Buick 2004 Rainier Maintenance Manual

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Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1 Front Seats ............................................... 1-2 Rear Seats ............................................... 1-5 Safety Belts .............................................. 1-7...

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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, the BUICK Emblem are registered trademarks and the name Rainier is a trademark of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to ma...

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Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. {CAUTION: These mean there is something that could ...

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Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this book you will find these notices: Notice: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. A notice will tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be c...

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These are some examples of symbols you may find on your vehicle: v ...

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✍ NOTES vi ...

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Front Seats ......................................................1-2 Power Seats ..................................................1-2 Power Lumbar ...............................................1-2 Heated Seats ........................................

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Front Seats Power Seats The power seat controls are located on the outboard side of the front seat cushions. The horizontal control adjusts the seat cushion and the vertical control adjusts the seatback. • Move the front of the horizontal seat cont...

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Heated Seats Your vehicle may have heated front seats. The buttons used to control this feature are located on the front door armrests. The engine must be running for the heated seat feature to work. To heat the entire seat, press the horizontal butt...

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Power Reclining Seatbacks Your vehicle may have this feature. The vertical power seat control described earlier allows the seatback to recline. See Power Seats on page 1-2 for more information. But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is ...

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Head Restraints Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash. The head restraints lock into place when raised. To release the head restrai...

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The rear seatback levers are located on the outboard side of the rear seatbacks. Pull the seatback toward you as you lift up on the lever. The head restraint will automatically fold out of the way when the seatback is folded down. To raise the seatba...

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Safety Belts Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts. {CAUTION: Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear a s...

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A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up, a person wouldn’t survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have be...

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Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider doesn’t stop. 1-9 ...

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

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or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why safety belts make such good sense. 1-11 ...

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Questions and Answers About Safety Belts Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I’m wearing a safety belt? A: You could be — whether you’re wearing a safety belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you’re ...

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How to Wear Safety Belts Properly This part is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in ...

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5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder belt. The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less likely to slide un...

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Q: What’s wrong with this? A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly as much protection this way. {CAUTION: You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could incre...

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Q: What’s wrong with this? A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place. {CAUTION: You can be seriously injured if your belt is buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash, the belt would go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, n...

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Q: What’s wrong with this? A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should be worn over the shoulder at all times. {CAUTION: You can be seriously injured if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your body would move too far f...

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Q: What’s wrong with this? A: The belt is twisted across the body. {CAUTION: You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight ...

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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. The belt should go back out of the way. Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the belt and your vehicle. Safety Belt Use...

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The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making safety belts effective is wearing them...

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Lap-Shoulder Belt All rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts. Here’s how to wear one properly. 1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don’t let it get twisted. 2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pul...

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The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply f...

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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults Rear shoulder belt comfort guides provide added safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown booster seats and for smal...

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2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The elastic cord must be under the belt. Then, place the guide over the belt and insert the two edges of the belt into the slots of the guide. 3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies flat. The ...

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4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as described in Rear Seat Passengers on page 1-20. Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder. To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the belt edges together so that you can take the...

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Child Restraints Older Children Older children who have outgrown booster seats should wear the vehicle’s safety belts. Q: What is the proper way to wear safety belts? A: If possible, an older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt and get the additi...

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{CAUTION: Never do this. Here two children are wearing the same belt. The belt can’t properly spread the impact forces. In a crash, the two children can be crushed together and seriously injured. A belt must be used by only one person at a time. Q:...

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{CAUTION: Never do this. Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind the child. If the child wears the belt in this way, in a crash the child might slide under the belt. The belt’s force would the...

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Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should have the protection provided by appropriate restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice. Instead, they need to...

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{CAUTION: Children who are up against, or very close to, any air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder belts offer outstanding protection for adults and older children, but not for young children and inf...

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For most basic types of child restraints, there are many different models available. When purchasing a child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a label saying that it meets federal motor...

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Child Restraint Systems An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed to restrain or position a child on a continuous flat surface. Make sure that the infant’s head rests toward the ce...

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A forward-facing child seat (C-E) provides restraint for the child’s body with the harness and also sometimes with surfaces such as T-shaped or shelf-like shields. A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to improve the fit of the vehicl...

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Q: How do child restraints work? A: A child restraint system is any device designed for use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position children. A built-in child restraint system is a permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add-on child restra...

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Where to Put the Restraint Accident statistics show that children are safer if they are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We, therefore, recommend that child restraints be secured in a rear outside seat position including an infant r...

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Top Strap Some child restraints have a top strap, or “top tether.” It can help restrain the child restraint during a collision. For it to work, a top strap must be properly anchored to the vehicle. Some top strap-equipped child restraints are des...

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{CAUTION: Each top tether bracket is designed to anchor only one child restraint. Attaching more than one child restraint to a single bracket could cause the anchor to come loose or even break during a crash. A child or others could be injured if thi...

