2009 CADILLAC SRX transmission

The DIC will show the
requested gear range
when moving the shift
lever forward or rearward.
SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-45.
While using the DSC feature, the vehicle will have
rmer shifting and increased performance. You can use
this for sport driving or when climbing or descending
hills, to stay in gear longer, or to down shift for
more power or engine braking.The transmission will only allow you to shift into
gears appropriate for the vehicle speed and engine
Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). The transmission will not
automatically shift to the next higher gear if the engine
RPM is too high.
If shifting is prevented for any reason, the currently
selected gear will ash multiple times, indicating that
the transmission has not shifted gears.
While in the DSC mode, the transmission will
automatically downshift when the vehicle comes to
a stop and while quickly applying the accelerator
to increase speed. This will allow for more power
during take-off.
When accelerating the vehicle from a stop in snowy
and icy conditions, you may want to shift into second
gear. A higher gear ratio allows you to gain more traction
on slippery surfaces.
2-30

Tow/Haul Mode
The vehicle may be equipped with a Tow/Haul mode.
The button is located on instrument panel under
the climate controls. You should use this feature
to assist when towing or hauling a heavy load.
When Tow/Haul is
activated the Tow/Haul
symbol will illuminate on
the instrument panel
cluster. SeeTow/Haul
ModeunderTowing a
Trailer on page 4-39
for more information.
Grade Braking
Grade Braking assists when driving on a downhill
grade. It maintains vehicle speed by automatically
implementing a shift schedule that uses the engine
and the transmission to slow the vehicle. This reduces
wear on the brakes system and increases control of the
vehicle. The system constantly monitors vehicle speed,
acceleration, throttle position, and whether the brake
pedal is being pressed, and determines when to keep the
current vehicle speed or to slow down. The system will
then automatically command downshifts that reduce
vehicle speed, until the brake pedal is no longer being
pressed. This indicates the desired vehicle speed has
been reached.
The tow/haul mode and grade braking shift modes can
be activated by pressing the button on the instrument
panel console. While in the DSC mode, grade braking
is deactivated, allowing the driver to select a gear.
SeeAutomatic Transmission Operation on page 2-27.
2-31

Leaving the Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave the vehicle with the
engine running. The vehicle could move suddenly if
the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake rmly set. And, if you leave the vehicle with
the engine running, it could overheat and even
catch re. You or others could be injured. Do not
leave the vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave the vehicle with the engine running,
be sure the vehicle is in P (Park) and the parking brake is
rmly set before you leave it. After you have moved the
shift lever into P (Park), hold the regular brake pedal
down. Then, see if you can move the shift lever away
from P (Park) without rst pushing the button on the shift
lever. If you can, it means that the shift lever was not fully
locked into P (Park).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your
transmission into P (Park) properly, the weight of
the vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transmission. You may nd it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of P (Park). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into P (Park) properly before you leave the
driver seat. To nd out how, see “Shifting Into P (Park)”
listed previously.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have
another vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of
the pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission,
so you can pull the shift lever out of P (Park).
2-34

Running the Vehicle While Parked
It is better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
{CAUTION:
Idling a vehicle in an enclosed area with poor
ventilation is dangerous. Engine exhaust may
enter the vehicle. Engine exhaust contains Carbon
Monoxide (CO) which cannot be seen or smelled.
It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
Never run the engine in an enclosed area that has
no fresh air ventilation. For more information, see
Engine ExhaustEngine Exhaust on page 2-36.
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of the vehicle if
the automatic transmission shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake rmly set. The
vehicle can roll. Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running unless you have to. If you have
left the engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured. To be
sure the vehicle will not move, even when you are
on fairly level ground, always set the parking brake
and move the shift lever to P (Park).
Follow the proper steps to be sure the vehicle will not
move. SeeShifting Into Park on page 2-33.
If parking on a hill and pulling a trailer, seeTowing a
Trailer on page 4-39.
2-37

