Black plate (53,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
6. To tighten the belt, push down on the childrestraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt, and feed the
shoulder belt back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child restraint, it may
be helpful to use your knee to push down on the
child restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure
the retractor is locked. If the retractor is not locked,
repeat Steps 5 and 6. 7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make
sure it is securely held in place. To check, grasp
the child restraint at the safety belt path and
attempt to move it side to side and back and forth.
When the child restraint is properly installed, there
should be no more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
If the airbags are off, the off indicator in the passenger
airbag status indicator will come on and stay on when
the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, see “If the On Indicator is Lit for a Child
Restraint ”under Passenger Sensing System
on
page 2‑64for more information.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
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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 (55,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{WARNING:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you are not wearing your safety belt—even if
you have airbags. Airbags are designed to work
with safety belts, but do not replace them. Also,
airbags are not designed to deploy in every
crash. In some crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. See When Should an Airbag Inflate?
on
page 2‑59
.
Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps
reduce your chance of hitting things inside the
vehicle or being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the safety belts.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is an airbag for
that person.
{WARNING:
Airbags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would be if you were
sitting on the edge of your seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in position before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
even with airbags. The driver should sit as far
back as possible while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against the
door or side windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags and/or roof-rail
airbags.
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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 (60,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
.If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole), the
airbags could inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
.If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle, the
airbags could inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with specific vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
Your vehicle has a seat position sensor which enables
the sensing system to monitor the position of the right
front passenger's seat. The passenger seat position
sensor and passenger safety belt buckle switch provide
information that is used to determine if the airbags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full deployment.
In addition, your vehicle has a dual-stage driver airbag.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage
airbags inflate at a level less than full deployment. For
more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. Your vehicle also has a dual-depth passenger airbag
that adjusts the restraint according to crash severity,
seat location, and safety belt status using electronic
frontal sensor(s) and other special sensors which
enable the sensing system to monitor the position of the
front passenger seat. The passenger airbag inflates to a
reduced depth when the passenger seat is in a forward
position. For more rearward front seating positions, the
passenger airbag may inflate to an increased depth (a
full deployment), based on safety belt status and the
crash severity measured early in the event. (Always
wear your safety belt, even with frontal airbags.)
Your vehicle has seat-mounted side impact airbags.
Your vehicle may have roof-rail airbags. See
Airbag
System
on page 2‑54. Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended to inflate in moderate to
severe side crashes. Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags will inflate if the crash severity is above
the system's designed threshold level. The threshold
level can vary with specific vehicle design.
Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags are
not intended to inflate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts. A seat-mounted side
impact airbag is intended to deploy on the side of the
vehicle that is struck. Both roof-rail airbags will deploy
when either side of the vehicle is struck.
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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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Black plate (64,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Passenger Sensing System
The vehicle has a passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger position. The passenger airbag
status indicator will be visible on the overhead console
when the vehicle is started.
United StatesCanada
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off,
are visible during the system check. If you are using
remote start, if equipped, to start the vehicle from a
distance, you may not see the system check. When
the system check is complete, either the word ON or
OFF, or the symbol for on or off, will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 4‑48.
The passenger sensing system turns off the right front
passenger frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact
airbag under certain conditions. The driver airbags and
the roof-rail airbags are not affected by the passenger
sensing system. The passenger sensing system works with sensors
that are part of the right front passenger seat. The
sensors are designed to detect the presence of a
properly-seated occupant and determine if the right
front passenger frontal airbag and seat‐mounted side
impact airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or not.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight and size.
We recommend that children be secured in a rear seat,
including: an infant or a child riding in a rear-facing child
restraint; a child riding in a forward-facing child seat; an
older child riding in a booster seat; and children, who
are large enough, using safety belts.
A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating airbag. A child in a
(Continued)
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Black plate (66,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
For some children who have outgrown child restraints
and for very small adults, the passenger sensing
system may or may not turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag,
depending upon the person’s seating posture and body
build. Everyone in the vehicle who has outgrown child
restraints should wear a safety belt properly—whether
or not there is an airbag for that person.
{WARNING:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on and
stays on, it means that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help avoid injury to
yourself or others, have the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness Light
on page 4‑48
for more information, including important safety
information.
If the On Indicator is Lit for a Child
Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle. 3. Remove any additional items from the seat such
as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters,
or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided by the child restraint manufacturer and
refer to Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position on page 2‑50.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, turn the
vehicle off. Then slightly recline the vehicle
seatback and adjust the seat cushion, if adjustable,
to make sure that the vehicle seatback is not
pushing the child restraint into the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint. See Head Restraints
on
page 2‑2.
6. Restart the vehicle. If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the
child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle,
and check with your dealer.
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