2017 CADILLAC XTS Owners Manual

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-10292881) - 2017 -
crc - 7/1/16
80 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort-enhancing pad or
device, installed under or on top of
the seat fabric, could also interfere
with the operation of the passenger
sensing system. This could either
prevent proper deployment of the
passenger airbag(s) or prevent the
passenger sensing system from
properly turning off the passenger
airbag(s). SeePassenger Sensing
System 075.
The vehicle has rollover roof-rail
airbags, see Different Size Tires and
Wheels 0265 for additional important
information.
If your vehicle needs to be modified
because you have a disability and you
have questions about whether the
modifications will affect the vehicle's
airbag system, or if you have
questions about whether the airbag
system will be affected if the vehicle is
modified for any other reason, see
your dealer.Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not need
regularly scheduled maintenance or
replacement. Make sure the airbag
readiness light is working. See Airbag
Readiness Light 0119.
Caution
If an airbag covering is damaged,
opened, or broken, the airbag may
not work properly. Do not open or
break the airbag coverings. If there
are any opened or broken airbag
coverings, have the airbag covering
and/or airbag module replaced. For
the location of the airbags, see
Where Are the Airbags? 071. See
your dealer for service.
Replacing Airbag System
Parts after a Crash
{Warning
A crash can damage the airbag
systems in the vehicle. A damaged
airbag system may not properly
protect you and your passenger(s)
in a crash, resulting in serious
injury or even death. To help make
sure the airbag systems are working
properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.
If an airbag inflates, you will need to
replace airbag system parts. See your
dealer for service.
If the airbag readiness light stays on
after the vehicle is started or comes
on when you are driving, the airbag
system may not work properly. Have
the vehicle serviced right away. See
Airbag Readiness Light 0119.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-10292881) - 2017 -
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SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 81
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown
booster seats should wear the vehicle’s
safety belts.The manufacturer instructions that
come with the booster seat state the
weight and height limitations for that
booster. Use a booster seat with a
lap-shoulder belt until the child
passes the fit test below:
.
Sit all the way back on the seat.
Do the knees bend at the seat
edge? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat.
. Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does
the shoulder belt rest on the
shoulder? If yes, continue. If no,
try using the rear safety belt
comfort guide, if available. See
“Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides”
under Lap-Shoulder Belt 065. If a
comfort guide is not available, or if
the shoulder belt still does not rest
on the shoulder, then return to the
booster seat.
. Does the lap belt fit low and snug
on the hips, touching the thighs?
If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
. Can proper safety belt fit be
maintained for the length of the
trip? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat. Q: What is the proper way to wear
safety belts?
A: An older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the
additional restraint a shoulder belt
can provide. The shoulder belt
should not cross the face or neck.
The lap belt should fit snugly
below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. This applies belt
force to the child's pelvic bones in
a crash. It should never be worn
over the abdomen, which could
cause severe or even fatal internal
injuries in a crash.
Also see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides” underLap-Shoulder Belt 065.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in a rear seating position.
In a crash, children who are not
buckled up can strike other people
who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need
to use safety belts properly.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-10292881) - 2017 -
crc - 7/1/16
82 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
{Warning
Never allow more than one child to
wear the same safety belt. The
safety belt cannot properly spread
the impact forces. In a crash, they
can be crushed together and
seriously injured. A safety belt must
be used by only one person at
a time.
{Warning
Never allow a child to wear the
safety belt with the shoulder belt
behind their back. A child can be
seriously injured by not wearing the
lap-shoulder belt properly. In a
crash, the child would not be
restrained by the shoulder belt. The
child could move too far forward
increasing the chance of head and
neck injury. The child might also
slide under the lap belt. The belt
force would then be applied right
on the abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest.
Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants and
all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the
traveler changes the need, for
everyone, to use safety restraints.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.(Continued)

