2018 CADILLAC XTS tow

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
LIGHTING 153
Turning On and Enabling IntelliBeam
To enable the IntelliBeam system,
with the turn signal lever in the
neutral position, turn the exterior
lamp control to AUTO. The blue
high-beam on light appears on the
instrument cluster when the high
beams are on.
The IntelliBeam system is 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
two seconds to reactivate the
IntelliBeam system. The instrument
cluster light will come on to indicate
the IntelliBeam is reactivated.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
0 153 and Flash-to-Pass 0154.
Driving with IntelliBeam
The system only activates the high
beams when driving over 40 km/h
(25 mph).
There is a sensor near the top center
of the windshield that automatically
controls the system. Keep this area of
the windshield clear of debris to allow
for best system performance. The high-beam headlamps remain on,
under the automatic control, until one
of the following situations occurs:
.
The system detects an
approaching vehicle's headlamps.
. The system detects a preceding
vehicle's taillamps.
. The outside light is bright enough
that high-beam headlamps are not
required.
. The vehicle's speed drops below
20 km/h (12 mph).
The high beams may not turn off
automatically if the system cannot
detect another vehicle's lamps because
of any of the following:
. The other vehicle's lamps are
missing, damaged, obstructed from
view, or otherwise undetected.
. The other vehicle's lamps are
covered with dirt, snow, and/or
road spray.
. The other vehicle's lamps cannot
be detected due to dense exhaust,
smoke, fog, snow, road spray, mist,
or other airborne obstructions. .
The vehicle's windshield is dirty,
cracked, or obstructed by
something that blocks the view of
the light sensor.
. The vehicle is loaded such that the
front end points upward, causing
the light sensor to aim high and
not detect headlamps and
taillamps.
. Driving on winding or hilly roads.
The automatic high-beam headlamps
may need to be disabled if any of the
above conditions exist.
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A warning chime sounds if the driver
door is opened while the ignition is off
and the exterior lamps are on.
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.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
154 LIGHTING
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument cluster when the
high-beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To flash the high beams, pull the turn
signal lever toward you, and release.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
DRL can make it easier for others to
see the front of your vehicle during
the day. Fully functional DRL are
required on all vehicles first sold in
Canada.
The dedicated DRL will come on when
all of the following conditions are met:
.The ignition is on.
. The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO. .
The light sensor determines it is
daytime.
. The parking brake is released or
the vehicle is not in P (Park).
When the DRL are on, the taillamps,
sidemarker lamps, and other lamps
will not be on.
The DRL turn off when the headlamps
are turned to
Oor the ignition is off.
For vehicles first sold in Canada, the
DRL can only be turned off when the
vehicle is parked.
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 automatic headlamp
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 0156.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
DRIVING AND OPERATING 169
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 174
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . 188
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . 191
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/ElectronicStability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Magnetic Ride Control . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Automatic Level Control . . . . . . . . . 195
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . 198
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . 206
Assistance Systems for Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Forward Automatic Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . 217
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . . . 217
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . . . . 220
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
California Fuel Requirements . . . . 223
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . 223
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Trailer Towing
General Towing Information . . . . 226
Driving Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
176 DRIVING AND OPERATING
Warning (Continued)
fan speed to the highest
setting. See“Climate Control
Systems.”
For more information about CO, see
Engine Exhaust 0187.
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. If stuck too severely for the traction
system to free the vehicle, turn the
traction system off and use the
rocking method. See
Traction Control/
Electronic Stability Control 0193.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you or
others could be injured. The vehicle
can overheat, causing an engine
compartment fire or other damage.
Spin the wheels as little as possible
and avoid going above 56 km/h
(35 mph).
Rocking the Vehicle to Get it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and right
to clear the area around the front
wheels. Turn off any traction system.
Shift back and forth between
R (Reverse) and a low forward gear,
spinning the wheels as little as
possible. To prevent transmission
wear, wait until the wheels stop
spinning before shifting gears. Release
the accelerator pedal while shifting,
and press lightly on the accelerator pedal when the transmission is in
gear. Slowly spinning the wheels in
the forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. If the
vehicle does need to be towed out, see
Towing the Vehicle
0304.
Vehicle Load Limits
It is very important to know how
much weight the vehicle can carry.
This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the
weight of all occupants, cargo, and
all nonfactory-installed options.
Two labels on the vehicle may
show how much weight it may
properly carry: the Tire and
Loading Information label and the
Certification label.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
178 DRIVING AND OPERATING
recommended cold tire inflation
pressures for those tires, and the
vehicle's capacity weight.
“Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit–
1.Locate the statement "The
combined weight of
occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs." on your vehicle’s
placard.
2.Determine the combined
weight of the driver and
passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from XXX kg or XXX lbs.
4.The resulting figure equals
the available amount of cargo
and luggage load capacity. For
example, if the "XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there
will be five 150 lb passengers
in your vehicle, the amountof available cargo and luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 x 150) =
650 lbs.)
5.Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your
trailer will be transferred to
your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how
this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle.”
See Trailer Towing 0228 for
important information on towing
a trailer, towing safety rules, and
trailering tips.Example 1
1.Vehicle Capacity Weight
for Example 1 = 453 kg
(1,000 lbs).
2.Subtract Occupant Weight
@ 68 kg (150 lbs) × 2 =
136 kg (300 lbs).
3.Available Occupant and
Cargo Weight = 317 kg
(700 lbs).

