2004 CADILLAC XLR Owners Manual

Driver Shift Control
The driver shift control feature gives you more manual
control over the operation of the transmission.
To use this feature, move
the shift lever from the
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(D) position to the left
and into the driver
shift control gate.
A plus symbol will also appear on the shift console
above the AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) indicator and
minus symbol will appear below the indicator.
To request an upshift, brie¯y move the shift lever up
toward the plus symbol. To request a downshift, brie¯y
move the shift lever down toward the minus symbol.
The Head-Up Display (HUD) will display the change in
gear range, though the actual upshift or downshift
may be delayed until the engine speed is correct for the
requested gear range.The currently selected gear will be remembered as the
selected gear range and will be displayed in the
HUD. SeeHead-Up Display (HUD) on page 3-27.
The gear range indicated in the HUD is only a requested
range of available gears. It does not indicate that the
vehicle will operate only in that speci®c gear. The actual
gear the vehicle will choose depends on a combination
of the driver-requested gear range, vehicle speed
and throttle position.
If you do not upshift as the engine approaches the
redline engine rpm for the selected gear range,
an engine speed limiter will prevent over-revving by
limiting the engine rpm available. No automatic upshift
will occur until you request it. Operating the engine
for extended periods of time against the speed limiter is
not recommended.
Not all manual downshift requests will be accepted by
the transmission. To prevent over-revving the engine,
each gear range has a maximum vehicle speed
associated with it. Any downshift request above this
speed will be ignored by the transmission.
2-25

Some automatic downshifts may occur to maintain
minimum engine speed. This will only occur if you leave
the vehicle in too high of a gear range for the speed
the vehicle is traveling. For example, if you have been
driving in ®fth gear range and come to a stop without
manually downshifting, ®fth gear range will continue to
display in the HUD. The transmission will automatically
downshift to second gear. As you begin to drive
and accelerate, the transmission will automatically
upshift as quickly as possible to the selected ®fth
gear range.
In higher gear ranges, an automatic downshift will occur
if you press the accelerator pedal to the ¯oor. This
feature provides you with adequate acceleration
capabilities if you forget to downshift manually.
Automatic upshifts and downshifts will not display in
the HUD.
Driver shift control is available while the cruise control is
engaged. The shift behavior of the transmission will
react differently than when cruise control is not engaged.
This is not a malfunction and is necessary to allow
proper operation of the cruise control.
To return to fully automatic operation, move the shift
lever to the right and back into the AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) position.Parking Brake
The parking brake pedal is
located to the left of the
regular brake pedal,
near the driver's door.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot and push the parking brake
pedal down with your left foot.
If the ignition is running, the parking brake indicator light
on the instrument panel cluster should come on. If it
does not, you need to have your vehicle serviced.
2-26

When you move out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and
the engine is running, the parking brake should
release. If the parking brake has not been fully released
and you try to drive off with the parking brake on, the
parking brake indicator light will come on and stay on.
If the parking brake does not fully release, you can
manually release the pedal. However, be sure to read
the following paragraphs:
{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.
Before releasing the manual parking brake, be sure to
put the vehicle in PARK (P) and turn the ignition off.Reach under the driver's side of the instrument panel
and pull down on the manual release lever, which
is located behind the parking brake pedal. Pull down on
the yellow tab as shown by the arrow in the illustration.
If the parking brake does not release, you should
have your vehicle towed to your dealer for service.
Notice:Driving with the parking brake on can
overheat the brake system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system parts. Verify that
the parking brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off before driving.
2-27

Shifting Into Park (P)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake ®rmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicle will
not move, even when you are on fairly level
ground, use the steps that follow.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.2. Move the shift lever
into PARK (P) by
pushing the lever all
the way toward
the front of the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition off.
2-28

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake ®rmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch ®re.
You or others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is ®rmly set before you leave it. After you
have moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold down
the regular brake pedal. See if you can move the
shift lever away from PARK (P) without ®rst pulling it
toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever was
not fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transmission. You may ®nd it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called ªtorque
lock.º To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave
the driver's seat. To ®nd out how, see ªShifting
Into PARK (P)º listed previously in this section.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission, so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
2-29

Shifting Out of Park (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transmission shift lock
control system. You have to fully apply your regular
brake before you can shift from PARK (P) when
the vehicle is running. See
Automatic Transmission
Operation on page 2-23.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever ± push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) and release the shift lever button as
you maintain brake application. Then press the shift
lever button and move the shift lever into the gear
you wish.If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still cannot
shift out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Press the ACCESSORY button twice to place the
ignition in accessory mode.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the engine and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Have your vehicle inspected by your dealer as soon
as possible.
2-30

Parking Over Things That Burn
{CAUTION:
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Do not
park over papers, leaves, dry grass or other
things that can burn.
Engine Exhaust
{CAUTION:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide (CO), which you can not see
or smell. It can cause unconsciousness and
death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
·Your exhaust system sounds strange or
different.
·Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
·Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
·Your vehicle was damaged when driving
over high points on the road or over road
debris.
·Repairs were not done correctly.
·Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
modi®ed improperly.
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
·Drive it only with all the windows down to
blow out any CO; and
·Have your vehicle ®xed immediately.
2-31

Running Your Engine While You
Are Parked
It is better not to park with the engine running. But if
you ever have to, here are some things to know.
{CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the climate control
system off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle. See the earlier Caution under
Engine Exhaust on page 2-31.
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even if
the climate control fan is at the highest setting.
One place this can happen is a garage.
Exhaust Ð with CO Ð can come in easily.
NEVER park in a garage with the engine
running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. See
Winter Driving on page 4-28.
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake ®rmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. Do not 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 will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground, always set your
parking brake and move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle will not
move. See
Shifting Into Park (P) on page 2-28.
2-32