the selected display will now be the default. BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD(s) will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. 269 CD: Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. The CD symbol will appear on the display when a CD is loaded. EQ (Equalization): Press EQ to select an equalization setting while playing a CD. The equalization will be set whenever a CD is played. See “EQ” listed previously for more information. If you select an EQ setting for your CD, it will be activated each time you play a CD. Using List Mode The six-disc CD changer has a feature called song list. This feature is capable of saving 20 track selections. To save tracks into the song list feature, perform the following steps: 1. Turn the CD player on and load it with at least one CD. See “LOAD” listed previously in this section for more information. 2. Check to see that the CD changer is not in song list mode. LIST should not appear on the display. If LIST is present, press the LIST button to turn it off. 3. Select the desired CD by pressing the numbered pushbutton and then use the SEEK right arrow to locate the track to be saved. The track will begin to play. 4. Press and hold the LIST button to save the track into memory. When LIST is pressed, one beep will be heard immediately. After two seconds of continuously pressing the LIST button, TRACK ADD will appear on the display and two beeps will sound to conﬁrm the track has been saved. 5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for saving other selections. S-LIST FULL will appear on the display if you try to save more than 20 selections. To play the song list, press the LIST button. One beep will be heard and S-LIST will appear on the display. The recorded tracks will begin to play in the order they were saved. Seek through the song list by using the SEEK arrows. Seeking past the last saved track will return to the ﬁrst saved track. 270 To delete tracks from the song list, perform the following steps: 1. Turn the CD player on. 2. Press the LIST button to turn song list on. LIST will appear on the display. 3. Press either SEEK arrow to select the desired track to be deleted. 4. Press and hold the LIST button for two seconds. When LIST is pressed, one beep will be heard immediately. After two seconds of continuously pressing the LIST button, TRACK DELETE will appear on the display and two beeps will be heard to conﬁrm that the track has been deleted. After a track has been deleted, the remaining tracks are moved up the list. When another track is added to the song list, the track will be added to the end of the list. To delete the entire song list, perform the following steps: 1. Turn the CD player on. 2. Press the LIST button to turn song list on. LIST will appear on the display. 3. Press and hold the LIST button for more than four seconds. One beep will be heard, followed by two beeps after two seconds, and a ﬁnal beep will be heard after four seconds. LIST EMPTY will appear on the display indicating the song list has been deleted. If a CD is ejected, and the song list contains saved tracks from that CD, those tracks are automatically deleted from the song list. Any tracks saved to the song list again are added to the bottom of the list. To end song list mode, press the LIST button. One beep will be heard and LIST will be removed from the display. 271 CD Messages CHECK CD: If this message appears on the display and/or the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons: (cid:127) It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play. (cid:127) You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play. (cid:127) The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down. (cid:127) The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again. (cid:127) There may have been a problem while burning the CD. (cid:127) The label may be caught in the CD player. If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason, try a known good CD. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your GM dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your GM dealer when reporting the problem. 272 Using an MP3 MP3 CD-R Disc MP3 Format If you burn your own MP3 disc on a personal computer: (cid:127) Make sure the MP3 ﬁles are recorded on a CD-R disc. one disc. (cid:127) Do not mix standard audio and MP3 ﬁles on (cid:127) Make sure playlists have a .mp3 or .wpl extension, other ﬁle extensions may not work. (cid:127) Files can be recorded with a variety of ﬁxed or variable bit rates. Song title, artist name, and album will be available for display by the radio when recorded using ID3 tags version 1 and 2. (cid:127) Create a folder structure that makes it easy to ﬁnd songs while driving. Organize songs by albums using one folder for each album. Each folder or album should contain 18 songs or less. (cid:127) Make sure to ﬁnalize the disc when burning an MP3 disc, using multiple sessions. It is usually better to burn the disc all at once. The player will be able to read and play a maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, 10 sessions, and 255 ﬁles. Long ﬁle names, folder names, or playlist names may use more disc memory space than necessary. To conserve space on the disc, minimize the length of the ﬁle, folder or playlist name. You can also play an MP3 CD that was recorded using no ﬁle folders. The system can support up to 11 folders in depth, though, keep the depth of the folders to a minimum in order to keep down the complexity and confusion in trying to locate a particular folder during playback. If a CD contains more than the maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, 10 sessions, and 255 ﬁles the player will let you access and navigate up to the maximum, but all items over the maximum will be ignored. Root Directory The root directory will be treated as a folder. If the root directory has compressed audio ﬁles, the directory will be displayed as F1 ROOT. All ﬁles contained directly under the root directory will be accessed prior to any root directory folders. However, playlists (Px) will always be accessed before root folders or ﬁles. Empty Directory or Folder If a root directory or a folder exists somewhere in the ﬁle structure that contains only folders/ subfolders and no compressed ﬁles directly beneath them, the player will advance to the next folder in the ﬁle structure that contains compressed audio ﬁles and the empty folder will not be displayed or numbered. No Folder When the CD contains only compressed ﬁles, the ﬁles will be located under the root folder. The next and previous folder functions will have no function on a CD that was recorded without folders or playlists. When displaying the name of the folder the radio will display ROOT. When the CD contains only playlists and compressed audio ﬁles, but no folders, all ﬁles will be located under the root folder. The folder down and the folder up buttons will search playlists (Px) ﬁrst and then go to the root folder. When the radio displays the name of the folder the radio will display ROOT. 273 Order of Play Tracks will be played in the following order: (cid:127) Play will begin from the ﬁrst track in the ﬁrst (cid:127) playlist and will continue sequentially through all tracks in each playlist. When the last track of the last playlist has been played, play will continue from the ﬁrst track of the ﬁrst playlist. If the CD does not contain any playlists, then play will begin from the ﬁrst track under the root directory. When all tracks from the root directory have been played, play will continue from ﬁles according to their numerical listing. After playing the last track from the last folder, play will begin again at the ﬁrst track of the ﬁrst folder or root directory. When play enters a new folder, the display will not automatically show the new folder name unless you have chosen the folder mode as the default display. See DISP later in this section for more information. The new track name will appear on the display. 