2007 CADILLAC STS 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 electronic frontal
sensors, which help 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 15 mph (19 to 24 km/h), and the
threshold level for a full deployment is about
16 to 23 mph (26 to 37 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with specic vehicle design, so
that it can be somewhat above or below this range.
Frontal airbags may inate at different crash
speeds. For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits an object that
does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole),
the airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits a wide object
(like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle,
the airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle goes straight into
the object.
70

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 the
vehicle is running.
The words ON and OFF or the symbol for on and
off, will be visible in the overhead console
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. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 245.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.
Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun
visor says, “Never put a rear-facing child seat
in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
United StatesCanada
74

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, height,
front end or side sheet metal, 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 526.
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. SeeCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure on page 526.
79

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.
Your vehicle (STS-V only) is equipped with a
feature that disables the wiper system when the
hood is open and your vehicle is stopped. Opening
the hood will automatically park the wipers if
they are not parked. This prevents the wipers from
interfering with hood operation. Be sure the
hood is not opened when you require the vehicle’s
wipers out of the park position, such as when
changing the wiper blades.
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 adelay 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. 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.
190

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 215.
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 404
andRecommended Fluids and Lubricants on
page 516.
191

IntelliBeam™ Intelligent High-Beam
Headlamp Control System
If your vehicle has this feature, be sure to read
this entire section before using it.
IntelliBeam™ is an enhancement to the vehicle’s
headlamp system. Using a digital light sensor
located on the back of the rearview mirror,
this system turns the high-beam headlamps on
and off according to surrounding traffic conditions.
The IntelliBeam™ system turns the high-beam
headlamps on when it is dark enough, there is no
other traffic present, and the IntelliBeam™
system is enabled.
Turning On and Enabling IntelliBeam™
AUTO3(IntelliBeam™ On/Off):Press
and release the IntelliBeam™ button on the inside
rear view mirror. The IntelliBeam™ indicator on
the mirror turns on. Once the system has
been turned on, it remains on each time the
vehicle is started. Additionally, the IntelliBeam™
system must be enabled.
To enable the IntelliBeam™ System, turn the
exterior lamp control to AUTO, with the turn
signal/multifunction lever in its neutral position.The High-Beam On Light appears on the
instrument panel cluster when the high-beams are
on. SeeHighbeam On Light on page 257. Your
vehicle has variable intensity high-beams.
The high-beam indicator on the instrument panel
cluster comes on as soon as the high-beams
start to come on, and remains on until the
high-beams have completely turned off. All
vehicles that have IntelliBeam™, however, quickly
turn off the high-beams if the system detects
the sudden presence of vehicle lights ahead.
Driving with IntelliBeam™
IntelliBeam™ only activates the high-beams when
driving over 20 mph (32 km/h).
The high-beam headlamps remain on, under the
control of IntelliBeam™, until any of the following
situations occur:
The system detects an approaching vehicle’s
headlamps.
The system detects a preceding vehicle’s
taillamps.
The outside light is bright enough that
high-beam headlamps are not required.
213

The high-beam headlamps are manually
turned on or you use the ash-to-pass feature.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on
page 183andFlash-to-Pass on page 188.
When either of these conditions occur,
the IntelliBeam™ feature is temporarily
disabled until the high-beam stalk is returned
to the neutral position. If either of these
conditions occur and IntelliBeam™ already
has the high-beam headlamps on, the
IntelliBeam™ feature is disabled and the
IntelliBeam™ light in the mirror turns off.
The exterior lamp control is turned to any
setting except AUTO.
When this occurs, IntelliBeam™ is disabled
until the control is turned back to the
AUTO position and the AUTOMATIC LIGHTS
ON message displays on the DIC.
The IntelliBeam™ system is turned off at the
inside rearview mirror.
The vehicle’s speed drops below
15 mph (24 km/h).IntelliBeam™ may not turn off the high-beams if
the system cannot detect other vehicle’s lamps
because of any of the following:
The others vehicle’s lamp(s) are missing,
damaged, obstructed from view, or otherwise
undetected.
The other vehicle’s lamp(s) are covered with
dirt, snow and/or road spray.
The other vehicle’s lamp(s) cannot be detected
due to dense exhaust, smoke, fog, snow, road
spray, mist, or other airborne obstructions.
Your vehicle’s windshield is dirty, cracked, or
obstructed by something that blocks the view
of the IntelliBeam™ light sensor.
Your vehicle’s windshield is covered with ice,
dirt, haze, or other obstructions.
Your vehicle is loaded such that the front end
of the vehicle points upward, causing the
IntelliBeam™ sensor to aim high and
not detect headlamps and taillamps.
You are driving on winding or hilly roads.
You might need to manually disable or cancel the
high-beam headlamps by turning the low-beam
headlamps on, if any of the above conditions exist.
214

Disabling and Resetting IntelliBeam™ at
the Rearview Mirror
IntelliBeam™ can be disabled and reset to the
original factory setting by using the controls on the
inside rearview mirror.
AUTO
3(IntelliBeam™ On/Off):To disable the
system, press this button on the inside rearview
mirror. The IntelliBeam™ indicator turns off
and does not come back on until the IntelliBeam™
button is pressed again.
When IntelliBeam™ has turned on the high-beams,
pull or push the high-beam stalk. This disables
IntelliBeam™ and the IntelliBeam™ indicator
on the rearview mirror turns off. To re-enable
IntelliBeam™, press the IntelliBeam™ button on
the mirror.
A different sensitivity setting is available for dealer
diagnostics. This is done by pushing and holding
this button for 20 seconds until the light ashes
three times. If you accidentally activate this, the
vehicle’s setting automatically resets each time the
ignition is turned off and then on again; otherwise,
refer to the text above for resetting the system.
Cleaning the IntelliBeam™ Light Sensor
The light sensor is
located on the inside of
the vehicle at the back of
the rearview mirror.
Clean the light sensor window, periodically, using
glass cleaner on a soft cloth. Gently wipe the
sensor window. Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the surface of the sensor window.
Wiper Activated Headlamps
This feature activates the headlamps and parking
lamps after the windshield wipers have been in
use for about six seconds. For this feature to work,
automatic lighting must be enabled. See
Headlamps on page 211for additional information.
When the ignition is turned off, the wiper-activated
headlamps will immediately turn off. They will also
turn off if the windshield wiper control is turned off.
215