2009 CADILLAC DTS light

Seats and Restraint System............................. 1-1
Head Restraints
......................................... 1-2
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
..............................................1-10
Safety Belts
.............................................1-12
Child Restraints
.......................................1-33
Airbag System
.........................................1-55
Restraint System Check
............................1-70
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-20
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-24
Mirrors
....................................................2-38
Object Detection Systems
..........................2-42
OnStar
®System
......................................2-51
Universal Home Remote System
................2-55
Storage Areas
.........................................2-62
Sunroof
..................................................2-64
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-40
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-50Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-67
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-95
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle
....... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-26
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-43
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-46
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-46
Tires
......................................................5-48
Appearance Care
.....................................5-86
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-94
Electrical System
......................................5-94
Capacities and Specications
...................5-103
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-15
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-17
Index................................................................ 1
2009 Cadillac DTS Owner ManualM

Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may be found on
the vehicle and what they mean. For more information
on the symbol, refer to the index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls or OnStar®
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.:Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i:Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
j:LATCH System Child Restraints
*:Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway Mirrors
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
iv

Heated and Cooled Seats
The vehicle may have heated and cooled front seats.
To operate the heated or cooled seats, the ignition
must be on.
The buttons are located
on the front doors.
H(Cooled Seat):Press to turn on the cooled seat.
J(Heated Seat and Seatback):Press to turn on the
heated seat and seatback.
A light on the button shows the feature is on.Each feature has three temperature settings indicated by
three lights next to the buttons. The highest setting shows
three lights, two is medium and one is the lowest.
When you press a button, the feature will turn on at the
highest setting. Each time the button is pressed, the
feature will go down one temperature setting.
To turn the feature off, keep pressing the button until
the display lights turn off.
If the vehicle has remote vehicle start and it is started
using the RKE transmitter, the front heated seats will
be turned on to the high setting if it is cold outside.
See “Remote Vehicle Start” underRemote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation on page 2-5. When the key
is inserted into the ignition and the ignition is turned on,
this feature will turn off. To turn it back on, press the
desired button.
Drive Side Buttons
shown, Passenger Side
Buttons similar
1-5

Press a button to turn on the desired feature. A light
on that button will display to show which feature is on.
Each feature has three temperature settings indicated
by three lights next to the buttons. The highest setting
shows three lights, two is medium and one is the lowest.
When you press a button, the feature will turn on at
the highest setting. Each time you press the button,
the feature will go down one temperature setting.
To turn the feature off, keep pressing the button
until the display lights turn off.
Rear Seat Pass-Through Door
Your vehicle has a pass-through door that provides
access to the trunk from the rear seats. See “Rear Seat
Pass-Through Door” underTrunk on page 2-13.
Power Lumbar
Your vehicle may be equipped with four-way lumbar
support, without the massage feature, for the outboard
rear seat positions.
The rear lumbar support
controls are located on the
rear doors in front of the
heated seat buttons.
To turn on the lumbar support feature, press the front of
the control to increase support or rearward to decrease
support. The lumbar control can also be moved up
and down to adjust the location of the support.
1-11

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle have a lap-shoulder
except for the center front passenger position
(if equipped), which has a lap belt. SeeLap Belt
on page 1-31for more information.
The following instructions explain how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can
sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt out all
the way, the child restraint locking feature may
be engaged. If this happens, let the belt go back
all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature in the
right front seating position may affect the passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 1-64for more information.3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
If the latch plate will not go fully into the buckle,
check if the correct buckle is being used.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-32.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
1-26

If the child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-43for how and where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is secured using a
safety belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-43for
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 frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact 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 3-55.2. 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
1-53

{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.
Always secure children properly in your vehicle.
To read how, seeOlder Children on page 1-33or
Infants and Young Children on page 1-36.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-54
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
1-57

{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger airbag
inates and the passenger seat is in a forward
position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped),
no system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that
an airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though the airbag(s) are off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat,
even if the airbag(s) are 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.The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag if:The right front passenger seat is unoccupied.
The system determines that an infant is present in
a rear-facing infant seat.
The system determines that a small child is present
in a child restraint.
The system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat.
A right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time.
The right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints.
Or, if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
right front passenger frontal airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag, the off indicator will light and stay lit
to remind you that the airbags are off. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-55.
1-65