Cadillac 2005 STS User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-6
Safety Belts .............................................. 1-7
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-26
Airbag System ......................................... 1-45
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-56
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks ...................................... 2-11
Windows ................................................. 2-16
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-20
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-23
Mirrors .................................................... 2-35
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-39
HomeLink
®
Transmitter ............................. 2-41
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-45
Sunroof .................................................. 2-46
Vehicle Personalization ............................. 2-47
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-47
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-56
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-69
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-87
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-36
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-44
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-45
Front Axle ............................................... 5-46
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-47
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-50
Tires ...................................................... 5-51
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-82
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-91
Electrical System ...................................... 5-92
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-104
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-10
Index ................................................................ 1
2005 Cadillac STS Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CADILLAC,
the CADILLAC Crest & Wreath, and the name STS are
registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time
it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in
the product after that time without notice. For vehicles
first sold in Canada, substitute the name “General
Motors of Canada Limited” for Cadillac Motor Car
Division whenever it appears in this manual.
Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there
if it is needed while you are on the road. If the
vehicle is sold, leave this manual in the vehicle.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 05STS A First Edition ©Copyright General Motors Corporation 05/27/04 All Rights Reserved
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people read the owner manual from beginning to
end when they first receive their new vehicle. If this
is done, it can help you learn about the features
and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work
together in the owner manual to explain things.
Index
A good place to quickly locate information about the
vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is an
alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the
page number where it can be found.
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
There are a number of safety cautions in this book. We
use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about things
that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning.
{CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is.
Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not,
you or others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Do Not,”
“Do Not do this” or
“Do Not let this happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this manual you will find these notices:
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice tells about something that can damage the
vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered
by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But
the notice will tell what to do to help avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors
or in different words.
There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or information
relating to a specific component, control, message,
gage, or indicator.
If you need help figuring out a specific name
of a component, gage, or indicator, reference
the following topics:
•Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
•Features and Controls in Section 2
•Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
•Climate Controls in Section 3
•Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3
•Audio System(s) in Section 3
•Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle:
v

✍NOTES
vi

Front Seats ......................................................1-2
Power Seats ..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-3
Heated Seats .................................................1-3
Heated and Ventilated Seats ............................1-4
Power Reclining Seatback ...............................1-5
Head Restraints .............................................1-6
Rear Seats .......................................................1-6
Heated Seats .................................................1-6
Rear Seat Pass-Through Door .........................1-7
Safety Belts .....................................................1-7
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-7
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-13
Driver Position ..............................................1-13
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment .....................1-19
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-20
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-20
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-20
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults .......................................1-23
Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-25
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-25
Child Restraints .............................................1-26
Older Children ..............................................1-26
Infants and Young Children ............................1-29
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-32
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-35
Top Strap ....................................................1-36
Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-37
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-38
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System ....................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position ............................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position ....................................1-42
Airbag System ...............................................1-45
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-47
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-51
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-53
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-53
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-54
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-56
Restraint System Check ..................................1-56
Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-56
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-57
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Front Seats
Power Seats
The power seat controls
are located on the
outboard sides of the
front seat cushions.
•Move the front of the horizontal control up or down
to adjust the front portion of the cushion.
•Move the rear of the horizontal control up or down
to adjust the rear portion of the cushion.
•Slide the horizontal control forward or rearward to
move the entire seat forward or rearward.
•Press the vertical control rearward to recline the
seatback. Press the vertical control forward to
raise the seatback. See Power Reclining Seatback
on page 1-5.
If your vehicle has the memory feature, you can
program and recall memory settings for seat positions.
See Memory Seat, Mirrors and Steering Wheel on
page 2-64.
1-2

