Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
DRIVING AND OPERATING 173
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop off
the edge of a road onto the shoulder
while driving. Follow these tips:1. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way,
steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.
3. Turn the steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three
control systems:
.Braking Skid —wheels are not
rolling.
. Steering or Cornering Skid —too
much speed or steering in a curve
causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force.
. Acceleration Skid —too much
throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by
taking reasonable care suited to
existing conditions, and by not
overdriving those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
If the vehicle starts to slide, follow
these suggestions:
. Ease your foot off the accelerator
pedal and steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. The vehicle may
straighten out. Be ready for a
second skid if it occurs. .
Slow down and adjust your driving
according to weather conditions.
Stopping distance can be longer
and vehicle control can be affected
when traction is reduced by water,
snow, ice, gravel, or other material
on the road. Learn to recognize
warning clues —such as enough
water, ice, or packed snow on the
road to make a mirrored surface
— and slow down when you have
any doubt.
. Try to avoid sudden steering,
acceleration, or braking, including
reducing vehicle speed by shifting
to a lower gear. Any sudden
changes could cause the tires to
slide.
Remember: Antilock brakes help avoid
only the braking skid.
Driving on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce vehicle
traction and affect your ability to stop
and accelerate. Always drive slower in
these types of driving conditions and
avoid driving through large puddles
and deep-standing or flowing water.
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DRIVING AND OPERATING 175
.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 0193.
. 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) 0191.
. 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. If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside Service 0338.
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 the
(Continued)
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
206 DRIVING AND OPERATING
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed is erased
from memory if
Jis pressed or if
the ignition is turned off.
Cleaning the Sensing System
The camera sensor on the back of the
rearview mirror and the radar sensors
on the front of the vehicle can become
blocked by snow, ice, dirt, or mud.
These areas need to be cleaned for
ACC to operate properly.
For cleaning instructions, see
“Washing the Vehicle ”under Exterior
Care 0307.
System operation may also be limited
under snow, heavy rain, or road spray
conditions.
Driver Assistance
Systems
This vehicle may have features that
work together to help avoid crashes or
reduce crash damage while driving,
backing, and parking. Read this entire
section before using these systems.
{Warning
Do not rely on the Driver
Assistance Systems. These systems
do not replace the need for paying
attention and driving safely. You
may not hear or feel alerts or
warnings provided by these
systems. Failure to use proper care
when driving may result in injury,
death, or vehicle damage. See
Defensive Driving 0171.
Under many conditions, these
systems will not: . Detect children, pedestrians,
bicyclists, or animals.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Detect vehicles or objects
outside the area monitored by
the system.
. Work at all driving speeds.
. Warn you or provide you with
enough time to avoid a crash.
. Work under poor visibility or
bad weather conditions.
. Work if the detection sensor
is not cleaned or is covered
by ice, snow, mud, or dirt.
. Work if the detection sensor
is covered up, such as with a
sticker, magnet, or metal
plate.
. Work if the area surrounding
the detection sensor is
damaged or not properly
repaired.
Complete attention is always
required while driving, and you
should be ready to take action and
apply the brakes and/or steer the
vehicle to avoid crashes.
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208 DRIVING AND OPERATING
display. The front camera is in the
grille or near the front emblem, the
side cameras are on the bottom of the
outside rearview mirrors, and the rear
camera is above the license plate.
{Warning
The Surround Vision cameras have
blind spots and will not display all
objects near the corners of the
vehicle. Folding side mirrors that
are out of position will not display
surround view correctly. Always
check around the vehicle when
parking or backing.
1. Views Displayed by theSurround Vision Cameras 2. Area Not Shown
1. Views Displayed by the
Surround Vision Cameras
2. Area Not Shown
Front Vision Camera
If equipped, a view of the area in front
of the vehicle displays in the
infotainment display. The view
displays after shifting from R (Reverse)
to a forward gear, or by pressing
CAMERA in the center stack, and
when the vehicle is moving forward
slower than 8 km/h (5 mph).
If equipped, the front view camera
also displays when the Front Parking
Assist system detects an object within
30 cm (12 in).
{Warning
The camera(s) do not display
children, pedestrians, bicyclists,
crossing traffic, animals, or any
other object outside of the cameras’
field of view, below the bumper,
or under the vehicle. Shown
distances may be different from
actual distances. Do not drive or
park the vehicle using only these
camera(s). Always check behind and
around the vehicle before driving.
