2013 CADILLAC CTS lights

Black plate (3,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 8/22/12
Lighting 6-3
The DRL system will make either
the reduced intensity low-beam
headlamps or dedicated DRLs come
on when the following conditions
are met:
.It is still daylight and the ignition
is in ON/RUN or START.
.The exterior lamp control is inPor AUTO and the headlamps
are off.
.The automatic transmission is
not in P (Park).
When DRLs are on, only the
reduced intensity low-beam
headlamps or dedicated DRLs will
be on. The other exterior lamps and
the instrument cluster will not be on.
When the exterior lamp control is in
AUTO and it is dark enough outside,
the DRL turn off and the low-beam
headlamps will turn on. When it is
bright enough outside, the low-beam
headlamps will go off, and the DRL
will turn back on. If the vehicle is
started in a dark garage, the
automatic headlamp system comes on immediately. Once the vehicle
leaves the garage, it takes about
one minute for the automatic
headlamp system to change to DRL
if it is light outside. During that
delay, the instrument cluster may
not be as bright as usual. Make sure
the instrument panel brightness
knob is in the full bright position.
See
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑6.
Turning the exterior lamp control to
off or to the low-beam headlamp
position will turn off the DRL. If the
parking lamps or the fog lamps were
turned on instead, the DRL will still
turn off.
This will work regardless of gear
position and whether or not the
parking brake is set.
When the DRL are active and a turn
signal is operated, the DRL on the
side the turn signal is activated, will
turn off until the turn signal is
turned off.
Automatic Headlamp
System
When it is dark enough outside, the
automatic headlamp system turns
on the headlamps at the normal
brightness, along with the taillamps,
sidemarker, parking lamps, and the
instrument panel lights. The radio
lights will also be dim.
To turn off the automatic headlamp
system, turn the exterior lamp
control to the off position and then
release it.
The vehicle has a light sensor on
the top of the instrument panel in
the defroster grille which regulates
when the automatic headlamps turn

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 8/22/12
6-4 Lighting
on. Do not cover the sensor,
otherwise the headlamps will come
on whenever the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage, heavy overcast
weather, or a tunnel. This is normal.
If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp
system will come on immediately.
Once the vehicle leaves the garage,
it takes approximately one minute
for the automatic headlamp system
to change if it is bright enough
outside. During that delay, the
instrument cluster may not be as
bright as usual. Make sure the
instrument panel brightness control
is in the full bright position. See
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑6.
To idle the vehicle with the
automatic headlamp system off, turn
the control to the off position.The headlamps will also stay on
after you exit the vehicle. This
feature can be programmed using
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑45.
The regular headlamp system can
be turned on when needed.
Lights On with Wipers
If the windshield wipers are
activated in daylight with the engine
on, and the exterior lamp control is
in AUTO, the headlamps, parking
lamps, and other exterior lamps
come on. The transition time for the
lamps coming on varies based on
wiper speed. When the wipers are
not operating, these lamps turn off.
Move the exterior lamp control to
P
or;to disable this feature.
Adaptive Forward
Lighting (AFL)
The Adaptive Forward Lighting
System (AFL) pivots the headlamps
horizontally to provide greater road
illumination while turning. To enable
AFL, set the exterior lamp control on
the turn signal lever to the AUTO
position. Moving the switch out of
the AUTO position will deactivate
the system. AFL will operate when
the vehicle speed is greater than
3 km/h (2 mph). AFL will not operate
when the transmission is in
R (Reverse). AFL is not immediately
operable after starting the vehicle;
driving a short distance is required
to calibrate the AFL. See Exterior
Lamp Controls on page 6‑1.

Black plate (6,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 8/22/12
6-6 Lighting
#(Fog Lamps):Turn the fog lamp
band on the lever up to
#and
release it, to turn the fog lamps on
or off. The band will return to its
original position.
The parking lamps must be on for
the fog lamps to work.
If the high-beam headlamps are
turned on, the fog lamps will also
turn off. They will turn back on again
when you change back to low-beam
headlamps.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The instrument panel brightness
knob is on the instrument panel next
to the steering column.
D(Instrument Panel
Brightness): Turn the knob
clockwise or counterclockwise to
brighten or dim the lights. Turn the
knob completely clockwise to turn
on the interior lamps.
Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are 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.

