Black plate (46,1)Cadillac CTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
6081492) - 2014 - CRC 2nd Edition - 11/18/13
5-46 Instruments and Controls
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message displays if there is a
problem with the vehicle. Take the
vehicle to your dealer for service.
Starting the Vehicle
Messages
PRESS BRAKE TO START
VEHICLE
This message is displayed when
attempting to start the vehicle
without first pressing the brake
pedal.
SERVICE KEYLESS START
SYSTEM
This message is displayed if there is
a problem with the pushbutton start
system. Take the vehicle to your
dealer for service.
TURN STEERING WHEEL
START VEHICLE AGAIN
This message may display when
you try to start the vehicle, but the
column remains locked. Try turningthe steering wheel while starting the
vehicle to unlock the steering
column. If the vehicle still does not
start, turn the steering wheel the
other way, and try starting the
vehicle again.
Tire Messages
SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
SYSTEM
This message displays if there is a
problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS). See
Tire
Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 10-51.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
This message displays when the
system is learning new tires. See
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 10-51.
TIRE LOW ADD AIR TO TIRE
This message displays when the
pressure in one or more of the tires
is low. This message also displays LEFT
FRONT, RIGHT FRONT, LEFT
REAR, or RIGHT REAR to indicate
the location of the low tire.
The low tire pressure warning light
will also come on. See
Tire
Pressure Light on page 5-26.
If a tire pressure message appears
on the DIC, stop as soon as you
can. Inflate the tires by adding air
until the tire pressure is equal to the
values shown on the Tire and
Loading Information label. See Tires
on page 10-40, Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9-11, and Tire Pressure on
page 10-48.
You can receive more than one tire
pressure message at a time. The
DIC also shows the tire pressure
values. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5-30.
Black plate (47,1)Cadillac CTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
6081492) - 2014 - CRC 2nd Edition - 11/18/13
Instruments and Controls 5-47
Transmission Messages
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays if there is a
problem with the transmission. See
your dealer.
SHIFT DENIED
This message displays when using
the Driver Shift Control (DSC) and
attempting to shift to a gear not
appropriate for the vehicle speed
and engine revolutions per
minute (rpm). SeeManual Mode on
page 9-25.
SHIFT TO PARK
This message displays when the
transmission needs to be shifted to
P (Park). This may appear when
turning the ignition off if the vehicle
is not in P (Park).
TRANSMISSION HOT —IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the transmission fluid in
the vehicle gets hot. Driving with the transmission fluid temperature high
can cause damage to the vehicle.
Stop the vehicle and let it idle to
allow the transmission to cool. This
message clears when the fluid
temperature reaches a safe level.
Vehicle Reminder
Messages
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE
WITH CARE
This message displays when ice
conditions are possible.
Vehicle Speed Messages
SELECTED SPEED LIMIT
EXCEEDED
This message is displayed when the
vehicle speed is greater than the set
speed. See "Speed Warning" under
Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page 5-30.
VEHICLE SPEED LIMITED
This message is displayed under
certain conditions when there is a
problem and the vehicle’s speed is
being limited.
Washer Fluid Messages
WASHER FLUID LOW ADD
FLUID
This message may display when the
washer fluid level is low. See
Washer Fluid on page 10-22.
Black plate (50,1)Cadillac CTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
6081492) - 2014 - CRC 2nd Edition - 11/18/13
5-50 Instruments and Controls
Auto Defog
When set to On, the front defog will
automatically react to temperature
and humidity conditions that may
cause fogging.
Select Off or On.
Collision/Detection Systems
Select the Collision/Detection
Systems menu and the following
may display:
.Alert Type
.Auto Collision Preparation
.Go Notifier
.Side Blind Zone Alert
.Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Alert Type
This feature will set crash alerts to
beeps or seat vibrations. This
setting affects all crash alerts
including:
.Forward Collision
.Lane Departure Warning
.Adaptive Cruise Control
.Parking Assist
.Backing Warning
Select Beeps or Safety Alert Seat.
Auto Collision Preparation
This feature will turn on or off the
Forward Collision Alert feature as
well as the Automatic Braking
capability of the Auto Collision
Preparation feature. With the Alert &
Brake setting, both Forward
Collision Alert as well as the
Automatic Braking capability of the
Auto Collision Preparation feature
are available. The Alert setting
disables most automatic braking
functions of the Auto Collision
Preparation feature. Some
last-second automatic braking
capability is still provided with the
Alert setting, but it is much less
likely to be triggered by most driving
conditions. Off disables all Forward
Collision Alert and Automatic
Braking capabilities of the Auto Collision Preparation feature. See
Active Emergency Braking System
on page 9-54.