Wiper Activated Headlamps
This feature activates the headlamps and parking lamps
after the windshield wipers have been in use for about
six seconds. For this feature to work, the exterior
lamp control must be in AUTO.
The wiper-activated headlamps immediately turn off,
when the ignition is turned to LOCK/OFF or the
windshield wiper control is turned off.
Headlamps on Reminder
A warning chime will sound if the exterior lamp control
is left on in either the headlamp or parking lamp position
and the driver’s door is opened with the ignition off.
SeeLights On Reminder on page 3-43for additional
information.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. Fully functional daytime running lamps are required
on all vehicles rst sold in Canada.The DRL system will make the turn signal lamps come
on when the following conditions are met:
It is daylight and the ignition is in the ON/RUN
position.
The exterior lamp control is in the off or AUTO
position and the headlamps are off.
The automatic transmission is not in P (Park).
When DRL are on, only the front turn signal lamps will be
on. The other exterior lamps and the instrument panel
cluster will not be on.
When the exterior lamp control is in AUTO and it is dark
enough outside, the DRL will turn off and the low-beam
headlamps will turn on. When it is bright enough
outside, the low-beam headlamps will go off, and the
DRL will turn back on. If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp system comes on
immediately. Once the vehicle leaves the garage,
it takes about one minute for the automatic headlamp
system to change to DRL if it is light outside. During that
delay, the instrument panel cluster may not be as
bright as usual. Make sure the instrument panel
brightness lever is in the full bright position.
SeeInstrument Panel Brightness on page 3-18.
3-16

Malfunctions often are indicated by the system before
any problem is apparent. Being aware of the light
can prevent more serious damage to the vehicle.
This system assists the service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice:If the vehicle is continually driven with
this light on, after a while, the emission controls
might not work as well, the vehicle’s fuel economy
might not be as good, and the engine might not
run as smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs
that might not be covered by the vehicle warranty.
Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transmission, exhaust, intake, or fuel system of the
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires
with other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect the vehicle’s emission
controls and can cause this light to come on.
Modications to these systems could lead to
costly repairs not covered by the vehicle warranty.
This could also result in a failure to pass a
required Emission Inspection/Maintenance test.
SeeAccessories and Modifications on page 5-3.This light comes on during a malfunction in one of
two ways:
Light Flashing:A misre condition has been detected.
A misre increases vehicle emissions and could
damage the emission control system on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be required.
To prevent more serious damage to the vehicle:
Reduce vehicle speed.
Avoid hard accelerations.
Avoid steep uphill grades.
If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of cargo being
hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park the vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds, and restart
the engine. If the light is still ashing, follow the previous
steps and see your dealer/retailer for service as soon
as possible.
3-40

If the fuel supply gets low, the FUEL LEVEL LOW
message will appear on the Driver Information Center
(DIC) and a single chime will sound. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-51for more information.
All of the following situations are normal and do
not indicate that anything is wrong with the fuel gage:
At the gas station the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
The gage may change when you turn, stop quickly
or accelerate quickly.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll the tank than
the gage indicated. For example, the gage may
have indicated that the tank was half full, but
it actually took a little more or less than half the
tank’s capacity to ll the tank.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC) gives you the status
of many of your vehicle’s systems. The DIC is also used
to display warning/status messages. All messages will
appear in the DIC display located at the bottom of the
instrument panel cluster, below the tachometer and
speedometer. The DIC buttons are located on the
instrument panel, to the left of the steering wheel.
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After a short
delay, the DIC will display the information that was
last displayed before the engine was turned off.
The top line of the DIC display shows the vehicle
system information and the warning/status messages.
The bottom line of the DIC display shows the odometer
on the left side, the outside air temperature on the
right side, and the shift position indicator in the center.
For more information on the shift position indicator,
seeAutomatic Transmission Operation on page 2-27.
When the sport mode is active, an S will appear next to
the shift position indicator on the center of the DIC
display. When the manual mode is active, an M will
appear on the DIC display. When the normal mode
is active, only the shift position indicator will appear.
3-45

While the Driver Shift Control (DSC) feature is active,
the DIC will change to show the selected gear.
See “Driver Shift Control (DSC)” underAutomatic
Transmission Operation on page 2-27for more
information.
If a problem is detected, a warning message will appear
on the display. Be sure to take any message that
appears on the display seriously and remember that
clearing the message will only make the message
disappear, not correct the problem.
DIC Operation and Displays
The Driver Information
Center (DIC) has different
displays which can be
accessed by pressing the
DIC buttons located on
the instrument panel, to the
left of the steering wheel.
3Trip/Fuel:Press this button to scroll through the
trip and fuel displays. See “Trip/Fuel Display Menu
Items” following for more information on these displays.
TVehicle Information:Press this button to scroll
through the vehicle information displays. See “Vehicle
Information Display Menu Items” following for more
information on these displays.
UCustomization:Press this button to scroll through
each of the customization features. SeeDIC Vehicle
Customization on page 3-60for more information on the
customization features.
VSet/Reset:Press this button to reset certain DIC
features and to acknowledge DIC warning messages
and clear them from the DIC display.
yzMenu Up/Down:Press this button to scroll up
and down the menu items.
3-46