2002 CADILLAC ELDORADO instrument panel

2-16
Theft-Deterrent System
The SECURITY light is
located on the instrument
panel cluster.
If the ignition is off and either door is open, the
SECURITY light will flash, reminding you to activate
the system. The light will also flash if the battery has
been disconnected and reconnected.
To activate the theft
-deterrent system, do the following:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door using the power door lock or the
remote keyless entry transmitter. The SECURITY
light should come on and stay on.
3. Close both doors. The SECURITY light should
go off within about 30 seconds.
The horn will sound and the lamps will flash for about
30 seconds when a door or the trunk is opened without
the key or the remote keyless entry transmitter. The horn
also sounds if the locks are damaged.Remember, the theft
-deterrent system won't activate if
you lock a door with a key or use the manual door lock.
It activates only if you use a power door lock switch or
the remote keyless entry transmitter.
To avoid activating the alarm by accident,
do the following:

Always unlock a door with a key or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter. (Pressing the button with
the unlock symbol on the remote keyless entry
transmitter disables the theft
-deterrent system.)
Unlocking a door any other way will activate the
alarm. Cycling the ignition without disarming the
theft
-deterrent system will also activate the alarm.

The vehicle should be locked with the door key after
the doors are closed if you don't want to activate the
theft
-deterrent system.
If you activate the alarm by accident, unlock either
door with your key. You can also turn off the alarm
by using the unlock button of the remote keyless entry
transmitter. The alarm won't stop if you try to unlock
a door any other way.

2-28
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If the parking brake has not been fully released and
you try to drive with the parking brake on, the BRAKE
indicator light comes on and stays on. See ªBrake System
Warning Lightº in the Index for more information.
When you move out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N),
if the engine is running, the parking brake should release.
If it doesn't, you can manually release the parking brake.
CAUTION:
Always shift to PARK (P) before pulling the
manual release lever. If your hand or arm is in
the way of the pedal you could be hurt. The pedal
springs back quickly. Keep your hand and arm
away when you use the manual release lever.
Be sure to turn off the ignition and put the vehicle
in PARK (P) before manually releasing the brake.
Reach under the driver's side of the instrument panel
and pull on the manual release lever, which is located
above the parking brake pedal. If the parking brake does
not release, you should either drive to the nearest service
station or have your vehicle towed.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on a hill,
see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index. This section
shows what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.

2-34
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of your steering column
includes the following:

Turn Signal and Lane
-Change Signals

Headlamp High/Low
-Beam Changer

Flash
-to-Pass Feature

Windshield Wipers

Windshield Washer

Cruise Control
For more information on the exterior lamps,
see ªExterior Lampsº later in this section.
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
The lever returns automatically when the turn is complete.
An arrow located on the
instrument panel cluster
will flash in the direction
of the turn or lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane change
is complete. The lever returns when it's released.
If the turn signal is left on, a warning chime will
sound and the Driver Information Center (DIC) will
display TURN SIGNAL ON (after driving about
1 mile (1.6 km/h)) to remind you to turn it off.
Arrows that flash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned
-out signal bulb.
Other drivers won't see the turn signal.
Replace burned
-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. Check the fuse (see ªFuses and Circuit
Breakersº in the Index) and for burned
-out bulbs
if the arrow fails to work when signaling a turn.

2-35 Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
This light located on the
instrument panel cluster
will be on when the high
beam headlamps are in use.
Pull the turn signal lever all the way toward you and
then release it to change the headlamps from low beam
to high or from high beam to low.
Flash-To-Pass Feature
This lets you use the high-beam headlamps to
signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass.
Pull the turn signal lever toward you to use.
When you do:

If the headlamps are either off or in the Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) mode, the high
-beam
headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on as long as
you hold the lever there. Release the lever to turn
them off.

If the headlamps are on low beam, they will shift
to high beam and stay there. Pull the lever toward
you to return to low beam.

If the headlamps are on high beam, they will switch
to low beam. To return to high beam, pull the lever
toward you.

2-42
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brakes
or downshifting into FIRST (1) takes you out of cruise
control. Many drivers find this to be too much trouble
and don't use cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to end cruise control:

Step lightly on the brake pedal.