Failure to use proper care may
result in injury, death, or vehicle
damage.
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DRIVING AND OPERATING 209
Parking Assist
With RPA, and if equipped with FPA,
as the vehicle moves at speeds of less
than 8 km/h (5 mph) the sensors on
the bumpers may detect objects up to
2.5 m (8 ft) behind and 1.2 m (4 ft) in
front of the vehicle within a zone
25 cm (10 in) high off the ground and
below bumper level. These detection
distances may be shorter during
warmer or humid weather. Blocked
sensors will not detect objects and
can also cause false detections. Keep
the sensors clean of mud, dirt, snow,
ice, and slush; and clean sensors after
a car wash in freezing temperatures.
{Warning
The Parking Assist system does not
detect children, pedestrians,
bicyclists, animals, or objects
located below the bumper or that
are too close or too far from the
vehicle. It is not available at speeds
greater than 8 km/h (5 mph). To
prevent injury, death, or vehicle(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
damage, even with Parking Assist,
always check the area around the
vehicle and check all mirrors before
moving forward or backing.
The instrument cluster may have a
parking assist display with bars that
show“distance to object ”and object
location information for the Parking
Assist system. As the object gets
closer, more bars light up and the bars
change color from yellow to amber
to red.
When an object is first detected in the
rear, one beep will be heard from the
rear, or both sides of the Safety Alert
Seat will pulse two times. When an object is very close (<0.6 m (2 ft) in the
vehicle rear, or <0.3 m (1 ft) in the
vehicle front), five beeps will sound
from the front or rear depending on
object location, or both sides of the
Safety Alert Seat will pulse five times.
Beeps for FPA are higher pitched than
for RPA.
Backing Warning and Reverse
Automatic Braking (RAB)
Vehicles with Adaptive Cruise Control
(ACC) have the Backing Warning
System and RAB. The Backing
Warning part of this system can warn
of rear objects when backing up at
speeds greater than 8 km/h (5 mph).
The Backing Warning System will
beep once from the rear when an
object is first detected, or pulse twice
on both sides of the Safety Alert Seat.
When the system detects a potential
crash, beeps will be heard from the
rear, or five pulses will be felt on both
sides of the Safety Alert Seat. There
may also be a brief, sharp application
of the brakes.
Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
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210 DRIVING AND OPERATING
{Warning
The Backing Warning System only
operates at speeds greater than
8 km/h (5 mph). It does not detect
children, pedestrians, bicyclists,
animals, or objects below the
bumper or that are too close or too
far from the vehicle. In some
situations, such as at higher
backing speeds, there may not be
enough time for the short, sharp
application of the vehicle brake
system to occur. To prevent injury,
death, or vehicle damage, even with
the Backing Warning System,
always check the area around the
vehicle and check all mirrors before
backing.
When the vehicle is in R (Reverse),
if the system detects the vehicle is
backing too fast to avoid a crash with
a detected object behind your vehicle
in your path, it may automatically
brake hard to a stop to help avoid or
reduce the harm caused by a backing
crash.
{Warning
RAB may not avoid many types of
backing crashes. Do not wait for the
automatic braking to apply. This
system is not designed to replace
driver braking and only works in
R (Reverse) when an object is
detected directly behind the vehicle.
It may not brake or stop in time to
avoid a crash. It will not brake for
objects when the vehicle is moving
at very low speeds. It does not
detect children, pedestrians,
bicyclists, animals, or objects below
the bumper or that are too close or
too far from the vehicle. To prevent
injury, death, or vehicle damage,
even with RAB, always check the
area around the vehicle before and
while backing.
Pressing the brake pedal after the
vehicle comes to a stop will release
RAB. If the brake pedal is not pressed
soon after the stop, the Electric Parking Brake (EPB) may be set. When
it is safe, press the accelerator pedal
firmly at any time to override RAB.
