2008 CADILLAC STS brakes

Approaching and Following a Vehicle
The vehicle ahead
symbol only appears
on the HUD when a
vehicle ahead is
detected in your path.
If this symbol does not appear, or disappears briey,
Adaptive Cruise Control will not respond to vehicles
you may see ahead.{CAUTION:
When the Adaptive Cruise Control radar is
blocked by snow, ice, or dirt, it may not detect
a vehicle ahead. Adaptive Cruise Control may
not have time to slow your vehicle enough
to avoid a collision. Do not use Adaptive
Cruise Control when the radar is blocked by
snow, ice, or dirt. Keep your radar clean.
See “Cleaning the System” later in this section.
Adaptive Cruise Control automatically slows your
vehicle down when approaching a slower moving
vehicle. It then adjusts your speed to follow the
vehicle in front at the selected following distance.
Your speed increases or decreases to follow the
vehicle in front of you but will not exceed the set
speed. It may apply limited braking, if necessary.
When braking is active, your brake lights come on.
It may feel or sound different than if you were
applying the brakes yourself. This is normal.
3-27

Stationary or Very Slow-Moving Objects
{CAUTION:
Adaptive Cruise Control may not detect and
react to stationary or slow-moving vehicles
or other objects ahead of you. You could
crash into an object ahead of you. Do not use
Adaptive Cruise Control when approaching
stationary or slow-moving vehicles or other
objects.
{CAUTION:
Adaptive Cruise Control may not detect and
react to stationary or slow-moving vehicles
or other objects ahead of you. Your vehicle
may accelerate toward objects, such as a
stopped vehicle that suddenly appears after
the lead vehicle changes lanes. Your complete
attention is always required while driving
and you should be ready to take action and
apply the brakes.
Low-Speed Deactivation
If your speed falls below 25 mph (40 km/h) while
following a vehicle ahead, Adaptive Cruise Control
will begin to disengage. The driver alert symbol on
the HUD will ash and the warning beep will sound.
The driver must take action since Adaptive Cruise
Control will not slow the vehicle to a stop.
3-28

Deactivation When Head-Up Display
is Turned Off
If the HUD is turned off when Adaptive Cruise Control
is engaged, it will begin to disengage. A warning
beep sounds and the message RADAR CRUISE NOT
READY appears on the Driver Information Center (DIC).
SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-80for
additional information. If Adaptive Cruise Control
was braking when the HUD is turned off, the braking
will continue briey.
Passing a Vehicle/Adaptive Cruise Control
Override
To increase speed to pass a vehicle, use the accelerator
pedal. While you are doing this, the system will not
automatically apply the brakes. A PEDAL APPLIED
ACC OVERRIDE message will appear on the HUD.
SeeHead-Up Display (HUD) on page 3-43for additional
information. Once you pass the vehicle and remove
your foot from the accelerator pedal, Adaptive Cruise
Control returns to normal operation and the brakes
can be applied, if needed.
{CAUTION:
If you rest your foot on the accelerator pedal,
the system will not automatically apply the
brakes. You could crash into a vehicle ahead
of you. Do not rest your foot on the accelerator
pedal when using Adaptive Cruise Control.
3-29

Curves in the Road
{CAUTION:
Due to Adaptive Cruise Control limitations in
curves, it may respond to a vehicle in another
lane, or may not have time to react to a vehicle
in your lane. You could crash into a vehicle
ahead of you, or lose control of your vehicle.
Give extra attention in curves and be ready
to use the brakes if necessary. Select an
appropriate speed while driving in curves.
Adaptive Cruise Control might operate differently in a
sharp curve. It might reduce your speed if the curve
is too sharp.When following a vehicle and entering a curve, Adaptive
Cruise Control could lose track of the vehicle in your
lane and your vehicle could accelerate. When this
happens, the vehicle ahead symbol will not appear
on the HUD.
3-30

Adaptive Cruise Control might detect a vehicle that is
not in your lane and apply the brakes.
Adaptive Cruise Control might occasionally provide a
driver alert and/or braking that you consider unnecessary.
It could respond to signs, guardrails, and other stationary
objects when entering or exiting a curve. This is normal
operation. Your vehicle does not need service.
Highway Exit Ramps
{CAUTION:
Adaptive Cruise Control may lose track of the
vehicle ahead and accelerate up to your set
speed while entering or on highway exit ramps.
You could be startled by this acceleration and
even lose control of the vehicle. Disengage
Adaptive Cruise Control before entering a
highway exit ramp. Do not use Adaptive Cruise
Control while entering or on exit ramps.
Other Vehicle Lane Changes
If another vehicle enters the same lane as you,
Adaptive Cruise Control will not detect the vehicle
until it is completely in the lane. Be ready to take
action and apply the brakes yourself.
3-31

