Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500442) -
2023 - CRC - 5/4/22
Seats and Restraints 59
vehicle or while you are
driving. See Airbag Readiness
Light0116.
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the
driver
.A frontal airbag for the front
outboard passenger
.A knee airbag for the driver.
.A knee airbag for the front
outboard passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the front outboard
passenger
.A roof-rail airbag for the
driver and the passenger
seated directly behind the
driver
.A roof-rail airbag for the
front outboard passenger
and the passenger seated
directly behind the front
outboard passenger All vehicle airbags have the
word AIRBAG on the trim or
on a label near the deployment
opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the center of the
steering wheel for the driver
and on the instrument panel
for the front outboard
passenger.
For knee airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the lower part of
the instrument panel.
For seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG is
on the side of the seatback or
side of the seat closest to
the door.
For roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the ceiling
or trim.
Airbags are designed to
supplement the protection
provided by seat belts. Even
though today's airbags are
also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the
force of an inflating bag, all
airbags must inflate very
quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important
things to know about the
airbag system:
{Warning
You can be severely injured
or killed in a crash if you are
not wearing your seat belt,
even with airbags. Airbags
are designed to work with
seat belts, not replace them.
Also, airbags are not
designed to inflate in every
crash. In some crashes seat
belts are the only restraint.
See When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
062.
Wearing your seat belt
during a crash helps reduce
your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to
the seat belts. Everyone in
(Continued)
Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500442) -
2023 - CRC - 5/4/22
60 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
the vehicle should wear a
seat belt properly, whether
or not there is an airbag for
that person.
{Warning
Because airbags inflate with
great force and faster than
the blink of an eye, anyone
who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to any
airbag, as you would be if
sitting on the edge of the
seat or leaning forward.
Seat belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear a seat
belt, even with airbags. The
driver should sit as far back
as possible while still
maintaining control of the(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
vehicle. The seat belts and
the front outboard
passenger airbags are most
effective when you are
sitting well back and upright
in the seat with both feet on
the floor.
Occupants should not lean
on or sleep against the door
or side windows in seating
positions with seat-mounted
side impact airbags and/or
roof-rail airbags.
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag
when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed.
Always secure children
properly in the vehicle.(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
To read how, see Older
Children072 or
Infants and Young Children
0 74.
There is an airbag readiness
light on the instrument cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells
you if there is an electrical
problem. See Airbag
Readiness Light 0116.
Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500442) -
2023 - CRC - 5/4/22
64 Seats and Restraints
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal collisions, even
belted occupants can contact
the steering wheel or the
instrument panel. In moderate
to severe side collisions, even
belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the
protection provided by seat
belts by distributing the force
of the impact more evenly
over the occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail
airbags are designed to help
contain the head and chest of
occupants in the outboard
seating positions in the first
and second rows. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the
risk of full or partial ejection in
rollover events, although no
system can prevent all such
ejections.But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions,
primarily because the
occupant's motion is not
toward those airbags. See
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
062.
Airbags should never be
regarded as anything more
than a supplement to seat
belts.
What Will You See
after an Airbag
Inflates?
After frontal, knee, and
seat-mounted side impact
airbags inflate, they quickly
deflate, so quickly that some
people may not even realize
the airbags inflated. Roof-rail
airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time
after they inflate. Some
components of the airbag
module may be hot for several
minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 061. The parts of the airbag that
come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot
to touch. There may be some
smoke and dust coming from
the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does
not prevent the driver from
seeing out of the windshield or
being able to steer the vehicle,
nor does it prevent people
from leaving the vehicle.
{Warning
When an airbag inflates,
there may be dust in the air.
This dust could cause
breathing problems for
people with a history of
asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this,
everyone in the vehicle
should get out as soon as it
is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but
cannot get out of the vehicle
after an airbag inflates, then
get fresh air by opening a
(Continued)
Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500442) -
2023 - CRC - 5/4/22
66 Seats and Restraints
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the front
outboard passenger position.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will light on the
overhead console when the
vehicle is started.
The words ON and OFF, and
the symbols for on and off, will
be visible during the system
check. When the system check
is complete, either the word
ON or OFF, and the symbol for
on or off, will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator0117.
The passenger sensing
system turns off the front
outboard passenger frontal
airbag and knee airbag under certain conditions. No other
airbag is affected by the
passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing
system works with sensors
that are part of the front
outboard passenger seat and
seat belt. The sensors are
designed to detect the
presence of a properly seated
occupant and determine if the
front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag
should be allowed to inflate
or not.
According to accident
statistics, children are safer
when properly secured in a
rear seat in the correct child
restraint for their weight
and size.
Whenever possible, children
aged 12 and under should be
secured in a rear seating
position.
Never put a rear-facing child
seat in the front. This is
because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag inflates.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the
passenger frontal 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 passenger frontal airbag
inflates and the passenger
seat is in a forward position.
