2005 CADILLAC STS tow

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

Stationary or Very Slow-Moving Objects
{CAUTION:
Adaptive Cruise Control may not detect and
react to stationary or slow-moving vehicles or
other objects ahead of you. You could crash
into an object ahead of you. Do not use
Adaptive Cruise Control when approaching
stationary or slow-moving vehicles or other
objects.
{CAUTION:
Adaptive Cruise Control may not detect and
react to stationary or slow-moving vehicles or
other objects ahead of you. Your vehicle may
accelerate toward objects, such as a stopped
vehicle that suddenly appears after the lead
vehicle changes lanes. Your complete attention
is always required while driving and you
should be ready to take action and apply the
brakes.
Low-Speed Deactivation
If your speed falls below 20 mph (32 km/h) while
following a vehicle ahead, Adaptive Cruise Control will
begin to disengage. The driver alert symbol on the HUD
will ash and the warning beep will sound. The driver
must take action since Adaptive Cruise Control will
not slow the vehicle to a stop.
3-28

Other Vehicle Lane Changes
If another vehicle enters the same lane as you, Adaptive
Cruise Control will not detect the vehicle until it is
completely in the lane. Be ready to take action and apply
the brakes yourself.
Using Adaptive Cruise Controls on Hills
and When Towing a Trailer
How well Adaptive Cruise Control will work on hills and
when towing a trailer depends on your speed, vehicle
load, traffic conditions and the steepness of the hills.It may not detect a vehicle in your lane while driving on
hills. When going up steep hills, you may want to
use the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When
going downhill when towing a trailer, you may want to
brake to keep your speed down. Applying the brake
disengages the system. You may choose not to
use Adaptive Cruise Control on steep hills when towing
a trailer.
Disengaging Adaptive Cruise Control
To disengage the system, apply the brake pedal or
move the Adaptive Cruise Control switch to off. Adaptive
Cruise Control information will not appear on the HUD
when the system is not engaged.
Erasing Set Speed Memory
When you turn the Adaptive Cruise Control switch or
the ignition off, the set speed memory is erased.
Other Messages
There are three messages that may appear on the DIC.
They are SERVICE RADAR CRUISE, RADAR
CRUISE NOT READY and CLEAN RADAR. These
messages will appear to indicate a problem with
the Adaptive Cruise Control. SeeDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-78for more information.
3-32

If the battery continues to discharge, even with the
engine idling at a higher rpm setting, some electrical
loads will automatically be reduced. When this occurs,
the rear window defogger may take slightly longer
to clear the glass and the fan may cut back to a lower
speed. For more battery saving information, see “Battery
Saver Active Message” underDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-78.
Inadvertent Power Battery Saver
This feature is designed to protect your vehicle’s battery
against drainage from the interior lamps, trunk lamp,
glove box lamp, or the garage door opener. When the
ignition is turned off, the power to these features will
automatically turn off after 10 minutes (three minutes if
a new car has 15 miles (24 km) or less). Power will
be restored for an additional 10 minutes if any door is
opened, the trunk is opened or the courtesy lamp switch
is turned on.
Head-Up Display (HUD)
{CAUTION:
If the HUD image is too bright, or too high in
your eld of view, it may take you more time to
see things you need to see when it is dark
outside. Be sure to keep the HUD image dim
and placed low in your eld of view.
The Head-Up Display (HUD) allows you to see some of
the driver information that appears on your instrument
panel cluster on the windshield.
The information may be displayed in English or metric
units and appears as an image focused out toward
the front of your vehicle. To change from English
to metric units, seeDIC Controls and Displays on
page 3-74.
3-43

To access the passenger compartment air lter, do the
following:
1. Pull back the rubber hood seal from the edge of the
leaf screen vent cover.
2. Remove the three fasteners that hold the lter
access cover in place and slide the cover off.
3. To access the lter, remove the black plastic water
deector by lifting the outboard edge of the deector
to release the retention tab.
4. Lift the inboard edge of the deector to release the
retention tab.
5. Lift and slide the water deector toward the inboard
side and remove it.6. The top edge of the lter should be visible. Reach
in and lift the lter out, pulling upward and toward
the front of the vehicle.
7. Insert the new air lter by sliding it back into place.
Make sure the arrow on the lter is pointing toward
the passenger compartment.
Reverse steps 1 through 3 to reinstall the water
deector, lter cover and the hood seal.
3-59

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 4-35.
{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 is
normal.
If the ABS warning light comes on and stays on, there
may be a problem with the antilock portion of the
brake system. If the red BRAKE light is not on, you still
have brakes, but you do not have antilock brakes.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-64.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF/ACC. If the
light comes on when you are 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 are driving, your
vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light is not on, you still have brakes, but you do
not have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you do not have anti-lock brakes
and there is a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-64.
3-65

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-5
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-6
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-8
Traction Control System (TCS).........................4-8
Magnetic Ride Control.....................................4-9
Limited-Slip Rear Axle.....................................4-9
StabiliTrak
®System......................................4-10
Panic Brake Assist........................................4-10
Steering......................................................4-11
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-13
Passing.......................................................4-13
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Driving at Night............................................4-16Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-17
City Driving..................................................4-20
Freeway Driving...........................................4-21
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-22
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-23
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-23
Winter Driving..............................................4-25
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-29
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-30
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-30
Towing..........................................................4-35
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-35
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-35
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-37
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That
will clear the area around your front wheels. You should
turn your traction control system off. SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) on page 4-8. Then shift back and
forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward gear,
spinning the wheels as little as possible. Release the
accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly on the
accelerator pedal when the transmission is in gear.
By slowly spinning your wheels in the forward and
reverse directions, you will cause a rocking motion that
may free your vehicle. If that does not get you out
after a few tries, you may need to be towed out. If you
do need to be towed out, seeTowing Your Vehicle
on page 4-35.
Loading Your Vehicle
It is very important to know how much weight your
vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants,
cargo and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it may properly
carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and the
Certication label.
{CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either
the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, and it can change the way
your vehicle handles. These could cause you
to lose control and crash. Also, overloading
can shorten the life of your vehicle.
4-30