2005 CADILLAC STS Owners Manual

{CAUTION:
On winding roads, FCA may not detect a
vehicle ahead. You could crash into a
vehicle ahead of you. Do not rely on FCA
on winding roads.
When visibility is low, such as in fog, rain,
or snow, FCA performance is limited.
There may not be enough warning
distance to the vehicle in front of you. Do
not rely on FCA in low visibility conditions.
{CAUTION:
When FCA is enabled, the Adaptive Cruise
Control switch is on. If you press the Adaptive
Cruise Control button, you might go into
cruise when you do not want to. You could be
startled and even lose control. Be careful not
to press adaptive cruise buttons unless you
want to use cruise control.
Warning the Driver
The alert symbol will ash
on the HUD and a warning
beep will sound when
driver action may be
required.
The driver warning is active when:
You are approaching a vehicle too quickly.
You are following a vehicle ahead much too closely.
SeeDefensive Driving on page 4-2for more
information.
3-11

Detecting the Vehicle Ahead
The vehicle ahead symbol will only appear on the
HUD when a vehicle ahead of you is detected in your
path. If this symbol does not appear, or disappears
briey, FCA will not respond to vehicles you may see
ahead. The symbol may disappear on curves, highway
exit ramps, or hills. Also, when another vehicle enters
the same lane as you, the FCA system will not
detect the vehicle until it is completely in your
driving lane.
{CAUTION:
When the Adaptive Cruise Control radar is
blocked by snow, ice, or dirt, it may not detect
a vehicle ahead. FCA may not help you avoid a
collision under these conditions. Do not use
FCA when the radar is blocked by snow, ice,
or dirt. Keep your radar clean. See “Cleaning
the System” underAdaptive Cruise Control on
page 3-20.
{CAUTION:
FCA may not detect and warn soon enough to
stationary or slow-moving vehicles or other
objects ahead of you. You could crash into an
object ahead of you. Do not rely on FCA when
approaching stationary or slow-moving
vehicles or other objects.
Unnecessary Warnings
FCA may occasionally provide an unnecessary warning
to guard rails, signs, and other stationary objects.
This is normal operation, your vehicle does not need
service.
Other Messages
There are three messages that may appear on the
Driver Information Center (DIC). They are CLEAN
RADAR, RADAR CRUISE NOT READY and SERVICE
RADAR CRUISE. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-78.
3-12

Cleaning the System
The radar can become blocked by snow, ice, or dirt.
If so, you may need to turn off the engine and clean the
lens. See “Cleaning the System” underAdaptive
Cruise Control on page 3-20.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature allows you to use the high-beam
headlamps to signal the driver in front of you that
you want to pass.
Pull and hold the turn signal/multifunction lever toward
you to use this feature. When you do, the following
will occur:
If the headlamps are off, in low-beam or in Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) mode, the high-beam
headlamps will turn on. They’ll stay on as long as
you hold the lever there. Release the lever to
turn them off.
If the headlamps are in high-beam mode, they will
switch to low beam. To return to high-beam, push
the lever away from you.
Windshield Wipers
The lever on the right side of the steering column
operates the windshield wipers.
7(Mist):Pull the lever down and release it for a
single wiping cycle. The lever will return to its original
position. For more cycles, hold the lever down before
releasing it.
9(Off):Put the lever in this position to turn off the
wipers.
&(Delay):Put the lever in this position to set a delay
between wipes. Turn the delay adjustment band to
set the length of the delay.
3-13

