2004 CADILLAC CTS brake light

Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press the minus (coast/decelerate) button until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push the
minus (coast/decelerate) button briey. Each
time you do this, the vehicle will slow down
approximately 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
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. Applying the brake or shifting into
a lower gear will take you out of cruise control. If you
need to apply the brake or shift to a lower gear due to the
grade of the downhill slope, you may not want to attempt
to use your cruise control feature.
Ending Cruise Control
To end a cruise control session, step lightly on the
brake pedal, or press the cruise control on/off button on
the steering wheel.
Stepping on the brake or clutch pedal will end the
current cruise control session only. You must press the
cruise control on/off button on the steering wheel to
turn off the system completely.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
3-20

Exterior Lamps
Headlamps
SeeTurn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-10for
more information on the headlamps.
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
rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make the turn signal lamps come
on when the following conditions are met:
It is still daylight and the ignition is in ON or START,
the exterior lamp control is in OFF or AUTO with the
headlamps off, and
an automatic transmission is not in PARK (P) or the
parking brake is not set on a manual transmission.When DRL are on, only your front turn signal lamps will
be on. No other exterior lamps will be on when the
DRL are being used. Your instrument panel won’t be lit
up either.
When the exterior lamp control is in AUTO and it’s dark
enough outside, the DRL will turn off and the low-beam
headlamps will turn on. When it’s bright enough
outside, the low-beam headlamps will go off, and the
DRL will turn back on. If you start your vehicle in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp system will come on
immediately. Once you leave the garage, it will take
about one minute for the automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL if it is light outside. During that delay,
your instrument panel cluster may not be as bright
as usual. Make sure your instrument panel brightness
lever is in the full bright position. See “Instrument Panel
Brightness” underInterior Lamps on page 3-26.
3-24

If it’s dark enough outside and the exterior lamp control
is off, a Headlamps Suggested message will appear
on the Driver’s Information Center (DIC) display.
This message informs the driver that turning on the
exterior lamps is recommended even though the DRL
are still illuminated. Turning the exterior lamp control to
AUTO or to the low-beam headlamp position will
turn off the DRL and cancel the Headlamps Suggested
message. If the parking lamps or the fog lamps were
turned on instead, the DRL will still turn off and the
Headlamps Suggested message will be displayed. You
can turn it off by pressing the OK button if you have
the Navigation audio system or the CLR button if
you have the Base audio system.
To operate your vehicle with the DRL off, turn the
exterior lamp control off. Then turn on the fog lamps
or parking lamps, and the DRL will turn off. The
Headlamps Suggested message will appear on the
DIC display. This will work regardless of gear position
and whether or not the parking brake is set.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.Light Sensor
The light sensor for the DRL and AUTO headlamp
feature is located on top of the instrument panel. If you
cover the sensor, it will read dark, and the exterior
lamps or the Headlamps Suggested message will
appear on the DIC whenever the ignition is on.
3-25

Charging System Light
When you turn the key to
ON or START, this light will
come on briey to show
that the generator and
battery charging systems
are working properly.
If this light stays on, your vehicle needs service. You
should take your vehicle to the dealer at once. To save
your battery until you get there, turn off all accessories.
For more information seeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-70.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on briey when you turn the
ignition key to ON. If it doesn’t come on then, have it
xed so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
United StatesCanada
3-43

When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-32.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you have pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light will come
on when your engine is
started and may stay on
for several seconds.
That’s normal.
If the ABS warning light comes on and stays on, there
may be a problem with the anti-lock portion of the brake
system. If the red BRAKE light is not on, you
still have brakes, but you don’t have antilock brakes.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-43.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. If the light
comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible
and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine again to
reset the system. If the light still stays on, or comes on
again while you’re driving, your vehicle needs service.
If the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you still
have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the
regular brake system warning light is also on, you don’t
have anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem with your
regular brakes. SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 3-43.
3-44

Check Brake Fluid
This symbol appears
with the Check Brake
Fluid message.
This message will display if the ignition is in ON to
inform the driver that the brake uid level is low.
Have the brake system serviced by your GM dealer as
soon as possible. SeeBrake System Warning Light
on page 3-43for more information.
Check Coolant Level
This symbol appears
with the Check Coolant
Level message.This message will appear when there is a low level of
engine coolant. Have the cooling system serviced
by your GM dealer as soon as possible. SeeEngine
Coolant on page 5-29for more information.
Check Gas Cap
This symbol appears
with the Check Gas
Cap message.
When this message appears on the display, the gas cap
has not been fully tightened. You should recheck the
gas cap to ensure that it is on and tightened properly.
See “If the Light Is On Steady” underMalfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 3-47for more information.
3-74

Entering the Personalization Menu
To enter the feature programming mode, use one of the
following procedures:
Base Audio System
1. Turn the ignition to ON, but do not start the engine.
Make sure an automatic transmission is in PARK (P)
or a manual transmission has the parking brake set.
2. If your vehicle has memory settings, press the
appropriate memory button, 1 or 2, located on
the driver’s door armrest. The DIC display will show
either Driver 1 or 2 depending on which button
was selected.
3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob once to access the main
menu of the DIC.
4. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until SETUP is
highlighted.
5. Press the TUNE/SEL knob once to access the
SETUP menu.
6. Scroll to the feature you want to change, and press
the TUNE/SEL knob to turn the feature on or off. If
the feature is turned on, a check mark will appear
next to the feature name.
If none of the personalization items are turned on,
turn on the personalization menu by pressing
the TUNE/SEL knob. The list of features will then
appear, and you can repeat Step 6.
Navigation System
1. Turn the ignition to ON without the engine running.
Make sure an automatic transmission is in PARK (P)
or a manual transmission has the parking brake set.
2. If your vehicle has memory settings, press the
appropriate memory button, 1 or 2, located on
the driver’s door armrest. The DIC display will show
either Driver 1 or 2 depending on which button
was selected.
3. Turn on the Navigation/audio system by pressing
the PWR/VOL knob located to the lower left of the
display once.
4. Access the DIC main menu by pressing the MAIN
button located to the lower left of the display.
5. Press the multifunction button next to Feat Prog to
access the Feature Programming menu.
6. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to turn on the
Personalization features. An X will appear in the
box to the left when Personalization is turned on.
3-89

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeand
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be less with one driver and as
long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age,
physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight
all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But
even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph
(100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of
distance in an emergency, so keeping enough space
between your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pacewith the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-44.
4-6