274 File System and Naming The song name that will be displayed will be the song name that is contained in the ID3 tag. If the song name is not present in the ID3 tag, then the radio will display the ﬁle name without the extension (such as .mp3) as the track name. Track names longer than 32 characters or four pages will be shortened. The display will not show parts of words on the last page of text and the extension of the ﬁlename will not be displayed. Preprogrammed Playlists You can access preprogrammed playlists which were created by WinAmp™, MusicMatch™, or Real Jukebox™ software, however, you will not have editing capability. These playlists will be treated as special folders containing compressed audio song ﬁles. Playing an MP3 Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in, and READING DISC will appear on the display. The CD should begin playing and the CD symbol will appear on the display. If you want to insert a CD with the ignition off, ﬁrst press the eject button or the DISP knob. If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start to play where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner. If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur, check the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface of the CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will not play properly. If the surface of the CD is soiled, see Care of Your CDs on page 282 for more information. If there is no apparent damage, try a known good CD. Do not add any label to a CD, it could get caught in the CD player. If a CD is recorded on a personal computer and a description label is needed, try labeling the top of the recorded CD with a marking pen instead. Notice: If you add any label to a CD, insert more than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. 1 s (Reverse): Press this button to reverse within the current track. 2 \ (Fast Forward): Press this button to fast forward within the current track. 275 3 N (Repeat): With repeat, one track, the entire folder, or playlist can be repeated. Press and release this pushbutton until REPEAT TRACK, REPEAT FOLDER, or REPEAT P-LIST appears on the display. The current track, folder or playlist will continue to repeat. Press and release this pushbutton until REPEAT OFF appears on the display to turn off repeated play. 4 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear tracks in random, rather than sequential order. You can random the entire folder, playlist, or CD. Press and release this pushbutton until RANDOM FOLDER, RANDOM P-LIST (play list), or RANDOM DISC appears on the display. Once all of the tracks in the current folder or playlist have been played the system will move on to the next folder or playlist and play all of the tracks in random order. When in random, pressing and releasing either SEEK arrow will take you to the next or previous random track. Press and release this pushbutton until RANDOM OFF appears on the display, to turn off random play. 5 ! (Previous Folder): Press this pushbutton to go to the ﬁrst track in the previous folder. Pressing this button while in folder random mode will take you to the previous folder and random the tracks in that folder. 6 # (Next Folder): Press this pushbutton to go to the ﬁrst track in the next folder. Pressing this button while in folder random mode will take you to the next folder and random the tracks in that folder. o SEEK p: Press the left arrow to go to the start of the previous track. Press the right arrow to go to the start of the next track. To scan tracks, press either arrow for more than two seconds until SCAN appears on the display. The radio will go to the next track, play 10 seconds, then go on to the next track. 276 DISP (Display): Press this button to switch between track mode, folder/playlist mode, and ID3 tag. The display will show only eight characters, but there can be up to four pages of text. If there are more than eight characters in the song, folder, or playlist name, pressing this knob within two seconds will take you to the next page of text. If there are no other pages to be shown, pressing this button within two seconds will take you to the next display mode. (cid:127) Song name and time of day mode will display the current song name and time of day. (cid:127) Folder/playlist mode will display the current folder or playlist number the track number and the elapsed time of the track. (cid:127) Song name and track number mode will display the current song name and track number. ID3 Tag and folder mode will display the ID3 tag information and the folder number. (cid:127) (cid:127) Song and folder mode will display the number of songs in the folder and the folder number. To change the default on the display, press the DISP knob until you see the display you want, then hold this knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and the selected display will now be the default. INFO (Information): INFO will appear on the display whenever a current track has ID3 tag information. Press this button to display the artist name and album contained in the tag. BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. CD: Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. The CD symbol will appear on the display when a CD is loaded. EQ (Equalization): Press EQ to select an equalization setting while playing a CD. The equalization will be set whenever a CD is played. See “EQ” listed previously for more information. If you select an EQ setting for your CD, it will be activated each time you play a CD. Z (Eject): Press this button to eject a CD. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs may be loaded with the ignition and radio off if this button is pressed ﬁrst. 277 XM Radio Messages If you have a radio with CD (MP3), or a radio with a Six-Disc CD, you will receive these radio messages. Radio Display Message Condition Action Required XL (Explicit Language Channels) XL on the radio display, after the channel name, indicates content with explicit language. These channels, or any others, can be blocked at a customer’s request, by calling 1-800-852-XMXM (9696). Updating Updating encryption code The encryption code in the receiver is being updated, and no action is required. This process should take no longer than 30 seconds. No Signal Loss of signal The system is functioning correctly, but the vehicle is in a location that is blocking the XM™ signal. When the vehicle is moved into an open area, the signal should return. Acquiring channel audio (after 4 second delay) The radio system is acquiring and processing audio and text data. No action is needed. This message should disappear shortly. Channel not in service This channel is not currently in service. Tune to another channel. Channel no longer available This previously assigned channel is no longer assigned. Tune to another station. If this station was one of the presets, choose another station for that preset button. Artist Name/Feature not available No artist information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly. Loading XM CH Off Air CH Unavail No Info 278 Radio Display Message Condition Action Required No Info No Info No Info Not Found Song/Program Title not available No song title information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly. Category Name not available No category information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly. No Text/Informational message available No text or informational messages are available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly. No channel available for the chosen category There are no channels available for the selected category. The system is working properly. XM Locked Theft lock active Radio ID Radio ID label (channel 0) Unknown Chk XMRcvr Radio ID not known (should only be if hardware failure) Hardware failure The XM™ receiver in your vehicle may have previously been in another vehicle. For security purposes, XM™ receivers cannot be swapped between vehicles. If this message is received after having your vehicle serviced, check with your GM dealer. If tuned to channel 0, this message will alternate with the XM™ Radio eight-digit radio ID label. This label is needed to activate the service. If this message is received when tuned to channel 0, there may be a receiver fault. Consult with your GM dealer. If this message does not clear within a short period of time, the receiver may have a fault. Consult with your GM dealer. 279 Theft-Deterrent Feature THEFTLOCK® is designed to discourage theft of your vehicle’s radio. The feature works automatically by learning a portion of the Vehicle Identiﬁcation Number (VIN). If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not operate and LOC or LOCKED will appear on the display. With THEFTLOCK® activated, the radio will not operate if stolen. Audio Steering Wheel Controls If your vehicle has this feature, some audio controls can be adjusted at the steering wheel. They include the following: xw (Seek): Press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or to the previous radio station and stay there. The radio will only seek stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. To scan stations, press and hold either arrow for two seconds until you hear a beep. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press either arrow again to stop scanning. When a CD is playing, press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or previous track. 280 > (Mute/OnStar®): Press this button to silence the system. Press this button again, or any other radio button, to turn the sound on. If your vehicle has OnStar®, press and hold this button for more than two seconds to interact with the OnStar® system. See the OnStar® System on page 126 in this manual for more information. BAND: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). 1–6 (Preset Pushbuttons): Press this button to play stations that are programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons. The radio will only seek preset stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. When a CD is playing in the six-disc CD changer, press this button to go to the next available CD, if multiple CDs are loaded. + / − x (Volume): Press the plus or minus button to increase or to decrease the volume. Radio Reception You may experience frequency interference and static during normal radio reception if items such as cellphone chargers, vehicle convenience accessories, and external electronic devices are plugged into the accessory power outlet. If there is interference or static, unplug the item from the accessory power outlet. AM The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM, especially at night. The longer range can cause station frequencies to interfere with each other. For better radio reception, most AM radio stations will boost the power levels during the day, and then reduce these levels during the night. Static can also occur when things like storms and power lines interfere with radio reception. When this happens, try reducing the treble on your radio. 281 FM Stereo FM stereo will give the best sound, but FM signals will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing the sound to fade in and out. XM™ Satellite Radio Service XM™ Satellite Radio Service gives digital radio reception from coast-to-coast in the 48 contiguous United States, and in Canada. Just as with FM, tall buildings or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals, causing the sound to fade in and out. In addition, traveling or standing under heavy foliage, bridges, garages, or tunnels may cause loss of the XM™ signal for a period of time. The radio may display NO SIGNAL to indicate interference. Care of Your CDs Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight and dust. The CD player scans the bottom surface of the disc. If the surface of a CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will not play properly or not at all. If the surface of a CD is soiled, take a soft, lint free cloth or dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution mixed with water, and clean it. Make sure the wiping process starts from the center to the edge. Do not touch the bottom side of a CD while handling it; this could damage the surface. Pick up CDs by grasping the outer edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge. Care of the CD Player Do not use CD lens cleaners for CD players because the lens of the CD optics can become contaminated by lubricants. 