Page 1 of 496

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
2011 Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Keys, Doors and Windows . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-27
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-32 Seats and Restraints
. . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-2
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-45
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-53 Lighting
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Page 2 of 496

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
2011 Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner ManualM
Driving and Operating. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-26
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-37
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-42
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-58 Vehicle Care
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-112
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-117
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . 10-120
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-3
Recommended Fluids,
Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . . 11-7
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 11-11 Technical Data
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Customer Information . . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 13-1
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 13-15
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Page 3 of 496

Black plate (3,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Introduction iii
GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM
Emblem, CADILLAC, the CADILLAC
Crest and Wreath, and the name
CTS are registered trademarks, and
the name CTS-V is a trademark of
General Motors LLC.
This manual describes features that
may or may not be on your specific
vehicle either because they are
options that you did not purchase or
due to changes subsequent to the
printing of this owner manual.
Please refer to the purchase
documentation relating to your
specific vehicle to confirm each of
the features found on your vehicle.For vehicles first sold in Canada,
substitute the name
“General
Motors of Canada Limited” for
Cadillac Motor Car Division
wherever it appears in this manual.
Music recognition technology and
related data are provided by
Gracenote
®. Gracenote is the
industry standard in music
recognition technology and
related content delivery. For
more information, visit
www.gracenote.com.
DTS and DTS Digital Surround are
registered trademarks of Digital
Theater Systems, Inc.
Dolby®is manufactured under
license from Dolby Laboratories.
Dolby, MLP Lossless, and the
double-D symbol are trademarks of
Dolby Laboratories.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 25974555 A First Printing©2010 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 4 of 496

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
iv Introduction
Canadian Vehicle Owners
Propriétaires Canadiens
A French language copy of this
manual can be obtained from your
dealer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de
ce guide en français auprès du
concessionnaire ou à l'adresse
suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue
française
www.helminc.com
Using this Manual
To quickly locate information about
the vehicle, use the Index in the
back of the manual. It is an
alphabetical list of what is in the
manual and the page number where
it can be found.
Danger, Warnings, and
Cautions
Warning messages found on vehicle
labels and in this manual describe
hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
Dangerindicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result in
serious injury or death.
Warning orCaution indicates a
hazard that could result in injury or
death.
{WARNING
These mean there is something
that could hurt you or other
people.
Notice: This means there is
something that could result in
property or vehicle damage. This
would not be covered by the
vehicle's warranty.
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means “Do
Not,” “Do not do this,” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Page 5 of 496

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Introduction v
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message,
gauge, or indicator.
M:This symbol is shown when
you need to see your owner manual
for additional instructions or
information.
*: This symbol is shown when
you need to see a service manual
for additional instructions or
information. 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 Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
(: Heated Steering Wheel
j:LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Page 6 of 496
Black plate (6,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
vi Introduction
2NOTES
Page 7 of 496

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Trunk Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Heated and Ventilated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-9
Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Sensing System for Passenger Airbag . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10 Steering Wheel
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-13
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-16
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Steering Wheel Controls (Audio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 1-19
Storage Compartments . . . . . . 1-19
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Universal Remote System . . . 1-20
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-22
Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-22
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Roadside Service . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Page 8 of 496
Black plate (2,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
1-2 In Brief
Instrument Panel
CTS Shown, CTS‐V Similar