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 8/22/12
Lighting 6-7
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
The headlamps, taillamps, license
plate lamps, back‐up lamps, dome
lamps, and most of the interior lights
turn on briefly when the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE)
Kis pressed,
or when the door handle is pulled on
a keyless access vehicle. See
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access)
on page 9‑15 orIgnition Positions
(Key Access) on page 9‑17. After
about 30 seconds the exterior lamps
turn off, then the dome and
remaining interior lights dim to off.
Entry lighting can be disabled
manually by changing the ignition
out of the OFF position, or by
pressing the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE)
Qbutton.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑45.
Exit Lighting
The headlamps, taillamps, parking
lamps, back-up lamps, and license
plate lamps come on at night, or in
areas with limited lighting, when the
key is removed from the ignition.
The dome lamps also come on
when the key is removed from the
ignition. The exterior lights and
dome lamps remain on after the
door is closed for a set amount of
time, then automatically turn off.
For vehicles with keyless access,
the exterior lamps and dome lamps
automatically turn on when a door is
opened after the ignition is turned
off. See Ignition Positions (Keyless
Access) on page 9‑15 orIgnition
Positions (Key Access) on
page 9‑17.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamps control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑45.
Parade Dimming
This feature does not let the
instrument panel display screens
dim during daylight hours while the
ignition is in the ACC/ACCESSORY
or ON/RUN position and the parking
lamps or headlamps are on. Parade
dimming automatically works with
the light sensor on top of the
dashboard. If it is dark enough
outside and the parking lamps or
headlamps are on, the instrument
panel display screens can be
adjusted by turning the instrument
panel brightness knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or dim
the lighting. See Instrument Panel
Illumination Control on page 6‑6.
The instrument panel control
backlighting can still be adjusted
while in parade mode.

Black plate (28,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 8/22/12
9-28 Driving and Operating
The tachometer display indicates
which gear the vehicle is in. The
number indicates the requested
gear range when moving the shift
lever forward or rearward.
CTS-V vehicles use tracer lights
around the outside of the
tachometer as a performance
upshift light. These tracers flash to
indicate when to shift to the next
higher gear to avoid the engine
speed limit. SeeTachometer on
page 5‑13 for more information. While using the DSC feature, the
vehicle will have firmer, quicker
shifting. You can use this for sport
driving or when climbing or
descending hills, to stay in gear
longer, or to downshift for more
power or engine braking.
The transmission will only allow you
to shift into gears appropriate for the
vehicle speed and engine
revolutions per minute (RPM). The
transmission will not automatically
shift to the next lower gear if the
engine rpm is too high, nor to the
next higher gear when the maximum
engine rpm is reached.
If shifting is prevented for any
reason, the currently selected gear
will flash multiple times, indicating
that the transmission has not shifted
gears.
While in the DSC mode, the CTS
automatic transmission will
automatically downshift when the
vehicle comes to a stop. This will
allow for more power during
acceleration.
The CTS-V automatic transmission
will not automatically downshift on
hard acceleration when in
DSC mode.
When accelerating the vehicle from
a stop in snowy and icy conditions,
it is suggested to shift into second
gear. A higher gear allows the
vehicle to gain more traction on
slippery surfaces.

