
Black plate (77,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-77
If a Tire Goes Flat
It is unusual for a tire to blowout
while you are driving, especially if
you maintain your vehicle's tires
properly. If air goes out of a tire,
it is much more likely to leak out
slowly. But if you should ever have
a blowout, here are a few tips about
what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire
creates a drag that pulls the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot
off the accelerator pedal and grip
the steering wheel firmly. Steer to
maintain lane position, and then
gently brake to a stop, well off the
road, if possible.
A rear blowout, particularly on a
curve, acts much like a skid and
may require the same correction
you would use in a skid. In any rear
blowout remove your foot from theaccelerator pedal. Get the vehicle
under control by steering the way
you want the vehicle to go. It may
be very bumpy and noisy, but you
can still steer. Gently brake to a
stop, well off the road, if possible.
{WARNING
Driving on a flat tire will cause
permanent damage to the tire.
Re-inflating a tire after it has
been driven on while severely
under-inflated or flat may cause
a blowout and a serious crash.
Never attempt to re-inflate a tire
that has been driven on while
severely under-inflated or flat.
Have your dealer or an authorized
tire service center repair or
replace the flat tire as soon
as possible.
{WARNING
Lifting a vehicle and getting
under it to do maintenance or
repairs is dangerous without the
appropriate safety equipment and
training. If a jack is provided with
the vehicle, it is designed only for
changing a flat tire. If it is used for
anything else, you or others could
be badly injured or killed if the
vehicle slips off the jack. If a jack
is provided with the vehicle, only
use it for changing a flat tire.
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire
and wheel damage by driving slowly
to a level place, well off the road,
if possible. Turn on the hazard
warning flashers. See Hazard
Warning Flashers on page 6‑5.

Black plate (78,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
10-78 Vehicle Care
{WARNING
Changing a tire can be
dangerous. The vehicle can
slip off the jack and roll over
or fall on you or other people.
You and they could be badly
injured or even killed. Find a level
place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in
P (Park), or shift a manual
transmission to 1 (First) or
R (Reverse).
3. Turn off the engine and do not restart while the vehicle
is raised.
4. Do not allow passengers to remain in the vehicle.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
To be certain the vehicle will not
move, put blocks at the front
and rear of the tire farthest away
from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the
other side, at the opposite end
of the vehicle.
This vehicle may come with a
jack and spare tire or a tire sealant
and compressor kit. To use the
jacking equipment to change
a spare tire safely, follow the
instructions below. Then see Tire
Changing on page 10‑86. To use
the tire sealant and compressor kit,
see Tire Sealant and Compressor
Kit on page 10‑79. When the vehicle has a flat tire (B),
use the following example as a
guide to assist you in the placement
of wheel blocks (A).
A. Wheel Block
B. Flat Tire
The following information explains
how to repair or change a tire.

Black plate (91,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-91
13. Place the compact spare tireon the wheel-mounting surface.
{WARNING
Never use oil or grease on bolts
or nuts because the nuts might
come loose. The vehicle's wheel
could fall off, causing a crash.
14. Reinstall the wheel nuts. Tighten each nut by hand until
the wheel is held against
the hub.
15. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise.
{WARNING
Wheel nuts that are improperly or
incorrectly tightened can cause
the wheels to become loose or
come off. The wheel nuts should
be tightened with a torque wrench
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
to the proper torque specification
after replacing. Follow the torque
specification supplied by the
aftermarket manufacturer when
using accessory locking wheel
nuts. SeeCapacities and
Specifications on page 12‑2 for
original equipment wheel nut
torque specifications.
Notice: Improperly tightened
wheel nuts can lead to brake
pulsation and rotor damage.
To avoid expensive brake repairs,
evenly tighten the wheel nuts
in the proper sequence and to
the proper torque specification.
See Capacities and Specifications
on page 12‑2 for the wheel nut
torque specification.
16. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly
in a crisscross sequence, as
shown.
17. Lower the jack all the way and remove the jack from under the
vehicle.
18. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly with the wheel wrench.

Black plate (94,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
10-94 Vehicle Care
Jump Starting
For more information about the
vehicle battery, seeBattery on
page 10‑28.
If the vehicle battery has run down,
you may want to use another
vehicle and some jumper cables to
start your vehicle. Be sure to use
the following steps to do it safely.
{WARNING
Batteries can hurt you. They can
be dangerous because:
.They contain acid that can
burn you.
.They contain gas that can
explode or ignite.
.They contain enough
electricity to burn you.
If you do not follow these steps
exactly, some or all of these
things can hurt you. Notice:
Ignoring these steps
could result in costly damage to
the vehicle that would not be
covered by the warranty.
Trying to start the vehicle by
pushing or pulling it will not
work, and it could damage the
vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must
have a 12-volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice: Only use vehicles with
12-volt systems with negative
grounds to jump start your
vehicle. If the other vehicle's
system is not a 12-volt system
with a negative ground, both
vehicles can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables can reach,
but be sure the vehicles are not
touching each other. If they
are, it could cause a ground
connection you do not want.
You would not be able to start your vehicle, and the bad
grounding could damage the
electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the
vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start
procedure. Put the transmission
in P (Park) before setting the
parking brake.
Notice: If you leave the radio or
other accessories on during the
jump starting procedure, they
could be damaged. The repairs
would not be covered by the
warranty. Always turn off the
radio and other accessories
when jump starting the vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug unnecessary
accessories plugged into the
cigarette lighter or the accessory
power outlet. Turn off the radio
and all lamps that are not
needed. This will avoid sparks,
helping save both batteries and
the radio.

