2011 CADILLAC CTS parking brake

Black plate (23,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-23
{CAUTION
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
For vehicles with the Electric Park
Brake (EPB), this red brake warning
light comes on when the park brake
is applied. If the light continues
flashing after the park brake is
released, or while driving, there is a
problem with the Electric Parking
Brake system.
If the light does not come on,
or remains flashing, see your dealer.
For vehicles with the Electric Park
Brake (EPB), this park brake status
light should come on briefly when
ignition is placed in ON/RUN. If it
does not come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn if there is
a problem.
If this park brake light comes on,
there is a problem with a system on
the vehicle that is causing the park
brake system to work at a reduced
level. The vehicle can still be driven,
but should be taken to a dealer
See Brake Assist (Except CTS-V)
on page 9‑36for more information.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
For vehicles with the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
If the light does not come on, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem.
If the ABS light stays on, turn the
ignition off. If the light comes on
while driving, stop as soon as it is
safely possible and turn the ignition
off. A chime may also sound when
the light comes on steady. If this
happens, start the engine again to
reset the system. If the ABS light
stays on, or comes on again while
driving, the vehicle needs service.

Black plate (32,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
5-32 Instruments and Controls
Battery Volts Low
This message displays when the
electrical system is charging less
than 10 volts or the battery has
been drained.
If this message appears
immediately after starting the
engine, it is possible that the
generator can still recharge the
battery. The battery should recharge
while driving, but may take a
few hours to do so. Consider using
an auxiliary charger to boost the
battery after returning home or to a
final destination. Make sure you
follow the manufacturer's
instructions.
If this message appears while
driving or after starting the vehicle
and stays on, have it checked
immediately to determine the cause
of this problem.
To help the generator recharge the
battery quickly, reduce the load on
the electrical system by turning off
the accessories.The normal battery voltage range is
11.5 to 15.5 volts. Monitor battery
voltage on the DIC by pressing the
vehicle information button until
Battery Voltage is displayed.
Service Battery Charging
System
This message displays when there
is a problem with the generator and
battery charging systems. Driving
with this problem could drain the
battery. Turn off all unnecessary
accessories. Stop and turn off the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so. Have the electrical system
checked by your dealer. Under
certain conditions, the charging
system light may also turn on in the
instrument panel cluster. See
Charging System Light
on
page 5‑19for more information.
Brake System Messages
Park Brake Released
For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays when the parking brake
has been released from the set
position. See the Electric Parking
Brake information under Parking
Brake (Manual)
on page 9‑33or
Parking Brake (Electric)on
page 9‑34for more information.
Park Brake Set
For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays when the parking brake
has been applied to the set position.
See the Electric Parking Brake
information under Parking Brake
(Manual)
on page 9‑33or Parking
Brake (Electric)on page 9‑34for
more information.

Black plate (33,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-33
Press Brake To Start Engine
(Automatic Transmission Only)
If the vehicle has the keyless
access system, this message
displays if you try to start the engine
without having the brake pressed.
The brake needs to be pressed
when starting the engine. See
Ignition Positions (Key Access)
on
page 9‑16or Ignition Positions
(Keyless Access)on page 9‑18for
more information.
Release Park Brake Switch
For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays if the Park Brake switch is
pulled while the vehicle is moving.
See the Electric Parking Brake
information under Parking Brake
(Manual)
on page 9‑33or Parking
Brake (Electric)on page 9‑34for
more information.
Service Brake Assist
This message displays if there is a
problem with the brake system. The
brake system warning light and the
antilock brake system (ABS)
warning light may also display on
the instrument panel cluster. See
Brake System Warning Light
on
page 5‑22and Antilock Brake
System (ABS) Warning Lighton
page 5‑23for more information.
Stop as soon as possible and turn
off the vehicle. Restart the vehicle
and check for the message on the
DIC display. If the message displays
immediately or again after you begin
driving, the brake system needs
service. See your dealer as soon as
possible. See Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
on page 9‑32for
more information.
Service Brake System
This message displays, while the
ignition is on, when the brake fluid
level is low. The brake system
warning light on the instrument
panel cluster also comes on. See Brake System Warning Light
on
page 5‑22for more information.
This message may also be
displayed for other brake system
problems. Have the brake system
serviced by your dealer as soon as
possible.
Service Park Brake
For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays if a problem is detected
with the electric parking brake
system. See your dealer for service.
Step On Brake To Release
Park Brake
For vehicles with the Electric
Parking Brake, this message
displays if you try to release the
park brake system without first
pressing the brake pedal. See the
Electric Parking Brake information
under Parking Brake (Manual)
on
page 9‑33or Parking Brake
(Electric)on page 9‑34for more
information.

Black plate (3,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-3
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
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make either
the reduced intensity low‐beam
headlamps or dedicated DRLs come
on when the following conditions
are met:
.It is still daylight and the ignition
is in ON/RUN or START.
.The exterior lamp control is in off
or AUTO and the headlamps
are off.
.The automatic transmission is
not in P (Park).
When DRLs are on, only the
reduced intensity low‐beam
headlamps or dedicated DRLs 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 turns 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.
See
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑5.
Turning the exterior lamp control to
off or to the low-beam headlamp
position will turn off the DRL. If the parking lamps or the fog lamps were
turned on instead, the DRL will still
turn off.
This will work regardless of gear
position and whether or not the
parking brake is set.
Automatic Headlamp
System
When it is dark enough outside and
the exterior lamps control is in the
automatic position, the headlamps
come on automatically. See
Exterior
Lamp Controls on page 6‑1.
The vehicle has a light sensor
located on top of the instrument
panel. Make sure it is not covered,
or the headlamps will be on when
they are not needed.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel.

