Cadillac CT5 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500419) -
2023 - CRC - 5/6/22
Seats and Restraints 65
Seat Belt Care
Keep belts clean and dry.
Seat belts should be properly
cared for and maintained.
Seat belt hardware should be
kept dry and free of dust or
debris. As necessary, exterior
hard surfaces and seat belt
webbing may be lightly
cleaned with mild soap and
water. Ensure there is not
excessive dust or debris in the
mechanism. If dust or debris
exists in the system please
see the dealer. Parts may
need to be replaced to ensure
proper functionality of the
system.
{Warning
Do not bleach or dye seat
belt webbing. It may severely
weaken the webbing. In a
crash, they might not be
able to provide adequate
protection. Clean and rinse
seat belt webbing only with(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
mild soap and lukewarm
water. Allow the webbing
to dry.
Replacing Seat Belt
System Parts after a
Crash
{Warning
A crash can damage the
seat belt system in the
vehicle. A damaged seat belt
system may not properly
protect the person using it,
resulting in serious injury or
even death in a crash. To
help make sure the seat belt
systems are working
properly after a crash, have
them inspected and any
necessary replacements
made as soon as possible.
After a minor crash,
replacement of seat belts may
not be necessary. But the seat belt assemblies that were
used during any crash may
have been stressed or
damaged. See your dealer to
have the seat belt assemblies
inspected or replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the seat belt
system was not being used at
the time of the crash.
Have the seat belt
pretensioners checked if the
vehicle has been in a crash,
or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the
vehicle or while you are
driving. See Airbag Readiness
Light
0123.
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.
Cadillac CT5 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500419) -
2023 - CRC - 5/6/22
66 Seats and Restraints
.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?
069.
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
the vehicle should wear a
seat belt properly, whether
or not there is an airbag for
that person.
Cadillac CT5 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500419) -
2023 - CRC - 5/6/22
Seats and Restraints 67
{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
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.(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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. To
read how, see Older
Children079 or
Infants and Young Children
0 81.
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 0123.
Where Are the
Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in
the center of the steering
wheel.
Cadillac CT5 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500419) -
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70 Seats and Restraints
Knee airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe
frontal impacts. Knee airbags
are not designed to inflate
during vehicle rollovers, in rear
impacts, or in many side
impacts.
Seat-mounted side impact
airbags are designed to inflate
in moderate to severe side
crashes depending on the
location of the impact. These
airbags may also inflate in
some moderate to severe
frontal impacts. Seat-mounted
side impact airbags are not
designed to inflate in rollovers
or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag is designed to inflate on
the side of the vehicle that is
struck.
Roof-rail airbags are designed
to inflate in moderate to
severe side crashes
depending on the location of
the impact. In addition, these
roof-rail airbags may inflate
during a rollover or in a severefrontal impact. Roof-rail
airbags are not designed to
inflate in rear impacts. Both
roof-rail airbags may inflate
when either side of the vehicle
is struck, if the sensing system
predicts that the vehicle is
about to roll over on its side,
or in a severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag
should have inflated simply
because of the vehicle
damage or repair costs.
What Makes an
Airbag Inflate?
In a deployment event, the
sensing system sends an
electrical signal triggering a
release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator
fills the airbag causing the bag
to break out of the cover. The
inflator, the airbag, and related
hardware are all part of the
airbag module.
For airbag locations, see
Where Are the Airbags?
067.
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.
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Seats and Restraints 71
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?069.
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? 067. 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)
Warning (Continued)
window or a door. If you
experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that
may automatically unlock the
doors, turn on the interior
lamps and hazard warning
flashers, and shut off the fuel
system after the airbags
inflate. The feature may also
activate, without airbag
inflation, after an event that
exceeds a predetermined
threshold. After turning the
ignition off and then on again,
the fuel system will return to
normal operation; the doors
can be locked, the interior
lamps can be turned off, and
the hazard warning flashers
can be turned off using the
controls for those features.
If any of these systems are
damaged in the crash they
may not operate as normal.
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Seats and Restraints 73
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)
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.
Cadillac CT5 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-16500419) -
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74 Seats and Restraints
.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 0124.
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 airbag
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 0123 for more
information, including
important safety
information.
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.
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Seats and Restraints 75
4. Reinstall the child restraintfollowing the directions
provided by the child
restraint manufacturer and
refer to Securing Child
Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Rear Seat) 094
or
Securing Child Restraints
(With the Seat Belt in the
Front Seat) 096.
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
043.
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.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: