2012 CADILLAC CTS Owners Manual

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
OnStar 14-7
OnStar Personal Identification
Number (PIN)
A PIN is needed to access some of
the OnStar services, like Remote
Door Unlock and Stolen Vehicle
Assistance. You will be prompted to
change the PIN the first time when
speaking with an Advisor. To
change the OnStar PIN, call OnStar
and provide the Advisor with the
current number.
Warranty
OnStar equipment may be
warranted as part of the new-vehicle
limited warranty. The manufacturer
of the vehicle furnishes detailed
warranty information.
Languages
The vehicle can be programmed to
respond in French or Spanish. Push
Qand ask an Advisor. Advisors
can speak French or Spanish.
Potential Issues
Some OnStar services are disabled
after five days. OnStar cannot
perform Remote Door Unlock or
Stolen Vehicle Assistance after the
vehicle has been off continuously
for five days. After five days, OnStar
can contact Roadside Assistance
and a locksmith to help gain access
to the vehicle.
Global Positioning
System (GPS)
.Obstruction of the GPS can
occur in a large city with tall
buildings; in parking garages;
around airports; in tunnels,
underpasses, or parking
garages; or in an area with very
dense trees. If GPS signals are
not available, the OnStar system
should still operate to call
OnStar. However, OnStar could
have difficulty identifying the
exact location.
.In emergency situations, OnStar
can use the last stored GPS
location to send to emergency
responders.
.A temporary loss of GPS can
cause loss of the ability to send
a Turn-by-Turn Navigation route.
The Advisor may give a verbal
route or may ask for a call back
after the vehicle is driven into an
open area.
Cellular and GPS Antennas
Avoid placing items over or near the
antenna to prevent blocking cellular
and GPS signal reception. Cellular
reception is required for OnStar to
send remote signals to the vehicle.
Unable to Connect to OnStar
Message
If there is limited cellular coverage
or the cellular network has reached
maximum capacity, this message
may come on. Push
Qto try the
call again or try again after driving a
few miles into another cellular area.

Black plate (8,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
14-8 OnStar
Vehicle and Power Issues
OnStar services require a vehicle
electrical system, wireless service,
and GPS satellite technologies to be
available and operating for features
to function properly. These systems
may not operate if the battery is
discharged or disconnected.
Add-on Electrical Equipment
The OnStar system is integrated
into the electrical architecture of the
vehicle. Do not add any electrical
equipment. SeeAdd-On Electrical
Equipment on page 9‑61. Added
electrical equipment may interfere
with the operation of the OnStar
system and cause it to not operate.
Privacy
The complete OnStar Privacy
Statement may be found at
www.onstar.com. Privacy-sensitive
users of wireless communications
are cautioned that the privacy of any
information sent via wireless cellular
communications cannot be assured.
Third parties may unlawfully
intercept or access transmissions
and private communications without
consent.

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustments
Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Thigh Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-15
Air Filter, Passenger Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Airbag Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32 Airbag System
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-22
Airbags Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-18
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Servicing Airbag-EquippedVehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20 Alarm System
Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-30, 9-33
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Antenna Multi-band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Anti-theft
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-43
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-110
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-113
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
i-2 INDEX
Audio SystemBackglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Hard Drive Device (HDD) . . . . . 7-28
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-27 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29 Exterior Lighting BatterySaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-104
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-32
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Boost Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-22
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34, 9-35
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4 Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37, 6-6
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
High Intensity Discharge(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-38
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-79
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii

Black plate (3,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
INDEX i-3
Capacities andSpecifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Management System . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Cargo Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Cautions, Danger, and
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Central Door Unlock System . . . 2-16
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-19
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Ignition
Transmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-31 Child Restraints
Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49, 3-52
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-110
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-113
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Clutch, Hydraulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-14
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . .10-103
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Competitive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6 Competitive Driving Mode . . . . . 9-40
Compressor Kit, Tire
Sealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Connections, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . 14-4
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Engine Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Courtesy Transportation
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Cover Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
i-4 INDEX
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-6Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Customer Information Service Publications
Ordering Information . . . . . . 13-17
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-14
Danger, Warnings, andCautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-19
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Devices, Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Diagnostics, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2 Door
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Central Door Unlocking
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14, 2-15
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . 12-4
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 10-30, 9-33
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Driving Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Competitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6, 9-40
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . 1-24
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-8
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5 Driving (cont.)
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
DVD/CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
E
Easy Entry Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Electrical System EngineCompartment
Fuse Block . . . . . 10-40, 10-44, 10-47, 10-51
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Rear Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . 10-54, 10-56, 10-58, 10-60
Emergency, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . 14-2

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
INDEX i-5
EngineAir Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-35
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Overheated Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-26
Speed Limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4, 9-20 Engine Oil
Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-19
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-2
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
F
FeaturesMemory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-5
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-116 Fluid
Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-14
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . 10-37, 6-6
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Front Seats
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . 3-10
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-52
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-51
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-51
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36

Black plate (6,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
i-6 INDEX
Fuel EconomyDriving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Fuses EngineCompartment
Fuse Block . . . . . 10-40, 10-44, 10-47, 10-51
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Rear Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . 10-54, 10-56, 10-58, 10-60
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Gauges Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13 Gauges (cont.)
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Hard Drive Device (HDD) . . . . . . 7-28
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-5
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Headlamps Adaptive ForwardLighting (AFL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-37 Headlamps (cont.)
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Heater Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . 10-72
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14