Buick Park Avenue 2005 User Manual

2005 Buick Park Avenue Owner Manual M

Seats and Restraint Systems

Front Seats Safety Belts Child Restraints Airbag System

............................................... 1-2

.............................................. 1-6

....................................... 1-27

......................................... 1-49

Restraint System Check

Features and Controls

Keys Doors and Locks Windows

........................................................ 2-3

....................................... 2-9

................................................. 2-16

Theft-Deterrent Systems

........................... 1-1

............................ 1-57

..................................... 2-1

............................ 2-18

Starting and Operating Your Vehicle Mirrors OnStar HomeLink Storage Areas Sunroof Vehicle Personalization

Instrument Panel

Instrument Panel Overview Climate Controls

.................................................... 2-34

System

Transmitter

...................................... 2-39

............................. 2-40

......................................... 2-44

.................................................. 2-47

............................. 2-48

............................................. 3-1

.......................... 3-4

...................................... 3-25

Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators Driver Information Center (DIC) Audio System(s)

....................................... 3-55

........... 2-22

........ 3-32

.................. 3-46

Driving Your Vehicle

....................................... 4-1

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Towing

Service and Appearance Care

Service Fuel Checking Things Under the Hood Headlamp Aiming Bulb Replacement

................................................... 4-35

.......................... 5-1

..................................................... 5-3

......................................................... 5-4

............... 5-10

..................................... 5-45

.................................... 5-47

Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement Tires Appearance Care Vehicle Identiﬁcation Electrical System Capacities and Speciﬁcations

...................................................... 5-58

..................................... 5-82

................................. 5-91

...................................... 5-91

................... 5-100

Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts

Maintenance Schedule

..................................... 6-1

................................ 6-2

Customer Assistance and Information

Customer Assistance and Information Reporting Safety Defects

................................................................ 1

Index

........................... 7-10

..... 4-2

......... 5-57

.... 5-101

.............. 7-1

........... 7-2

Canadian Owners

A French language copy of this manual can be obtained from your dealer or from:

Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, the BUICK Emblem and the name PARK AVENUE are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.

This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes after that time without further notice. For vehicles ﬁrst sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited” for Buick Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual.

Keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be there if you ever need it while you are on the road. If you sell the vehicle, leave this manual in the vehicle.

Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 05PARKAVENUE A First Edition

How to Use This Manual

Many people read the owner manual from beginning to end when they ﬁrst receive their new vehicle. If this is done, it can help you learn about the features and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work together in the owner manual to explain things.

Index

A good place to quickly locate information about the vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the page number where it can be found.

Safety Warnings and Symbols

There are a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning.

{CAUTION:

These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people.

In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not, you or others could be hurt.

You will also ﬁnd a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means “Do Not,” “Do Not do this” or “Do Not let this happen.”

iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings

Vehicle Symbols

Also, in this manual you will ﬁnd these notices:

Notice: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle.

A notice tells about something that can damage the vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell what to do to help avoid the damage.

When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words.

There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.

The vehicle has components and labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with the text describing the operation or information relating to a speciﬁc component, control, message, gage, or indicator.

If you need help ﬁguring out a speciﬁc name of a component, gage, or indicator, reference the following topics:

• Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1

• Features and Controls in Section 2

• Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3

• Climate Controls in Section 3

• Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3

• Audio System(s) in Section 3

• Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5

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

✍ NOTES

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

Front Seats ......................................................1-2

Power Seats ..................................................1-2

Power Lumbar ...............................................1-3

Heated Seats .................................................1-3

Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-4

Head Restraints .............................................1-5

Safety Belts .....................................................1-6

Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-6

Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-10

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-11

Driver Position ..............................................1-12

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-18

Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-19

Center Passenger Position .............................1-19

Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-20

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for

Children and Small Adults ..........................1-24

Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-26

Child Restraints .............................................1-27

Older Children ..............................................1-27

Infants and Young Children ............................1-29

Child Restraint Systems .................................1-33

Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-36

Top Strap ....................................................1-37

Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-39

Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for

Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-40

Securing a Child Restraint Designed for

the LATCH System ....................................1-42

Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear

Outside Seat Position ................................1-42

Securing a Child Restraint in a Center

Rear Seat Position ....................................1-44

Securing a Child Restraint in the Right

Front Seat Position ....................................1-46

Airbag System ...............................................1-49

Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-51

When Should an Airbag Inﬂate? .....................1-53

What Makes an Airbag Inﬂate? .......................1-55

How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-55

What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? .....1-55

Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-57

Restraint System Check ..................................1-57

Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-57

Replacing Restraint System Parts

After a Crash ............................................1-58

1-1

Front Seats

Power Seats

The power seat controls are located on the outboard sides of both the driver’s and front passenger’s seats.

To adjust the power seats, do the following: Horizontal Control: Raise or lower the front of the seat

cushion by pressing the forward edge of the control up or down.

Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by pressing the rear edge of the control up or down.

Move the seat forward or rearward by pressing the control toward the front or rear of the vehicle.

Move the seat higher or lower by holding the whole control up or down.

Vertical Control: Adjust the angle of the seatback by pressing the top of the control forward or rearward.

Move the seatback forward by pressing the top of the control forward.

1-2

Power Lumbar

Heated Seats

If your vehicle has this feature, the power lumbar control is located on the outboard side of each front seat. Use the power seat control ﬁrst to get the proper position. Then continue with the lumbar adjustment.

