2001 CADILLAC ELDORADO tow

Section
3
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
Section
4
Your Driving and the Road
Section
5
Table of Contents (cont'd)
Defensive Driving
Drunken Driving
Control of a Vehicle
BrakingSteering
Driving Tips for Various Road Conditions
Loading Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer Heating and Air Conditioning
Setting the Radio Clock
Radio/Cassette Player/CD Player (If Equipped)Radio Theft-Deterrent Feature
Steering Wheel Controls
Hazard Warning Flashers
Jump Starting
Towing Your VehicleEngine Overheating
Changing a Flat Tire
If You're Stuck
Problems on the Road
iii

1-7
The seatback may not fold without some help from you
if your vehicle is parked going down a fairly steep hill.
In this case, push the seatback toward the rear as you lift
the latch. Then the seatback will fold forward. The latch
must be down for the seat to work properly.
Safety Belts: They're 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.
And it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR), or air bag system.
CAUTION:
Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you're 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.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. See ªSafety
Belt Reminder Lightº in
the Index.

1-24
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near
-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. Air bags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But air bags would
not help you in many types of collisions, including
rollovers, rear impacts and side impacts, primarily because
an occupant's motion is not toward those air bags.
Air bags should never be regarded as anything more than
a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate
to severe frontal or near
-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an 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
-- the
steering wheel hub for the driver's air bag, or the
instrument panel for the right front passenger's
bag
-- will be hot for a short time. The parts of the bag
that come into contact with you may be warm, but not
too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag
inflation doesn't prevent the driver from seeing or from
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
CAUTION:
When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe to do so.
If you have breathing problems but can't get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the air
bags inflate (if battery power is available). You can lock
the doors again and turn the interior lamps off by using
the door lock and interior lamp controls.
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.

1-34
Restraint Systems for Children
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 center
of the vehicle.
A rear-facing infant seat (B) provides restraint with the
seating surface against the back of the infant. The
harness system holds the infant in place and, in a crash,
acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.

1-47
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:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child's face or neck?
A:Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the child's
shoulder, so that in a crash the child's upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide. If the
child is so small that the shoulder belt is still very
close to the child's face or neck, you might want to
place the child in the center seat position, the one
that has only a lap belt.

2-18
If the engine does not start and the STARTING
DISABLED REMOVE KEY message is displayed in
the Driver Information Center, your key should be
checked for damage. Starting may be attempted with
an undamaged key immediately. See your dealer or a
locksmith for key service.
If the STARTING DISABLE REMOVE KEY and
WAIT 3 MINUTES messages are displayed, the key
should be cleaned. After three minutes, try again.
A START CAR message will appear at this time. If the
engine still does not start, wait three minutes and try a
duplicate key. At this time, fuses should be checked
(see ªFuses and Circuit Breakersº in the Index). If the
engine does not start with the duplicate key, your vehicle
needs service. See your dealer for service.
If the THEFT SYSTEM PROBLEM, CAR MAY NOT
START message is displayed during vehicle operation,
a fault has been detected in the system. This means the
PASS
-Key II system is disabled and is not protecting
the vehicle. The vehicle usually restarts. See your dealer
for service.
If an ignition key is lost or damaged, see your dealer or
a locksmith to have a new key made.
New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
NOTICE:
Your vehicle doesn't need an elaborate ªbreak-in.º
But it will perform better in the long run if you
follow these guidelines:

Don't drive at any one speed -- fast or
slow
-- for the first 500 miles (805 km).
Don't make full
-throttle starts.

Avoid making hard stops for the first
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
your new brake linings aren't yet broken
in. Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking
-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.

Don't tow a trailer during break
-in.
See ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index for
more information.

2-19
Ignition Positions
With the ignition key in the ignition, you can turn the
switch to five different positions.
ACCESSORY (A): This position lets you use things
like the radio, windshield wipers, power windows and
sunroof (option) when the engine is off. To get into
ACCESSORY, push in the key and turn it toward you.
The steering wheel will remain locked, just as it was
before you inserted the key. Once you turn the key to
ACCESSORY, be sure to then turn it to LOCK. If you
leave your key in ACCESSORY when the engine is
turned off, your battery will discharge prematurely.LOCK (B): Before you put the key in, the ignition
will be in LOCK. This is the only position from which
you can insert or remove the key. This position locks
the ignition, steering wheel and transaxle. It's a
theft
-deterrent feature.
NOTICE:
If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you can't
turn it, be sure you are using the correct key;
if so, is it all the way in? If it is, then turn the
steering wheel left and right while you turn the
key hard. But turn the key only with your hand.
Using a tool to force it could break the key or the
ignition switch. If none of this works, then your
vehicle needs service.
OFF (C): This position lets you turn off the engine but
still turn the steering wheel. It doesn't lock the steering
wheel like LOCK does. Use OFF if you must have your
vehicle in motion while the engine is off (for example,
if your vehicle is being pushed).
RUN (D): This is the position for driving.
START (E): This position starts the engine.

2-23
Automatic Transaxle Operation
There are several different
positions for the shift lever.
PARK (P): This position locks the front wheels. It's the
best position to use when you start the engine because
your vehicle can't move easily.CAUTION:
It is 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.
Don't leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won't move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK (P).
See ªShifting Into PARK (P)º in the Index. If
you're pulling a trailer, see ªTowing a Trailerº in
the Index.