As light shines out from the HUD, it is possible for light
to shine back in. In rare occurrences, when the sun
is at a specic angle and position, the sun’s rays can
shine back into the HUD. When this occurs, the display
device within the HUD will be temporarily illuminated.
The event will end when the vehicle’s angle to the
sun changes.
Clean the inside of the windshield as needed to remove
any dirt or lm that reduces the sharpness or clarity
of the HUD image.
To clean the HUD, spray household glass cleaner on a
soft, clean cloth. Wipe the HUD lens gently, then dry it.
Notice:When cleaning, be careful not to scratch the
HUD or camera lenses. Do not spray glass cleaner
directly on the HUD lens because the cleaner could
leak inside the unit and cause damage.
If the ignition is on and you cannot see the HUD image,
check to see if:
Something is covering the HUD unit.
The brightness is adjusted properly.
The HUD image is adjusted to the proper height.
Ambient light in the direction your vehicle is
facing is low.
A fuse is blown. SeeFuses and Circuit Breakers
on page 5-117.The windshield is part of the HUD system.
SeeWindshield Replacement on page 5-55.
The following Adaptive Cruise Control message
may appear in the HUD:
The PEDAL APPLIED ACC OVERRIDE message
indicates that you are pressing your foot on the
accelerator pedal and overriding Adaptive Cruise
Control. While this is being done, the system will not
automatically apply the brakes. Once you remove
your foot from the accelerator pedal, Adaptive Cruise
Control will return to normal operation and be able
to apply the brakes, if needed.
An Adaptive Cruise Control active symbol, alert symbol
or vehicle ahead symbol may also appear. SeeAdaptive
Cruise Control on page 3-20for more information.
Accessory Power Outlet(s)
Your vehicle is equipped with accessory power outlets.
The outlets can be used to plug in electrical equipment
such as a cellular telephone, CB radio, etc.
Your vehicle has one outlet in front of the center
console, one in the center console lid and there may be
an additional outlet in the rear of the center console.
Your vehicle may have a small cap that must be
removed to access the accessory power outlet.
If it does, when not using the outlet be sure to cover
it with the protective cap.
3-46

Antilock Brake System
Warning Light
For vehicles with the
Antilock Brake System
(ABS), this light will come
on briey when you
start the engine.
That is normal. If the light does not come on then, have it
xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
If the ABS light stays on, turn the ignition off, if the light
comes on when you are driving, stop as soon as it
is safely possible and turn the ignition off. Then start
the engine again to reset the system. If the ABS light still
stays on, or comes on again while you are driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light is not on, you still have brakes, but
you do not have antilock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also on, you do not have antilock
brakes and there is a problem with your regular
brakes. SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-64
For vehicles with a Driver Information Center (DIC),
seeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-80for
all brake related DIC messages.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light
If the Traction Control
System (TCS) warning
light comes on and stays
on, there may be a
problem with the TCS.
The TCS warning light will come on briey when the
engine is started. If it does not come on then, have it
xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
The light will also come on if you turn the TCS off using
the traction control on/off button located on the console.
If this light stays on or comes on while you are driving,
pull off the road as soon as possible and stop carefully.
Turn your engine off and then restart it. If the light still
stays on or comes back on again while you are driving,
your vehicle needs service. Have the TCS inspected as
soon as possible. SeeTraction Control System (TCS)
on page 4-6andStabiliTrak
®System on page 4-8for
more information.
Also seeCompetitive Driving Mode (STS-V) on
page 4-7for more information.
3-65

Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a
global tragedy.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle: judgment, muscular coordination, vision, and
attentiveness.
Police records show that almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, more than 17,000 annual
motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with
the use of alcohol, with about 250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against the law in every U.S.
state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the
person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator. At
times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. Meaning, you can lose control of your
vehicle. SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on
page 4-6andStabiliTrak
®System on page 4-8or
Enhanced StabiliTrak®on page 4-9.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
4-3