x(Delay Adjustment):Use this band to set the
length of the delay between wipes when using the delay
feature. The closer you move the band toward mist,
the longer the delay. The windshield wiper lever must be
in delay for this feature to work.
6(Low Speed):Put the lever in this position for
slow, steady wiping cycles.
1(High Speed):Put the lever in this position for
rapid wiping cycles.
If the windshield wipers are in use for about six seconds
while you are driving, the exterior lamps will come on
automatically if the exterior lamp control is in AUTO.
SeeWiper Activated Headlamps on page 3-37for more
information.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they’re frozen to the windshield,
gently loosen or thaw them. If the blades do become
damaged, install new blades. For more information, see
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement on page 5-51.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools down.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Rainsense™ II Wipers
If your vehicle has this feature, the moisture sensor is
mounted on the interior side of the windshield behind the
rearview mirror. It is used to automatically operate the
wipers by monitoring the amount of moisture build-up on
the windshield. Wipes occur as needed to clear the
windshield depending on driving conditions and
the sensitivity setting. In light rain or snow, fewer wipes
will occur. In heavy rain or snow, wipes will occur
more frequently. The Rainsense™ wipers operate in a
delay mode as well as a continuous low or high
speed as needed. If the system is left on for long periods
of time, occasional wipes may occur without any
moisture on the windshield. This is normal and indicates
that the Rainsense™ system is activated.
To activate the Rainsense™ system, turn the wiper
band to delay mode and select one of the four sensitivity
levels indicated on the wiper stalk. The position
closest to off is the lowest sensitivity setting, level one.
This allows more rain or snow to collect on the
windshield between wipes. Turning the wiper band away
from you to higher sensitivity levels increases the
sensitivity of the system and frequency of wipes. The
highest sensitivity setting, level four is closest to low.
3-14

A single wipe will occur each time you turn the wiper
stalk to a higher sensitivity level to indicate that the
sensitivity level has been increased.
Notice:Going through an automatic car wash with
the wipers on can damage them. Turn the wipers
off when going through an automatic car wash.
The mist and wash cycles operate as normal and are
not affected by the Rainsense™ function. The
Rainsense™ system can be overridden at any time by
manually turning the wiper band to low or high speed.
When Rainsense™ is active, the headlamps will turn on
automatically. The headlamps will turn off again once
the wipers turn off if it is light enough outside. If it
is dark, they will remain on. SeeWiper Activated
Headlamps on page 3-37.
Notice:Do not place stickers or other items on
the exterior glass surface directly in front of
the moisture sensor. Doing this could cause the
moisture sensor to malfunction.Windshield Washer
K(Washer Fluid):The lever on the right side of the
steering column also controls the windshield washer.
There is a button at the end of the lever. To spray
washer uid on the windshield, press the button and
hold it. The washer will spray until you release the
button. The wipers will continue to clear the window for
about six seconds after the button is released and
then stop or return to your preset speed.
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, do not use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer uid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
If the uid in the windshield washer uid reservoir is
low, the message CHECK WASHER FLUID will appear
on the Driver Information Center (DIC) display. It will
take 60 seconds after the bottle is relled for this
message to turn off. For information on the correct
washer uid mixture to use, seeWindshield Washer
Fluid on page 5-32andRecommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 6-12.
3-15

Headlamp Washer
Your vehicle may have headlamp washers. The
headlamp washers clear debris from the headlamp
lenses.
The headlamp washers are located to the inside of the
headlamps.
To wash the headlamps, press the washer button
located at the end of the windshield wiper lever. Both
the headlamps and the windshield will be washed.The headlamps must be on to be washed. If the
headlamps are off, only the windshield will be washed
when the washer button is pressed. If the washer uid is
low, the headlamp washers will not work.
SeeWindshield Washer on page 3-15for additional
information.
Cruise Control
These controls are located
on the end of the
multifunction lever.
9(Off):This position turns the system off.
R(On):This position activates the system.
3-16

+ (Resume/Accelerate):Push the lever to this symbol
to make the vehicle resume to a previously set speed
or to accelerate when cruise is already active.
T(Set/Decrease):Press this button to set the speed
or to decrease the speed when cruise is already
active.
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
about 25 mph (40 km/h).
If you apply your brakes, the cruise control will shut off.
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
cannot drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not use your cruise control on winding roads
or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on slippery
roads. On such roads, fast changes in tire
traction can cause needless wheel spinning,
and you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) on page 4-8andStabiliTrak
®
System on page 4-10. When road conditions allow you
to safely use it again, you may turn the cruise control
back on.
3-17

Setting Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control on when you
are not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you do not want to.
You could be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch off until you
want to use cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to on.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press in the set button at the end of the lever
and release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.This light on the
instrument panel cluster
will come on while
cruise control is on.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This, of course,
disengages the cruise control. But you don’t need to
reset it.
Once you’re going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more, you
can move the cruise control switch briey from on to
resume/accelerate.
You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and stay
there.
If you hold the switch at resume/accelerate the vehicle
will keep going faster until you release the switch or
apply the brake. So unless you want to go faster, don’t
hold the switch at resume/accelerate.
3-18