
Black plate (64,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
TPMS Sensor Matching Process
Each TPMS sensor has a unique identification code.
Any time you replace one or more of the TPMS sensors
or rotate your vehicle's tires, the identification codes will
need to be matched to the new tire/wheel position. The
sensors are matched to the tire/wheel positions in the
following order: driver side front tire, passenger side
front tire, passenger side rear tire, and driver side rear
tire using a TPMS diagnostic tool. See your dealer for
service.
The TPMS sensors may also be matched to each tire/
wheel position by increasing or decreasing the tire's air
pressure. When increasing the tire's pressure, do not
exceed the maximum inflation pressure indicated on the
tire's sidewall. If using this method to match TPMS
sensors, the complete procedure outlined below must
be performed within 15 minutes of the vehicle being
stationary.
To decrease air-pressure out of a tire you can use the
pointed end of the valve cap, a pencil-style air pressure
gauge, or a key.
You will have one minute to match the first tire/wheel
position, and five minutes overall, to match all four
tire/wheel positions. If it takes longer than one minute to
match the first tire and wheel, or more than five minutes
to match all four tire/wheel positions, the matching
process stops and you will need to start over.The TPM matching process is outlined below:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Press the push-button ignition switch to Acc.
3. Using the keyless access transmitter, lock and unlock the vehicle's doors.
4. Press the lock and unlock buttons, at the same time, on the keyless access transmitter. The horn
sounds twice, indicating that the TPMS is ready,
and the sensor matching process can begin.
5. Start with the driver side front tire.
6. Remove the valve cap from the valve stem. Activate the TPMS sensor by increasing or
decreasing the tire's air pressure for five seconds,
or until a horn chirp sounds. The horn chirp, which
may take up to 30 seconds to sound, confirms that
the sensor identification code has been matched to
this tire position.
7. Proceed to the passenger side front tire, and repeat the procedure in Step 6.
8. Proceed to the passenger side rear tire, and repeat the procedure in Step 6.
9. Proceed to the driver side rear tire, and repeat the procedure in Step 6.
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Black plate (65,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
10. After hearing the confirming single horn chirp forthe driver side rear tire, a double horn chirp will
sound to signal the tire matching mode is no longer
active. Press the push‐button ignition switch
to Acc.
11. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure level as indicated on the tire and loading
information label.
12. Put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
Tire Inspection and Rotation
We recommend that you regularly inspect your
vehicle's tires, including the spare tire, for signs of
wear or damage. See When It Is Time for New
Tires
on page 6‑67for more information.
Always remove the tires if any of the following
statements are true:
.You can see the indicators at three or more
places around the tire.
.You can see cord or fabric showing through
the tire's rubber.
.The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut,
or snagged deep enough to show cord or
fabric.
.The tire has a bump, bulge, or split.
.The tire has a puncture, cut, or other damage
that cannot be repaired well because of the
size or location of the damage.
Tire rotation is not recommended if your vehicle
has P235/50ZR18 size tires on the front wheels
and P255/45ZR18 size tires on the rear wheels.
Different tire sizes should not be rotated front to
rear. Each tire and wheel should only be used in
the original front or rear position it is in.
Tire rotation is recommended if the vehicle is
equipped with P235/50R17 size tires on all four
wheel positions or 255/45ZR18 size tires on all
four wheel positions. These tires should be
rotated every 12 000 km (7,500 miles). See
Scheduled Maintenance
on page 7‑3.
The purpose of a regular tire rotation is to achieve
a uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. This will
ensure that the vehicle continues to perform most
like it did when the tires were new.
Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your
tires as soon as possible and check wheel
alignment. Also check for damaged tires or
wheels. See When It Is Time for New Tires
on
page 6‑67
and Wheel Replacementon page 6‑72.
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Black plate (66,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
When rotating P235/50R17 size tires or
255/45ZR18 size tires, always use the correct
rotation pattern shown here.
If the vehicle has a compact spare tire, do not
include the compact spare tire in the tire rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front
and rear inflation pressures as shown on the Tire
and Loading Information label. SeeInflation - Tire
Pressure
on page 6‑58and Loading the Vehicleon
page 5‑23
.
Reset the Tire Pressure Monitor System. See Tire
Pressure Monitor Operation
on page 6‑62. Make certain that all wheel nuts are properly
tightened. See
“Wheel Nut Torque” under
Capacities and Specifications
on page 6‑128.
{WARNING:
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make wheel nuts
become loose after time. The wheel could
come off and cause an accident. When you
change a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
places where the wheel attaches to the
vehicle. In an emergency, you can use a
cloth or a paper towel to do this; but be
sure to use a scraper or wire brush later,
if needed, to get all the rust or dirt off. See
Changing a Flat Tire
on page 6‑94.
Lightly coat the center of the wheel hub with
wheel bearing grease after a wheel change or tire
rotation to prevent corrosion or rust build-up. Do
not get grease on the flat wheel mounting surface
or on the wheel nuts or bolts.
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Black plate (67,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
When It Is Time for New Tires
Various factors, such as maintenance, temperatures,
driving speeds, vehicle loading, and road conditions
influence when you need new tires.
