
Black plate (18,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
10-18 Vehicle Care
3.6L V6 LFX Engine
1. Engine Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap
2. Engine Cooling Fans (Out of View)
{WARNING
An electric engine cooling fan
under the hood can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can cause injury. Keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from any underhood electric fan.
{WARNING
Heater and radiator hoses, and
other engine parts, can be very
hot. Do not touch them. If you do,
you can be burned.
Do not run the engine if there is a
leak. If you run the engine, it
could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you
could be burned. Get any leak
fixed before you drive the vehicle.
Notice: Using coolant other than
DEX‐COOL
®can cause premature
engine, heater core, or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine
coolant may require changing
sooner, at the first maintenance
service after each 30,000 miles
(50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. Any
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Always use
DEX‐COOL
®(silicate‐free) coolant
in the vehicle.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in the vehicle is
filled with DEX-COOL engine
coolant. See Maintenance Schedule
on page 11‑3 andRecommended
Fluids and Lubricants on
page 11‑13.
The following explains the cooling
system and how to check and add
coolant when it is low. If there is a
problem with engine overheating,
see Engine Overheating on
page 10‑22.
What to Use
{WARNING
Adding only plain water or some
other liquid to the cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water
and other liquids, can boil before
the proper coolant mixture will.
The coolant warning system is set
for the proper coolant mixture.
With plain water or the wrong
(Continued)

Black plate (21,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
Vehicle Care 10-21
1. Remove the coolant surge tankpressure cap from the top
chamber when the cooling
system, including the coolant
surge tank pressure cap and
upper radiator hose, is no
longer hot.
Turn the pressure cap slowly
counterclockwise. If you hear a
hiss, wait for that to stop. This
will allow any pressure still
left to be vented out the
discharge hose. 2. Keep turning the pressure cap
slowly and remove it. Open the
surge tank service port cap to
the lower chamber
3. Fill the surge tank top chamber with the proper DEX-COOL
coolant mixture to the bottom of
the fill neck. The top chamber
needs to be completely full. Fill
the surge tank bottom chamber
through the service port to
approximately half.
4. With the coolant surge tank pressure cap off and the surge
tank service port cap open, start
the engine and let it run until you
can feel the upper radiator hose
getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fan.
By this time, the coolant level
inside the coolant surge tank top
chamber may be lower. If the
level is lower, add more of the proper DEX-COOL coolant
mixture to the surge tank top
chamber until the level reaches
the bottom of the fill neck.
5. Replace the surge tank pressure cap tightly and close the surge
tank service port cap.
Notice: If the pressure cap is not
tightly installed, coolant loss and
possible engine damage may
occur. Be sure the cap is properly
and tightly secured.
Check the level in the surge tank
top and bottom chambers when the
cooling system has cooled down.
If the coolant is not at the proper
levels, repeat Steps 1–3 and
reinstall the pressure cap and close
the service port. If the coolant still is
not at the proper levels when the
system cools down again, see your
dealer.

Black plate (22,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
10-22 Vehicle Care
Engine Overheating
The vehicle has an indicator to warn
of the engine overheating.
If the decision is made not to lift the
hood when this warning appears,
get service help right away. See
Roadside Service (Mexico) on
page 13‑7orRoadside Service
(U.S. and Canada) on page 13‑10.
If the decision is made to lift the
hood, make sure the vehicle is
parked on a level surface.
Then check to see if the engine
cooling fan is running. If the engine
is overheating, the fan should be
running. If it is not, do not continue
to run the engine. Have the vehicle
serviced.
Notice: Running the engine
without coolant may cause
damage or a fire. Vehicle damage
would not be covered by the
warranty.
If Steam Is Coming from the
Engine Compartment
{WARNING
Steam from an overheated engine
can burn you badly, even if you
just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear
steam coming from it. Just turn it
off and get everyone away from
the vehicle until it cools down.
Wait until there is no sign of
steam or coolant before you open
the hood.
If you keep driving when the
engine is overheated, the liquids
in it can catch fire. You or others
could be badly burned. Stop the
engine if it overheats, and get out
of the vehicle until the engine
is cool.
If No Steam Is Coming from
the Engine Compartment
If an engine overheat warning is
displayed but no steam can be seen
or heard, the problem may not be
too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when the
vehicle:
.Climbs a long hill on a hot day.
.Stops after high-speed driving.
.Idles for long periods in traffic.
If the overheat warning is displayed
with no sign of steam:
1. Turn the air conditioning off.
2. Turn the heater on to the highest temperature and to the highest
fan speed. Open the windows as
necessary.
3. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in N (Neutral) for an
automatic transmission or
Neutral for a manual
transmission while stopped.

Black plate (37,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
Vehicle Care 10-37
Number Usage*54 AIR Solenoid55 Transmission Control Module/
Spare
*56 Headlamp Low Relay
57 Headlamp high Relay
58 Starter
59 Starter Relay
60 Run/Crank Relay
*61 Vacuum Pump Relay
62 Air Conditioning Control Relay
*63 Adaptive Headlamp Leveling
*64 Left High Intensity Discharge
Headlamp Number Usage
*65 Right High Intensity Discharge
Headlamp
66 Headlamp High Left/Right
67 Horn
68 Horn Relay
69 Cooling Fan
70 Aero Shutter
71 Transmission Control Module
Ignition
72 Engine Control Module Ignition
*73 Brake Vacuum Pump
74 Not Used
* OptionalInstrument Panel Fuse
Block
The instrument panel fuse block is
in the end of the driver side of the
instrument panel.
To access the fuses, remove the
end panel by gently prying with a
plastic tool near each clip, beginning
at the point shown.

Black plate (77,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
Vehicle Care 10-77
{WARNING
An electric fan can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{WARNING
Using a match near a battery can
cause battery gas to explode.
People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded.
Use a flashlight if you need more
light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You do not need to add
water to the battery installed in
your new vehicle. But if a battery
has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low,(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
add water to take care of that
first. If you do not, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
{WARNING
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
5. Connect one end of the red positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal on the
discharged battery. 6. Connect the other end of the
red positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal of the good
battery.
7. Connect one end of the black negative (–) cable to the
negative (–) terminal of the good
battery.
8. Connect the other end of the black negative (–) cable to the
negative (–) grounding point for
the discharged battery.
9. Start the engine in the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine at idle speed for at
least four minutes.
10. Try to start the vehicle that had the dead battery. If it will not
start after a few tries, it
probably needs service.

Black plate (3,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
INDEX i-3
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-15
CheckEngine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-29
Child Restraints
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47, 3-50
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1, 8-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Clutch, Hydraulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-14 Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Competitive Driving, Racing or Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Compressor Kit, Tire Sealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Connections
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Engine Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34 Cruise Control, Active . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
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) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Diagnostics OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Black plate (6,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
i-6 INDEX
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-6
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Head-up Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
HeadlampsAdaptive Forward
Lighting (AFL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-4
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Heated
Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20 Heater
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . 10-51
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Indicator Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20 Infants and Young Children,
Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . 13-21
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . 1-2
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jack Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-36
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2