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 (4,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
9-4 Driving and Operating
And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the
surface of the road, whether it is
pavement or gravel; the condition of
the road, whether it is wet, dry,
or icy; tire tread; the condition of the
brakes; the weight of the vehicle;
and the amount of brake force
applied.
Avoid needless heavy
braking. Some people drive in
spurts—heavy acceleration
followed by heavy braking —rather
than keeping pace with traffic. This
is a mistake. The brakes might not
have time to cool between hard
stops. The brakes will wear out
much faster with a lot of heavy
braking. Keeping pace with the
traffic and allowing realistic following
distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. If the brakes are pumped,
the pedal could get harder to push down. If the engine stops, there will
still be some power brake assist but
it will be used when the brake is
applied. Once the power assist is
used up, it can take longer to stop
and the brake pedal will be harder
to push.
Adding non‐dealer accessories can
affect vehicle performance. See
Accessories and Modifications
on
page 10‑4.
Steering
Power Steering
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or the
power steering system is not
functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but it will take more effort.
Speed Variable Assist Steering
The vehicle has a steering system
that varies the amount of effort
required to steer the vehicle in
relation to the speed of the vehicle. The amount of steering effort
required is less at slower speeds
to make the vehicle more
maneuverable and easier to park. At
faster speeds, the steering effort
increases to provide a sport-like feel
to the steering. This provides
maximum control and stability.
If the vehicle seems harder to steer
than normal when parking or driving
slowly, there may be a problem with
the system. You will still have power
steering, but steering will be stiffer
than normal at slow speeds. See
your dealer for service.
Steering Tips
It is important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
Traction in a curve depends on the
condition of the tires and the road
surface, the angle at which the
curve is banked, and vehicle speed.
While in a curve, speed is the one
factor that can be controlled.

Black plate (17,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-17
you have a manual transmission
vehicle, turn the steering wheel
left and right while you turn the
key hard. If none of this works,
then the vehicle needs service.
A (STOPPING THE ENGINE/
LOCK/OFF):When the vehicle is
stopped, turn the ignition switch to
LOCK/OFF to turn the engine off.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
will remain active. See Retained
Accessory Power (RAP)
on
page 9‑19for more information.
This is the only position in which the
key can be removed. This position
locks the ignition and shifter on
automatic transmission vehicles,
and the ignition and steering wheel
on manual transmission vehicles.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags. In an emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady
pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to neutral. This can be done while the vehicle is
moving. After shifting to neutral,
firmly apply the brakes and steer
the vehicle to a safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop. Shift to P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or Neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake (Manual)
on
page 9‑33or Parking Brake
(Electric) on page 9‑34 The ignition switch can bind in the
LOCK/OFF position with the wheels
turned off center. If this happens,
move the steering wheel from right
to left while turning the key to ACC/
ACCESSORY. If this does not work,
then the vehicle needs service.
B (ACC/ACCESSORY):
This
position lets you use things like the
radio and the windshield wipers
when the engine is off. This position
allows you to turn off the engine.
C (ON/RUN): This position is for
driving. It is the position the ignition
switch returns to after the engine
starts, and the key is released.
To shift the transmission out of
P (Park), the ignition key has to be
in ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN.
The battery could be drained if the
key is left in the ACC/ACCESSORY
or ON/RUN position with the engine
off. The vehicle might not start if the
battery is allowed to drain for an
extended period of time.

Black plate (19,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-19
3. Come to a complete stop. Shiftto P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or Neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake (Manual)
on
page 9‑33or Parking Brake
(Electric) on page 9‑34
B (ACC/ACCESSORY): This
position allows you to use things
like the radio and the windshield
wipers when the engine is off. This
position will allow you to turn off the
engine.
C (ON/RUN): This position is for
driving. It is the position the ignition
switch returns to after the engine
starts, and the control knob is
released.
If you need to shift the transmission
out of P (Park), the ignition control
knob has to be in ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN. The battery could be drained if you
leave the ignition in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position
with the engine off. You may not be
able to start the vehicle if the battery
is allowed to drain for an extended
period of time.
D (START):
This position starts the
engine.
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP)
These vehicle accessories can be
used for up to 10 minutes after the
engine is turned off:
.Audio System
.Power Windows
.Sunroof (if equipped)
Power to the audio system will work
up to 10 minutes or until the driver
door is opened. Power to the
windows or sunroof will work up to
10 minutes or until any door is
opened. For an additional 10 minutes of operation, close all
the doors and turn the key to ON/
RUN and then back to LOCK/OFF.
Starting the Engine
Place the transmission in the
proper gear.
If the vehicle has the keyless
access system, the keyless access
transmitter must be authenticated in
order for the ignition control knob to
turn. The transmitter can be
authenticated either by putting your
foot on the brake pedal or by
pushing the ignition control knob in.
Automatic Transmission
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already
moving, use N (Neutral) only.
If the vehicle has the keyless
access system, your foot must be
on the brake pedal to start the
engine. To rotate the ignition control
knob, put your foot on the brake