2007 CADILLAC STS belt

Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
{CAUTION:
A crash can damage the restraint systems
in your vehicle. A damaged restraint
system may not properly protect the person
using it, resulting in serious injury or even
death in a crash. To help make sure your
restraint systems are working properly after
a crash, have them inspected and any
necessary replacements made as soon as
possible.
If you have had a crash, do you need new belts
or LATCH system parts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be
necessary. But if the belts were stretched, as they
would be if worn during a more severe crash,
then you need new parts.
If the LATCH system was being used during a
more severe crash, you may need new LATCH
system parts.If belts are cut or damaged, replace them.
Collision damage also may mean you will need to
have LATCH system, safety belt or seat parts
repaired or replaced. New parts and repairs may
be necessary even if the belt or LATCH system
was not being used at the time of the collision.
If an airbag inates, you will need to replace airbag
system parts. See the part on the airbag system
earlier in this section.
If the frontal airbags inate, you will also need to
replace the driver’s and right front passenger’s
safety belt buckle assembly. Be sure to do
so. Then the new buckle assembly will be there to
help protect you in a collision.
After a crash you may need to replace the driver
and front passenger’s safety belt buckle
assemblies, even if the frontal airbags have not
deployed. The driver and front passenger’s safety
belt buckle assemblies contain the safety belt
pretensioners. Have your safety belt pretensioners
checked if your vehicle has been in a collision,
or if your airbag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle or while you are driving. See
Airbag Readiness Light on page 244.
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Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers, especially children, can
easily open the doors and fall out of
a moving vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not open it.
You increase the chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash
if the doors are not locked. So, wear
safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out.
A child can be overcome by extreme
heat and can suffer permanent injuries
or even death from heat stroke.
Always lock your vehicle whenever
you leave it.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)

Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down
or stop your vehicle. Locking your
doors can help prevent this from
happening.
There are several ways to lock and unlock
your vehicle.
From the outside, press the lock or unlock button
on the keyless access transmitter. When you
have your transmitter with you, you may
also unlock and open the door by pulling the door
handle. You do not have to press the unlock
button on the transmitter. Entry occurs when the
door handle is pulled and the vehicle recognizes
your transmitter. SeeVehicle Personalization
on page 148for information on how to program
the keyless access feature.
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Instrument Panel Overview........................ 178
Hazard Warning Flashers.......................... 180
Other Warning Devices............................. 180
Horn.......................................................... 180
Power Tilt Wheel and Telescopic
Steering Column.................................... 181
Heated Steering Wheel............................. 181
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.................. 182
Turn and Lane-Change Signals................. 182
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.......... 183
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System.......... 184
Flash-to-Pass............................................ 188
Windshield Wipers..................................... 189
Rainsense™ II Wipers............................... 190
Windshield Washer.................................... 191
Headlamp Washer..................................... 192
Cruise Control........................................... 193
Adaptive Cruise Control............................. 197
Headlamps................................................ 211
Wiper Activated Headlamps....................... 215
Headlamps on Reminder........................... 216
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)................. 216
Fog Lamps................................................ 217
Twilight Sentinel
®...................................... 218
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver.................. 219Instrument Panel Brightness...................... 220
Entry Lighting............................................ 220
Parade Dimming........................................ 220
Reading Lamps......................................... 221
Battery Load Management......................... 221
Electric Power Management...................... 221
Inadvertent Power Battery Saver............... 222
Head-Up Display (HUD)............................ 223
Ultrasonic Rear Parking
Assist (URPA)........................................ 226
Accessory Power Outlet(s)........................ 228
Ashtray(s) and Cigarette Lighter................ 229
Climate Controls......................................... 230
Dual Climate Control System..................... 230
Outlet Adjustment...................................... 237
Rear Climate Control System.................... 237
Passenger Compartment Air Filter............. 239
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators..... 241
Instrument Panel Cluster........................... 242
Speedometer and Odometer...................... 243
Tachometer............................................... 243
Safety Belt Reminder Light........................ 243
Passenger Safety Belt Reminder Light....... 244
Airbag Readiness Light............................. 244
Section 3 Instrument Panel
175

Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in
both miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per
hour (km/h). See “MPH (km)” underDIC Controls
and Displays on page 258for more information.
The odometer mileage can be checked without the
vehicle running. Your vehicle’s odometer works
together with the driver information center.
You can set a Trip A and a Trip B odometer. See
“Trip Information” underDIC Controls and
Displays on page 258for more information.
If your vehicle ever needs a new odometer
installed, the new one will be set to the correct
mileage total of the old odometer.
Tachometer
This gage indicates
the engine speed
in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the ignition button is pressed to START, a
chime will be provided for several seconds to
remind people to buckle their safety belts. The
driver safety belt light will also be provided and stay
on for several seconds, then it will ash for several
more. You should buckle your seat belt.
This chime and light will
be repeated if the driver
remains unbuckled
and the vehicle
is in motion.
If the driver’s belt is buckled, neither the chime nor
the light will be provided.
243

Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
Several seconds after the ignition button is
pressed to START, a chime will sound for several
seconds to remind the front passenger to
buckle their safety belt. This would only occur if
the passenger airbag is enabled. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 74for more information.
The passenger safety belt light will also come
on and stay on for several seconds, then it
will ash for several more.
This chime and light will
be repeated if the
passenger remains
unbuckled and
the vehicle is in motion.
If the passenger’s safety belt is buckled, neither
the chime nor the light will come on.
Airbag Readiness Light
There is an airbag readiness light on the
instrument panel, which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag’s electrical
system for malfunctions. The light tells you if there
is an electrical problem. The system check
includes the airbag sensors, the airbag modules,
the wiring and the diagnostic module. For
more information on the airbag system, seeAirbag
System on page 64.
This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will ash
for a few seconds.
Then the light should go
out. This means the
system is ready.
If the airbag readiness light stays on after you
start the vehicle or comes on when you are driving,
your airbag system may not work properly.
Have your vehicle serviced right away.
244

{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light stays on after
you start your vehicle, it means the airbag
system may not be working properly. The
airbags in your vehicle may not inate in
a crash, or they could even inate without
a crash. To help avoid injury to yourself
or others, have your vehicle serviced right
away if the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle.
If there is a problem with the airbag system in
your vehicle, the SERVICE AIR BAG message will
appear on the DIC display. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 264for more information.
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
Your vehicle has the passenger sensing system.
Your overhead console has a passenger airbag
status indicator.
The indicator next to the passenger airbag status
indicator lights is the passenger safety belt
reminder light. SeePassenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light on page 244for more information
on that indicator.
When the vehicle is running, the passenger airbag
status indicator will light ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, for several seconds as a
system check. Then, after several more seconds,
the status indicator will light either ON or OFF, or
either the on or off symbol, to let you know the
status of the right front passenger’s frontal airbag.
United StatesCanada
245

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in
your vehicle: Buckle up. SeeSafety Belts: They
Are for Everyone on page 15.
{CAUTION:
Defensive driving really means “Be ready
for anything.” On city streets, rural roads,
or expressways, it means “Always expect
the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians
or other drivers are going to be careless
and make mistakes. Anticipate what they
might do and be ready. Rear-end collisions
are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow
enough following distance. Defensive
driving requires that a driver concentrate
on the driving task. Anything that distracts
from the driving task makes proper
defensive driving more difficult and can
even cause a collision, with resulting
injury. Ask a passenger to help do these
things, or pull off the road in a safe place to
do them. These simple defensive driving
techniques could save your life.
316

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more
effective than braking. For example, you come
over a hill and nd a truck stopped in your lane, or
a car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a
child darts out from between parked cars and
stops right in front of you. You can avoid these
problems by braking — if you can stop in time. But
sometimes you cannot; there is not room. That
is the time for evasive action — steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes.
SeeBraking on page 320. It is better to remove as
much speed as you can from a possible collision.
Then steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available.An emergency like this requires close attention and
a quick decision. If you are holding the steering
wheel at the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock
positions, you can turn it a full 180 degrees very
quickly without removing either hand. But you
have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly
straighten the wheel once you have avoided
the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive
driving at all times and wear safety belts properly.
329