2008 CADILLAC STS Owners Manual

The right knob controls the air delivery to the rear
passengers. Turning the knob all the way to the left will
shut off airow to the rear passengers. Operating with
the rear air delivery off may make the entire vehicle
warm or cool less quickly. It may also increase the air
rush sound of the front system.
9(Off):This is the off position.
Y(Vent):This mode directs all the rear passenger
airow to the outlets in the console. This is the
normal position for cool down conditions.
\(Bi-Level):This mode directs airow to the
console outlets and the oor.
[(Floor):This mode directs all of the airow to the
oor. This is the normal position for warm up conditions.
The amount of airow to the rear passengers is
controlled automatically by the front climate control
system, regardless of optional equipment. Airow to
the rear system will be turned off when defrost is
selected on the front climate control panel to direct
air to clear the windshield.
Vehicles equipped with a rear climate control panel,
also, have heated rear seats. There are two buttons,
each with three indicator lights, located between thetwo climate control knobs on the rear climate control
panel, to control the rear heated seats. SeeHeated
Seats on page 1-7for additional information.
Be sure to keep the area under the front seats clear
of any objects so the air in your vehicle can circulate
effectively.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
Your vehicle may be equipped with a passenger
compartment air lter. There are two types of lters
available. There is a standard dust lter that traps small
particles including pollen. There is, also, a dust/odor
lter available that traps dust and pollen and also uses
a charcoal element to help reduce many offensive
odors from entering your vehicle. The lter will need
to be changed periodically. For information on how
often to change the passenger compartment air lter,
seeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4.
Notice:Driving without a passenger compartment
air lter in place can cause water and small particles,
like paper and leaves, to be pulled into your climate
control system which may cause damage to it. Make
sure you always replace the old lter with a new one.
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The access panel for the passenger compartment air
lter is located under the hood near the windshield,
on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview on page 5-11for more
information on location. SeeDoing Your Own Service
Work on page 5-4for information on doing your
own service work.
To access the passenger compartment air lter,
do the following:
1. Pull back the rubber hood seal from the edge
of the leaf screen vent cover.
2. Remove the three fasteners that hold the lter
access cover in place and slide the cover off.3. To access the lter, remove the plastic water
deector by lifting the outboard edge of the
deector to release the retention tab.
4. Lift the inboard edge of the deector to release
the retention tab.
5. Lift and slide the water deector toward the
inboard side and remove it.
6. The top edge of the lter should be visible.
Reach in and lift the lter out, pulling upward
and toward the front of the vehicle.
7. Insert the new air lter by sliding it back into
place. Make sure the arrow on the lter is
pointing toward the passenger compartment.
Reverse steps 1 through 3 to reinstall the water
deector, lter cover and the hood seal.
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Warning Lights, Gages,
and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something
is wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention
to the warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you
will see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briey when you start the
engine just to let you know they are working. If you
are familiar with this section, you should not be
alarmed when this happens.Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know
when there is a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays
on while you are driving, or when one of the gages
shows there may be a problem, check the section
that tells
you what to do about it. Waiting to do repairs can be
costly – and even dangerous. So please get to know
your warning lights and gages. They are a big help.
Your vehicle also has a Driver Information Center (DIC)
that works along with the warning lights and gages.
SeeDriver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-74
for more information.
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Instrument Panel Cluster
The instrument panel cluster is designed to let you know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You will know how
fast you are going, how much fuel you are using and many of the other things you will need to know to drive safely
and economically.
United States Base version shown, Canada and Uplevel similar
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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 Operation and Displays
on page 3-74for 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” under
DIC Operation and Displays on page 3-74for 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 Reminders
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the engine is started, a chime will come on for
several seconds to remind people to fasten their safety
belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay
on for several seconds,
then it will ash for
several more.
This chime and light is repeated if the driver remains
unbuckled and the vehicle is in motion. If the driver’s belt
is already buckled, neither the chime nor the light will
come on.
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Passenger Safety Belt Reminder Light
Several seconds after the engine is started, 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 1-60for 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 are
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 cluster, 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 sensor, the pretensioners, the airbag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more information on the airbag system, see
Airbag System on page 1-51.
This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will ash
for a few seconds.
The light should go out
and 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.
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{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.
The airbag readiness light should ash for a
few seconds when you start the engine. If the light
does not come on then, have it xed immediately.
If there is a problem with the airbag system,
an airbag Driver Information Center (DIC) message
may also come on. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-80for more information.
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
Your vehicle has the passenger sensing system.
Your overhead console has a passenger airbag
status indicator.
When you start the vehicle, the passenger airbag
status indicator will light ON and OFF, or the symbol
for on and off, for several seconds as a system check.
If you use remote start to start your vehicle from a
distance, if your vehicle has this feature, you may not
see the system check.United States
Canada
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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.
If the word ON or the on symbol is lit on the passenger
airbag status indicator, it means that the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag is enabled (may inate).
{CAUTION:
If the on indicator comes on when you have
a rear-facing child restraint installed in the
right front passenger’s seat, it means that the
passenger sensing system has not turned off
the passenger’s frontal airbag. A child in a
rear-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger’s
airbag inates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close
to the inating airbag. Do not use a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger’s
seat if the airbag is turned on.
{CAUTION:
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag if the system detects a rear-facing
child restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no
one can guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual circumstance,
even though it is turned off. We recommend
that rear-facing child restraints be secured in
the rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is lit on the airbag
status indicator, it means that the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag. SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60
for more on this, including important safety information.
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