282 Backglass Antenna The AM-FM antenna is integrated with the rear window defogger, located in the rear window. Make sure that the inside surface of the rear window is not scratched and that the lines on the glass are not damaged. If the inside surface is damaged, it could interfere with radio reception. Also, for proper radio reception, the antenna connector at the top-center of the rear window needs to be properly attached to the post on the glass. Notice: Do not apply aftermarket glass tinting with metallic ﬁlm. The metallic ﬁlm in some tinting materials will interfere with or distort the incoming radio reception. Any damage caused to your backglass antenna due to metallic tinting materials will not be covered by your warranty. Notice: Using a razor blade or sharp object to clear the inside rear window may damage the rear window antenna and/or the rear window defogger. Repairs would not be covered by your warranty. Do not clear the inside rear window with sharp objects. Because this antenna is built into your rear window, there is a reduced risk of damage caused by car washes and vandals. If static is heard on the radio, when the rear window defogger is turned on, it could mean that a defogger grid line has been damaged. If this is true, the grid line must be repaired. If you choose to add a cellular telephone to your vehicle, and the antenna needs to be attached to the glass, make sure that you do not damage the grid lines for the AM-FM antenna. There is enough space between the lines to attach a cellular telephone antenna without interfering with radio reception. 283 XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System The XM™ Satellite Radio antenna is located on the roof of your vehicle. Keep this antenna clear of snow and ice build up for clear radio reception. If your vehicle has a sunroof, the performance of the XM™ system may be affected if the sunroof is open. Loading items onto the roof of your vehicle can interfere with the performance of the XM™ system. Make sure the XM™ Satellite Radio antenna is not obstructed. Chime Level Adjustment The radio is used to adjust the vehicle’s chime level. To change the volume level of the chime, press and hold pushbutton 6 with the ignition on and the radio power off. The volume level will change from the normal level to loud, and LOUD will appear on the radio display. To change back to the default or normal setting, press and hold pushbutton 6 again. The volume level will change from the loud level to normal, and NORMAL will appear on the radio display. Removing the radio and not replacing it with a factory radio or chime module will disable vehicle chimes. 284 Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle .... 286 Defensive Driving ...................................... 286 Drunken Driving ........................................ 287 Control of a Vehicle .................................. 290 Braking ...................................................... 290 Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) .................. 291 Braking in Emergencies ............................. 293 Traction Control System (TCS) .................. 294 Enhanced Traction System (ETS) .............. 295 StabiliTrak® System ................................... 296 Steering .................................................... 297 Off-Road Recovery .................................... 300 Passing ..................................................... 300 Loss of Control .......................................... 302 Driving at Night ......................................... 303 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads ............ 305 City Driving ............................................... 308 Freeway Driving ........................................ 309 Before Leaving on a Long Trip .................. 310 Highway Hypnosis ..................................... 311 Hill and Mountain Roads ........................... 312 Winter Driving ........................................... 314 If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow ................................. 318 Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out ........... 319 Loading Your Vehicle ................................ 319 Towing ........................................................ 325 Towing Your Vehicle ................................. 325 Recreational Vehicle Towing ...................... 326 Towing a Trailer ........................................ 327 285 CAUTION: (Continued) Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following distance. Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving task makes proper defensive driving more difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to help do these things, or pull off the road in a safe place to do them. These simple defensive driving techniques could save your life. Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Defensive Driving The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defensively. Please start with a very important safety device in your vehicle: Buckle up. See Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone on page 16. {CAUTION: Defensive driving really means “Be ready for anything.” On city streets, rural roads, or expressways, it means “Always expect the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might do and be ready. CAUTION: (Continued) 286 Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year. Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a vehicle: (cid:127) Judgment (cid:127) Muscular Coordination (cid:127) Vision (cid:127) Attentiveness Police records show that almost half of all motor vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases, these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking and driving. In recent years, more than 16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured. Many adults — by some estimates, nearly half the adult population — choose never to drink alcohol, so they never drive after drinking. For persons under 21, it is against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical, psychological, and developmental reasons for these laws. The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But what if people do? How much is “too much” if someone plans to drive? It is a lot less than many might think. Although it depends on each person and situation, here is some general information on the problem. The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone who is drinking depends upon four things: (cid:127) The amount of alcohol consumed (cid:127) The drinker’s body weight (cid:127) The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking (cid:127) The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol According to the American Medical Association, a 180 lb (82 kg) person who drinks three 12 ounce (355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BAC of about 0.06 percent. 287 The person would reach the same BAC by drinking three 4 ounce (120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka. It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who consumes food just before or during drinking will have a somewhat lower BAC level. 