2006 CADILLAC STS window

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-8
Child Restraints
.......................................1-26
Airbag System
.........................................1-49
Restraint System Check
............................1-64
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-12
Windows
.................................................2-17
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-20
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-24
Mirrors
....................................................2-41
OnStar
®System
......................................2-45
Universal Home Remote System
................2-47
Storage Areas
.........................................2-51
Sunroof
..................................................2-52
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-53
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-48
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-57
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-73
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-94Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-37
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-50
Rear Axle
...............................................5-51
Front Axle
...............................................5-52
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-53
Windshield Replacement
...........................5-55
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-55
Tires
......................................................5-56
Appearance Care
.....................................5-94
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-103
Electrical System
....................................5-104
Capacities and Specications
...................5-116
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-13
Index.............................................................. 71
2006 Cadillac STS/STS-V Owner ManualM

Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child’s face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
Also seeRear Safety Belt Comfort Guides on
page 1-23. If the child is sitting in the center rear
seat passenger position, move the child toward
the safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure that
the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body would
have the restraint the belts provide.
{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt in
this way, in a crash the child might slide under
the belt. The belt’s force would then be applied
right on the child’s abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic bones in a crash.
1-28

A forward-facing child seat (C-E) provides restraint for
the child’s body with the harness and also sometimes
with surfaces such as T-shaped or shelf-like shields.A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system.
Some booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner,
and some high-back booster seats have a ve-point
harness. A booster seat can also help a child to see
out the window.
1-33

The roof-mounted side impact airbag for the driver and
the person seated directly behind the driver is in the
ceiling above the side windows.The roof-mounted side impact airbag for the right front
passenger and the person seated directly behind
that passenger is in the ceiling above the side windows.
1-54

{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag 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. Never secure anything to the
roof of your vehicle by routing the rope or
tie-down through any door or window opening.
If you do, the path of an inating airbag will
be blocked. Do not let seat covers block the
ination path of a side impact airbag. The path
of an inating airbag must be kept clear.
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 has electronic frontal sensors, 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.
1-55

What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. 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 many
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 side impact
airbags.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After the frontal and seat-mounted side impact airbags
inate, they quickly deate, so quickly that some people
may not even realize the airbags inated. Roof-mounted
side impact airbags are designed to deate more slowly
and may still be at least partially inated minutes after
the vehicle comes to rest. 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 — may be hot for a short time. The parts of
the airbag that come into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch.
1-57

There will be some smoke and dust coming from the
vents in the deated airbags. Airbag ination does
not prevent the driver from seeing out of the windshield
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 cannot
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 may automatically unlock
the doors, turn the interior lamps on, turn the hazard
warning ashers on, and turn off the climate control
system when the airbags inate.You can lock the doors, turn the interior lamps off, turn
the hazard warning ashers off, and turn the climate
control system on by using the controls for those
features.
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 has a crash sensing and diagnostic
module which records information after a crash.
SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Recorders on page 7-8.
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.
1-58

Q:Because I have a disability, I have to get my
vehicle modied. How can I nd out whether
this will affect my airbag system?
A:Changing or moving any parts of the front seats,
safety belts, the airbag sensing and diagnostic
module, steering wheel, instrument panel, overhead
console, ceiling headliner, ceiling and pillar garnish
trim, roof-mounted airbag modules, or airbag wiring
can affect the operation of the airbag system. If you
have questions, call Customer Assistance. The
phone numbers and addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this manual. See
Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 7-2.
Restraint System Check
Checking the Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job, have it repaired. Keep safety belts clean and dry.
SeeCare of Safety Belts on page 5-97for more
information.Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken airbag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The airbag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
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.
1-64