Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369806) - 2016 -
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Instruments and Controls 143
performance or loss of power
steering assistance is noticed, see
your dealer.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message is displayed if there is
a problem with the vehicle. Take the
vehicle to your dealer for service.
Starting the Vehicle
Messages
PRESS BRAKE TO START
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.
Tire Messages
SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
SYSTEM
This message displays if there is a
problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS). SeeTire
Pressure Monitor Operation 0266.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
This message displays when the
system is learning new tires. See
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation
0266.
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 0125.
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
0 261, Vehicle Load Limits 0177,
and Tire Pressure 0263.
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) 0128.
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). See Manual Mode
0 188.
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369806) - 2016 -
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144 Instruments and Controls
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)
0 128.
VEHICLE OVERSPEED
This message displays when the
vehicle speed exceeds 120 km/h
(75 mph).
Washer Fluid Messages
WASHER FLUID LOW ADD
FLUID
This message may display when the
washer fluid level is low. Fill the
windshield washer reservoir as soon
as possible. See Engine
Compartment Overview 0230 for
the location of the windshield
washer reservoir. Also, see Washer
Fluid 0245.
Window Messages
OPEN, THEN CLOSE DRIVER/
PASSENGER WINDOW
This message is displayed when the
window needs to be reprogrammed.
If the vehicle's battery has been
recharged or disconnected, you will
need to program each front window
for the express-up feature to work.
See Power Windows 043.
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369806) - 2016 -
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148 Instruments and Controls
Auto Memory Recall
This feature automatically recalls
the current driver’s previously stored
1 or 2 button positions when
entering the vehicle. See Memory
Seats 056.
Select Off, On - Driver Door Open,
or On - At ignition On.
Easy Exit Options
This feature automatically recalls
the current driver ’s previously stored
Exit button position when exiting the
vehicle. See Memory Seats 056.
Select Off or On.
Chime Volume
This allows the selection of the
chime volume level.
Press + or −to adjust the volume.
Reverse Tilt Mirror
When on, both the driver and
passenger outside mirrors will tilt
downward when the vehicle is
shifted to R (Reverse) to improve
visibility of the ground near the rear
wheels. They will return to their previous driving position when the
vehicle is shifted out of R (Reverse)
or the engine is turned off.
Select Off, On, On - Driver and
Passenger, On - Driver, or On -
Passenger.
Auto Mirror Folding
When on, the outside rearview
mirrors will automatically fold or
unfold when the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter
QorK
button is pressed and held.
Select Off or On.
Rain Sense Wipers
This allows the Rain Sense Wipers
feature to be disabled or enabled.
Select Disabled or Enabled.
Lighting
Select and the following may
display:
.
Vehicle Locator Lights
. Exit Lighting Vehicle Locator Lights
This feature will flash the exterior
lamps and allows some of the
exterior lamps and most of the
interior lamps to turn on briefly at
night when
Kon the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is
pressed to locate the vehicle.
Select Off or On.
Exit Lighting
This allows the selection of how
long the exterior lamps stay on
when leaving the vehicle when it is
dark outside.
Select Off, 30 Seconds, 60
Seconds, or 120 Seconds.
Power Door Locks
Select and the following may
display:
. Unlocked Door Anti-Lockout
. Auto Door Lock
. Auto Door Unlock
. Delayed Door Lock
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369806) - 2016 -
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Lighting 155
Automatic Headlamp
System
When the exterior lamp control is
set to AUTO and it is dark enough
outside, the headlamps come on
automatically.
There is a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Do not cover the
sensor.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel.
If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp
system comes on immediately. If it
is light outside when the vehicle
leaves the garage, there is a slight
delay before the automaticheadlamp system changes to the
DRL. 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
0157.
When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps will turn off or may
change to Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL).
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)
For vehicles with uplevel
headlamps, the AFL system adjusts
the headlamps to provide greater
road illumination in various driving
conditions.
To enable AFL, set the exterior lamp
control 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 0152.
Curve Lighting
The light beam pivots based on the
steering wheel position and vehicle
speed of at least 10 km/h (6 mph).
The headlamps shine at an angle of
up to 15 degrees to the right or left
of the direction of travel.
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369806) - 2016 -
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170 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 174
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 175
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 176
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 180
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 187
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 190
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 192
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Magnetic Ride Control . . . . . . . . 194
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . 194
Automatic Level Control . . . . . . 195
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . 198
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 205 Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 206
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Front Automatic Braking (FAB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369806) - 2016 -
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172 Driving and Operating
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.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied. Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
If the vehicle has electric power
steering it does not have power
steering fluid. Regular maintenance
is not required.
If power steering assist is lost due
to a system malfunction, the vehicle
can be steered, but may require
increased effort.
See your dealer if there is a
problem.
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel and is
held against that position for an
extended period of time, power
steering assist may be reduced.
If the steering assist is used for an
extended period of time, power
assist may be reduced.
Normal use of the power steering
assist should return when the
system cools down.See specific vehicle steering
messages under
Vehicle Messages
0 134.
Variable Effort Steering
Some vehicles have a steering
system that varies the amount of
effort required to steer the vehicle in
relation to the speed of the vehicle.
The amount of steering effort
required is less at slower speeds to
make the vehicle more
maneuverable and easier to park. At
faster speeds, the steering effort
increases to provide a sport-like feel
to the steering. This provides
maximum control and stability.
Hydraulic Power Steering
If the vehicle has hydraulic power
steering, it may require
maintenance. See Power Steering
Fluid (LFX with FWD) 0244 or
Power Steering Fluid (LF3 and LFX
with AWD) 0244.
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or there is
a system malfunction, the vehicle
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369806) - 2016 -
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Driving and Operating 175
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.Allow extra following distance.
. Pass with caution.
. Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
. Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
. Have good tires with proper
tread depth. See Tires0261.
. Turn off cruise control.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips include:
.
Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
. Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission. .
Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{Warning
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line. .
Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, accident).
. Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
. Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0192.
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369806) - 2016 -
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176 Driving and Operating
.Antilock Brake System (ABS)
improves vehicle stability during
hard stops, but the brakes
should be applied sooner than
when on dry pavement. See
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
0189.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise
clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stay with the vehicle unless there is
help nearby. To get help and keep
everyone in the vehicle safe:
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{Warning
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO), which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle is stuck in snow:
. Clear snow from the base of
the vehicle, especially any
blocking the exhaust pipe.
. Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the vehicle side
that is away from the wind,
to bring in fresh air.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See“Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0186 in the
index.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running the engine, push the
accelerator pedal slightly so the
engine runs faster than the idle
speed. This keeps the battery
charged to restart the vehicle and to
signal for help with the headlamps.
Do this as little as possible, to
save fuel.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.