288 There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have a lower relative percentage of body water than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a man of her same body weight will when each has the same number of drinks. The law in most U.S. states, and throughout Canada, sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent. In some other countries, the limit is even lower. For example, it is 0.05 percent in both France and Germany. The BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the United States is 0.04 percent. The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we have seen, it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how quickly the person drinks them. But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater! The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need to take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street? A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the collision. There is something else about drinking and driving that many people do not know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means that when anyone who has been drinking — driver or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the person had not been drinking. {CAUTION: Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reﬂexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment can be affected by even a small amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking. Please do not drink and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if you are with a group, designate a driver who will not drink. 289 Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering, and the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at the places where the tires meet the road. Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 294. Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and Modiﬁcations on page 341. Braking See Brake System Warning Light on page 186. Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That is reaction time. 290 Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a second. But that is only an average. It might be less with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes; the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake force applied. Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake. The brakes may not have time to cool between hard stops. The brakes will wear out much faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means better braking and longer brake life. If your vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are driving, brake normally but do not pump the brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to push down. If the engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push. Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and Modiﬁcations on page 341. Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Your vehicle may have the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), an advanced electronic braking system that will help prevent a braking skid. If your vehicle has ABS, this warning light on the instrument panel will come on brieﬂy when you start your vehicle. When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive away, your ABS will check itself. You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test is going on, and you may even notice that your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal. 291 ABS can change the brake pressure faster than any driver could. The computer is programmed to make the most of available tire and road conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle while braking hard. Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely. Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what happens with ABS: A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will separately work the brakes at each wheel. 292 As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly. Remember: ABS does not change the time you need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in front of you, you will not have time to apply your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have ABS. Using ABS Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down ﬁrmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but this is normal. Braking in Emergencies At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that requires hard braking. If you have ABS, you can steer and brake at the same time. However, if you do not have ABS, your ﬁrst reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it down — may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle cannot respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic. If you do not have ABS, use a “squeeze” braking technique. This will give you maximum braking while maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure. In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This will help you retain steering control. If you do have ABS, it is different. See Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 291. In many emergencies, steering can help you more than even the very best braking. 293 Traction Control System (TCS) Your vehicle may have a Traction Control System (TCS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it senses that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the system works the front brakes and reduces engine power to limit wheel spin. It may also upshift the transaxle to limit wheel spin. You may feel or hear the system working, but this is normal. The TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVE message on the Driver Information Center (DIC) will be displayed when the system is limiting wheel spin. If the vehicle is in cruise control when the TCS begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow safe use of the cruise control, it can be used again. See Cruise Control on page 154. The TCS operates in all transaxle shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the transaxle only as high as the shift lever position that was chosen, so use the lower gears only when necessary. See Automatic Transaxle Operation on page 114. This light, along with the TRACTION CONTROL OFF message, will display on the DIC for three seconds when the TCS is not on. If there is a problem with the system, the SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM message will also come on in the DIC. When this warning light is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust driving accordingly. 294 To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you should always leave the TCS on. But you can turn the system off if you ever need to. The TCS should be turned off if the vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is required. See Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 319 and If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 318. To turn the TCS on or off, press the TCS button located above the radio. When the TCS is turned off, the TCS warning light will come on along with the TRACTION CONTROL OFF message on the DIC. It will disappear when the TCS is turned back on. If the TCS is limiting wheel spin when the TCS button is pressed, the TCS warning light will come on and the TCS will turn off right away. Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and Modiﬁcations on page 341 for more information. Enhanced Traction System (ETS) Your vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction System (ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it senses that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the system reduces engine power and may also upshift the transaxle to limit wheel spin. You may feel or hear the system working, but this is normal. The TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVE message on the Driver Information Center (DIC) will be displayed when the system is limiting wheel spin. If the vehicle is in cruise control when ETS begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow safe use of it, the cruise control can be used again. See Cruise Control on page 154. 295 The ETS operates in all transaxle shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the transaxle only as high as the chosen shift lever position, so use the lower gears only when necessary. See Automatic Transaxle Operation on page 114. This light, along with the TRACTION CONTROL OFF message, will display on the DIC for three seconds when the ETS is not on. If there is a problem with the system, the SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM message will also come on in the DIC. When this warning light is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly. To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you should always leave the ETS on. But you can turn the system off if you ever need to. The ETS should be turned off if the vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is required. To turn the ETS on or off, press the ETS button located above the radio. When the ETS is turned off, the ETS warning light will come on along with the TRACTION CONTROL OFF message on the DIC. It will disappear when the ETS is turned back on. If the ETS is limiting wheel spin when the traction control button is pressed, the ETS warning light will come on and the ETS will turn off right away. StabiliTrak® System Your vehicle may be equipped with a vehicle stability enhancement system called StabiliTrak®. It is an advanced computer controlled system that assists you with directional control of the vehicle in difficult driving conditions. StabiliTrak® activates when the computer senses a discrepancy between your intended path and the direction the vehicle is actually traveling. StabiliTrak® selectively applies braking pressure at any one of the vehicle’s brakes to help steer the vehicle in the direction which you are steering. 296 When the system activates, a STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVE message will be displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC). See DIC Warnings and Messages on page 208. You may also hear a noise or feel vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal. Continue to steer the vehicle in the direction you want it to go. If there is a problem detected with StabiliTrak®, a SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM or STABILITY CONTROL OFF message will be displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC). A warning light will also appear on the instrument panel cluster. See DIC Warnings and Messages on page 208. When this message is displayed, the system is not operational. Driving should be adjusted accordingly. If your vehicle is in cruise control when the StabiliTrak® activates, the cruise control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may reengage the cruise control. See Cruise Control on page 154 for more information. Steering Power Steering If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but it will take much more effort. Steering Tips It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed. A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on the news happen on curves. Here is why: Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The traction of the tires against the road surface makes it possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn the front wheels. If there is no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If you have ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you will understand this. 297 The traction you can get in a curve depends on the condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you are in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control. Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve. Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control systems — steering and braking — have to do their work where the tires meet the road. Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard braking can demand too much of those places. You can lose control. The same thing can happen if you are steering through a sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those two control systems — steering and acceleration — can overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road and make you lose control. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 294. What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it to go, and slow down. Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are based on good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable conditions you will want to go slower. If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front wheels are straight ahead. Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then accelerate gently into the straightaway. Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and Modiﬁcations on page 341. 298 Steering in Emergencies There are times when steering can be more effective than braking. For example, you come over a hill and ﬁnd a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can avoid these problems by braking — if you can stop in time. But sometimes you cannot; there is not room. That is the time for evasive action — steering around the problem. Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like these. First apply your brakes. See Braking on page 290. It is better to remove as much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or right depending on the space available. An emergency like this requires close attention and a quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have avoided the object. The fact that such emergency situations are always possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at all times and wear safety belts properly. 299 Off-Road Recovery You may ﬁnd that your right wheels have dropped off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you are driving. If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go straight down the roadway. 300 Passing The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a two-lane highway waits for just the right moment, accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver? Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the worst of all traffic accidents — the head-on collision. So here are some tips for passing: (cid:127) Drive ahead. Look down the road, to the sides, and to crossroads for situations that might affect your passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever about making a successful pass, wait for a better time. (cid:127) Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings, and lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken center line usually indicates it is all right to pass, providing the road ahead is clear. Never cross a solid line on your side of the lane or a double solid line, even if the road seems empty of approaching traffic. (cid:127) Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass while you are awaiting an opportunity. For one thing, following too closely reduces your area of vision, especially if you are following a larger vehicle. Also, you will not have adequate space if the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a reasonable distance. (cid:127) When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up, start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and do not get too close. Time your move so you will be increasing speed as the time comes to move into the other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a running start that more than makes up for the distance you would lose by dropping back. And if something happens to cause you to cancel your pass, you need only slow down and drop back again and wait for another opportunity. (cid:127) If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait your turn. But take care that someone is not trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and check the blind spot. (cid:127) Check your vehicle’s mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your left lane change signal before moving out of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your vehicle’s inside mirror, activate the right lane change signal and move back into the right lane. Remember that your vehicle’s passenger side outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther away from you than it really is. (cid:127) Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next vehicle. (cid:127) Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are not ﬂashing, it may be slowing down or starting to turn. If you are being passed, make it easy for the following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you can ease a little to the right. (cid:127) 301 Loss of Control Let us review what driving experts say about what happens when the three control systems — brakes, steering, and acceleration — do not have enough friction where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked. In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer and constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger. Skidding In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by not overdriving those conditions. But skids are always possible. The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin. A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If you have the Traction Control System (TCS), remember: It helps avoid only the acceleration skid. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 294. If you do not have this system, or if the system is off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a second skid if it occurs. Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you will want to slow down and adjust your driving to these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control more limited. 302 While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or braking, including reducing vehicle speed by shifting to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues — such as enough water, ice, or packed snow on the road to make a mirrored surface — and slow down when you have any doubt. If you have the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have ABS, then in a braking skid, where the wheels are no longer rolling, release enough pressure on the brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels are rolling, you will have steering control. Driving at Night Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaired — by alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue. Here are some tips on night driving. (cid:127) Drive defensively. (cid:127) Do not drink and drive. (cid:127) Adjust the inside rearview mirror to reduce the glare from headlamps behind you. (cid:127) Since you cannot see as well, you may need to slow down and keep more space between you and other vehicles. (cid:127) Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your vehicle’s headlamps can light up only so much road ahead. In remote areas, watch for animals. If you are tired, pull off the road in a safe place and rest. (cid:127) (cid:127) 303 Keep the windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean — inside and out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass can build up a ﬁlm caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and ﬂash more than clean glass would, making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly. Remember that the headlamps light up far less of a roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly lighted objects. Just as the headlamps should be checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night blindness — the inability to see in dim light — and are not even aware of it. No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old. What you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you are driving, do not wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot of things invisible. You can be temporarily blinded by approaching headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When you are faced with severe glare, as from a driver who does not lower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps, slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into the approaching headlamps. 304 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road, you cannot stop, accelerate, or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction is not as good as on dry roads. And, if your tires do not have much tread left, you will get even less traction. It is always wise to go slower and be cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your reﬂexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement. The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, and even people walking. 305 Hydroplaning Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires that they can actually ride on the water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road. Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on the road. If you can see reﬂections from trees, telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops dimple the water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.

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2007 Buick Lacrosse Owners Manual