One way to tell when it is
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires
have only 1/16 inch
(1.6 mm) or less of tread
remaining. SeeTire
Inspection and Rotation
on page 6‑65for
additional information.
The rubber in tires ages over time, even if they are not
being used. This is also true for the spare tire, if your
vehicle has one. Multiple conditions affect how fast this
aging takes place, including temperatures, loading
conditions, and inflation pressure maintenance. Tires
will typically need to be replaced due to wear before
they may need to be replaced due to age. Consult the
tire manufacturer for more information on when tires
should be replaced.
Vehicle Storage
Tires age when stored normally mounted on a parked
vehicle. Park a vehicle that will be stored for at least a
month in a cool, dry, clean area away from direct
sunlight to slow aging. This area should be free of
grease, gasoline or other substances that can
deteriorate rubber.
Parking for an extended period can cause flat spots on
the tires that may result in vibrations while driving.
When storing a vehicle for at least a month, remove the
tires or raise the vehicle to reduce the weight from the
tires.
Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched specific tires for
your vehicle. The original equipment tires installed
on your vehicle, when it was new, were designed
to meet General Motors Tire Performance Criteria
Specification (TPC Spec) system rating. If you
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Black plate (68,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
need replacement tires, GM strongly recommends
that you get tires with the same TPC Spec rating.
This way, your vehicle will continue to have tires
that are designed to give the same performance
and vehicle safety, during normal use, as the
original tires.
GM's exclusive TPC Spec system considers over
a dozen critical specifications that impact the
overall performance of your vehicle, including
brake system performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire pressure monitoring
performance. GM's TPC Spec number is molded
onto the tire's sidewall near the tire size. If the
tires have an all‐season tread design, the TPC
Spec number will be followed by an MS for mud
and snow. SeeTire Sidewall Labeling
on
page 6‑52
for additional information.
GM recommends replacing tires in sets of four.
This is because uniform tread depth on all tires
will help keep your vehicle performing most like it
did when the tires were new. Replacing less than
a full set of tires can affect the braking and
handling performance of your vehicle.
{WARNING:
Tires could explode during improper service. You
or others could be injured or killed if you attempt
to mount or dismount a tire. Only your dealer or
an authorized tire service center should mount
and dismount the tires.
The optional 18‐inch performance tires, size
255/45ZR18 99Y, used on some vehicles, meets
the General Motors Tire Performance Criteria
Specification (TPC Spec) rating but the TPC Spec
code has not been molded onto the tire's sidewall.
If your vehicle has these tires, and you need to
replace them, you can still get these TPC Spec
rated tires by asking your GM dealer. Your GM
dealer can order these tires by part number. This
way, your vehicle will continue to give the proper
endurance, handling, traction, and ride as the
original tires.
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Black plate (69,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Winter tires with the same speed rating as your
original equipment tires may not be available for
H, V, W, Y and ZR speed rated tires. If you choose
snow tires with a lower speed rating, never
exceed the tire's maximum speed capability.
{WARNING:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving. If you mix tires of different sizes (other
than those originally installed on your vehicle),
brands, or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you could
have a crash. Using tires of different sizes (other
than those originally installed on your vehicle),
brands, or types may also cause damage to your
vehicle. Be sure to use the correct size, brand,
and type of tires on all wheels. It is all right to
drive with your vehicle's compact spare
temporarily, it was developed for use on your
vehicle. SeeCompact Spare Tire on page 6‑105.
{WARNING:
If you use bias-ply tires on the vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire and/or wheel
could fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use
only radial-ply tires with the wheels on the
vehicle.
If you must replace your vehicle's tires with those
that do not have a TPC Spec number, make sure
they are the same size, load range, speed rating,
and construction type (radial and bias‐belted tires)
as your vehicle's original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire pressure monitoring
system could give an inaccurate low‐pressure
warning if non‐TPC Spec rated tires are installed
on it. Non‐TPC Spec rated tires may give a
low‐pressure warning that is higher or lower
than the proper warning level you would get with
TPC Spec rated tires. See Tire Pressure Monitor
System
on page 6‑60.
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Black plate (2,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Audio System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-94Audio Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-124
Navigation/Radio System, see Navigation
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-113
Radio Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-120
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-125
Setting the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-95
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-123
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System . . . . . . . . . . .4-126
Audio System(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-95
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-44
B
Back-Up Lamps - Ambulance Body Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Backglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-126
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38 Electric Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
Inadvertent Power Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-113 Brake
Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-35 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-58
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-4
Braking in Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-6
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48 Back-Up Lamps - Ambulance Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-46
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-67
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14, 3-38
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-128
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Black plate (6,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-6Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Gasoline Octane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-68
Fuel Economy Driving for Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Fuses Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-115
Rear Underseat Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-120
Underhood Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-116
Windshield Wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-115
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
GasolineOctane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Gauges
Engine Coolant Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-61
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-68
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-53
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-53
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-7
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38
Headlamp Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-115
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27 Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-46
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31
Range Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Wiper Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
i - 6