Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-4
Child Restraints
.......................................1-18
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-36
Restraint System Check
............................1-48
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-17
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-19
Mirrors
....................................................2-33
OnStar
žSystem
......................................2-35
HomeLinkžTransmitter
.............................2-37
Storage Areas
.........................................2-41
Retractable Hardtop
..................................2-44
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-53
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
......................................3-33
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-39
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-55Trip Computer
.........................................3-70
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-70
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-32
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Rear Axle
...............................................5-45
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-46
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-49
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-49
Tires
......................................................5-50
Appearance Care
.....................................5-75
Vehicle Identi®cation
.................................5-83
Electrical System
......................................5-84
Capacities and Speci®cations
.....................5-91
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index................................................................ 1
2004 Cadillac XLR Owner ManualM
Front Seats......................................................1-2
Eight-Way Power Seats...................................1-2
Power Lumbar...............................................1-3
Heated and Cooled Seats................................1-3
Safety Belts.....................................................1-4
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-4
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts........1-8
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly...................1-9
Driver Position..............................................1-10
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-16
Passenger Position.......................................1-17
Safety Belt Pretensioners...............................1-17
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-17
Child Restraints.............................................1-18
Older Children..............................................1-18
Infants and Young Children............................1-20
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-23
Top Strap....................................................1-27Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-27
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-29
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Passenger Seat Position............................1-31
Air Bag Systems............................................1-36
Where Are the Air Bags?...............................1-38
When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?....................1-41
What Makes an Air Bag In¯ate?.....................1-42
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?.....................1-42
What Will You See After an Air Bag In¯ates? . . .1-42
Air Bag Off Switch........................................1-44
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle.........1-48
Restraint System Check..................................1-48
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-48
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-49
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1
Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you're not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passenger's belt is
fastened properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-41.
In most states and all Canadian provinces, the law says
to wear safety belts. Here's why:
They work.
1-4
You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on
wheels.
1-5
or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe Ð whether you're wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you're upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident, so
you
canunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work
with
safety belts Ð not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has
air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
1-8
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 Ð even one that isn't your fault Ð you
and your passenger 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 1-18orInfants and Young Children on page 1-20. 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.
1-9
Driver Position
This part describes the driver's restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear
it properly.
1. Close the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see ªSeatsº in the Index.3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not 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.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see
Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-17.
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.
1-10
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.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 would
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 is a sudden stop or crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
1-11