2018 CADILLAC XTS warning

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 85
passenger sensing system operates.
We recommend that you not use seat
covers or other aftermarket equipment
except when approved by GM for your
specific vehicle. SeeAdding Equipment
to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 085 for
more information about modifications
that can affect how the system
operates.
A wet seat can affect the performance
of the passenger sensing system. Here
is how:
. The passenger sensing system may
turn off the airbag(s) when liquid
is soaked into the seat. If this
happens, the off indicator will be
lit, and the airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel will also
be lit.
. Liquid pooled on the seat that has
not soaked in may make it more
likely that the passenger sensing
system will turn on the front
passenger airbag(s) while a child
restraint or child occupant is on
the seat. If the outboard passenger
airbag(s) are turned on, the on
indicator will be lit. If the front passenger seat gets wet,
dry the seat immediately. If the airbag
readiness light is lit, do not install a
child restraint or allow anyone to
occupy the seat. See
Airbag Readiness
Light 0126 for important safety
information.
The on indicator may be lit if an
object, such as a briefcase, handbag,
grocery bag, laptop, or other electronic
device, is put on an unoccupied seat.
If this is not desired, remove the
object from the seat.
{Warning
Stowing articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle should
be serviced. There are parts of the
airbag system in several places around the vehicle. Your dealer and the
service manual have information
about servicing the vehicle and the
airbag system. To purchase a service
manual, see
Service Publications
Ordering Information 0343.
{Warning
For up to 10 seconds after the
vehicle is turned off and the battery
is disconnected, an airbag can still
inflate during improper service. You
can be injured if you are close to an
airbag when it inflates. Avoid
yellow connectors. They are
probably part of the airbag system.
Be sure to follow proper service
procedures, and make sure the
person performing work for you is
qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end, or side sheet metal
may keep the airbag system from

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 87
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 0126.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown
booster seats should wear the vehicle’s
seat 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 seat belt
comfort guide, if available. See
“Rear Seat Belt Comfort Guides”
under Lap-Shoulder Belt 070. 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 seat 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 seat belts?
A: An older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the
additional restraint a shoulder belt

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
88 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
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 Seat Belt Comfort
Guides” underLap-Shoulder Belt 070.
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 seat belts properly.
{Warning
Never allow more than one child to
wear the same seat belt. The seat
belt cannot properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, they can (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
be crushed together and seriously
injured. A seat belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
{Warning
Never allow a child to wear the seat
belt with the shoulder belt behind
their back. A child can be seriously
injured by not wearing the
lap-shoulder belt properly. In a(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 89
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. In
fact, the law in every state in the
United States and in every Canadian
province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
{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.
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(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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 seat belts.
Every time infants and young children
ride in vehicles, they should have the
protection provided by appropriate
child restraints. Neither the vehicle's
seat 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. (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
90 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
{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.
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. If it is, the restraint will
have a label saying that it meets
federal motor vehicle safety standards.
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.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 91
{Warning
A young child's hip bones are still
so small that the vehicle's regular
seat belt may not remain low on
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.
Child Restraint Systems
Rear-Facing Infant Restraint
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 Restraint
A forward-facing child restraint
provides restraint for the child's body
with the harness.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
92 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
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 seat belt system
until the child is large enough for the
vehicle seat belts to fit properly
without a booster seat. See the seat
belt fit test in Older Children087.
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 seat 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 restraints 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) 094 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.
In some areas of the United States
and Canada, Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technicians (CPSTs) are
available to inspect and demonstrate
how to correctly use and install child
restraints. In the U.S., refer to the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) website to
locate the nearest child safety seat
inspection station. For CPST
availability in Canada, check with
Transport Canada or the Provincial
Ministry of Transportation office.

Cadillac XTS Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11354412) -
2018 - crc - 11/16/17
SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 93
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.
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(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint
in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System 081
for additional information.
If the vehicle does not have a rear seat
that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, a rear-facing child
restraint should not be installed in the
vehicle, even if the airbag is off.
When securing a child restraint with
the seat belts in a rear seat 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 seat belts or LATCH
anchors for additional passengers or