2004 CADILLAC CTS V Owners Manual

The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.The driver’s seat-mounted side impact airbag is in the
side of the driver’s seatback closest to the door.
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The right front passenger’s seat-mounted side impact
airbag is in the side of the passenger’s seatback closest
to the door.The side impact airbag for the driver and the person
seated directly behind the driver is in the ceiling above
the side windows.
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The side impact airbag for the right front passenger and
the person seated directly behind that passenger is in
the ceiling above the side windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. And, because your vehicle
has side impact airbags, never secure anything
to the roof of your vehicle by routing the rope
or tiedown through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an inating side
impact airbag will be blocked. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear.
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When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inate
only if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account
a variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash
is likely to be in time for the airbags to inate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags
will or should deploy is not based on how fast your
vehicle is traveling. It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact and how quickly your
vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal airbags,
which adjust the restraint according to crash severity.
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronic frontal
sensor, which helps the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, these
airbags inate 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 does not move or deform, the threshold level for
the reduced deployment is about 12 to 16 mph (19 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 specic vehicle design, so
that it can be somewhat above or below this range.)Airbags may inate at different crash speeds.
For example:If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbag
could inate at a different crash speed than if
the object were moving.
If the object deforms, the airbag could inate
at a different crash speed than if the object
does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbag could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle the
airbag could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)
are not intended to inate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because ination
would not likely help the occupants.
The side impact airbags are designed to inate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact airbag
will inate if the crash severity is above the system’s
designed “threshold level.” The threshold level can vary
with specic vehicle design. Side impact airbags are
not designed to inate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because ination would not
likely help the occupant. A side impact airbag will
only deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
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In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, ination is determined by
the angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle
slows down in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side
impact airbags, ination is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact airbags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inator, which inates
the airbag. The inator, airbag and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules inside the steering
wheel, instrument panel, the side of the front seatbacks
closest to the door and the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s
upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But the frontal airbags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and
many side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s
motion is not toward the airbag. Side impact airbags
would not help you in many types of collisions, including
frontal or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear
impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not
toward those airbags. Airbags 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 for the driver’s and right front
passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in moderate to
severe side collisions for the side impact airbags.
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What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?
After the airbag inates, it quickly deates,
so quickly that some people may not even realize
the airbag inated. Some components of the airbag
module — the steering wheel hub for the driver’s airbag,
the instrument panel for the right front passenger’s
bag, the side of the seatback closest to the door for the
seat-mounted side impact airbags and the area along
the ceiling of your vehicle near the side windows — 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 the vents in the deated airbags. Airbag ination
does not prevent the driver from seeing or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving
the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, 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 not get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the
airbags inate (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.
The hazard warning ashers will also come on when the
airbags deploy. If you want to turn them off, press the
hazard warning asher button twice.
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In many crashes severe enough to inate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, you will need some new parts for
your airbag system. If you do not get them,
the airbag system will not be there to help protect
you in another crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts. The
service manual for your vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information after
a crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event
Data Recorders on page 7-9.
Let only qualied technicians work on your airbag
system. Improper service can mean that an
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer for service.Notice:If you damage the covering for the driver’s
or the right front passenger’s airbag, or the airbag
covering on the driver’s and right front passenger’s
seatback, or the side impact airbag covering on
the ceiling near the side windows, the bag may not
work properly. You may have to replace the
airbag module in the steering wheel, both the airbag
module and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger’s airbag, the airbag module and
seatback for the driver’s and right front passenger’s
seat-mounted side impact airbags, or side impact
airbag module and ceiling covering for the
roof-mounted side impact airbag. Do not open or
break the airbag coverings.
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Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the airbag system in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
airbag system. To purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering Information on page 7-11.
{CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
airbag can still inate during improper service.
You can be injured if you are to close to an
airbag when it inates. Avoid wires wrapped
with yellow tape, yellow coverings or yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the
airbag systems. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualied to do so.
The airbag system does not need regular maintenance.
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:If I add a luggage carrier or sunroof to the roof
of my vehicle, will it keep the roof-mounted side
impact airbags from working properly?
A:As long as the luggage carrier or sunroof is
properly installed so that the vehicle’s basic
structure is not changed, it is not likely to keep the
roof-mounted side impact airbags from working
properly in a crash.
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