2007 CADILLAC CTS V sensor

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 an electronic
frontal sensor, 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. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of your
vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not
move or deform, the threshold level for the
reduced deployment is about 12 to 16 mph
(19 to 26 km/h), and the threshold level for a
full deployment is about 18 to 24 mph
(29 to 38.5 km/h). The threshold level can vary,
however, with specic vehicle design, so that it
can be somewhat above or below this range.
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Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible when you
turn your ignition key to ON or START. The words
ON and OFF or the symbol for on and off, will
be visible on the rearview mirror during the system
check. When the system check is complete,
either the word ON or the word OFF, or the symbol
for on or the symbol for off will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 202.The passenger sensing system will turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver’s airbags are not part of
the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the right front passenger’s
seat. The sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated occupant and
determine if the passenger’s frontal airbag should
be enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if
they are restrained in the rear rather than the front
seat. We recommend that child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, including an infant riding in
a rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat and an older child riding
in a booster seat.
United States
Canada
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Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the front
or sides of the vehicle that could keep the
airbags from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your
vehicle’s frame, bumper system, front
end or side sheet metal or height, they may
keep the airbag system from working properly.
Also, the airbag system may not work
properly if you relocate any of the airbag
sensors. If you have any questions about this,
you should contact Customer Assistance
before you modify your vehicle. The phone
numbers and addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this manual.
SeeCustomer Satisfaction Procedure on
page 482.
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, the inside rearview
mirror, steering wheel, ceiling headliner, ceiling
and pillar garnish trim, 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. SeeCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure on page 482.
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If it is dark enough outside and the exterior lamp
control is off, a Headlamps Suggested message
will appear on the Driver’s Information Center
(DIC) display. This message informs the driver that
turning on the exterior lamps is recommended
even though the DRL are still on. Turning the
exterior lamp control to AUTO or to the low-beam
headlamp position will turn off the DRL and
cancel the Headlamps Suggested message.
If the parking lamps or the fog lamps were turned
on instead, the DRL will still turn off and the
Headlamps Suggested message will be displayed.
You can turn it off by pressing the OK button if
you have the Navigation audio system or the
CLR (Clear) button if you have the base audio
system.
To drive your vehicle with the DRL off, turn the
exterior lamp control off. Then turn on the fog lamps
or parking lamps, and the DRL will turn off.
The Headlamps Suggested message will appear on
the DIC display. This will work regardless of gear
position and whether or not the parking brake is set.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the
regular headlamp system when you need it.Light Sensor
The light sensor for the DRL and AUTO headlamp
feature is located on top of the instrument panel.
If you cover the sensor, it will prevent it from
sensing light, and the exterior lamps or the
Headlamps Suggested message will appear on
the DIC whenever the ignition is on.
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Instrument Panel Brightness
The lever for this
feature is located on the
overhead console.
Slide the lever toward the symbol to brighten the
lights or away from it to dim them.
If you slide the lever all the way toward the
symbol past the resistance point, the interior lamps
will come on. To turn them off, slide the lever
back toward the minimum brightness setting.
Entry Lighting
The entry lighting system turns on the reading and
dome lamps and the backlighting to the exterior
lamp control when a door is opened or if the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter unlock
button is pressed. If activated by the (RKE),
the lighting will remain active for about 25 seconds.
The entry lighting system uses the light sensor
on the instrument panel; so it must be dark outside
in order for the lamps to turn on. The lamps turn
off about 25 seconds after the last door is
closed. They will dim to off if the ignition key is
turned to ON, or immediately turn off if the power
locks are used.
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Parade Dimming
This feature prohibits dimming of the instrument
panel displays and backlighting during daylight
hours when the key is in the ignition and the
headlamps are on. This feature operates with the
light sensor and is fully automatic. When the light
sensor reads darkness outside and the parking
lamps are active, the instrument panel displays can
be adjusted by sliding the instrument panel
brightness lever toward the symbol to brighten or
away from the symbol to dim the lighting.
Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are located on the overhead
console. These lamps come on automatically when
any door is opened.
For manual operation, press the button next to
each lamp to turn it on or off.
If the reading lamps are left on, they automatically
shut off 10 minutes after the ignition has been
turned off.
Electric Power Management
The vehicle has Electric Power Management
(EPM) that estimates the battery’s temperature and
state of charge. It then adjusts the voltage for
best performance and extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the
voltage is raised slightly to quickly put the charge
back in. When the state of charge is high, the
voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging.
If the vehicle has a voltmeter gage or voltage
display on the Driver Information Center (DIC), you
may see the voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an alert will be
displayed.
The battery can be discharged at idle if the
electrical loads are very high. This is true for all
vehicles. This is because the generator (alternator)
may not be spinning fast enough at idle to
produce all the power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
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The air-conditioning system removes moisture
from the air, so you may sometimes notice a small
amount of water dripping underneath your
vehicle while idling or after turning off the engine.
This is normal.
Do not cover the solar sensor located in the
center of the instrument panel, near the
windshield. For more information on the solar
sensor, see “Sensors” later in this section.
Manual Operation
yNz(Mode):Pressing the mode switch and
changing the mode cancels automatic operation
and places the system in manual mode. Press
AUTO to return to automatic operation.
The outboard air outlets will always receive airow
regardless of the mode selected. SeeOutlet
Adjustment on page 194to change this airow
from the outboard outlets.To change the current mode, select one of the
following:
Y(Vent):This mode directs air to the instrument
panel outlets.
\(Bi-Level):This mode directs approximately
half of the air to the instrument panel outlets,
and then directs most of the remaining air to the
oor outlets. In automatic operation, cooler air
is directed to the upper outlets and warmer air to
the oor outlets.
[(Floor):This mode directs most of the air to
the oor outlets with some air directed to the
outboard outlets (for the side windows), and a little
air directed to the windshield.
The mode switch can also be used to select the
defog mode. Information on defogging and
defrosting can be found later in this section.
yAz(Fan):Press this switch to increase or
decrease the fan speed. Pressing this switch
cancels automatic operation and places the system
in manual mode. Press AUTO to return to
automatic operation.
190

Sensors
There is a solar sensor located on the instrument
panel, near the windshield.There is also an interior
temperature sensor
located to the right of
the steering wheel
on the instrument panel.
These sensors monitor the solar radiation and the
air inside your vehicle, they use the information to
maintain the selected temperature by adjusting to
the temperature, the fan speed, and the air delivery
system. The system may also supply cooler air to
the side of the vehicle facing the sun. The
recirculation mode will also be activated, as
necessary. Do not cover the sensors or the
automatic climate control system will not work
properly.
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