2008 CADILLAC DTS Owners Manual

Power Tilt Wheel and Telescopic
Steering Column
If your vehicle has this
feature, the power tilt and
telescope wheel control
is located on the outboard
side of the steering
column.
To operate the power tilt feature, push the control up
and the steering wheel tilts up. Push the control
down and the steering wheel goes down.
Push the control forward and the steering wheel moves
toward the front of the vehicle. Push the control
rearward and the steering wheel moves toward the rear
of the vehicle. To set the memory position, seeDIC
Vehicle Customization on page 3-87andMemory Seat,
Mirrors and Steering Wheel on page 1-4.
Heated Steering Wheel
Your vehicle may have a heated steering wheel.
The button for this feature
is located on the steering
wheel.
Press the button to turn the heated steering wheel on or
off. A light on the button will display while the feature
is turned on.
The steering wheel will take about three minutes to start
heating.
3-7

Turn Signal/Multifunction LeverThe lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
GTurn and Lane-Change Signals. SeeTurn and
Lane-Change Signals on page 3-9.
23Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer. See
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-9.
Flash-To-Pass Feature. SeeFlash-to-Pass
on page 3-13.
NWindshield Wipers. SeeWindshield Wipers on
page 3-13.
LWindshield Washer. SeeWindshield Washer on
page 3-15.
_Heated Washer Fluid. SeeWindshield Washer
on page 3-15.
3-8

Turn and Lane-Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
The lever returns automatically when the turn is
complete. If you momentarily press and release the
lever, the turn signal will ash 3 times.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster and in the
outside rearview mirror will
ash in the direction of
the turn or lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to ash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane
change is complete. The lever returns when it is
released.
If the turn signal is left on, a warning chime will sound
and the Driver Information Center (DIC) will display
TURN SIGNAL ON after driving about a mile to remind
you to turn it off. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-75.Arrows that ash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned out signal bulb.
Other drivers will not see the turn signal.
Replace burned-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. Check the fuse and for burned-out bulbs if
the arrow fails to work when signaling a turn. SeeRear
Underseat Fuse Block on page 5-104.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
Push forward to change the headlamps from low
beam to high. Pull the lever back and then release
it to change from high beam to low.
This light on the instrument
panel cluster will be on,
indicating high-beam
usage.
3-9

Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System
If your vehicle has this feature, be sure to read this
entire section before using it.
The system operates on a radio frequency subject to
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rules and
with Industry Canada.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry Canada.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Changes or modications to this system by other than
an authorized service facility could void authorization to
use this equipment.The Forward Collision Alert (FCA) system provides an
audible and visual alert if you approach a vehicle
too quickly that is directly ahead. FCA also provides a
visual alert with no audible alert if you are following
another vehicle much too closely. The FCA alert symbol
is located on top of the instrument panel to the right
of the driver. FCA uses the Adaptive Cruise Control
radar to detect a vehicle directly ahead, in your path,
within a distance of 328 ft (100 m) and operates at
speeds above 20 mph (32 km/h).
{CAUTION:
FCA is only a warning system and does not
apply the brakes. When you are approaching a
vehicle or object too rapidly or when you are
following a vehicle too closely that is ahead of
you, FCA may not provide you with enough
time to avoid a collision. FCA is not designed
to warn the driver of pedestrians or animals.
Your complete attention is always required
while driving and you should be ready to take
action and apply the brakes. For more
information, seeDefensive Driving on page 4-2.
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The FCA control is located
on the steering wheel.
To enable or disable FCA, press the Adaptive Cruise
Control button. SeeAdaptive Cruise Control on
page 3-19.
FCA is enabled when the green light on the button is lit.
FCA is disabled when the indicator light is amber.
{CAUTION:
On winding roads, FCA may not detect a
vehicle ahead. You could crash into a
vehicle ahead of you. Do not rely on FCA
on winding roads.
When weather limits visibility, such as in
fog, rain, or snow, FCA performance is
limited. There may not be enough warning
distance to the vehicle in front of you. Do
not rely on FCA in low visibility conditions.
{CAUTION:
When FCA is enabled, the Adaptive Cruise
Control switch is on. If you press another
Adaptive Cruise Control button, you might go
into cruise when you do not want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Be
careful not to press adaptive cruise buttons
unless you want to use cruise control.
3-11