Even if the passenger
sensing system has turned
off the front outboard
passenger airbag(s), no
system is fail-safe. No one
can guarantee that an
(Continued)
Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500442) -
2023 - CRC - 5/4/22
Seats and Restraints 67
Warning (Continued)
airbag will not deploy under
some unusual circumstance,
even though the airbag(s)
are off.
Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front seat,
even if the airbag is off.
If securing a forward-facing
child restraint in the front
outboard passenger seat,
always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better
to secure child restraints in
the rear seat. Consider
using another vehicle to
transport the child when a
rear seat is not available.
The passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off
the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee
airbag if:
.The front outboard
passenger seat is
unoccupied.
.The system determines an
infant is present in a child
restraint.
.A front outboard passenger
takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the
front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
the OFF indicator will light and
stay lit as a reminder that the
airbags are off. See Passenger
Airbag Status Indicator 0117.
The passenger sensing
system is designed to turn on
the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
anytime the system senses
that a person of adult size is
sitting properly in the front
outboard passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the
airbags to be enabled, the ON
indicator will light and stay lit
as a reminder that the airbags
are active. For some children, including
children in child restraints, and
for very small adults, the
passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the
front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
depending upon the person's
seating posture and body
build. Everyone in the vehicle
who has outgrown child
restraints should wear a seat
belt properly
—whether or not
there is an airbag for that
person.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light
ever comes on and stays on,
it means that something may
be wrong with the airbag
system. To help avoid injury
to yourself or others, have
the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness
Light 0116 for more
information, including
important safety
information.
Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500442) -
2023 - CRC - 5/4/22
68 Seats and Restraints
If the On Indicator Is Lit
for a Child Restraint
The passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off
the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
if the system determines that
an infant is present in a child
restraint. If a child restraint
has been installed and the ON
indicator is lit:1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such
as blankets, cushions, seat
covers, seat heaters,
or seat massagers. 4. Reinstall the child restraint
following the directions
provided by the child
restraint manufacturer and
refer to Securing Child
Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Rear Seat) 088
or
Securing Child Restraints
(With the Seat Belt in the
Front Seat) 090.
Make sure the seat belt
retractor is locked by
pulling the shoulder belt all
the way out of the
retractor when installing
the child restraint, even if
the child restraint is
equipped with a seat belt
lock off. When the
retractor lock is set, the
belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the
retractor. 5. If, after reinstalling the
child restraint and
restarting the vehicle, the
ON indicator is still lit, turn
the vehicle off. Then
slightly recline the vehicle
seatback and adjust the
seat cushion, if adjustable,
to make sure that the
vehicle seatback is not
pushing the child restraint
into the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head
restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint.
See Head Restraints 037.
6. Restart the vehicle.
The passenger sensing
system may or may not turn
off the airbags for a child in a
child restraint depending upon
the child’s size. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat. Never put a
rear-facing child restraint in
the front seat, even if the ON
indicator is not lit.
Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500442) -
2023 - CRC - 5/4/22
Seats and Restraints 69
If the Off Indicator Is Lit
for an Adult-Sized
Occupant
If a person of adult size is
sitting in the front outboard
passenger seat, but the OFF
indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not
sitting properly in the seat or
that the child restraint locking
feature is engaged. Use the
following steps to allow the
system to detect that person
and enable the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag and
knee airbag:1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional
material from the seat,
such as blankets, cushions,
seat covers, seat heaters,
or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat
cushion, with legs
comfortably extended.
5. If the shoulder portion of the belt is pulled out all the
way, the child restraint
locking feature will be
engaged. This may
unintentionally cause the
passenger sensing system
to turn the airbag off for
some adult-sized
occupants. If this happens,
unbuckle the belt, let the
belt go back all the way,
and then buckle the belt
again without pulling the
belt out all the way. 6. Restart the vehicle and
have the person remain in
this position for two to
three minutes after the ON
indicator is lit.
{Warning
If the front outboard
passenger airbag is turned
off for an adult-sized
occupant, the airbag will not
be able to inflate and help
protect that person in a
crash, resulting in an
increased risk of serious
injury or even death. An
adult-sized occupant should
not ride in the front
outboard passenger seat,
if the passenger airbag OFF
indicator is lit.
Additional Factors
Affecting System
Operation
Seat belts help keep the
passenger in position on the
seat during vehicle maneuvers
Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500442) -
2023 - CRC - 5/4/22
70 Seats and Restraints
and braking, which helps the
passenger sensing system
maintain the passenger airbag
status. See“Seat Belts” and
“Child Restraints” in the Index
for additional information
about the importance of
proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional
material, such as a blanket or
cushion, or aftermarket
equipment such as seat
covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers can affect how well
the 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. See
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 070
for more information about
modifications that can affect
how the system operates.
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 Publication
Ordering Information
0494.
{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
working properly.