Black plate (30,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 8/22/12
9-30 Driving and Operating
Notice:If you skip more than one
gear when you downshift, or if
you race the engine when you
release the clutch pedal while
downshifting, you could damage
the engine, clutch, driveshaft or
the transmission. Do not skip
gears or race the engine when
downshifting.
If the vehicle speed drops below
32 km/h (20 mph), or if the engine is
not running smoothly, downshift to
the next lower gear. You may have
to downshift two or more gears to
keep the engine running smoothly
or for good performance. Up-Shift Light
Vehicles with a manual transmission
have an up-shift light on the
instrument panel. This light shows
when to shift to the next higher gear
for the best fuel economy.
When this light comes on, you can
shift to the next higher gear if
weather, road, and traffic conditions
allow. For the best fuel economy,
accelerate slowly and shift when the
light comes on.
While you accelerate, it is normal for
the light to go on and off if you
quickly change the position of the
accelerator. Ignore the light when
you downshift.CTS-V vehicles use tracer lights
around the outside of the
tachometer as a performance
up-shift light. These tracers flash to
indicate when to shift to the next
higher gear to avoid the engine
speed limit. See
Tachometer on
page 5‑13 for more information.Skip Shift (CTS-V)
Under light acceleration, the
transmission will only allow you to
shift from 1 (First) to 4 (Fourth).
Shifts from 1 (First) to 2 (Second) or
3 (Third) are not allowed. This helps
improve fuel mileage.
Under harder acceleration, Skip
Shift is disabled, and the driver has
all gears available.

Black plate (33,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 8/22/12
Driving and Operating 9-33
A warning chime will sound if the
parking brake is set, the ignition is
on, and the vehicle begins to move.
To stop the chime, fully release the
parking brake.
If you are towing a trailer and
parking on a hill, seeDriving
Characteristics and Towing Tips on
page 9‑51 for more information.
Parking Brake (Electric)
{WARNING
On vehicles with a manual
transmission, releasing the clutch
and pressing the accelerator will
release the Electric Parking
Brake. If the vehicle is not in a
gear, the vehicle could move, and
you or others could be injured.
Make sure the vehicle is in a gear
before attempting to drive away.
To avoid unexpected vehicle
movement, do not partially
release the clutch or press the
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
accelerator pedal until you are
ready to release the parking
brake and drive away.
Vehicles with the electric parking
brake (EPB) have a switch in the
center console.
The EPB takes the place of the
manual parking brake system, the
foot pedal, and release handle. The
EPB can always be activated, even
if the ignition is off. To avoid draining the battery, do not operate
the EPB too often without the
engine running.
The system has two warning lights
and five Driver Information Center
(DIC) messages. See
Brake System
Warning Light on page 5‑22 and
Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑27 for more information. In
case of insufficient electrical power,
the EPB cannot be applied or
released.
EPB Apply
The EPB can be applied any time
the vehicle is stopped. The EPB is
applied by momentarily lifting up on
the EPB switch. Once fully applied,
the BRAKE light will be on, and the
DIC message PARK BRAKE SET
will be displayed. While the brake is
being applied, the status light will
flash until full apply is reached.
If the light does not come on,
or remains flashing, you need to
have the vehicle serviced. Do not
drive the vehicle if the BRAKE light

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2013 - crc2 - 8/22/12
11-10 Service and Maintenance
Additional
Maintenance and Care
Your vehicle is an important
investment and caring for it properly
may help to avoid future costly
repairs. To maintain vehicle
performance, additional
maintenance services may be
required. It is recommended that
your dealer perform these
services—their trained dealer
technicians know your vehicle best.
Your dealer can also perform a
thorough assessment with a multi‐
point inspection to recommend
when your vehicle may need
attention. The following list is
intended to explain the services and
conditions to look for that may
indicate services are required. Battery
The battery supplies power to start
the engine and operate any
additional electrical accessories.
.To avoid break‐down or failure to
start the vehicle, maintain a
battery with full cranking power.
.Trained dealer technicians have
the diagnostic equipment to test
the battery and ensure that the
connections and cables are
corrosion‐free.
Belts
.Belts may need replacing if they
squeak or show signs of
cracking or splitting.
.Trained dealer technicians can
inspect the belts and
recommend replacement when
necessary. Brakes
Brakes stop the vehicle and are
crucial to safe driving.
.Signs of brake wear may include
chirping, grinding, or squealing
noises, or difficulty stopping.
.Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the brakes and
recommend quality parts
engineered for the vehicle.
Fluids
Proper fluid levels and approved
fluids protect the vehicle’s systems
and components. See
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑13 for GM
approved fluids.
.Engine oil and windshield
washer fluid levels should be
checked at every fuel fill.
.Instrument cluster lights may
come on to indicate that fluids
may be low and need to be
filled.