{Warning
There may be instances where
unexpected or undesired automatic
braking occurs. If this happens,
either press the brake pedal or
firmly press the accelerator pedal to
release the brakes from the RAB
system. Before releasing the brakes,
check the RVC and check the area
around the vehicle to make sure it
is safe to proceed.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
If equipped, RCTA displays a red
warning triangle with a left or right
pointing arrow to warn of traffic
coming from the left or right. This
system detects objects coming from
up to 20 m (65 ft) from the left or
right side of the vehicle. When an
object is detected, either three beeps
sound from the left or right or three
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DRIVING AND OPERATING 215
or on some vehicles, Off. The first
button press shows the current setting
on the DIC. Additional button presses
will change this setting. The chosen
setting will remain until it is changed
and will affect the timing of both the
Collision Alert and the Tailgating
Alert features. The timing of both
alerts will vary based on vehicle speed.
The faster the vehicle speed, the
farther away the alert will occur.
Consider traffic and weather
conditions when selecting the alert
timing. The range of selectable alert
timings may not be appropriate for all
drivers and driving conditions.
If your vehicle is equipped with
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC),
changing the FCA timing setting
automatically changes the following
gap setting (Far, Medium, or Near).
Following Distance Indicator
The following distance to a moving
vehicle you are following is indicated
in following time in seconds on the
Driver Information Center (DIC). See
Driver Information Center (DIC)0136. The minimum following time is
0.5 seconds away. If there is no vehicle
detected ahead, or the vehicle ahead is
out of sensor range, dashes will be
displayed.
Unnecessary Alerts
FCA may provide unnecessary alerts
for turning vehicles, vehicles in other
lanes, objects that are not vehicles,
or shadows. These alerts are normal
operation and the vehicle does not
need service.
Cleaning the System
If the FCA system does not seem to
operate properly, this may correct the
issue:
.
Clean the outside of the
windshield in front of the rearview
mirror.
. Clean the entire front of the
vehicle.
. Clean the headlamps.
Forward Automatic
Braking (FAB)
If the vehicle has Forward Collision
Alert (FCA), it also has FAB, which
includes Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA).
When the system detects a vehicle
ahead in your path that is traveling in
the same direction that you may be
about to crash into, it can provide a
boost to braking or automatically
brake the vehicle. This can help avoid
or lessen the severity of crashes when
driving in a forward gear. Depending
on the situation, the vehicle may
automatically brake moderately or
hard. This forward automatic braking
can only occur if a vehicle is detected.
This is shown by the FCA vehicle
ahead indicator being lit. See Forward
Collision Alert (FCA) System 0213.
The system works when driving in a
forward gear between 8 km/h (5 mph)
and 60 km/h (37 mph), or on vehicles
with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC),
above 4 km/h (2 mph). It can detect
vehicles up to approximately 60 m
(197 ft).
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DRIVING AND OPERATING 217
Warning (Continued)
Turn the system to Alert, or if the
vehicle has ACC to Off, when
towing a trailer.
A system unavailable message may
display if:
. The front of the vehicle or
windshield is not clean.
. Heavy rain or snow is interfering
with object detection.
. There is a problem with the
StabiliTrak system.
The FAB system does not need
service.
Side Blind Zone
Alert (SBZA)
If equipped, the SBZA system is a
lane-changing aid that assists drivers
with avoiding crashes that occur with
moving vehicles in the side blind zone
(or spot) areas. When the vehicle is in
a forward gear, the left or right side
mirror display will light up if a moving vehicle is detected in that blind zone.
If the turn signal is activated and a
vehicle is also detected on the same
side, the display will flash as an extra
warning not to change lanes. Since
this system is part of the Lane Change
Alert (LCA) system, read the entire
LCA section before using this feature.
Lane Change Alert (LCA)
If equipped, the LCA system is a
lane-changing aid that assists drivers
with avoiding lane change crashes
that occur with moving vehicles in the
side blind zone (or spot) areas or with
vehicles rapidly approaching these
areas from behind. The LCA warning
display will light up in the
corresponding outside side mirror and
will flash if the turn signal is on.
{Warning
LCA does not alert the driver to
vehicles outside of the system
detection zones, pedestrians,
bicyclists, or animals. It may not
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
provide alerts when changing lanes
under all driving conditions. Failure
to use proper care when changing
lanes may result in injury, death,
or vehicle damage. Before making a
lane change, always check mirrors,
glance over your shoulder, and use
the turn signals.
LCA Detection Zones
1. SBZA Detection Zone
2. LCA Detection Zone
The LCA sensor covers a zone of
approximately one lane over from
both sides of the vehicle, or 3.5 m
(11 ft). The height of the zone is