Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-9
Child Restraints
.......................................1-29
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-49
Restraint System Check
............................1-60
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-19
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-23
Mirrors
....................................................2-40
OnStar
žSystem
......................................2-45
HomeLinkžTransmitter
.............................2-47
Storage Areas
.........................................2-51
Sunroof
..................................................2-54
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-55
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-29
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-40
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-57
Trip Computer
.........................................3-79Audio System(s)
.......................................3-80
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-31
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under
the Hood
.............................................5-10
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-49
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-53
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-59
Tires
......................................................5-60
Appearance Care
.....................................5-84
Vehicle Identi®cation
.................................5-92
Electrical System
......................................5-93
Capacities and Speci®cations
...................5-101
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
....5-103
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index................................................................ 1
2003 Cadillac DeVille Owner ManualM
Q:If I'm 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're in an
accident ± even one that isn't your fault ± you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn't 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 1-29orInfants and Young Children on page 1-32. Follow
those rules for everyone's protection.
First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We'll start with the driver position.
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 ªSeatsº in the Index.
1-14
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.
Be sure to use the correct buckle when buckling
your lap-shoulder belt. If you ®nd that the latch plate
will not go fully into the buckle, see if you are
using the buckle for the center passenger position.
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 1-28.
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.
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.
1-15
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 properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger's safety
belt properly, seeDriver Position on page 1-14.
The right front passenger's safety belt works the same
way as the driver's safety belt Ð 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.
Center Front Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone can sit
in the center position.
When you sit in the center front 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.
1-21
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't 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.
The latch plates for the safety belts in each rear
seating position vary in size. If the center rear or the
left rear latch plate is inserted into the incorrect
buckle, the plate will not latch properly. Be sure you
are using the correct buckle and that the latch
plate clicks when inserted into the buckle.
1-23
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 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 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 ®t against your body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
1-25
5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, feed the lap belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the child restraint.
You may ®nd it helpful to use your knee to push
down on the child restraint as you tighten the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
1-48
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not in¯ate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
in¯ating air bag must be kept clear. Don't put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don't attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering. Don't let seat covers block the
in¯ation path of a side impact air bag.
When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are designed to in¯ate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to in¯ate only
if the impact speed is above the system's designed
ªthreshold level.º
In addition, your vehicle has ªdual stageº frontal air bags,
which adjust the amount of restraint according to crash
severity. For moderate frontal impacts, these air bags
in¯ate at a level less than full deployment. For more
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that
doesn't move or deform, the threshold level for the
reduced deployment is about 10 to 16 mph (18 to
26 km/h), and the threshold level for a full deployment is
about 18 to 24 mph (29 to 38.5 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with speci®c vehicle design, so that it
can be somewhat above or below this range.
If your vehicle strikes something that will move or deform,
such as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher.
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are not designed to in¯ate in rollovers, rear impacts, or in
many side impacts because in¯ation would not help the
occupant.
The side impact air bags are designed to in¯ate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact air bag
will in¯ate if the crash severity is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º The threshold level can vary
with speci®c vehicle design. Side impact air bags are not
designed to in¯ate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because in¯ation would not help
the occupant. A side impact air bag will only deploy on
the side of the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have in¯ated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. For
frontal air bags, in¯ation is determined by the angle of the
impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal
and near-frontal impacts. For side impact air bags,
in¯ation is determined by the location and severity of the
impact.
1-55