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Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) Your vehicle has the LATCH system. You’ll find anchors (A) in the rear outside seat positions. This system, designed to make installation of child restraints easier, does not use the veh...

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In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, you need a child restraint designed for that system. To assist you in locating the lower anchors for this child restraint system, each seating position with the LATCH system has a label on the seatbac...

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Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System 1. Find the LATCH anchorages for the seating position you want to use, where the bottom of the seatback meets the back of the seat cushion. See Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LA...

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3. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to. 4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of the retractor to set the lock. 1-41 ...

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5. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder belt back into the retractor. If you are using a forward-facing child restraint, you may fin...

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Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system, see Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-38. See Top Strap on page 1-36 if the child restraint ha...

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3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the restraint. The child restraint instructions will show you how. 4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is positioned so yo...

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6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder belt back into the retractor. You may find it helpful to use your knee to push down on the c...

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Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of injury from the force of an inflating frontal air bag. But these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job and comply with federal regulations. Here are the most important things to ...

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CAUTION: (Continued) The side impact air bags for the driver and right front passenger are designed to inflate only in moderate to severe crashes where something hits the side of your vehicle. They are not designed to inflate in frontal, in rollove...

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{CAUTION: Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for adults, but not for young children and infants. Neither the vehicle...

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Where Are the Air Bags? The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel. The right front passenger’s frontal air bag is in the instrument panel on the passenger’s side. 1-49 ...

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If your vehicle has a driver’s side impact air bag it is located in the side of the driver’s seatback closest to the door. If your vehicle has a right front passenger’s side impact air bag it is located in the side of the passenger’s seatback...

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{CAUTION: If something is between an occupant and an air bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it might force the object into that person causing severe injury or even death. The path of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t put any...

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In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air bag should have inflated simply because of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. For frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and how qui...

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What Will You See After an Air Bag Inflates? After the air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly that some people may not even realize the air bag inflated. Some components of the air bag module will be hot for a short time. These compone...

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In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag, windshields are broken by vehicle deformation. Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the right front passenger air bag. • Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an air b...

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Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced. There are parts of the air bag systems in several places around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual have information about servicing your vehicl...

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Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash {CAUTION: A crash can damage the restraint systems in your vehicle. A damaged restraint system may not properly protect the person using it, resulting in serious injury or even death in a crash. To help ...

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Keys ...............................................................2-3 Remote Keyless Entry System .........................2-5 Remote Keyless Entry System Operation ...........2-6 Doors and Locks .............................................2-8 Doo...

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OnStar ® System .............................................2-35 HomeLink ® Transmitter ...................................2-36 Programming the HomeLink ® Transmitter .........2-37 Storage Areas ................................................2-4...

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Keys {CAUTION: Leaving children in a vehicle with the ignition key is dangerous for many reasons. They could operate the power windows or other controls or even make the vehicle move. The children or others could be badly injured or even killed. Do n...

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This vehicle has one double-sided key for the ignition and door lock. It will fit with either side up. When a new vehicle is delivered, the dealer provides the owner with a pair of identical keys and a key code number. The key code number tells your...

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Remote Keyless Entry System Your keyless entry system operates on a radio frequency subject to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rules and with Industry Canada. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the fol...

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Remote Keyless Entry System Operation With this system you can lock and unlock your doors from about 3 feet (1 m) up to 30 feet (9 m) away using the remote keyless entry transmitter supplied with your vehicle. K (Unlock): When you press unlock, the d...

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Battery Replacement Under normal use, the battery in your remote keyless entry transmitter should last about two years. You can tell the battery is weak if the transmitter won’t work at the normal range in any location. If you have to get close to ...

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Doors and Locks Door Locks {CAUTION: Unlocked doors can be dangerous. • Passengers — especially children — can easily open the doors and fall out of a moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the handle will not open it. You increase the chance o...

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You can lock or unlock the door from the inside by sliding the manual lever forward or rearward. The manual lever on each door works only that door’s lock. Power Door Locks The power door lock switches are located on the driver’s and front passen...

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Delayed Locking This feature delays the locking of the doors and the liftgate when using the power lock or the remote keyless entry system. The first time you attempt to lock the doors with the driver’s door open, three chimes will signal that del...

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Programmable Locking Feature The following is the list of available programming options: Mode 1: All doors lock when the transmission is shifted into gear. Mode 2: All doors lock when the vehicle speed is greater than 8 mph (13 km/h). Mode 3: No auto...

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Programmable Unlocking Feature The following is the list of available programming options: Mode 1: Driver’s door unlocks when the transmission is shifted into PARK (P). Mode 2: All doors unlock when the transmission is shifted into PARK (P). Mode 3...

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Rear Door Security Locks Your vehicle may have this feature. You can lock the rear doors so they can’t be opened from the inside by passengers. To use one of these locks do the following: 1. Open one of the rear doors. You will find a security loc...

