Black plate (1,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Competitive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-11
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-16
Ignition Positions (KeyAccess) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 9-21
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Parking (Manual Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Parking Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-26
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-30
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Parking Brake (Manual) . . . . . . 9-33
Parking Brake (Electric) . . . . . . 9-34
Brake Assist (Except CTS-V) . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Ride Control Systems
Traction ControlSystem (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
StabiliTrak System . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Competitive Driving Mode . . . 9-39
Magnetic Ride Control . . . . . . . 9-39
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . 9-40
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-42
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Black plate (21,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-21
When first starting the vehicle,
the engine idle speed will be
elevated to allow the catalytic
converter, an emissions control
device, to quickly reach
operating temperature. After
approximately 20 seconds, the
engine will begin to transition to
it's normal, quieter idle speed,
which can vary depending on
the temperature. This is normal
operation.
Notice: Cranking the engine for
long periods of time, by returning
the key to the START position
immediately after cranking has
ended, can overheat and damage
the cranking motor, and drain the
battery. Wait at least 15 seconds
between each try, to let the
cranking motor cool down.
2. If the engine does not start after 5‐10 seconds, especially in
very cold weather (below 0°F
or−18°C), it could be flooded
with too much gasoline. Try
pushing the accelerator pedal all
the way to the floor and holding it there as you hold the key in
START for up to a maximum of
15 seconds. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try, to
allow the cranking motor to cool
down. When the engine starts,
let go of the key and accelerator.
If the vehicle starts briefly but
then stops again, do the same
thing. This clears the extra
gasoline from the engine. Do not
race the engine immediately
after starting it. Operate the
engine and transmission gently
until the oil warms up and
lubricates all moving parts.
Notice: The engine is designed to
work with the electronics in the
vehicle. If you add electrical parts
or accessories, you could change
the way the engine operates.
Before adding electrical
equipment, check with your
dealer. If you do not, the engine
might not perform properly. Any
resulting damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.Engine Coolant Heater
Vehicles with the engine coolant
heater can use this option
in cold weather conditions at or
below −18°C (0°F) for easier
starting and better fuel economy
during engine warm-up. Plug in the
coolant heater at least four hours
before starting your vehicle. An
internal thermostat in the plug-end
of the cord may exist which will
prevent engine coolant heater
operation at temperatures
above −18°C (0°F).
To Use the Engine Coolant
Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the
electrical cord. The cord is
located near the driver side strut
tower.
Remove the plastic cap to
access the plug.
Black plate (22,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
9-22 Driving and Operating
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded110-volt AC outlet.
{WARNING
Plugging the cord into an
ungrounded outlet could cause an
electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could
overheat and cause a fire. You
could be seriously injured. Plug
the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet.
If the cord will not reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension
cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store the
cord as it was before to keep it
away from moving engine parts.
If you do not, it could be
damaged.
Contact your dealer for information
on how long to use the heater in
your particular area.
Shifting Into Park
{WARNING
It can be 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. 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, use the steps
that follow. If you are pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑52.
Use this procedure to shift into
P (Park):
1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake.
See Parking Brake (Manual)
on
page 9‑33or Parking Brake
(Electric)on page 9‑34for more
information. 2. Move the shift lever into P (Park)
by holding in the button on the
shift lever and pushing the lever
all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. For vehicles with key access, remove the key and take it with
you. If you can leave the vehicle
with the ignition key in your
hand, the vehicle is in P (Park).
For vehicles with the keyless
access system, take the keyless
access transmitter with you.
Leaving the Vehicle With the
Engine Running (Automatic
Transmission)
{WARNING
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
(Continued)
Black plate (19,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-19
Cooling System
The cooling system allows the
engine to maintain the correct
working temperature.
When you decide it is safe to lift the
hood, here is what you will see:
A. Electric Engine Cooling Fan(s)(Out of View)
B. Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap
{WARNING
An electric engine cooling fan
under the hood can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can cause injury. Keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from any underhood electric fan.
{WARNING
Heater and radiator hoses, and
other engine parts, can be very
hot. Do not touch them. If you do,
you can be burned.
Do not run the engine if there is a
leak. If you run the engine, it
could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you
could be burned. Get any leak
fixed before you drive the vehicle.
