
Black plate (54,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
3-54 Seats and Restraints
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, 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 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 3‑27 for more
information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
9-2 Driving and Operating
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Gasoline Specifications(U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . 9-51
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-52
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Trailer Towing (CTS-V and Coupe) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Trailer Towing (Except CTS-V and Coupe) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Driving Information
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention
away from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, always
keep your eyes on the road, hands
on the wheel, and mind on the drive.
.Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
.Watch the road. Do not
read, take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices.
.Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions.
.Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such
as programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
.Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
.Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children.
.Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint.
.Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-15
GVWR includes the weight of
the vehicle, all occupants, fuel,
and cargo. Never exceed the
GVWR for the vehicle, or the
Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for either the front or
rear axle.
If the vehicle is carrying a heavy
load, it should be spread out.
See“Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit” earlier in this
section.
{WARNING
Do not load the vehicle any
heavier than the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR), or either the
maximum front or rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
This can cause systems to
break and change the way the
vehicle handles. This could
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
cause loss of control and a
crash. Overloading can also
shorten the life of the vehicle.
{WARNING
Things inside the vehicle can
strike and injure people in a
sudden stop or turn, or in a
crash.
.Put things in the cargo
area of the vehicle. In the
cargo area, put them as
far forward as possible.
Try to spread the weight
evenly.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Never stack heavier
things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle so that
some of them are above
the tops of the seats.
.Do not leave an
unsecured child restraint
in the vehicle.
.Secure loose items in the
vehicle.
.Do not leave a seat folded
down unless needed.

Black plate (8,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
i-8 INDEX
Lights (cont.)Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-16
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Up-Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Central Door UnlockingSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14, 2-15
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
M
Magnetic Ride Control . . . . . . . . . 9-40
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-17
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-13
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-19
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . . 9-31 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Messages Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . 5-43
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37 Messages (cont.)
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-39
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Mirrors Automatic DimmingRearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-29
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Monitor System, Tire
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16

Black plate (11,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
INDEX i-11
Reporting Safety DefectsCanadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-19
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
Restraints Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Ride Control Systems Limited Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . 9-41
Magnetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Roads Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Roadside Service . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Roof Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-32
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . 12-4
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . 3-19
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 3-18
Safety Defects Reporting
Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-19
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-13
Sealant Kit, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Seats Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Easy Entry Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated and VentilatedFront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-5 Seats (cont.)
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-4
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49, 3-52
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
Security, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Service Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-17
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-13
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32