To reshape the lower seatback, press the lumbar control forward to increase support and rearward to decrease support. Press the control up or down to raise or lower the support mechanism.

Keep in mind that as your seating position changes, as it may during long trips, so should the position of your lumbar support. Adjust the seat as needed.

If you have the independent front cushion moved down as far as it will go, you may feel the lumbar support higher in your back. Readjust the location of the cushion until you are comfortable. You may also want to adjust the seatback for maximum comfort.

If your vehicle has this option, press this button to turn on the heating element in the seat.

The heated seat controls are located next to the climate controls on the instrument panel.

When the heated seat control is ﬁrst pressed, the high setting is activated. Press the button again for the low setting. The third press of the button turns the feature off.

The low setting warms the seatback and cushion until the seat nears body temperature. The high setting heats the seat to a slightly higher temperature.

A light on the control reminds you that the heating system is in use. When the ignition is turned off, the heating element is also turned off.

1-3

Reclining Seatbacks

The vertical control described previously in this section reclines the front seatbacks.

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.

{CAUTION:

Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can not do their job when you are reclined like this.

The shoulder belt can not do its job. In a crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries.

The lap belt can not do its job either. In a crash the belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries.

For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.

1-4

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.

On some models, the head restraints tilt forward and rearward also.

Adjust the head restraint by grasping the top of the restraint and moving it forward or rearward until it is in the desired position.

Some rear seats have adjustable head restraints. Slide an adjustable head restraint up or down 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.

On some models, the rear seat head restraints tilt forward and rearward also.

There are three different positions for the rear seat head restraints. Adjust a rear head restraint by grasping the top of the restraint and moving it forward the way you want it to go until you hear a click. It will then be locked into position until you need to move it again. Pulling it forward past the last position will allow the head restraint to return to its full rear position.

1-5

Safety Belts

Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone

This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts.

{CAUTION:

Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and you are not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be, if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts are fastened properly too.

{CAUTION:

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly.

1-6

Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. See

Safety Belt Reminder Light on page 3-36.

In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here is why: They work.

You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you do not know if it will be a bad one.

A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up, a person would not survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.

After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter...a lot!

Why Safety Belts Work

When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.

Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on wheels.

1-7

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider

1-8

does not stop.

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...

or the instrument panel...

1-9

Questions and Answers About Safety Belts

Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident

if I am wearing a safety belt?

A: You could be – whether you are wearing a safety

belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are upside down. And your chance of being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted.

Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to

wear safety belts?

or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.

You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why safety belts make such good sense.

1-10

A: Airbags are in many vehicles today and will be in

most of them in the future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety belts – not instead of them. Every airbag system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions.

Q: If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from

home, why should I wear safety belts?

A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in an

accident – even one that is not your fault – you and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver does not protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers.

Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h).

Safety belts are for everyone.

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

This part is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about

safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in your vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-27 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-29. Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.

First, you will want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has.

We will start with the driver position.

1-11

Driver Position

This part describes the driver’s restraint system.

Lap-Shoulder Belt

The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it properly.

1. Close and lock the door.

2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don’t let it get twisted.

The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly.

4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.

If the belt isn’t long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-26.

Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

1-12

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 force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.

The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or crash, or if you pull the safety belt very quickly out of the retractor.

1-13

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 increase injury. The shoulder belt should ﬁt against your body.

1-14

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, not at the pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.

1-15

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 forward, which would increase the chance of head and neck injury. Also, the belt would apply too much force to the ribs, which are not as strong as shoulder bones. You could also severely injure internal organs like your liver or spleen.

1-16

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 would not have the full width of the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your dealer to ﬁx it.

1-17

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 During Pregnancy

Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts.

A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.

1-18

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

Right Front Passenger Position

To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt properly, see Driver Position on page 1-12.

The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same way as the driver’s safety belt – except for one thing. If you ever pull the lap portion of the belt out all the way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and start again.

If your vehicle has a center passenger position, be sure to use the correct buckle when buckling your lap-shoulder belt. If you ﬁnd that the latch plate will not go fully into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle for the center passenger position.

Center Passenger Position

Lap Belt

If your vehicle has a front split seat and a rear bench seat, someone can sit in the center positions.

When you sit in the center seating position, you have a lap safety belt, which has no retractor. To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along the belt.

1-19

To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until the belt is snug.

Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap part of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt isn’t long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-26.

Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

Rear Seat Passengers

It is very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up! Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.

Rear passengers who are not safety belted can be thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.

Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions

Lap-Shoulder Belt

The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder belts. Here is how to wear one properly.

1-20

1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted.

The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly.

2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.

If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep pulling until you canbuckleit.

Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt

Extender on page 1-26. Make sure the release button on the buckle is

positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

1-21

3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.

1-22

The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.

The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or a crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should ﬁt against your body.

To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.

1-23

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 small adults. When installed on a shoulder belt, the comfort guide better positions the belt away from the neck and head.

There is one guide for each outside passenger position in the rear seat. To provide added safety belt comfort for children who have outgrown child restraints and booster seats and for smaller adults, the comfort guides may be installed on the shoulder belts. Here is how to install a comfort guide and use the safety belt:

1. Remove the guide from its storage pocket on the side of the seatback.

1-24

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