Notice: Using coolant other than
DEX-COOL
®can cause premature
engine, heater core, or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant could require changing
sooner, at 50 000 km
(30,000 miles) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. Any
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL
®(silicate-free) coolant
in the vehicle.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in the vehicle
for all engines and the intercooler is
filled with DEX-COOL
®. This coolant
is designed to remain in the vehicle
for five years or 240 000 km
(150,000 miles), whichever occurs
first.
The following explains the cooling
system and how to check and add
coolant when it is low. If there is a
problem with engine overheating,
see Engine Overheating
on
page 10‑24.
Black plate (20,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
10-20 Vehicle Care
What to Use
{WARNING
Adding only plain water to the
cooling system can be
dangerous. Plain water, or some
other liquid such as alcohol, can
boil before the proper coolant
mixture will. The vehicle's coolant
warning system is set for the
proper coolant mixture. With plain
water or the wrong mixture, the
engine could get too hot but you
would not get the overheat
warning. The engine could catch
fire and you or others could be
burned. Use a 50/50 mixture of
clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL
®coolant.Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COOL
®
coolant. If using this mixture,
nothing else needs to be added.
This mixture:
.Gives freezing protection down
to
−37°C (−34°F), outside
temperature.
.Gives boiling protection up to
129°C (265°F), engine
temperature.
.Protects against rust and
corrosion.
.Will not damage aluminum parts.
.Helps keep the proper engine
temperature.
Notice: If an improper coolant
mixture is used, the engine could
overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Too much water in the mixture
can freeze and crack the engine,
radiator, heater core, and other
parts.
Checking Coolant
The vehicle must be on a level
surface when checking the coolant
level.
The engine coolant reservoir is
located in the engine compartment
on the driver side of the vehicle.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6.
Check to see if coolant is visible in
the surge tank. If the coolant inside
the surge tank is boiling, do not do
anything else until it cools down.
If coolant is visible but the coolant
level is not at or above the FULL
COLD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of
clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL
®coolant at the coolant
surge tank, but be sure the cooling
system is cool before this is done.
If the engine is warm or hot, the
coolant level should be at or above
the FROID/FULL COLD line on the
side of the coolant surge tank. If the
engine is cold, the coolant level
should be near the FROID/FULL
Black plate (25,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-25
If No Steam Is Coming from
the Engine Compartment
If an engine overheat warning is
displayed but no steam can be seen
or heard, the problem may not be
too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when the
vehicle:
.Climbs a long hill on a hot day.
.Stops after high-speed driving.
.Idles for long periods in traffic.
.Tows a trailer.
If the overheat warning is displayed
with no sign of steam:
1. Turn the air conditioning off.
2. Turn the heater on to the highest temperature and to the highest
fan speed. Open the windows as
necessary.
3. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in N (Neutral) while stopped.
If it is safe to do so, pull off the
road, shift to P (Park) or
N (Neutral) and let the
engine idle. If the temperature overheat gauge is
no longer in the overheat zone or an
overheat warning no longer
displays, the vehicle can be driven.
Continue to drive the vehicle slow
for about 10 minutes. Keep a safe
vehicle distance from the car in front
of you. If the warning does not come
back on, continue to drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over,
stop, and park the vehicle
right away.
If there is no sign of steam, idle the
engine for three minutes while
parked. If the warning is still
displayed, turn off the engine until it
cools down. Also, see
“Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode”
next in this section.
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode
This operating mode allows the
vehicle to be driven to a safe place
in an emergency. Should a hot
engine condition exist, an overheat
protection mode which alternates
firing groups of cylinders helps
prevent engine damage. In this
mode, there is a loss in power and
engine performance. Driving
extended distances and/or towing a
trailer in the overheat protection
mode should be avoided.
Black plate (5,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-5
Engine (cont.)Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-35
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Overheated Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-25
Speed Limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4, 9-19
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35 Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-17
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-2
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
F
FeaturesMemory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Filter
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-4
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . .10-102
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-127
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-15
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26 Fog Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . 10-38, 6-5
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-27
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . 3-12
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-48
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-48
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-48
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Fuel Economy Driving for Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Black plate (7,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-7
HeaterEngine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . 10-75
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . 9-16, 9-18
Ignition Transmission Lock
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii, 7-1
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-112
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-36
Keyless Entry
Remote (RKE) System . . . 2-5, 2-7
Keyless Entry System . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-68
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Lamps Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-3
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39 Lamps (cont.)
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-19
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
LATCH System Replacing Parts After aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-59
Latch, Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-53
Liftgate Carbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Lighting Adaptive Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Parade Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lights Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27