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
DRIVING AND OPERATING 185
4. Before starting the engine, besure to unplug and store the cord
as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts.
The length of time the heater should
remain plugged in depends on several
factors. Ask a dealer in the area where
you will be parking the vehicle for the
best advice on this.
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP)
Some vehicle accessories may be used
after the ignition is turned off.
The power windows and sunroof,
if equipped, will continue to work for
up to 10 minutes or until any door is
opened.
The infotainment system will continue
to work for 10 minutes, until the
driver door is opened, or until the
ignition is turned on or placed in
ACC/ACCESSORY.
Shifting Into Park
1. Hold the brake pedal down and apply the parking brake. See
Electric Parking Brake 0191.
2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by pushing the lever all the way
toward the front of the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition off.
Leaving the Vehicle with the
Engine Running
{Warning
It can be dangerous to leave the
vehicle with the engine running.
It could overheat and catch fire.
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
be injured. To be sure the vehicle
will not move, even when you are
on fairly level ground, always set
the parking brake and move the
shift lever to P (Park). See Shifting
Into Park 0185. If you are towing a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips 0226.
If you have to leave the vehicle with
the engine running, be sure the
vehicle is in P (Park) and the parking
brake is firmly set before you leave it.
After you have moved the shift lever
into P (Park), hold down the regular
brake pedal. See if you can move the
shift lever away from P (Park) without
first pulling it toward you. If you can,
it means that the shift lever was not
fully locked into P (Park).
Torque Lock
Torque lock is when the weight of the
vehicle puts too much force on the
parking pawl in the transmission. This
happens when parking on a hill and

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
186 DRIVING AND OPERATING
shifting the transmission into P (Park)
is not done properly and then it is
difficult to shift out of P (Park). To
prevent torque lock, set the parking
brake and then shift into P (Park). To
find out how, see "Shifting Into
P (Park)" listed previously.
If torque lock does occur, your vehicle
may need to be pushed uphill by
another vehicle to relieve the parking
pawl pressure, so you can shift out of
P (Park).
If you are towing a trailer and parking
on a hill, seeDriving Characteristics
and Towing Tips 0226.
Shifting out of Park
This vehicle is equipped with an
automatic transmission shift lock
control system. The shift lock control
is designed to prevent movement of
the shift lever out of P (Park), unless
the ignition is on and the brake pedal
is applied.
The shift lock control is always
functional except in the case of an
uncharged or low voltage (less than
9-volt) battery. If the vehicle has an uncharged
battery or a battery with low voltage,
try charging or jump starting the
battery. See
Jump Starting - North
America 0301.
To shift out of P (Park):
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Apply the brake pedal.
3. Press the shift lever button.
4. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you still are unable to shift out of
P (Park): 1. Fully release the shift lever button.
2. Hold the brake pedal down and press the shift lever button
again.
3. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you still cannot move the shift lever
from P (Park), consult your dealer or a
professional towing service.
Parking over Things
That Burn
{Warning
Things that can burn could touch
hot exhaust parts under the vehicle
and ignite. Do not park over papers,
leaves, dry grass, or other things
that can burn.
Extended Parking
It is best not to park with the vehicle
running. If the vehicle is left running,
be sure it will not move and there is
adequate ventilation.
See Shifting Into Park 0185 and Engine
Exhaust 0187.
If the vehicle is left parked and
running with the RKE transmitter
outside the vehicle, it will turn off
after one hour.
If the vehicle is left parked and
running with the RKE transmitter
inside the vehicle, it will turn off after
two hours.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
188 DRIVING AND OPERATING
Running the Vehicle While
Parked
It is better not to park with the engine
running.
If the vehicle is left with the engine
running, follow the proper steps to be
sure the vehicle will not move.
SeeShifting Into Park 0185 and Engine
Exhaust 0187.
If parking on a hill and pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips 0226.
Automatic Transmission
P : This position locks the drive
wheels. Use P (Park) when starting the
engine because the vehicle cannot
move easily.
{Warning
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could
be injured. To be sure the vehicle
will not move, even when you are
on fairly level ground, always set
the parking brake and move the
shift lever to P (Park).
SeeShifting Into Park 0185 and
Driving Characteristics and Towing
Tips 0226.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in
P (Park) before starting the engine.
The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control system.
The regular brake must be fully
applied first and then the shift lever
button pressed before shifting from
P (Park) when the ignition is in ON/
RUN. If you cannot shift out of
P (Park), ease pressure on the shift
lever, then push the shift lever all the
way into P (Park) as you maintain
brake application. Then press the shift