
Black plate (4,1)Cadillac XTS Owner Manual - 2013 - 1st - 4/13/12
iv Introduction
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. Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:
Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
G:Air Conditioning
Refrigerant Oil
!: Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
I:Certified Technician
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
H:Flammable
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses

Black plate (9,1)Cadillac XTS Owner Manual - 2013 - 1st - 4/13/12
In Brief 1-9
.How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly on page 3‑15.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑16.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑48.
Passenger Sensing
System
United States
Canada
The passenger sensing system will
turn off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag and knee
airbag under certain conditions. No
other airbag is affected by the
passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑34. The passenger airbag status
indicator lights on the overhead
console when the vehicle is started.
See
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑17.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirror
1. Move the selector switch to L (Left) or R (Right) to choose the
driver or passenger mirror.
2. Press one of the four arrows to move the mirror.

Black plate (13,1)Cadillac XTS Owner Manual - 2013 - 1st - 4/13/12
In Brief 1-13
Climate Controls
The climate control buttons and the touch screen are used to adjust the
heating, cooling, and ventilation.
Dual Automatic Climate Control (Base)
1. Driver and Passenger Temperature Controls
2. Fan Control
3. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
4. Air Delivery Mode Control
5. OFF (Fan) 6. SYNC (Synchronized
Temperature)
7. Driver and Passenger Heated Seats (If Equipped)
8. AC (Air Conditioning)
9. Defrost 10. Rear Window Defogger
11. Recirculation

Black plate (14,1)Cadillac XTS Owner Manual - 2013 - 1st - 4/13/12
1-14 In Brief
Dual Automatic Climate Control (Uplevel)
1. Driver and Passenger Temperature Controls
2. Fan Control
3. OFF (Fan)
4. Driver and Passenger Heated and Ventilated Seats (If
Equipped)
5. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
6. Defrost
7. Rear Window Defogger
8. Recirculation
Dual Automatic Climate Control Touch Screen (Uplevel) 1. Outside Temperature Display
2. Driver and Passenger
Temperature Displays
3. Fan Control
4. SYNC (Synchronized Temperature)
5. AC Mode (Air Conditioning)
6. Climate Control Selection (Application Tray Button)
7. Rear (Rear Climate Control Touch Screen)
8. Air Delivery Mode Control
See Dual Automatic Climate Control
System (Uplevel) on page 8‑1 or
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System (Base) on page 8‑6 and
Rear Climate Control System on
page 8‑9 (If Equipped).

Black plate (18,1)Cadillac XTS Owner Manual - 2013 - 1st - 4/13/12
3-18 Seats and Restraints
Adjust the guide so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑15.
Push down on the release button
and move the height adjuster to the
desired position. The adjuster can
be moved up by pushing the slide/
trim up. After the height adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pressing the release button
to make sure it has locked into
position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal or near
frontal crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if the
vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help
tighten the safety belts in a side or
rear crash. If the vehicle has
roof-rail airbags, the pretensioners
can tighten the safety belts in a
rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
the pretensioners and possibly other
parts of the safety belt system will
need to be replaced. See
Replacing
Safety Belt System Parts after a
Crash on page 3‑21.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear safety
belt comfort guides. If not, they are
available through your dealer. The
guides may provide added safety
belt comfort for older children who
have outgrown booster seats and
for some adults. When installed and
properly adjusted, the comfort guide
positions the belt away from the
neck and head.

Black plate (35,1)Cadillac XTS Owner Manual - 2013 - 1st - 4/13/12
Seats and Restraints 3-35
airbag, under certain conditions. No
other airbag is affected by the
passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the front outboard passenger seat.
The sensors are designed to detect
the presence of a properly seated
occupant and determine if the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag should be allowed
to inflate or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in a correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
We recommend that children be
secured in a rear seat, including: an
infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child
riding in a forward-facing child seat;
an older child riding in a booster
seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag inflates.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the passenger frontal
airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
passenger frontal airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger airbag(s), no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
(Continued)
WARNING (CONTINUED)
inflate under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag(s) are off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the
airbag(s) are off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger airbag and
knee airbag if:
.The front outboard passenger
seat is unoccupied.
.The system determines that an
infant is present in a child
restraint.

Black plate (57,1)Cadillac XTS Owner Manual - 2013 - 1st - 4/13/12
Seats and Restraints 3-57
Securing Child Restraints
(Front Passenger Seat)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑47
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the front
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑34 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑17 for more information,
including important safety
information.
A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.” This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front passenger
airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
front passenger airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
(Continued)
WARNING (CONTINUED)
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the front seat, always move the
front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure
the child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑34 for additional
information.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑48 for how and
where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is
secured using a safety belt and it
uses a top tether, see Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3‑48 for
top tether anchor locations.

Black plate (18,1)Cadillac XTS Owner Manual - 2013 - 1st - 4/13/12
5-18 Instruments and Controls
WARNING (CONTINUED)
have the vehicle serviced right
away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑16 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
On some vehicles 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.
For vehicles with a reconfigurable
cluster, this light may not come on
when the ignition is turned on. 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, the Driver
Information Center (DIC) also
displays a message.
See
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages on page 5‑34.
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.Malfunction
Indicator Lamp
A computer system called OBD II
(On-Board Diagnostics-Second
Generation) monitors the operation
of the vehicle to ensure emissions
are at acceptable levels, helping to
maintain a clean environment. The
malfunction indicator lamp comes
on when the vehicle is placed in Service Only Mode, as a check to
show it is working. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. See
Ignition Positions on
page 9‑15.
If the malfunction indicator lamp
comes on while the engine is
running, this indicates that there is
an OBD II problem and diagnosis
and service might be required.
Malfunctions often are indicated by
the system before any problem is
apparent. Being aware of the light
can prevent more serious damage
to the vehicle. This system also
assists the service technician in
correctly diagnosing any
malfunction.