2008 CADILLAC STS airbag

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-8
Child Restraints
.......................................1-28
Airbag System
.........................................1-51
Restraint System Check
............................1-66
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-14
Windows
.................................................2-19
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-22
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-27
Mirrors
....................................................2-40
Object Detection Systems
..........................2-45
OnStar
®System
......................................2-48
Universal Home Remote System
................2-51
Storage Areas
.........................................2-58
Sunroof
..................................................2-58
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-60
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-48
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-57
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-74
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-98Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-31
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-50
Rear Axle
...............................................5-51
Front Axle
...............................................5-52
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-53
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-54
Windshield Replacement
...........................5-55
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-55
Tires
......................................................5-57
Appearance Care
...................................5-107
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-116
Electrical System
....................................5-116
Capacities and Specications
...................5-128
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-14
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-16
Index................................................................ 1
2008 Cadillac STS/STS-V Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Power Seats..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar...............................................1-2
Heated Seats.................................................1-3
Heated and Ventilated Seats............................1-3
Power Reclining Seatbacks..............................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-6
Rear Seats.......................................................1-7
Heated Seats.................................................1-7
Rear Seat Pass-Through Door.........................1-7
Safety Belts.....................................................1-8
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-8
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-13
Lap-Shoulder Belt.........................................1-21
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-27
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-27
Child Restraints.............................................1-28
Older Children..............................................1-28
Infants and Young Children............................1-30
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-34
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-36Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)......................................1-37
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position....................................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position............................1-47
Airbag System...............................................1-51
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-53
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-56
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-57
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-58
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-58
Passenger Sensing System............................1-60
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-64
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
....................................................1-65
Restraint System Check..................................1-66
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-66
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-67
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Will I be trapped in the vehicle after a crash if
I am wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so youcanunbuckle
and get out, ismuchgreater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are
upside down.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental systems only; so they
workwithsafety belts — not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is provided, all occupants
still have to buckle up to get the most protection.
That is true not only in frontal collisions, but
especially in side and other collisions.
Q:If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in a
crash — even one that is not your fault — you and
your passenger(s) can be hurt. Being a good
driver does not protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-12

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Your vehicle has a shoulder belt height adjuster for the
driver and right front passenger.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt
is centered on your shoulder. The belt should be
away from your face and neck, but not falling off your
shoulder. Improper shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt
in a crash.
To move it down, press
the release button (A) and
move the height adjuster
to the desired position.
You can move the height
adjuster up just by
pushing up on the shoulder
belt guide.
After you move the height adjuster to where you want it,
try to move it down without pressing the release
button to make sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for front
outboard occupants. Although you cannot see them,
they are part of the safety belt assembly. They help
tighten the safety belts during the early stages of
a moderate to severe frontal and near frontal crash if
the threshold conditions for pretensioner activation
are met. And, if your vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help tighten the safety
belts in a side crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a
crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other
new parts for your safety belt system. SeeReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-67.
1-23

{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer protection for adults and older
children, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system
nor its airbag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide.
Q:What are the different types of add-on child
restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by the
vehicle’s owner, are available in four basic types.
Selection of a particular restraint should take
into consideration not only the child’s weight, height,
and age but also whether or not the restraint will
be compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will
be used.
For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a
label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
1-32

Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children and child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a child
riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in
a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in
a booster seat; and children, who are large enough,
using safety belts.
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.{CAUTION:
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.
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 a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60
for additional information.
1-36

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-36.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60
andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-61for
more information on this, including important safety
information.
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.
{CAUTION:
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.
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 a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60
for additional information.
1-47

If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-37for how to install your child restraint using
LATCH. If you secure a child restraint using a safety belt
and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-37for top
tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor if a national or local law requires that the
top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top strap must
be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator on the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the
vehicle. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-61.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
1-48