2011 CADILLAC DTS Owners Manual

Black plate (9,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Do not have a seatback reclined if the vehicle is
moving.
Center Seat
The vehicle may have a front center seat. This seat
can be converted to a storage area by lowering the
seatback. SeeCenter Flex Storage Unit on page 3‑54.
2-9

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Rear Seats
Heated Seats
{WARNING:
If you cannot feel temperature change or pain to
the skin, the seat heater may cause burns even at
low temperatures. See the Warning underHeated
and Ventilated Seats on page 2‑5.
Your vehicle may have heated rear seats.
To operate the rear heated seats, the ignition must
be on.
The buttons are located
on the rear doors. I
(Heated Seatback): Press to turn on the heated
seatback.
J (Heated Seat and Seatback): Press to turn on the
heated seat and seatback.
Press a button to turn on the desired feature. A light on
that button will display to show which feature is on.
Each feature has three temperature settings indicated
by three lights next to the buttons. The highest setting
shows three lights, two is medium and one is the
lowest.
When you press a button, the feature will turn on at the
highest setting. Each time you press the button, the
feature will go down one temperature setting.
To turn the feature off, keep pressing the button until the
display lights turn off.Rear Seat Pass-Through Door
Your vehicle has a pass‐through door that provides
access to the trunk from the rear seats. See “Rear Seat
Pass‐Through Door” underTrunk on page 3‑12.
2-10

Black plate (11,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This section of the manual describes how to use safety
belts properly. It also describes some things not to do
with safety belts.
{WARNING:
Do not let anyone ride where a safety belt cannot
be worn properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing safety belts, the
injuries can be much worse. You can hit things
inside the vehicle harder or be ejected from the
vehicle. You and your passenger(s) can be
seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you
might not be, if you are buckled up. Always fasten
your safety belt, and check that your passenger(s)
are restrained properly too.
{WARNING:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to
be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people
to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
This vehicle has indicators as a reminder to buckle the
safety belts. See Safety Belt Reminders
on page 4‑47for additional information.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing safety belts. Here is why:
You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have
a crash, you do not know if it will be a serious one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be
so serious that even buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of
them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without safety belts, they could have been
badly hurt or killed.
2-11

Black plate (12,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
After more than 40 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on
wheels.
Put someone on it.
2-12

Black plate (13,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
does not stop.The person keeps going until stopped by something. In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...
2-13

Black plate (14,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
or the instrument panel...or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why
safety belts make such good sense.
2-14

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Questions and Answers About Safety
Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after a crash if Iam wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be—whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so you canunbuckle
and get out, is muchgreater if you are belted. And
you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are
upside down.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to wear safety belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental systems only; so they
work withsafety belts —not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is provided, all occupants
still have to buckle up to get the most protection.
That is true not only in frontal collisions, but
especially in side and other collisions. Q: If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in a
crash —even one that is not your fault —you and
your passenger(s) can be hurt. Being a good driver
does not protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This section is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different rules
for smaller children and infants. If a child will be riding in
the vehicle, see Older Children
on page 2‑31orInfants
and Young Childrenon page 2‑34. Follow those rules
for everyone's protection.
It is very important for all occupants to buckle up.
Statistics show that unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.
2-15

Black plate (16,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Occupants who are not buckled up can be thrown out of
the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others in the
vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
First, before you or your passenger(s) wear a safety
belt, there is important information you should know.
Sit up straight and always keep your feet on the floor
in front of you. The lap part of the belt should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs.In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones
and you would be less likely to slide under the lap belt.
If you slid under it, the belt would apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining forces.
The shoulder belt locks if there is a sudden stop or
crash.
2-16