Black plate (4,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
iv Introduction
Using this Manual
To quickly locate information about
the vehicle, use the Index in the
back of the manual. It is an
alphabetical list of what is in the
manual and the page number where
it can be found.
Danger, Warnings, and
Cautions
Warning messages found on vehicle
labels and in this manual describe
hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
Dangerindicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result in
serious injury or death.
Warning orCaution indicates a
hazard that could result in injury or
death.
{WARNING
These mean there is something
that could hurt you or other
people.
Notice: This means there is
something that could result in
property or vehicle damage. This
would not be covered by the
vehicle's warranty.
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means “Do
Not,” “Do not do this,” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message,
gauge, or indicator.
M: This symbol is shown when
you need to see your owner manual
for additional instructions or
information.
*: This symbol is shown when
you need to see a service manual
for additional instructions or
information.
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-3
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
SeeRadio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑21 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
If there is a decrease in the RKE
operating range:
.Check the distance. The
transmitter may be too far from
the vehicle.
.Check the location. Other
vehicles or objects may be
blocking the signal.
.Check the transmitter's battery.
See “Battery Replacement” later
in this section.
.If the transmitter is still not
working correctly, see your
dealer or a qualified technician
for service.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation
The RKE transmitter functions may
work up to 60 m (195 ft) away from
the vehicle.
Keep in mind that other conditions,
such as those previously stated, can
impact the performance of the
transmitter.
With Remote Start and Remote
Trunk Release Shown, Without Similar
Q(Lock):Press to lock all doors.
The turn signal indicators may flash
and/or the horn may sound to
indicate locking. See “Remote
Locking, Unlocking, Starting” under
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑43.
Black plate (8,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
3-8 Seats and Restraints
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling the exit position,
the recall may stop. Remove the
obstruction; then press and hold the
appropriate manual control for the
exit feature not recalling for
two seconds. Try recalling the exit
position again. If the exit position is
still not recalling, see your dealer for
service.
Heated Front Seats
{WARNING
If you cannot feel temperature
change or pain to the skin, the
seat heater may cause burns. To
reduce the risk of burns, people
with such a condition should use
care when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of
time. Do not place anything on
the seat that insulates against
heat, such as a blanket, cushion,
cover, or similar item. This may(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
cause the seat heater to
overheat. An overheated seat
heater may cause a burn or may
damage the seat.
Uplevel Buttons Shown, BaseButtons Similar
If available, the buttons are near the
climate controls on the center stack.
To operate, the ignition must be in
ON/RUN/START. Press
M/JorL/zto heat the
driver or passenger seat cushion
and seatback.
Press the button once for the
highest setting. With each press of
the button, the seat will change to
the next lower setting, and then to
the off setting. The indicator lights
next to the buttons indicate three for
the highest setting and one for the
lowest. If the heated seats are on
high, the level may automatically be
lowered after approximately
30 minutes.
When this feature is off, the heated
seat symbol on the button is white.
When the heated seat is turned on,
the symbol turns red.
The passenger seat may take
longer to heat up.
Black plate (29,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
Seats and Restraints 3-29
For some children, including
children in child restraints, and for
very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn
off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
depending upon the person’s
seating posture and body build.
Everyone in the vehicle who
has outgrown child restraints
should wear a safety belt
properly—whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑14 for more
information, including important
safety information.
If the On Indicator Is Lit for a
Child Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions
provided by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to
Securing Child Restraints (Front
Passenger Seat) on page 3‑47
orSecuring Child Restraints
(Rear Seat) on page 3‑50. 5. If, after reinstalling the child
restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit,
turn the vehicle off. Then slightly
recline the vehicle seatback
and adjust the seat cushion,
if adjustable, to make sure that
the vehicle seatback is not
pushing the child restraint into
the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped under the
vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head
restraint. See Head Restraints
on page 3‑2.
6. Restart the vehicle.
The passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the
airbags for a child in a child
restraint depending upon the
child's seating posture and body
build. It is better to secure a
child restraint in a rear seat.
Black plate (31,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
Seats and Restraints 3-31
lit, and the airbag readiness light
on the instrument cluster will
also be lit.
.Liquid pooled on the seat that
has not soaked in may make it
more likely that the passenger
sensing system will turn on the
passenger frontal airbag and
passenger knee airbag while a
child restraint or child occupant
is on the seat. If the passenger
frontal airbag and passenger
knee airbag are turned on, the
on indicator will be lit.
If the passenger seat gets wet, dry
the seat immediately. If the airbag
readiness light is lit, do not install a
child restraint or allow anyone to
occupy the seat. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑14 for
important safety information.
The on indicator may be lit if an
object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop,
or other electronic device, is put on an unoccupied seat. If this is not
desired, remove the object from
the seat.{WARNING
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are parts
of the airbag system in several
places around the vehicle. Your
dealer and the service manual have
information about servicing the
vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑17.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
vehicle is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end, or side sheet
metal, may keep the airbag
system from working properly.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock (Base Radio) . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Clock (Uplevel Radio) . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-13 Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-14
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-15
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . 5-20
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-21
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-21
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-23
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-23
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-24 Adaptive Forward Lighting
(AFL) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . 5-29
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Battery Voltage and Charging Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-33
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-34
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-35
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-36
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-36
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-36
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Black plate (14,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
5-14 Instruments and Controls
Airbag Readiness Light
This light shows if there is an
electrical problem with the airbag
system. The system check includes
the airbag sensor(s), passenger
sensing system, the pretensioners,
the airbag modules, the wiring, and
the crash sensing and diagnostic
module. For more information on the
airbag system, seeAirbag System
on page 3‑19.
The airbag readiness light comes on
for several seconds when the
vehicle is started. If the light does
not come on then, have it fixed
immediately.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
If there is a problem with the airbag
system, a Driver Information Center
(DIC) message may also come on.
See Airbag System Messages on
page 5‑41.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑27 for
important safety information. The
passenger airbag status indicator is
in the overhead console.
United States
Canada and Mexico
When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF, or the symbol
for on and off for several seconds
Black plate (15,1)Cadillac ATS Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 10/5/12
Instruments and Controls 5-15
as a system check. Then, after
several more seconds, the status
indicator will light either ON or OFF,
or the on or off symbol to let you
know the status of the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag are allowed to
inflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the airbag status indicator, it
means that the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag.
If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer for service.{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑14 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
The charging system light comes on
briefly when the ignition is turned
on, but the engine is not running, as a check to show the light is working.
It should go out when the engine is
started.
If the light stays on, or comes on
while driving, there may be a
problem with the electrical charging
system. Have it checked by your
dealer. Driving while this light is on
could drain the battery.
When this light comes on, or is
flashing, the Driver Information
Center (DIC) also displays a
message.
See
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages on page 5‑33.
If a short distance must be driven
with the light on, be sure to turn off
all accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.