Black plate (55,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-55
When turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal so the
trailer will not strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other
objects. Use the turn signal well
in advance and avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers.
Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
The turn signal indicators on the
instrument panel flash whenever
signaling a turn or lane change.
Properly hooked up, the trailer
lamps also flash, telling other
drivers the vehicle is turning,
changing lanes or stopping.
When towing a trailer, the arrows
on the instrument panel flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. Check occasionally
to be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a
lower gear before starting down a
long or steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down,
the brakes might have to be used
so much that they would get hot and
no longer work well.
The vehicle can tow in D (Drive).
Use a lower gear if the transmission
shifts too often.
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, engine coolant
boils at a lower temperature than at
normal altitudes. If the engine is
turned off immediately after towing
at high altitude on steep uphill
grades, the vehicle could show
signs similar to engine overheating.
To avoid this, let the engine run
while parked, preferably on level
ground, with the transmission in
P (Park) for a few minutes before
turning the engine off. If the
overheat warning comes on, see
Engine Overheating on page 10‑18.
Parking on Hills
{WARNING
Parking the vehicle on a hill with
the trailer attached can be
dangerous. If something goes
wrong, the rig could start to move.
People can be injured, and both
the vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged. When possible, always
park the rig on a flat surface.
If parking the rig on a hill:
1. Press the brake pedal, but do not shift into P (Park) yet. Turn
the wheels into the curb if facing
downhill or into traffic if facing
uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the brake pedal
until the chocks absorb the load.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-10
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12 Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-12
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-18
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-20
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-25
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-26
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
High Intensity Discharge(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Turn Signal Lamps . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-40
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Electrical System
Electrical System
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Black plate (2,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
10-2 Vehicle Care
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-50
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . 10-57
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69 Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-70
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-70
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Tire Sealant and
Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Storing the Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . 10-87
Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-88
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 10-92
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-102
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:
Black plate (5,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-5
Hood
To open the hood:
1. Pull the release handle with theabove symbol on it. It is located
below the instrument panel to
the left of the steering wheel.
2. Move the secondary hoodrelease lever up to release the
striker. The lever is located
near the middle of the hood.
3. Lift the hood.
Before closing the hood, be sure all
the filler caps are on properly.
Black plate (11,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-11
SeeEngine Oil Messages on
page 5‑35. Change the oil as
soon as possible within the next
1 000 km (600 mi). It is possible that,
if driving under the best conditions,
the oil life system might indicate that
an oil change is not necessary for
up to a year. The engine oil and
filter must be changed at least once
a year and at this time the system
must be reset. Your dealer has
trained service people who will
perform this work and reset the
system. It is also important to check
the oil regularly over the course of
an oil drain interval and keep it at
the proper level.
If the system is ever reset
accidentally, the oil must be
changed at 5 000 km (3,000 mi)
since the last oil change.
Remember to reset the oil life
system whenever the oil is
changed.How to Reset the Engine Oil
Life System
Reset the system whenever the
engine oil is changed so that the
system can calculate the next
engine oil change. To reset the
system:
1. Using the DIC MENU button and
thumbwheel on the turn signal
lever, display REMAINING OIL
LIFE on the DIC. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑28 andEngine Oil
Messages on page 5‑35.
2. Press the SET/CLR button to reset the oil life at 100%.
Be careful not to reset the oil life
display accidentally at any time
other than after the oil is
changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil
change. The oil life system can also be reset
as follows:
1. Turn the ignition on with the
engine off.
2. Fully press and release the accelerator pedal three times
within five seconds.
If the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message is not on,
the system is reset.
The system is reset when the
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message is off.
If the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message comes back on when the
vehicle is started, the engine oil life
system has not been reset. Repeat
the procedure.
Black plate (22,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
10-22 Vehicle Care
Some driving conditions or climates
can cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean
something is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are
necessary to help prevent brake
pulsation. When tires are rotated,
inspect brake pads for wear and
evenly tighten wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to torque
specifications inCapacities and
Specifications on page 12‑2.
Brake linings should always be
replaced as complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal
does not return to normal height,
or if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign
that brake service might be
required.
Brake Adjustment
Every time the brakes are applied,
with or without the vehicle moving,
the brakes adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is
complex. Its many parts have to be
of top quality and work well together
if the vehicle is to have really good
braking. The vehicle was designed
and tested with top-quality brake
parts. When parts of the braking
system are replaced, be sure to get
new, approved replacement parts.
If this is not done, the brakes might
not work properly. For example,
installing disc brake pads that are
wrong for the vehicle, can change
the balance between the front
and rear brakes —for the worse.
The braking performance expected
can change in many other ways if
the wrong replacement brake parts
are installed.
Brake Fluid
The brake master cylinder reservoir
is filled with DOT 3 brake fluid as
indicated on the reservoir cap.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6 for the location of the
reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the
brake fluid level in the reservoir
might go down:
.The brake fluid level goes down
because of normal brake lining
wear. When new linings are
installed, the fluid level goes
back up.
.A fluid leak in the brake
hydraulic system can also cause
a low fluid level. Have the brake
hydraulic system fixed, since a
leak means that sooner or later
the brakes will not work well.
Black plate (24,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
10-24 Vehicle Care
Battery
Refer to the replacement number
shown on the original battery label
when a new battery is needed.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6 for battery location.
{WARNING
Battery posts, terminals, and
related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and reproductive
harm. Wash hands after handling.
Vehicle Storage
{WARNING
Batteries have acid that can burn
you and gas that can explode.
You can be badly hurt if you are
not careful. See Jump Starting on
page 10‑88 for tips on working
around a battery without
getting hurt.
Infrequent Usage: Remove the
black, negative (−) cable from the
battery to keep the battery from
running down.
Extended Storage: Remove the
black, negative (−) cable from the
battery or use a battery trickle
charger.
All-Wheel Drive
Transfer Case
When to Check and Change
Lubricant
The transfer case is filled with oil
during manufacture, which then
does not require changing. It is not
necessary to regularly check the
transfer case fluid unless there is a
leak suspected or an unusual noise
is heard. A fluid loss could indicate
a problem. It is recommended to
have the transfer case serviced at
your dealer.
Black plate (43,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-43
J-CaseFuses Usage
26 Rear Electrical
Center 2
41 Cooling Fan 2
42 Starter
45 Cooling Fan 1
Mini Fuses Usage 1 Engine Control
Module Battery
2 Transmission
Control Module
Battery
5 Engine Control
Module Run Crank
7 Post-Catalytic
Converter O2
Sensor
8 Pre-Catalytic
Converter O2
Sensor Mini Fuses Usage
9 Engine Control
Module Powertrain
10 Fuel Injectors-Even 11 Fuel Injectors-Odd
13 Washer
14 Heated Steering
Wheel
16 Instrument Panel
Cluster/Malfunction
Indicator Lamp/
Ignition
17 Air Quality Sensor
18 Headlamp Washer
19 Transmission
Control Module Run
Crank
20 Rear Electrical
Center Run Crank
30 Switch Back Light Mini Fuses Usage
32 Battery Sense
(Regulated Voltage
Control)
33 Adaptive Forward
Lighting/Adaptive
Headlamp Leveling
Module
34 Body Control
Module 7
35 Electronic Brake
Control Module
36 Air Conditioning
Compressor Clutch
46 Low-Beam
Headlamp‐Right
47 Low-Beam
Headlamp‐Left
50 Front Fog Lamps
51 Horn
52 Fuel System Control
Module