Black plate (2,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
2012 Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner ManualM
Climate Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-27
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-38
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-44
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-61 Vehicle Care
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-104
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-108
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . 10-110
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Cadillac Premium Care
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . 11-3
Special Application Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Additional Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-10 Recommended Fluids,
Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . 11-13
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 11-17
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Customer Information . . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 13-1
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 13-18
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-19
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Black plate (6,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
1-6 In Brief
Door Locks
To lock or unlock a door manually:
Sedan and Wagon Base Model
From the inside, use the door lock
knob on the top of doors.
Sedan and Wagon Uplevel Model
From the inside, for a front door pull
the door handle. Pulling the door
handle again unlatches the door.
For a rear door use the door lock
knob on the top of the door.
Coupe Model
To open a door from the inside,
push the door latch button. Or, pull
the manual door release handle on
the driver side floor. SeeDoor Locks
(Sedan and Wagon) on page 2‑14
or Door Locks (Coupe) on
page 2‑15. Sedan and Wagon Model
From the outside, turn the key
toward the front or rear of the
vehicle, or press
QorKon the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter. See Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation (Key
Access) on page 2‑5 orRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation (Keyless Access) on
page 2‑6.
Coupe Model
From the outside, use the key to
unlock the trunk than pull the
manual door release handle. See
Door Locks (Sedan and Wagon) on
page 2‑14 orDoor Locks (Coupe)
on page 2‑15.
Or, press
QorKon the
RKE transmitter. See Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation (Key Access) on
page 2‑5 orRemote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation (Keyless
Access) on page 2‑6.
Power Door Locks
Sedan/Wagon Shown, Coupe
Similar
Q:Press to lock the doors.
K: Press to unlock the doors.
See Power Door Locks on
page 2‑16.
Black plate (13,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
In Brief 1-13
Power Tilt Wheel
For vehicles with the power tilt
wheel, the control is on the left side
of the steering column.
.Push the control up or down to
tilt the steering wheel up
or down.
.Push the control forward or
rearward to move the steering
wheel toward the front or rear of
the vehicle.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Interior Lighting
Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are located on
the overhead console. These lamps
come on automatically when any
door is opened.
For manual operation, press the
button next to each lamp to turn it
on or off.
If the reading lamps are left on, they
automatically shut off 10 minutes
after the ignition has been
turned off.
For more information, see:
.Reading Lamps on page 6‑7.
.Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑7.
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamp control is located
toward the end of the turn signal/
lane change lever.
O: Turn the band with this
symbol on it to operate the exterior
lamps.
The exterior lamp control has four
positions:
O: Turns off all lamps, except the
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).
AUTO: Turns the headlamps on
and off automatically, depending
upon how much light is available
outside of the vehicle.
Black plate (15,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
In Brief 1-15
Wagon Model
Pull the lever toward you to spray
washer fluid on the windshield. The
spray continues until the lever is
released. The wipers will run a few
times.
SeeWindshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑4 andRear Window Wiper/
Washer on page 5‑6 (if equipped).Climate Controls
The heating, cooling, and ventilation for the vehicle can be controlled with
this system.
A. Display
B. Fan
C. Power
D. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
E. PASS (Passenger Climate
Control)
F. Defrost
G. Air Delivery Mode H. Temperature and Heated/
Ventilated Seat
I. Air Conditioning
J. Recirculation
K. Outside Air
L. Rear Window Defogger
See Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1.
Black plate (20,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
2-20 Keys, Doors, and Windows
3. Pull forward on the trunk releasehandle to open the trunk lid.
On vehicles with a split folding
rear seat:
1. Fold down the rear seatback. See Rear Seats on page 3‑11
for more information.
2. Reach upward through the opening to locate the trunk
release handle.
3. Pull forward on the trunk release handle to open the trunk lid.
Close the trunk by pulling on the
handle. Do not use the handle as a
tie-down.
Rear-Seat Pass Through
If the vehicle has the rear-seat pass
through door, the trunk can be
accessed through the rear seat.
This is useful when transporting
long items.
To open the door, pull down the rear
seat armrest. Then pull the lever all
the way down to release the door. To close the door, push it up and
back into place. Then try to open
the door without pulling up on the
lever to make sure it is locked into
place.
Emergency Trunk Release
Handle
Notice:
Do not use the
emergency trunk release handle
as a tie-down or anchor point
when securing items in the trunk
as it could damage the handle.
The emergency trunk release
handle is only intended to aid a person trapped in a latched trunk,
enabling them to open the trunk
from the inside.
There is a glow-in-the-dark
emergency trunk release handle
located on the back wall of the
trunk. This handle will glow following
exposure to light. Pull the release
handle toward the front of the
vehicle to open the trunk from the
inside.
Liftgate
Power Liftgate Operation
{WARNING
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate or trunk/hatch open,
or with any objects that pass
through the seal between the
body and the trunk/hatch or
liftgate. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO) which
(Continued)
Black plate (28,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
2-28 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors
{CAUTION
A convex mirror can make things,
like other vehicles, look farther
away than they really are. If you
cut too sharply into the right lane,
you could hit a vehicle on the
right. Check the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex
shaped. A convex mirror's surface is
curved so more can be seen from
the driver seat.
Power Mirrors
Controls for the outside power
mirrors are on the driver door.
To adjust each mirror:
1. Press (A) or (B) to select the driver or passenger side mirror.
2. Press the arrows on the control pad to move the mirror up,
down, right, or left. 3. Adjust each mirror so that a little
of the vehicle and the area
behind it can be seen.
4. Press (A) or (B) again to deselect the mirror.
Folding Mirrors
Manual
Vehicles with manual fold mirrors
are folded inward toward the vehicle
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
Push the mirror outward, to return it
to the original position.
Heated Mirrors
=
(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to heat the mirrors.
See Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1.
Black plate (29,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-29
Interior Mirrors
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
The vehicle has an automatic
dimming inside rearview mirror.
Automatic dimming reduces the
glare of headlamps from
behind you.
If the vehicle has a rear vision
camera (RVC), seeRear Vision
Camera (RVC) on page 9‑48 for
more information.
Vehicles with OnStar have three
control buttons located at the
bottom of the mirror. See your
dealer for more information about
OnStar and how to subscribe to it.
See OnStar Overview on page 14‑1.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.
Windows
{WARNING
Leaving children, helpless adults,
or pets in a vehicle with the
windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the
extreme heat and suffer
permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Never leave a
child, a helpless adult, or a pet
alone in a vehicle, especially with
the windows closed in warm or
hot weather.
The vehicle aerodynamics are
designed to improve fuel economy
performance. This may result in a
pulsing sound when either rear
window is down and the front
windows are up. To reduce the
sound, open either a front window
or the sunroof (if equipped).
Black plate (11,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-11
Rear Seats
Notice:Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat.
The vehicle may have a split folding
rear seat.
Sedan or Coupe
To lower one or both of the rear
seatbacks:
1. Pull forward on the tab, on the outboard side of the seatback, to
unlock the seatback.
2. Fold the seatback down. This allows access to the trunk.
See Trunk (Sedan, Coupe) on
page 2‑18 for more information.
Wagon
To lower one or both of the rear
seatbacks:
1. Pull on the lever, on the top outboard side of the seatback, to
unlock the seatback. 2. Fold the seatback down.
To return a seatback to the upright
position:
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
1. Lift the seatback up and push it back into place.
2. Make sure the seatback is locked into place by pushing and
pulling on it.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for the other seatback.
When the seatback is not in use, it
should be kept in the upright, locked
position.