Alerting the Driver
The FCA alert symbol will
ash and a warning beep
will sound when driver
action may be required.
The alert symbol will ash when:
Your vehicle is approaching another vehicle too
quickly.
Your vehicle is following a vehicle ahead of you
much too closely.
SeeDefensive Driving on page 4-2for more information.
Detecting the Vehicle Ahead
The vehicle ahead symbol, located next to the FCA
symbol, will only appear when a vehicle ahead of you is
detected in your path. If this symbol does not appear,
or disappears briey, FCA will not respond to vehicles
you may see ahead. The symbol may disappear on
curves, highway exit ramps, or hills. Also, when another
vehicle enters the same lane as you, the FCA system
will not detect the vehicle until it is completely in
your driving lane.
{CAUTION:
When the Adaptive Cruise Control radar is
blocked by snow, ice, or dirt, it may not detect
a vehicle ahead. FCA may not help you avoid a
collision under these conditions. Do not use
FCA when the radar is blocked by snow, ice,
or dirt. Keep your radar clean. See “Cleaning
the System” underAdaptive Cruise Control on
page 3-19.
{CAUTION:
FCA may not detect and warn soon enough to
stationary or slow-moving vehicles or other
objects ahead of you. You could crash into an
object ahead of you. Do not rely on FCA when
approaching stationary or slow-moving
vehicles or other objects.
3-12

Unnecessary Alerts
FCA may occasionally provide alerts that you consider
unnecessary. It could respond to a turning vehicle
ahead of you, guard rails, signs, and other stationary
objects. This is normal operation, your vehicle does not
need service.
Other Messages
There are three messages that may appear on the
Driver Information Center (DIC). They are CLEAN
RADAR, RADAR CRUISE NOT READY and SERVICE
RADAR CRUISE. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-75.
Cleaning the System
The radar can become blocked by snow, ice, or dirt.
If so, you may need to turn off the engine and clean
the lens. See “Cleaning the System” underAdaptive
Cruise Control on page 3-19.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use the high-beam headlamps to
signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass.
The ash-to-pass feature will only work with the
headlamps on. It does not work with Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL).Pull and hold the turn signal lever toward you to use.
If the headlamps are on low beam, pulling the turn signal
towards you will ash the high beams.
Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
with the wiper symbol on it.
8(Mist):Turn the band to mist for a single wiping
cycle. Hold it there until the wipers start. Then let
go. The wipers stop after one wipe. For more wipe
cycles, hold the band longer on mist.
6(Delay):Turn the band to choose the delay time
between wipe cycles. The wiper speed can be set for
a long or short delay between wipes. The closer
the band is set to the top of the lever, the shorter the
delay.
6(Low Speed):Turn the band away from you to
the rst solid band past the delay settings for steady
wiping at low speed.
1(High Speed):For high-speed wiping, turn the
band further, to the second solid band past the
delay settings.
3-13

9(Off):To stop the wipers, move the band to off.
Clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before using
them. If they are frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them. If the blades become worn
or damaged, replace with new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Your vehicle has wiper-activated headlamps. After the
windshield wipers have completed eight wipe cycles
within four minutes, the headlamps automatically
turn on. SeeWiper Activated Headlamps on page 3-35
for more information.
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 II 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 II system is activated.The Rainsense II system can be activated by turning the
wiper band to one of the ve 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 ve 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.
The mist and wash cycles operate as normal and are
not affected by the Rainsense II function. The
Rainsense II system can be overridden at any time by
manually turning the wiper band to low or high speed.
When Rainsense II 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 3-35for more information.
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.
3-14