Select Off, Alert & Brake, or Alert.
Go Notifier
This feature will give a reminder
from Adaptive Cruise Control when
it has brought the vehicle to a
complete stop behind another
stopping vehicle, and then that
vehicle drives on. See
Adaptive
Cruise Control on page 9-37.
Select Off or On.
Side Blind Zone Alert
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off. See Side Blind Zone Alert
(SBZA) on page 9-56.
Select Off or On.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
This allows the Rear Cross Traffic
Alert feature to be turned on or off.
See Assistance Systems for Parking
or Backing on page 9-46.
Select Off or On.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac CTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
6081492) - 2014 - CRC 2nd Edition - 11/18/13
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-5
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel IlluminationControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-8
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-9
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is on the
turn signal lever.
Turn the control to the following
positions:
O(Off): Turns off the exterior
lamps. The knob returns to the
AUTO position after it is released.
Turn to
Oagain to reactivate the
AUTO mode.
In Canada, the headlamps will
automatically reactivate when the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac CTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
6081492) - 2014 - CRC 2nd Edition - 11/18/13
Lighting 6-3
.The IntelliBeam system can be
disabled by the High/Low-Beam
Changer or the Flash-to-Pass
feature. If this happens, the
High/Low-Beam Changer must
be activated two times within
five seconds to reactivate the
IntelliBeam system. The
instrument cluster light will come
on to indicate the IntelliBeam is
reactivated.
The high beams may not turn off
automatically if the system cannot
detect other vehicle's lamps
because of any of the following:
.The other vehicle's lamp(s) are
missing, damaged, obstructed
from view, or otherwise
undetected.
.The other vehicle's lamp(s) are
covered with dirt, snow, and/or
road spray.
.The other vehicle's lamp(s)
cannot be detected due to dense
exhaust, smoke, fog, snow, road
spray, mist, or other airborne
obstructions.
.Your vehicle's windshield is dirty,
cracked, or obstructed by
something that blocks the view
of the light sensor.
.Your vehicle's windshield is
covered with ice, dirt, haze,
or other obstructions.
.Your vehicle is loaded such that
the front end points upward,
causing the light sensor to aim
high and not detect headlamps
and taillamps.
.You are driving on winding or
hilly roads.
You may need to manually disable
or cancel the high-beam headlamps
by turning the low-beam headlamps
on, if any of the above conditions
exist.
This feature can be turned on or off.
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5-48.
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A warning chime will sound if the
exterior lamp control is left on in
either the headlamp or parking lamp
position and the driver door is
opened with the ignition off.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
2 3
(Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer): Push the turn signal
lever away from you and release, to
turn the high beams on. To return to
low beams, push the lever again or
pull it toward you and release.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument cluster when the
high-beam headlamps are on.
Black plate (5,1)Cadillac CTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
6081492) - 2014 - CRC 2nd Edition - 11/18/13
Lighting 6-5
The automatic headlamp system
turns off when the exterior lamp
control is turned to
Oor the ignition
is off.
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
O
or;to disable this feature.
Adaptive Forward
Lighting (AFL)
On vehicles with the AFL system,
the headlamps pivot 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 control 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.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|(Hazard Warning Flashers):
Press and hold this button for one
second on the center stack to make
the front and rear turn signal lamps
flash on and off. Press again to turn
the flashers off.
The hazard warning flashers turn on
automatically if the airbags deploy.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument cluster
flashes in the direction of the turn or
lane change.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac CTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
6081492) - 2014 - CRC 2nd Edition - 11/18/13
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Track Events and CompetitiveDriving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-10
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-15
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19 Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 9-19
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-23
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . 9-28
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Competitive Driving Mode (LF3 Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Limited-Slip Differential (LF3 Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . 9-37
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver AssistanceSystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Assistance Systems for Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Active Emergency Braking System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac CTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
6081492) - 2014 - CRC 2nd Edition - 11/18/13
Driving and Operating 9-3
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road too
long or too often could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving.
See the infotainment manual for
information on that system or the
navigation system, if equipped,
including pairing and using a cell
phone.
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always
expect the unexpected.” The first
step in driving defensively is to wear
the safety belt. See Safety Belts on
page 3-13.
.Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and
other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes.
Anticipate what they might do
and be ready.
.Allow enough following distance
between you and the driver in
front of you.
.Focus on the task of driving.
Drunk Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a global
tragedy.
{Warning
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount of alcohol. You
can have a serious —or even
fatal —collision if you drive after
drinking.
Do not drink and drive or ride with
a driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or if you are
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three-quarters of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.