Page 25 of 528

Black plate (19,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Driver Information Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located at the bottom of the
instrument panel cluster. It shows the status of many
vehicle systems.
Without Head-UpDisplay (HUD)With Head-Up
Display (HUD)
The DIC buttons are located on the instrument panel, to
the left of the steering wheel.
« 4ª:Press to scroll through the available vehicle
information displays which may include digital speed
display, fuel range, fuel economy, fuel used, average
speed, timer, battery voltage, tire pressure, engine oil
life, and display units. If you have an STS-V, the DIC also has additional
vehicle information displays which include engine boost,
engine oil temperature, oil pressure, and transmission
fluid temperature.
AB
300 or3:
Press to scroll through the
odometer, trip odometer A and trip odometer B.
4 //: Press to reset certain DIC features and to
acknowledge DIC warning messages and clear them
from the DIC display.
EM: Press this button to change the display from
English to metric.
« ~ ª:Press to change the position of the HUD
on the windshield.
For more information about HUD, see Head-Up Display
(HUD) on page 4‑38.
For information on adjusting the instrument panel
brightness, see Instrument Panel Brightness
on
page 4‑35.
For more information, see Driver Information Center
(DIC) on page 4‑69.
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Page 27 of 528

Black plate (21,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Power Outlets
Accessory power outlets can be used to plug in
electrical equipment, such as a cellphone or MP3
player.
The vehicle has one outlet in front of the center
console, one in the center console lid and there may be
an additional outlet in the rear of the center console.
SeeAccessory Power Outlet(s) on page 4‑42.
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control System (TCS)
The traction control system limits wheel spin. The
system turns on automatically every time the vehicle is
started.
.To turn off traction control, press and release thetbutton located on the console.iilluminates
when the system is turned off.
For more information, see Traction Control System
(TCS) on page 5‑9.
StabiliTrak®System
The StabiliTrak system assists with directional control of
the vehicle in difficult driving conditions. The system
turns on automatically every time the vehicle is started.
.To turn off both Traction Control and StabiliTrak,
press and hold
t, located on the console,
until
iilluminates and the appropriate DIC
message displays. See DIC Warnings and
Messages on page 4‑76.
.Press and release the button again to turn on both
systems.
For more information, see StabiliTrak
®Systemon
page 5‑6.
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Page 31 of 528

Black plate (25,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
OnStar service requires wireless communication
networks and the Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellite network. Not all OnStar services are available
everywhere or on all vehicles at all times.
OnStar service can’t work unless your vehicle is in
a place where OnStar has an agreement with a
wireless service provider for service in that area, and
the wireless service provider has coverage, network
capacity, reception, and technology compatible with
OnStar's service. Service involving location information
about your vehicle can’t work unless GPS signals are
available, unobstructed, and compatible with the OnStar
hardware. The vehicle has to have a working electrical
system and adequate battery power for the OnStar
equipment to operate. OnStar service may not work if
the OnStar equipment isn’t properly installed or you
haven’t maintained it and your vehicle is in good
working order and in compliance with all government
regulations. If you try to add, connect, or modify any
equipment or software in your vehicle, OnStar service
may not work. Other problems OnStar can’t control may
prevent service to you, such as hills, tall buildings,
tunnels, weather, electrical system design and
architecture of your vehicle, damage to important parts
of your vehicle in a crash, or wireless phone network
congestion or jamming.See
Radio Frequency Statementon page 8‑20for information regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) rules and
Industry Canada Standards RSS-210/220/310.
OnStar Steering Wheel Controls
This vehicle may have a Talk/Mute button that can be
used to interact with OnStar Hands-Free calling. See
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
on page 4‑124for more
information.
On some vehicles, the mute button can be used to dial
numbers into voice mail systems, or to dial phone
extensions. See the OnStar Owner's Guide for more
information.
Your Responsibility
Increase the volume of the radio if the OnStar advisor
cannot be heard.
If the light next to the OnStar buttons is red, the system
may not be functioning properly. Push the
Qbutton and
request a vehicle diagnostic. If the light appears clear
(no light appears), your OnStar subscription has
expired and all services have been deactivated. Push
the
Qbutton to confirm that the OnStar equipment is
active.
1-25
Page 33 of 528

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Section 2 Seats and Restraint System
Front Seats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Power Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Power Lumbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Heated and Ventilated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Memory Seat, Mirrors and Steering Wheel . . . . . . 2-5
Power Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Rear Seat Pass-Through Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-34
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-34
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-34
Infants and Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-38
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-41
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-43 Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-45
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-51
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-53
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-57
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-59
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-62
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-63
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-63
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . 2-64
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-66
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . 2-70
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-71
Restraint System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-72
Checking the Restraint Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-72
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-73
2-1
Page 34 of 528
Black plate (2,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Front Seats
Power Seats
The power seat controls
are located on the
outboard side of the
seats.To adjust the seat:
.Move the seat forward or rearward by sliding the
horizontal control forward or rearward.
.Raise or lower the front part of the seat cushion
by moving the front of the horizontal control up
or down.
.Raise or lower the rear part of the seat cushion
by moving the rear of the horizontal control up
or down.
.Use the vertical control to recline the seatback.
See
Power Reclining Seatbacks on page 2‑10.
If the vehicle has the memory feature, you can program
and recall memory settings for seat positions. See
Memory Seat, Mirrors and Steering Wheel
on
page 3‑75.
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Page 35 of 528
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Power Lumbar
The power lumbar control
is on the outboard sides
of the front seats.To increase or decrease support, press and hold the
front or rear of the control.
To raise or lower the position of the lumbar support,
press and hold the top or bottom of the control.
On vehicles with the memory feature, seat settings can
be saved and recalled. See
Memory Seat, Mirrors and
Steering Wheel
on page 3‑75for more information.
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Page 37 of 528

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Heated and Ventilated 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
Seats on page 2‑4.
On vehicles with this feature, the buttons are on the
climate control panel.
z(Heated Seat and Seatback): Press to heat the seat
and seatback.
{(Ventilated Seat): Press to ventilate the seat.
Press the button once for the highest setting. With each
press of the button, the setting will change to the next
lower setting, and then to the off setting.
A light bar in the climate control display shows the
setting: high, medium, or low.
The heated or ventilated seats shut off when the vehicle
is turned off.
Memory Seat, Mirrors and Steering
Wheel
If the vehicle has the memory feature, you can program
and recall memory settings for the following features for
up to two drivers:
.The driver seat position
.The outside rearview mirrors position
.The power tilt wheel and telescopic steering
column position
The following settings and presets are set automatically:
.The language, radio and XM™ presets, tone,
volume, playback mode (AM/FM or CD), last
displayed stations, and compact disc position
.The last climate control setting
.The Head-Up Display (HUD) position, if your
vehicle has this feature
.Other personalization settings, for example, remote
start settings
See Vehicle Personalization on page 3‑59.
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Page 48 of 528
Black plate (16,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
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.
2-16