Move the CRUISE switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed memory is erased when you
turn off the cruise control or the ignition.Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamp knob is
located to the left of the
steering wheel on the
instrument panel.
Pull the knob toward you to operate the lamps.
The exterior lamp knob has three positions:
Off: Pushing the knob all the way in turns off all lamps
except the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).
Parking Lamps: Pulling the knob to the first position
turns on the parking lamps together with the following:

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

License Plate Lamps

Instrument Panel Lights

2-43
Headlamps: Pulling the knob to the second position
turns on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.
Wiper
-Activated Headlamps
This feature activates the headlamps and parking lamps
after the windshield wipers have been in use for
approximately 20 seconds.
In order to operate the wiper
-activated headlamps, the
Twilight Sentinel
must be turned on. This feature lights
the way in poor weather and it also makes your vehicle
more visible to other drivers. If the wiper
-activated
headlamps are on, and the ignition switch is turned off,
the wiper
-activated headlamps will immediately turn off.
The wiper
-activated headlamps will deactivate if you
turn off the Twilight Sentinel or if the windshield wipers
have been turned off for a period of one or two seconds.
Lamps On Reminder
If the exterior lamp knob is activated, you will hear a
warning chime if you open either door while leaving the
lamps on. An exception to this is when you're using
Twilight Sentinel.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during
the day. DRL can be helpful in many different
driving conditions, but they can be especially helpful
in the short periods after dawn and before sunset.
Fully functional daytime running lamps are required
on all vehicles first sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make the high
-beam headlamps
come on at reduced brightness when:

The ignition is on,

the exterior lamp knob is not in the
headlamp position

the transaxle is not in PARK (P).
When DRL are on, only your high
-beam headlamps
(at reduced brightness) will be on. No other exterior
lamps such as the parking lamps, taillamps, etc., will be
on when the DRL are being used. Your instrument panel
won't be lit up either.

2-44
When the Twilight Sentinel lever is on and it's dark
enough outside, the high
-beam headlamps (at reduced
intensity) will turn off and normal low
-beam headlamp
operation will occur. When the Twilight Sentinel lever is
on and it's bright enough outside, the regular lamps
will go off, and the high
-beam headlamps at reduced
brightness will take over for the DRL.
If it's dark enough outside and the Twilight Sentinel
lever is off, a HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED message
will display on the Driver Information Center (DIC).
This message informs the driver that turning on the
exterior lamps is recommended even though the DRL
are still illuminated (it's become dark enough outside
to require the headlamps and/or other exterior lamps).
Turning on the Twilight Sentinel, the exterior lamp knob
or the fog lamp button will remove the HEADLAMPS
SUGGESTED message.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, turn off the
Twilight Sentinel lever and shift the transaxle into
PARK (P). Placing your vehicle in PARK (P) disables
the DRL. The DRL will stay off until you shift out
of PARK (P).
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps
Use the fog lamps for better vision in foggy or
misty conditions.
The fog lamp button is
located to the left of the
steering wheel on the
instrument panel.
When you press the button with the fog lamp symbol,
a small indicator light will tell you that the fog lamps
and the parking lamps are in use. Press the button again
to turn them off. Your ignition must be in RUN for the
fog lamps to illuminate.
If you turn on the high
-beam headlamps, the fog lamps
will turn off. They'll turn back on again when you
switch to low
-beam headlamps.
When the Twilight Sentinel is on and the fog lamp
button is pressed, the fog lamps will remain on as well
as the headlamps and parking lamps.

2-46
Light Sensor
The light sensor for the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
and the Twilight Sentinel is located in the center of the
front defogger grille. If you cover the sensor, it will read
ªdarkº and the lamps will come on.
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver
If the parking lamps have been left on, the exterior lamps
will turn off approximately 10 minutes after the ignition
is turned to LOCK or ACCESSORY. This protects
against draining the battery in case you have accidentally
left the headlamps or parking lamps on. If you need to
purposely leave the lamps on for more than 10 minutes
with the ignition in LOCK or ACCESSORY, turn the
exterior lamps off and then back on. To delay the lamps
from turning off, see ªTwilight Sentinelº in the Index.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
This feature controls the brightness of the instrument
panel lights.
The knob for this feature is located to the left of the
steering wheel on the instrument panel. This knob is also
used to control the exterior lamps. See ªExterior Lampsº
listed previously in this section for more information.
Turn the knob clockwise to brighten the lights or
counterclockwise to dim them.
Illuminated Entry
The illuminated entry system turns on the courtesy
lamps and the backlighting to the door controls and
to the exterior lamp knob when a door is opened or if
you press a remote keyless entry transmitter button.
Since the illuminated entry system has a photocell,
this means that it must be dark outside in order for the
courtesy lamps or backlighting to turn on. The courtesy
lamps turn off approximately 20 seconds after the last
door is closed or after the ignition is turned to RUN.