Buick Verano 2017 Owner’s Manual

The 2017 Buick Verano is a small luxury car that is comfortable and easy to drive. The Verano stands out on the road because of how sleek and stylish it looks. Inside, there are high-quality materials and a large cabin that can easily fit up to five people. The Verano has high-tech features like an infotainment system that is easy to use and driver aid systems that can be added. Under the hood, it has a strong four-cylinder engine that gives a good mix of power and gas mileage. The Verano has a quiet and smooth ride, which makes it a great choice for daily routes or long trips. The 2017 Buick Verano stands out in the small luxury sedan market because it combines luxury, comfort, and dependability.

Passenger Sensing System

The vehicle has a passenger sensing system for the front outboard passenger position. The passenger airbag status indicator will light on the center stack when the vehicle is started.

The words ON and OFF will be visible during the system check. When the system check is complete, either the word ON or the word OFF will be visible. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator 0 106.
The passenger sensing system turns off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag under certain conditions. No other airbag is affected by the passenger sensing system.

The passenger sensing system works with sensors that are part of the front outboard passenger seat.
The sensors are designed to detect the presence of a properly seated occupant and determine if the front outboard passenger frontal airbag band knee airbag should be allowed to inflate or not.
According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly secured in a rear seat in the correct child restraint for their weight and size. Whenever possible, children age 12 and under should be secured in a rear seating position. Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front. This is because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag inflates.

Warning
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the passenger’s frontal airbag inflates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the passenger frontal airbag inflates and the passenger seat is in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has turned off the front outboard passenger airbag(s), no system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even though the airbag(s) are off.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat, even if the airbag is off. If securing a forward-facing child restraint in the front outboard passenger seat, always move the seat as far back as it will go. It is better to secure child restraints in the rear seat. Consider using another vehicle to transport the child when a rear seat is not available.

The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag if:

1.  The front outboard passenger seat is unoccupied.
2. The system determines that an infant is present in a child restraint.
3. A front outboard passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of time.
4. There is a critical problem with the airbag system or the passenger sensing system.

When the passenger sensing system has turned off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag, the off indicator will light and stay lit as a reminder that the airbags are off. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator 0 106.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn on the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag anytime the system senses that a person of adult size is sitting properly in the front outboard passenger seat. When the passenger sensing system has allowed the airbags to be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit as a reminder that the airbags are active. For some children, including children in child restraints and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system may or may not turn off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag, depending upon the person’s seating posture and body build. Everyone in the vehicle who has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that person.

Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on and stays on, it means that something may be wrong with the airbag system. To help avoid injury to yourself or others, have the vehicle serviced right away. See Airbag Readiness Light 0 106 for more information, including important safety information.

If the On Indicator Is Lit for a Child Restraint
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag if the system determines that an infant is present in a child restraint. If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator is lit:

1.  Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided by the child restraint manufacturer and refer to Securing Child Restraints (With the Safety Belt in the Rear Seat) 0 89 or Securing Child
   Restraints (With the Safety Belt in the Front Seat) 0 91.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, turn the vehicle off. Then slightly recline the vehicle seatback and adjust the seat cushion, if adjustable, to make sure that the vehicle seatback is not pushing the child restraint into the seat cushion. Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens, adjust the head restraint. See Head Restraints 0 50.
6. Restart the vehicle.

The passenger sensing system may or may not turn off the airbag(s) for a child in a child restraint depending upon the child’s size. It is better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat, even if the on indicator is not lit.

If the Off Indicator Is Lit for an Adult-Sized Occupant 
If a person of adult size is sitting in the front outboard passenger seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be because that person is not sitting properly in the seat. Use the following steps to allow the system
to detect that person and enable the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag:

1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material from the seat, such as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers. Also, remove laptops, or other electronic devices.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with legs comfortably extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for two to three minutes after the on indicator is lit.

Warning
If the front outboard passenger airbag is turned off for an adult-sized occupant, the airbag will not be able to inflate and help protect that person in a crash, resulting in an increased risk of serious injury or even death. An adult-sized occupant should not ride in the front outboard passenger seat, if the passenger airbag off indicator is lit.

Additional Factors Affecting System Operation
Safety belts help keep the passenger in position on the seat during vehicle maneuvers and braking, which helps the passenger sensing system maintain the passenger airbag status. See “Safety Belts” and “Child Restraints” in the Index for additional information about the importance of proper restraint use.

A thick layer of additional material, such as a blanket or cushion, or aftermarket equipment such as seat covers, seat heaters, and seat massagers can affect how well the passenger sensing system operates. We recommend that you not use seat covers or other aftermarket equipment except when approved by GM for your specific vehicle. See Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 0 74 for more information about modifications that can affect how the system operates. A wet seat can affect the performance of the passenger sensing system. Here is how:

• The passenger sensing system may turn off the passenger airbag(s) when liquid is soaked
  into the seat. If this happens, the off indicator will be lit, and the airbag readiness light on the instrument panel will also be lit.
• Liquid pooled on the seat that has not soaked in may make it more likely that the passenger sensing system will turn on the passenger airbag(s) while a child restraint or child occupant is on the seat. If the passenger airbag(s) are turned on, the on indicator will be lit.

If the passenger seat gets wet, dry the seat immediately. If the airbag readiness light is lit, do not install a child restraint or allow anyone to occupy the seat. See Airbag
Readiness Light 0 106 for important safety information.
The on indicator may be lit if an object, such as a briefcase, handbag, grocery bag, laptop, or other electronic device is put on an unoccupied seat. If this is not desired remove the object from the seat.

Warning
Stowing of articles under the passenger seat or between the passenger seat cushion and seatback may interfere with the proper operation of the passenger sensing system.

Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle should be serviced. There are parts of the airbag system in several places around the vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual have information about servicing the vehicle and the airbag system. To purchase a service manual, see Service Publications Ordering Information 0 328.

FAQ