
Black plate (57,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, makesure 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 airbag is 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” underPassenger Sensing System
on
page 2‑66for more information.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
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.
.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 (59,1)Cadillac STS 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 2‑34
or Infants and Young Childrenon
page 2‑38
.
There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument
panel cluster, 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 4‑54for
more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver's frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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Black plate (61,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver, right front passenger,
and second row outboard passengers are in the ceiling
above the side windows.
{WARNING:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the steering
wheel hub or on or near any other airbag
covering.
Do not use seat accessories that block the
inflation path of a seat-mounted side impact
airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof of a vehicle
with roof-rail airbags by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window opening. If you do,
the path of an inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
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Black plate (63,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
The 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. A roof-rail airbag is intended to
deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
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. See
When Should an Airbag Inflate?
on
page 2‑62for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
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Black plate (71,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might add to or change aboutthe vehicle that could keep the airbags from
working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle's
frame, bumper system, height, front end or side
sheet metal, they may keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or moving any parts of
the front seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing and
diagnostic module, steering wheel, instrument panel,
roof-rail airbag modules, ceiling headliner or pillar
garnish trim, overhead console, front sensors, side
impact sensors, or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system for the right front passenger's position, which
includes sensors that are part of the passenger's
seat. The passenger sensing system may not
operate properly if the original seat trim is replaced
with non-GM covers, upholstery or trim, or with GM
covers, upholstery or trim designed for a different
vehicle. Any object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort enhancing pad or device, installed under or on top of the seat fabric, could
also interfere with the operation of the passenger
sensing system. This could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger airbag(s) or prevent
the passenger sensing system from properly turning
off the passenger airbag(s). See
Passenger Sensing
System on page 2‑66.
If you have any questions about this, you should
contact Customer Assistance before you modify
your vehicle. The phone numbers and addresses
for Customer Assistance are in Step Two of the
Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this manual.
See Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 8‑2.
Q: Because I have a disability, I have to get my vehicle modified. How can I find out whether this
will affect my airbag system?
A: If you have questions, call Customer Assistance.
The phone numbers and addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this manual. See
Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 8‑2.
In addition, your dealer and the service manual have
information about the location of the airbag sensors,
sensing and diagnostic module and airbag wiring.
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Black plate (2,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Section 3 Features and Controls
Object Detection Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-41
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA) . . . . . . . . 3-41
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Universal Home Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-49
Universal Home Remote System Operation (With Three Round LED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49 Storage Areas
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-59
Memory Seat, Mirrors and Steering Wheel . . . . . 3-75
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Black plate (6,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Other conditions can affect the performance
of the transmitter. SeeKeyless Access Systemon
page 3‑4.
Q(Lock): Press once to lock the doors. The light on
the front doors comes on and the turn signals flash.
If
Qis pressed twice, the horn will also sound.
See “Lights Flash at Lock” and“Horn Chirps at Lock”
under Vehicle Personalization
on page 3‑59to change
the feedback feature.
K(Unlock): Press once to unlock the driver door.
The turn signals flash twice. Press
Ktwice within
five seconds to unlock all the doors. The interior
lamps may come on. See
“Lights Flash at Unlock” and“Ext. (Exterior) Lights
at Unlock” underVehicle Personalization
on page 3‑59to change the feedback feature.
Vehicles with the memory feature can be programmed
to recall memory settings when
Kis pressed on the
keyless access transmitter. See Memory Seat, Mirrors
and Steering Wheel
on page 3‑75for more information.
/(Remote Start): Press to operate the remote start
feature. See Remote Vehicle Starton page 3‑10.
V(Trunk):Press and hold to unlock the trunk. If the
engine is running, the shift lever must be in P (Park).
L(Vehicle Locator/Panic Alarm): Press and release
to locate the vehicle. The horn sounds three times and
the turn signal lamps flash three times. Press and hold
Lfor three seconds to sound the panic alarm. The
horn sounds and the turn signal lamps flash for
30 seconds. Press and release
Lagain to cancel the
panic alarm.
The vehicle comes with two transmitters. Each
transmitter will have a number on top of it, “1”or“2”.
These numbers correspond to the driver of the vehicle.
For example, the memory seat position for driver 1 will
be recalled when using the transmitter labeled “1”,
if enabled through the vehicle personalization. See
Memory Seat, Mirrors and Steering Wheel
on
page 3‑75and Vehicle Personalizationon page 3‑59for more information.
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Black plate (27,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
If the engine is off, press this button to turn on the
accessory mode. ACCESSORY ACTIVE will display on
the Driver Information Center (DIC). Accessory mode
allows use of the audio system and windshield wipers.
Accessory mode must be used if the vehicle must be
towed or in motion when the engine is not running.
After the vehicle has been in accessory mode for more
than 20 minutes, the vehicle will enter RAP or turn off,
depending on if the doors are opened or closed.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
These vehicle accessories can be used for up to
20 minutes after the engine is turned off:
.Audio System
.Audio Steering Wheel Controls
.Power Windows
Power to these accessories will work up to 20 minutes
or until one of the front doors is opened. For an
additional 20 minutes of operation, close all the doors
and press Acc. to place the vehicle in accessory mode.
Press the button again to return to RAP.
Starting the Engine
To place the transmission in the proper gear:
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or N (Neutral). To restart
the engine when the vehicle is already moving, use
N (Neutral).
Notice: Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving. If you do, you could damage
the transmission. Shift to P (Park) only when the
vehicle is stopped.
The keyless access transmitter must be inside the
vehicle for the ignition to work.
Cell phone chargers can interfere with the operation of
the Keyless Access System. Battery chargers should
not be plugged in when starting or turning off the
engine.
To start the vehicle, do the following:
Starting Procedure
1. With your foot on the brake pedal, press the START button located on the instrument panel.
If there is not a keyless access transmitter
in the vehicle or if there is something causing
interference with it, the DIC will display NO FOBS
DETECTED. See DIC Warnings and Messages
on
page 4‑76for more information.
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