
Black plate (9,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-9
Power Outlets
Accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone, MP3
player, etc.
There are three accessory power
outlets. The power outlets located
below the climate control system,
inside the center console storage
bin, and on the rear of the center
console are powered while the
vehicle is in ON/RUN/START or
ACC/ACCESSORY mode, or until
the driver door is opened with
10 minutes of turning off the vehicle.
On the CTS Wagon there is an
additional accessory power outlet
located near the rear cargo net that
is powered at all times.
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
Notice:Leaving electrical
equipment plugged in for an
extended period of time while the
vehicle is off will drain the
battery. Always unplug electrical equipment when not in use and
do not plug in equipment that
exceeds the maximum 20 ampere
rating.
Certain electrical accessories may
not be compatible with the
accessory power outlet and could
overload vehicle or adapter fuses.
If a problem is experienced, see
your dealer.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the proper
installation instructions included with
the equipment. See
Add-On
Electrical Equipment on page 9‑58.
Notice: Hanging heavy
equipment from the power outlet
can cause damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for
accessory power plugs only, such
as cell phone charge cords.
Cigarette Lighter
The vehicle may have a cigarette
lighter. To use the lighter, push it in
all the way and let go. When it is
ready, it will pop back out by itself.
Notice: Holding a cigarette lighter
in while it is heating does not let
the lighter back away from the
heating element when it is hot.
Damage from overheating can
occur to the lighter or heating
element, or a fuse could be
blown. Do not hold a cigarette
lighter in while it is heating.

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
5-10 Instruments and Controls
Ashtrays
The vehicle may have two
removable ashtrays. One ashtray
can be placed into the instrument
panel storage compartment and the
other into the center console rear
compartment.
To empty the ashtrays, hold on to
the edges of the bin and pull straight
out. To reinstall, push the tray back
into place.
Notice:If papers, pins, or other
flammable items are put in the
ashtray, hot cigarettes or other
smoking materials could ignite
them and possibly damage the
vehicle. Never put flammable
items in the ashtray.
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges can
signal that something is wrong
before it becomes serious enough
to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to the
warning lights and gauges could
prevent injury.
Warning lights come on when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Some warning lights come
on briefly when the engine is started
to indicate they are working. Gauges can indicate when there
could be a problem with a vehicle
function. Often gauges and warning
lights work together to indicate a
problem with the vehicle.
When one of the warning lights
comes on and stays on while
driving, or when one of the gauges
shows there may be a problem,
check the section that explains what
to do. Follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
and even dangerous.

Black plate (37,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-37
Electronic Key Already Known
If the vehicle has the keyless
access system, this message
displays if you try to match a
transmitter that has already been
learned. See the Keyless Access
information forRemote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation (Key
Access)
on page 2‑5or Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation (Keyless Access)
on
page 2‑7for more information.
Electronic Key Not Detected
If the vehicle has the keyless
access system, this message
displays if the vehicle does not
detect the presence of a transmitter
when you have attempted to start
the vehicle or a vehicle door has
just closed. The following conditions
may cause this message to appear:
.Driver-added equipment plugged
into the accessory power outlet
on the center console is causing
interference. Examples of these
devices are cell phones and cell
phone chargers, two-way radios, power inverters, or similar items.
Try moving the keyless access
transmitter away from these
devices when starting the
vehicle. In addition, PDA devices
and remote garage and gate
openers may also generate
Electromagnetic Interference
(EMI) that may interfere with the
keyless access transmitter. Do
not carry the keyless access
transmitter in the same pocket or
bag as these devices.
.The vehicle is experiencing
Electromagnetic Interference
(EMI). Some locations, such as
airports, automatic toll booths,
and some gas stations have EMI
fields which may interfere with
the keyless access transmitter.
If moving the transmitter to
different locations within the
vehicle does not help, place the
transmitter in the center console
transmitter pocket with the
buttons facing the front of the
vehicle and then start the
vehicle.
.The vehicle's battery voltage is
low. The battery voltage must be
above 10 volts for the keyless
access transmitter to be
detected properly.

