Page 86 of 470

Black plate (54,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact airbag for the right
front passenger.
The vehicle may also have the following airbags:
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver and the passenger
seated directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger and
the passenger seated directly behind the right front
passenger. All of the airbags in your vehicle will have the word
AIRBAG embossed in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on the
middle part of the steering wheel for the driver and on
the instrument panel for the right front passenger.
With seat-mounted side impact airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the side of the seatback closest
to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear
along the headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce the risk of injury from
the force of an inflating bag, all airbags must inflate very
quickly to do their job.
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Black plate (56,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
{WARNING:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer
protection for adults and older children, but not for
young children and infants. Neither the vehicle's
safety belt system nor its airbag system is
designed for them. Young children and infants
need the protection that a child restraint system
can provide. Always secure children properly in
your vehicle. To read how, seeOlder Children
on
page 2‑31
or Infants and Young Childrenon
page 2‑34
.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See Airbag Readiness Light
on page 4‑48for
more information.
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Black plate (57,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
The right front passenger frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger's side.
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Black plate (61,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair
costs were. For frontal airbags, inflation is determined
by what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and
how quickly the vehicle slows down. For seat-mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and severity of the side
impact.
What Makes an Airbag Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an
electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing the
bag to break out of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are all part of the
airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags, there are airbag
modules in the side of the front seatbacks closest to the
door. For vehicles with roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the side
windows that have occupant seating positions.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. Seat-mounted side impact
and roof-rail airbags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant's upper body.
But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,
primarily because the occupant's motion is not toward
those airbags. SeeWhen Should an Airbag Inflate?
on
page 2‑59for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
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Page 101 of 470

Black plate (69,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might add to or change aboutthe vehicle that could keep the airbags from
working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle's
frame, bumper system, height, front end or side
sheet metal, they may keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or moving any parts of
the front seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing and
diagnostic module, steering wheel, instrument panel,
roof-rail airbag modules, ceiling headliner or pillar
garnish trim, overhead console, front sensors, side
impact sensors, or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system for the right front passenger's position, which
includes sensors that are part of the passenger's
seat. The passenger sensing system may not
operate properly if the original seat trim is replaced
with non-GM covers, upholstery or trim, or with GM
covers, upholstery or trim designed for a different
vehicle. Any object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort enhancing pad or device, installed under or on top of the seat fabric, could
also interfere with the operation of the passenger
sensing system. This could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger airbag(s) or prevent
the passenger sensing system from properly turning
off the passenger airbag(s). See
Passenger Sensing
System on page 2‑64.
If you have any questions about this, you should
contact Customer Assistance before you modify
your vehicle. The phone numbers and addresses
for Customer Assistance are in Step Two of the
Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this manual.
See Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 8‑2.
Q: Because I have a disability, I have to get my vehicle modified. How can I find out whether this
will affect my airbag system?
A: If you have questions, call Customer Assistance.
The phone numbers and addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this manual. See
Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 8‑2.
In addition, your dealer and the service manual have
information about the location of the airbag sensors,
sensing and diagnostic module and airbag wiring.
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Page 116 of 470

Black plate (12,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Trunk
{WARNING:
Exhaust gases can enter the vehicle if it is driven
with the liftgate, trunk/hatch open, or with any
objects that pass through the seal between the
body and the trunk/hatch or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains Carbon Monoxide (CO) which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle must be driven with the liftgate,
or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on or under the
instrument panel.
.Adjust the Climate Control system to a setting
that brings in only outside air and set the fan
speed to the highest setting. See Climate
Control System in the Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with a power liftgate,
disable the power liftgate function.
For more information about carbon monoxide, see
Engine Exhaust on page 3‑33.
Remote Trunk Release
V
(Remote Trunk Release): The remote trunk
release button is located to the left of the steering wheel
next to the instrument panel brightness control. Press
the button to open the trunk. The vehicle must be in
P (Park) or N (Neutral) and the valet lockout switch must
be off to use this button.
You can also press the button with the trunk symbol on
the RKE transmitter to open the trunk. To disable this
feature, see Valet Lockout Switch on page 3‑18.
The trunk can be accessed using the Rear Seat
Pass-Through. See “Rear Seat Pass-Through” following
this section.
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Black plate (18,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Rear Power Sunshade
If your vehicle has a rear power sunshade, it helps to
reduce the amount of heat and light entering the rear
window.
The switch is located on
the overhead console.
The rear power sunshade is located in the rear shelf.
It only works while the ignition is on or while the
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is active. See
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) on page 3‑24.
To raise the power sunshade, press and release the
switch. To close the power sunshade, press and release
the switch again.
Never store objects on the rear shelf because they may
get caught in the sunshade or be tossed about in your
vehicle.
Theft-Deterrent Systems
This vehicle has theft-deterrent features, however, they
do not make it impossible to steal.
Valet Lockout Switch
The valet lockout switch is
located inside the
glove box.
9 (Off): Press this side of the button to turn the lockout
feature off. When the lockout feature is off, you can
open the trunk using either the keyless entry transmitter
or the trunk release button located near the headlamp
switch on the instrument panel.
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Page 123 of 470

Black plate (19,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
—(On): Press this side of the button to turn the lockout
feature on. When the lockout feature is turned on,
the trunk cannot be unlocked with the keyless entry
transmitter or the trunk release button located near the
headlamp switch on the instrument panel.
If the valet lockout feature is on it will also disable the
Universal Home Remote transmitter, if equipped.
Locking the glove box with your key will also help to
secure your vehicle.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation
on
page 3‑4and Trunkon page 3‑12for additional
information.
Content Theft-Deterrent
The security light
is located on the
instrument panel cluster. To arm the system:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door using the power door lock switch with the door open or the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter. The security light will flash.
3. Close all the doors. The security light will come on and stay on for approximately 30 seconds.
If a door or the trunk is opened without a key or a RKE
transmitter the horn will sound and the lamps will flash
for about 30 seconds.
The theft-deterrent system will not arm if you lock the
doors with a key or use the manual door lock. It arms
only if you use a power door lock with the door open or
the RKE transmitter.
To avoid arming the alarm by accident:
.Lock the vehicle with the door key or the manual
door lock.
.Always unlock a door with a key or use the RKE
transmitter system. Pressing the unlock button on
the RKE transmitter, or unlocking a door with the
key disarms the content theft-deterrent system.
Unlocking a door any other way will activate the
alarm when a door or the trunk is opened.
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