Black plate (99,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-99
Vehicles with an 2.8 L V 6 engine
can be dinghy towed only for
service and are restricted to a
maximum distance of 100 km
(60 miles) and not to exceed
80 km/h (50 mph).
Vehicles with the 3.0 L V 6 engine
can be dinghy towed without
distance restrictions.
Notice:If 105 km/h (65 mph)
is exceeded while towing the
vehicle, it could be damaged.
Never exceed 105 km/h (65 mph)
while towing the vehicle.
For vehicles being dinghy towed,
the vehicle should be run at the
beginning of each day and at each
RV fuel stop for about five minutes.
This will ensure proper lubrication
of transmission components.
To tow the vehicle from the front
with all four wheels on the ground:
1. Position the vehicle that will be towed and secure it to the
towing vehicle.
2. Open the drivers door. 3. With the vehicle OFF, press
the brake pedal and press the
START/STOP switch to start the
engine (the green LED on the
switch will illuminate).
4. Put the vehicle in N (Neutral).
5. Press the START/STOP switch again. The engine will stop, the
DIC will display Shift to Park and
the amber LED on the switch
illuminates. See Transmission
Messages on page 5‑39.

Black plate (100,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
10-100 Vehicle Care
6. Remove the following fuses:BCM 1, BCM 2 and BCM 3.
The START/STOP switch LED's
will be off. See Instrument Panel
Fuse Block on page 10‑49.
7. Close the drivers door.
Notice: If the vehicle is
towed without performing
each of the steps listed under
“Dinghy Towing,” the automatic
transmission could be damaged.
Be sure to follow all steps of the
dinghy towing procedure prior to
and after towing the vehicle.
Once the destination has been
reached:
1. Shift the vehicle to P (Park).
2. Reinstall the BCM fuses. See Instrument Panel Fuse
Block on page 10‑49.
3. Disconnect the vehicle from the tow vehicle. Notice:
Too much or too
little fluid can damage the
transmission. Be sure that
the transmission fluid is at the
proper level before towing with
all four wheels on the ground.
Notice: Do not tow a vehicle
with the front drive wheels on
the ground if one of the front
tires is a compact spare tire.
Towing with two different tire
sizes on the front of the vehicle
can cause severe damage to the
transmission.
Dolly Towing
(All-Wheel‐Drive Vehicles)
All-wheel‐drive vehicles should not
be towed with two wheels on the
ground. To properly tow these
vehicles, they should be placed on
a platform trailer with all four wheels
off of the ground or dinghy towed
from the front. See Dinghy Towing
earlier in this section.
Dolly Towing
(Front-Wheel‐ Drive Vehicles)
To tow the vehicle from the front
with the rear wheels on the ground,
do the following:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
2. Move the shift lever to P (Park).
See Shifting Into Park on
page 9‑22.
3. Set the parking brake.

Black plate (101,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-101
4. Secure the vehicle to the dolly.
5. Follow the dolly manufacturer'sinstructions for preparing the
vehicle and dolly for towing.
6. Release the parking brake.
Towing the Vehicle From
the Rear
Notice: Towing the vehicle from
the rear could damage it. Also,
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Never have
the vehicle towed from the rear.
Appearance Care
Exterior Care
Cleaning Exterior
Lamps/Lenses
Use only lukewarm or cold water, a
soft cloth, and a car washing soap
to clean exterior lamps and lenses.
Follow instructions under “Washing
the Vehicle” later in this section.
Finish Care
Occasional waxing or mild polishing
of the vehicle by hand may be
necessary to remove residue from
the paint finish. Approved cleaning
products can be obtained from your
dealer.

Black plate (108,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
10-108 Vehicle Care
Do not use heat, steam, spot
lifters or spot removers, or shoe
polish on leather. Many commercial
leather cleaners and coatings that
are sold to preserve and protect
leather may permanently change
the appearance and feel of the
leather and are not recommended.
Do not use silicone or wax-based
products, or those containing
organic solvents to clean the
vehicle's interior because they can
alter the appearance by increasing
the gloss in a non-uniform manner.
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and
Other Plastic Surfaces
To remove dust, a soft cloth
dampened with water can be
used. If a more thorough cleaning
is necessary, a clean soft cloth
dampened with a mild soap solution
can be used to gently remove
dust and dirt. Never use spot lifters
or removers on plastic surfaces.
Many commercial cleaners and
coatings that are sold to preserve
and protect soft plastic surfacesmay permanently change the
appearance and feel of the
interior and are not recommended.
Do not use silicone or wax-based
products, or those containing
organic solvents to clean the
vehicle's interior because they can
alter the appearance by increasing
the gloss in a non-uniform manner.
Some commercial products may
increase gloss on the instrument
panel. The increase in gloss may
cause annoying reflections in the
windshield and even make it difficult
to see through the windshield under
certain conditions.Care of Safety Belts
Keep belts clean and dry.
{WARNING
Do not bleach or dye safety belts.
It may severely weaken them.
In a crash, they might not be able
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
to provide adequate protection.
Clean safety belts only with mild
soap and lukewarm water.
Floor Mats
{WARNING
If a floor mat is the wrong size or
is not properly installed, it can
interfere with the accelerator
pedal and/or brake pedal.
Interference with the pedals can
cause unintended acceleration
and/or increased stopping
distance which can cause a crash
and injury. Make sure the floor
mat does not interfere with the
accelerator or brake pedal.