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-7
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, such
as: 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 BATTERY
VOLTS LOW. If this message is
displayed, it is recommended that
the driver reduce the electrical loads
as much as possible. See
Driver
Information Center (DIC)
on
page 5‑27.
Battery Power Protection
This feature helps to prevent battery
drain if accessory lamps are left on.
If accessory lamps such as the
vanity mirror, cargo, reading,
console, or glove box are left on,
they automatically time-out after
about 20 minutes. To reset the
battery protection, all of the above
lamps must be turned off or the
ignition must be in the ACC/
ACCESSORY position.
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver
The exterior lamps turn off about
10 minutes after the ignition is
turned to LOCK/OFF, if the parking
lamps or headlamps have been left
on. This protects against draining
the battery. The battery saver does
not work if the headlamps are
turned on after the ignition is turned
to LOCK/OFF.
To keep the lamps on for more than
10 minutes, turn the lamps back on
with the exterior lamp control.

Black plate (36,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
7-36 Infotainment System
On AM/FM, press the REV or FWD
button multiple times to rewind or
fast forward. Each press will rewind
or fast forward 30 seconds of
content. On XM, press the REV or
FWD button multiple times to jump
to the previous or next song or
commercial.
When the radio station is changed,
the buffer is cleared and
automatically restarted for the
current station. You cannot rewind
the content from a previously tuned
station.
Time shifting of AM/FM or XM is not
available while recording or while
other sources of playback are
selected.
Pausing AM/FM or XM™
(if equipped) with the Vehicle
Turned Off
If AM/FM or XM is paused before
the vehicle is turned off, the radio
will continue to buffer the current
radio station for up to one hour.
If the vehicle is turned back onwithin one hour, the radio will
automatically resume playback from
the pause point.
Auxiliary Devices
The 3.5 mm (1/8 in) input jack and
the USB port (if equipped), located
in the center console bin, allow
portable devices to connect to the
vehicle. This is not an audio output;
do not plug headphones into the
auxiliary input jack.
Set up auxiliary devices while the
vehicle is stopped. See
Defensive
Driving
on page 9‑2for more
information on driver distraction.
When a device is first connected to
the 3.5 mm (1/8 in) input jack or the
USB port (if equipped) the
infotainment system automatically
switches to that device. If an
auxiliary device has already been
connected, press the AUX or CD/
AUX button.
3.5 mm Jack
Connect a 3.5 mm (1/8 in) cable to
the auxiliary input jack to use a
portable audio player.
Playback of an audio device that is
connected to the 3.5 mm (1/8 in)
jack can only be controlled using
the controls on the device.
VOL/
O(Volume/Power): Turn
clockwise or counterclockwise to
increase or decrease the volume of
the portable player. Use the portable
device to make additional volume
adjustments.
CD or CD/AUX (CD/Auxiliary):
Press to play a CD when a portable
audio device is playing. Press again
to start playing audio from the
connected portable audio player. If a
portable audio player is not
connected, “No Aux Device”
displays.