Power Lumbar
The driver’s and
passenger’s seatback
lumbar support switches
are located on the
outboard sides of
the seats.
Use the power seat controls first to get the proper
position, then continue with the lumbar adjustment.
Use the top lumbar switch to adjust support to the
middle seatback and the bottom lumbar switch to adjust
support to the lower seatback. Press the front of the
switch to increase support and the rear of the switch to
decrease support.
Keep in mind that as your seating position changes,
as it may during long trips, so should the position of your
lumbar support. Adjust the seat as needed.
Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have
heated front seats.
The buttons are
located on the climate
control panel.
z(Heated Seat and Seatback): This button is for the
heated seat and seatback. Press the up arrow once
to turn on the heated seat at the highest setting.
Press the down arrow once to turn on the heated seat
at the lowest setting.
Pressing the up or down arrows a second time will raise
or lower the setting. To turn off the heated seat keep
pressing the down arrow until the indicator for heated
seat on the climate control display is off.
The heated seat will automatically shut off when the
vehicle is turned off.
1-3

Heated and Ventilated Seats
Your vehicle may have
heated and ventilated front
seats. The buttons are
located on the climate
control panel.
z(Heated Seat and Seatback): This button is for
the heated seat and seatback.
{(Ventilated Seat): This button is for the
ventilated seat.
There are three settings for each feature. A light bar in
the climate control display shows the setting; high,
medium or low. The longest bar shows the high range
and the shortest bar shows the low range.
Pressing either the heated seat or ventilated seat
button will start that feature at the highest setting.
Each time you press the button, the feature will
decrease one setting.
To turn the feature off, keep pressing the button until
the display lights turn off.
The heated or ventilated seats will automatically shut off
when the vehicle is turned off.
1-4

Power Reclining Seatback
The vertical power seat control described earlier allows
the seatback to recline. See Power Seats on page 1-2
for more information.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can not do their
job when you are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can not do its job. In a
crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or
other injuries.
The lap belt can not do its job either. In a
crash the belt could go up over your abdomen.
The belt forces would be there, not at your
pelvic bones. This could cause serious
internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
1-5

Head Restraints
Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top of your head. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
The head restraints lock into place when raised.
To release the head restraint and lower it, press the tab
located at the base of the restraint. The head restraints
tilt forward and rearward, also.
The rear seat head restraints work the same as the
front head restraints.
Rear Seats
Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have this feature. The buttons used to
control the heated rear seats are located on the back
of the center console. The engine must be running
for the heated seat feature to work.
1-6

z(Heated Seat and Seatback): Press this button to
turn the heated seat feature on. When you press
the button, the feature will turn on at the highest setting.
Each time you press the button, the feature will go
down one temperature setting. A light next to the button
will indicate the setting; 3 is the highest, 1 is the lowest.
To turn the feature off, keep pressing the button until
the indicator light goes off.
The heated rear seats will shut off automatically when
the ignition is turned off.
Rear Seat Pass-Through Door
Your vehicle has a pass-through door that provides
access to the trunk from the rear seats. See “Rear Seat
Pass-Through Door” under Trunk on page 2-13.
Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you are not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properly too.
1-7

{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
See Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-58.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here is why: They work.
You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have
a crash, you do not know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of
them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up
does matter... a lot!
1-8

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat
on wheels.
Put someone on it.
1-9

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
does not stop. The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...
1-10

or the instrument panel... or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why
safety belts make such good sense.
1-11

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident
if I am wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you are upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Airbags are in many vehicles today and will
be in most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work with
safety belts — not instead of them. Every airbag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has
airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
Q: If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in an
accident — even one that is not your fault — you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver does not protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-12

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different rules for
smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in your
vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-26 or Infants and
Young Children on page 1-29. Follow those rules for
everyone’s protection.
First, you will want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We will start with the driver position.
Driver Position
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to
wear it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight.
To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-25.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
1-13

5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
6. This safety belt has a feature that will reduce the
tension of the safety belt on the occupant’s
shoulder. To set this feature, gently pull on the belt,
or lean forward and then sit back. The belt will
retract and rest lightly against the occupant.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would be less
likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the
belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of
the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
1-14