2009 CADILLAC STS warning

Alerting the Driver
The alert symbol ashes
on the HUD and a warning
beep sounds when driver
action is required.
Driver action is required when:
Adaptive Cruise Control cannot apply sufficient
braking because you are approaching a vehicle too
rapidly.
The vehicle speed drops below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
A temporary condition prohibits Adaptive Cruise
Control from operating. SeeDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-79for more information.
A malfunction is detected in the system. SeeDIC
Warnings and Messages on page 3-79for more
information.
SeeDefensive Driving on page 4-2.
{CAUTION:
Adaptive Cruise Control has only limited braking
ability to slow your vehicle. In some cases,
Adaptive Cruise Control may not have time to slow
your vehicle enough to avoid a collision. Be ready
to take action and apply the brakes yourself.
SeeDefensive Driving on page 4-2.
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.
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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.
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 3-79for 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.
3-28

Using Adaptive Cruise Controls on Hills
and When Towing a Trailer
How well Adaptive Cruise Control works on hills and
while a trailer is being towed depends on your vehicle
speed, vehicle load, traffic conditions, and the steepness
of the hills. It might not detect a vehicle in your lane while
driving on hills. While going up steep hills, you might want
to use the accelerator pedal to maintain your vehicle
speed. While going downhill and towing a trailer, you
might want to brake to keep your vehicle speed down.
Applying the brake disengages the system. You may
choose not to use Adaptive Cruise Control on steep
hills when towing a trailer.
Disengaging Adaptive Cruise Control
Apply the brake pedal or move the Adaptive Cruise
Control switch to off, to disengage the system. Adaptive
Cruise Control information does not appear on the
HUD while the system is not engaged.
Erasing Set Speed Memory
The set speed memory is erased when the Adaptive
Cruise Control switch or the ignition is turned off.
Other Messages
There are three messages that may appear on the DIC.
They are SERVICE RADAR CRUISE, RADAR CRUISE
NOT READY and CLEAN RADAR. These messages will
appear to indicate a problem with the Adaptive Cruise
Control. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-79
for more information.
Cleaning the System
The radar can become blocked by snow, ice, or dirt.
If this happens, turn off the engine and clean the emblem/
lens, located in the center of the front outside grille.
Do not use Adaptive Cruise Control in icy conditions,
or when visibility is low, such as in fog, rain or snow.
To clean the emblem/lens, wipe the surface with a soft
cloth. After cleaning the emblem/lens, engage the
Adaptive Cruise Control. If you are unable to do so,
see your dealer/retailer.
3-31

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, automatic lighting
must be enabled. SeeHeadlamps on page 3-32for
additional information.
When the ignition is turned off, the wiper-activated
headlamps will immediately turn off. They will also
turn off if 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 3-70for 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 comes on when the following
conditions are met:
It is still daylight and the ignition is on.
The automatic lights are enabled.
The transmission is not in P (Park).
When DRL are on, only the front turn signal lamps will
be on. No other exterior lamps will be on when the DRL
are being used. The instrument panel will not be lit.
When the automatic lights are enabled 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 will take 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 3-40.
3-36

To operate the vehicle with the DRL off, turn the
exterior lamp control off and then do one of the
following:
Turn the exterior lamp control to the parking lamp
position.
Turn the exterior lamp control to the headlamp
position.
Turn the exterior lamp control from AUTO to off and
back to AUTO.
An AUTOMATIC LIGHTS OFF message will appear
on the DIC, showing that automatic lighting has
been disabled. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-79.
The regular headlamp system should be turned on
when needed.
Light Sensor
The light sensor for the DRL is located on top of the
instrument panel. If the sensor is covered, it will prevent it
from sensing light, and the exterior lamps may come on
when they are not needed.
3-37