Black plate (37,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-37
USB Port
The USB connector uses the USB
standards, 1.1 and 2.0.
USB Supported Devices
.USB Flash Drives
.Portable USB Hard Drives
.Fifth generation or later iPods*
.First, Second, or Third
generation iPod nanos*
.iPod classics*
*For proper operation, make sure
the iPod has the latest firmware
from Apple
®. The iPod firmware can
be updated using the latest iTunes
application. See www.apple.com/
itunes.
Connecting a USB Storage Device
Connect the USB storage device to
the USB port located in the center
console. Some USB devices may
not be supported. Playing an MP3/WMA from a USB
Storage Device
See
MP3
on page 7‑25for more
information.
Connecting an iPod
To connect the iPod, connect one
end of the special iPod connection
cable to the iPod’s dock connector.
Connect the other end to both the
USB port and the auxiliary input jack
located in the center console. The
USB port and the auxiliary input jack
are located in the center console
bin. If the vehicle is on and the USB
connection works, a GM logo may
appear on the iPod. The iPod's
music information will be shown on
the radio’s display and the music
begins playing through the vehicle's
audio system. The iPod's battery charges while it
is connected to the vehicle and if
the ignition is turned to ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN. It can
also be left connected to the vehicle
after the vehicle is turned off. With
the vehicle turned off, the iPod will
automatically be powered off and
will not charge or draw power from
the vehicle's battery.
A standard iPod USB cable, like the
one that came with the iPod, cannot
be used to connect an iPod to the
vehicle. The special iPod
connection cable that came
equipped with the vehicle or that
was made available from your
dealer must be used to command
and control an iPod.
Use a standard 3.5 mm (1/8 in)
stereo cable to connect an older
iPod model that is not supported,
or if the special iPod connection
cable is missing. Command and
control of the iPod using the
infotainment control buttons and
knobs is not supported when only a
3.5 mm (1/8 in) stereo cable is used.

Black plate (26,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
9-26 Driving and Operating
Automatic
Transmission
The shift lever is located on the
center console between the front
seats.
There are several different positions
for the shift lever.
P (Park):This position locks the
rear wheels. Use this position when
starting the engine because the
vehicle cannot move easily.
{WARNING
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly 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).
See Shifting Into Park
on
page 9‑22
. If you are pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑52.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in
P (Park) before starting the engine.
The vehicle has an electronic shift
lock release system. Fully apply the
regular brakes first and then press
the shift lever button before shifting from P (Park) when the ignition key
is in ON/RUN. If you cannot shift out
of P (Park), ease pressure on the
shift lever and push the shift lever
all the way into P (Park) as you
maintain brake application. Then
press the shift lever button and
move the shift lever into another
gear. See
Shifting Out of Park
on
page 9‑23.
Notice: Shifting to R (Reverse)
while the vehicle is moving
forward could damage the
transmission. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only
after the vehicle is stopped.
R (Reverse): Use this gear to
back up.
At low vehicle speeds, R (Reverse)
can be used to rock the vehicle
back and forth to get out of snow,
ice, or sand without damaging your
transmission. See If the Vehicle is
Stuck
on page 9‑11for additional
information.

Black plate (30,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
9-30 Driving and Operating
Manual Transmission
If the vehicle has a manual
transmission, the shift lever is
located on the center console
between the front seats. The
following explains how to operate
the manual transmission.
CTS
CTS—V
1 (First):Press the clutch pedal
and shift into 1 (First). Slowly let up
on the clutch pedal while pressing
on the accelerator pedal.
Shift into 1 (First) when you are
going less than 40 km/h (25 mph).
For CTS-V, shift into 1 (First) when
you are going less than 64 km/h
(40 mph). After a complete stop, if it
is hard to shift into 1 (First), let up
on the clutch pedal, then press it
back down and shift into 1 (First). 2 (Second):
Press the clutch pedal
and let up on the accelerator pedal,
then shift into 2 (Second). Then,
slowly let up on the clutch pedal
while accelerating.
3 (Third), 4 (Fourth), 5 (Fifth), and
6 (Sixth): Shift into 3 (Third),
4 (Fourth), 5 (Fifth), and 6 (Sixth) the
same for 2 (Second).
To stop, let up on the accelerator
pedal and press the brake pedal.
Just before the vehicle stops, press
the clutch pedal and the brake
pedal, and shift to Neutral.
Neutral: Use this position when
you start or idle your engine. Your
shift lever is in Neutral when it is
centered in the shift pattern, not in
any gear.
R (Reverse): To back up, press
down the clutch pedal, completely
stop the vehicle, and shift into
R (Reverse). Let up on the clutch
pedal slowly while pressing the
accelerator pedal.