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-10292881) - 2017 -
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SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 83
Warning (Continued)
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor, but
it cannot do this if it is wrapped
around a child’s neck. If the
shoulder belt is locked and
tightened around a child’s neck, the
only way to loosen the belt is to
cut it.
Never leave children unattended in
a vehicle and never allow children
to play with the safety belts.
Every time infants and young children
ride in vehicles, they should have the
protection provided by appropriate
child restraints. Neither the vehicle's
safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them.
Children who are not restrained
properly can strike other people,
or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{Warning
Never hold an infant or a child
while riding in a vehicle. Due to
crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not
possible to hold it during a crash.
For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb)
infant will suddenly become a
110 kg (240 lb) force on a person's
arms. An infant or child should be
secured in an appropriate restraint.
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front outboard seat.
Secure a rear-facing child restraint
in a rear seat. It is also better to
secure a forward-facing child
restraint in a rear seat. If you must
secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the front outboard seat,
always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-10292881) - 2017 -
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84 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
Child restraints are devices used to
restrain, seat, or position children in
the vehicle and are sometimes called
child seats or car seats.
There are three basic types of child
restraints:
.Forward-facing child restraints
. Rearward-facing child restraints
. Belt-positioning booster seats
The proper child restraint for your
child depends on their size, weight,
and age, and also on whether the
child restraint is compatible with the
vehicle in which it will be used. For each type of child restraint, there
are many different models available.
When purchasing a child restraint, be
sure it is designed to be used in a
motor vehicle. The restraint
manufacturer's instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and
height limitations for a particular
child restraint. In addition, there are
many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.{Warning
To reduce the risk of neck and head
injury in a crash, infants and
toddlers should be secured in a
rear-facing child restraint until age
two, or until they reach the
maximum height and weight limits
of their child restraint.
{Warning
A young child's hip bones are still
so small that the vehicle's regular
safety belt may not remain low on
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the hip bones, as it should. Instead,
it may settle up around the child's
abdomen. In a crash, the belt would
apply force on a body area that is
unprotected by any bony structure.
This alone could cause serious or
fatal injuries. To reduce the risk of
serious or fatal injuries during a
crash, young children should always
be secured in appropriate child
restraints.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-10292881) - 2017 -
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SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 85
Child Restraint Systems
Rear-Facing Infant Seat
A rear-facing child restraint provides
restraint with the seating surface
against the back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to keep
the infant positioned in the restraint.
Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child restraint
provides restraint for the child's body
with the harness.Booster Seats
A belt-positioning booster seat is used
for children who have outgrown their
forward-facing child restraint.
Boosters are designed to improve the
fit of the vehicle's safety belt system
until the child is large enough for the
vehicle safety belts to fit properly
without a booster seat. See the safety
belt fit test in Older Children081.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-10292881) - 2017 -
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86 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in
the vehicle. Secure the child
restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle’s safety belt or
LATCH system, following the
instructions that came with that
child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury,
the child restraint must be secured in
the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by
lap belts or the lap belt portion of a
lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. See Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH System) 087 for
more information. Children can be
endangered in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in the
vehicle. When securing an add-on child
restraint, refer to the instructions that
come with the restraint which may be
on the restraint itself or in a booklet,
or both, and to this manual. The child
restraint instructions are important,
so if they are not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the
manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child
restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to
properly secure any child restraint in
the vehicle
—even when no child is
in it.
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child is not
properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly
following the instructions that
came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in an appropriate
child restraint secured in a rear
seating position.
Whenever possible, children aged
12 and under should be secured in a
rear seating position.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint
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.
(Continued)

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-10292881) - 2017 -
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SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 87
Warning (Continued)
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.
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 075
for additional information.
When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with the child
restraint to make sure it is compatible
with this vehicle. Child restraints and booster seats vary
considerably in size, and some may fit
in certain seating positions better
than others.
Depending on where you place the
child restraint and the size of the
child restraint, you may not be able to
access adjacent safety belts or LATCH
anchors for additional passengers or
child restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to or
interferes with the routing of the
safety belt.
Wherever a child restraint is installed,
be sure to follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint system
and secure the child restraint system
properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child
restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to
properly secure any child restraint in
the vehicle
—even when no child is
in it.
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH System)
The LATCH system secures a child
restraint during driving or in a crash.
LATCH attachments on the child
restraint are used to attach the child
restraint to the anchors in the vehicle.
The LATCH system is designed to
make installation of a child restraint
easier.
In order to use the LATCH system in
your vehicle, you need a child
restraint that has LATCH
attachments. LATCH-compatible
rear-facing and forward-facing child
seats can be properly installed using
either the LATCH anchors or the
vehicle’s safety belts. Do not use both
the safety belts and the LATCH
anchorage system to secure a
rear-facing or forward-facing
child seat.
Booster seats use the vehicle’s safety
belts to secure the child in the booster
seat. If the manufacturer recommends
that the booster seat be secured with
the LATCH system, this can be done