Entry Lighting
The entry lighting system turns on the reading and
dome lamps and the backlighting to the exterior lamp
control when a door is opened or if you press the remote
keyless entry transmitter unlock button. If activated by
the transmitter, the lighting will remain active for about
25 seconds. The entry lighting system uses the light
sensor; it must be dark outside in order for the lamps to
turn on. The lamps turn off about 25 seconds after the
last door is closed. They will dim to off if the ignition is
on, or immediately deactivate if the power locks are
activated.
Parade Dimming
This feature prohibits dimming of the instrument panel
displays and backlighting during daylight hours when
the key is in the ignition and the headlamps are on.
This feature operates with the light sensor and is fully
automatic. When the light sensor reads darkness outside
and the parking lamps are active, the instrument panel
displays can be adjusted by turning the instrument panel
brightness knob. SeeInstrument Panel Brightness on
page 3-40for additional information.
Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are located on the overhead console.
These lamps come on automatically when any door is
opened.
For manual operation, press the button next to each
lamp to turn it on or off.
If the reading lamps are left on, they automatically shut
off 10 minutes after the ignition has been turned off.
Battery Load Management
The battery load management feature is designed to
monitor the vehicle’s electrical load and determine when
the battery is in a heavy discharge condition. During
times of high electrical loading, the engine may idle at a
higher revolutions per minute (rpm) setting than normal to
make sure the battery charges. High electrical loads may
occur when several of the following are on: headlamps,
high beams, fog lamps, rear window defogger, the
climate control fan at high speeds, heated seats and
engine cooling fans.
If the battery continues to discharge, even with the
engine idling at a higher rpm setting, some electrical
loads will automatically be reduced. When this occurs,
the rear window defogger may take slightly longer to clear
the glass and the fan may cut back to a lower speed.
For more battery saving information, see “Battery Saver
Active Message” underDIC Warnings and Messages on
page 3-79.
3-41

Electric Power Management
The vehicle has Electric Power Management (EPM) that
estimates the battery’s temperature and state of charge.
It then adjusts the voltage for best performance and
extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the voltage is
raised slightly to quickly bring the charge back up. When
the state of charge is high, the voltage is lowered slightly
to prevent overcharging. If the vehicle has a voltmeter
gage or a voltage display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the voltage move up or
down. This is normal. If there is a problem, an alert
will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at idle if the electrical
loads are very high. This is true for all vehicles. This is
because the generator (alternator) may not be spinning
fast enough at idle to produce all the power that is
needed for very high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when several of the
following are on: headlamps, high beams, fog lamps,
rear window defogger, climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans, trailer loads, and
loads plugged into accessory power outlets.EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the
battery. It does this by balancing the generator’s output
and the vehicle’s electrical needs. It can increase
engine idle speed to generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce the power demands
of some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels, without
being noticeable. In rare cases at the highest levels of
corrective action, this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information Center (DIC) message
might be displayed, such as Battery Saver Active or
Service Battery Charging System. If this message is
displayed, it is recommended that the driver reduce the
electrical loads as much as possible. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-79.
Inadvertent Power Battery Saver
This feature is designed to protect the vehicle’s battery
against drainage from the interior lamps, trunk lamp,
glove box lamp, or the garage door opener. When the
ignition is turned off, the power to these features will
automatically turn off after 10 minutes (three minutes
if a new car has 15 miles (24 km) or less). Power will
be restored for an additional 10 minutes if any door
is opened, the trunk is opened or the courtesy lamp
switch is turned on.
3-42

Head-Up Display (HUD)
{CAUTION:
If the HUD image is too bright, or too high in your
eld of view, it may take you more time to see
things you need to see when it is dark outside.
Be sure to keep the HUD image dim and placed
low in your eld of view.
For vehicles with the Head-Up Display (HUD), some of
the driver information that appears on the instrument
panel cluster is projected onto an image on the
windshield.
The information can be displayed in English or metric
units. To change from English to metric units, see
DIC Operation and Displays on page 3-72.
The HUD consists of the following information:
Speedometer
Turn Signal Indicators
High-Beam Indicator Symbol
Driver Shift Control Transmission Feature, see
Automatic Transmission Operation on page 2-30
Check Gages Icon
Adaptive Cruise Control Features and Indicators
(If Equipped), seeAdaptive Cruise Control on
page 3-20
Forward Collision Alert Features and Indicators
(If Equipped), seeForward Collision Alert (FCA)
System on page 3-9
Radio Features
Always scan the instrument panel displays, controls and
driving environment just as you would in a vehicle without
HUD, so important warning lights are not missed. Under
important warning conditions, the CHECK GAGES
message will display in the HUD. View the Driver
Information Center (DIC) for more information.United States version
shown, Canada similar
3-43