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Liftgate/Liftglass {CAUTION: It can be dangerous to drive with the liftgate or liftglass open because carbon monoxide (CO) gas can come into your vehicle. You can not see or smell CO. It can cause unconsciousness and even death. If you must drive wit...

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Windows {CAUTION: Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets in a vehicle with the windows closed is dangerous. They can be overcome by the extreme heat and suffer permanent injuries or even death from heat stroke. Never leave a child, a helpless adu...

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Power Windows The controls for the power windows are located on the armrest on each of the side doors. With power windows, the switches operate the windows when the ignition is in RUN, ACCESSORY or when Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is active. The d...

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Sun Visors To block out glare, you can pull the visor down. You can also slide the visor along the rod from side-to-side to cover the driver or passenger front window. Visor Vanity Mirror Pull the sun visor down to expose the vanity mirror. Lighted V...

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Remember, the theft-deterrent system won’t activate if you lock the doors with a key or use the manual door lock. It activates only if you use a power door lock switch with the door open, or with the remote keyless entry transmitter. You should als...

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Passlock ® Your vehicle is equipped with the Passlock ® theft-deterrent system. Passlock ® is a passive theft-deterrent system that enables fuel if the ignition lock cylinder is turned with a valid key. If a correct key is not used or the ignition...

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Ignition Positions Use the key to turn the ignition switch to four different positions. A (LOCK): This position locks the ignition and transmission. It’s a theft-deterrent feature. You will only be able to remove the key when the ignition is turned...

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Retained Accessory Power (RAP) Your vehicle is equipped with a Retained Accessory Power (RAP) feature which will allow certain features of your vehicle to continue to work up to 20 minutes after the ignition key is turned to LOCK. Your radio, power w...

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When starting your engine in very cold weather (below 0°F or −18°C), do this: 1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition key to START and hold it there up to 15 seconds. When the engine starts, let go of the key. 2. If your en...

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Engine Coolant Heater Your vehicle may have this feature. In very cold weather, 0°F (-18°C) or colder, the engine coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually, the coolant heater shoul...

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Automatic Transmission Operation There are several different positions for your gear shift lever. PARK (P): This position locks the rear wheels. It’s the best position to use when you start the engine because your vehicle can’t move easily. {CAUT...

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{CAUTION: Shifting into a drive gear while your engine is running at high speed is dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the brake pedal, your vehicle could move very rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or objects. Do not shift into a ...

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All-Wheel Drive Your vehicle may have this feature. There is no lever or switch to engage or disengage the front axle. It is fully automatic and adjusts as needed for road conditions. Your vehicle has an active transfer case allowing two-wheel-drive ...

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Shifting Into Park (P) {CAUTION: It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll. If you have left the engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly....

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Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine Running {CAUTION: It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the engine running. Your vehicle could move suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you lea...

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Parking Over Things That Burn {CAUTION: Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust parts under your vehicle and ignite. Do not park over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that can burn. Engine Exhaust {CAUTION: Engine exhaust can kill. It c...

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Running Your Engine While You Are Parked It is better not to park with the engine running. But if you ever have to, here are some things to know. {CAUTION: Idling the engine with the climate control system off could allow dangerous exhaust into your ...

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Mirrors Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror with OnStar ® and Compass Your vehicle has an automatic-dimming rearview mirror with a compass and the OnStar ® system. There are three additional buttons for the OnStar ® system. See your dealer for more ...

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Compass Calibration Press and hold the on/off button down for nine seconds to activate the compass calibration mode. CAL will be displayed in the compass window on the mirror. The compass can be calibrated by driving the vehicle in circles at 5 mph (...

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Outside Power Mirror The control is located on the driver’s door. 1. Turn the knob toward the mirror you desire to adjust. 2. Move the control in the direction you want the mirror to go. 3. Adjust the mirror in all four directions. Adjust it so you...

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Outside Convex Mirror A convex mirror’s surface is curved so you can see more from the driver’s seat. {CAUTION: A convex mirror can make things (like other vehicles) look farther away than they really are. If you cut too sharply into the right or...

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OnStar ® System Your vehicle may have this feature. OnStar ® uses global positioning system (GPS) satellite technology, wireless communications, and state of the art call centers to provide you with a wide range of safety, security, information and...

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Luxury and Leisure Plan • All Directions and Connections Plan services • Personal Concierge OnStar ® Personal Calling With OnStar ® Personal Calling, you have a safer way to stay connected while driving. It’s a hands-free wireless phone that�...

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This device complies with RSS- 210 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause ...

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2. Position the end of your hand-held transmitter about 1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 cm) away from the HomeLink ® buttons while keeping the indicator light in view. 3. Simultaneously press and hold both the desired button on HomeLink ® and the hand-held t...