Cadillac 2008 STS User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts .............................................. 1-8
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-28
Airbag System ......................................... 1-51
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-66
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ...................................... 2-14
Windows ................................................. 2-19
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-22
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-27
Mirrors .................................................... 2-40
Object Detection Systems .......................... 2-45
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-48
Universal Home Remote System ................ 2-51
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-58
Sunroof .................................................. 2-58
Vehicle Personalization ............................. 2-60
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-48
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-57
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-74
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-98
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-31
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-50
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-51
Front Axle ............................................... 5-52
Headlamp Aiming ..................................... 5-53
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-54
Windshield Replacement ........................... 5-55
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-55
Tires ...................................................... 5-57
Appearance Care ................................... 5-107
Vehicle Identification ............................... 5-116
Electrical System .................................... 5-116
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-128
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-14
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy ........... 7-16
Index ................................................................ 1
2008 Cadillac STS/STS-V 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.
This manual describes features that may be available in
this model, but your vehicle may not have all of them.
For example, more than one entertainment system may
be offered or your vehicle may have been ordered
without a front passenger or rear seats.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer/retailer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
www.helminc.com
Propriétaires Canadiens
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français
auprès de concessionnaire ou à l’adresse suivante:
Helm Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
www.helminc.com
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 15864565 A First Print
©
2007 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ii

Using this Manual
Many people read the owner manual from beginning to
end when they first receive their new vehicle to learn
about the vehicle’s features and controls. Pictures
and words work together 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.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
There are a number of safety cautions in this book.
A box with the word CAUTION is used to tell about
things that could hurt you or others if you were to ignore
the warning.
{CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
We tell you what the hazard is and what to do to help
avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions.
If you do not, you or others could be hurt.
A circle with a slash
through it is a safety
symbol which means
“Do Not,” “Do Not do
this” or “Do Not let this
happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
You will also find notices in this manual.
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.
The notice tells 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 which
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.
iv

Front Seats ......................................................1-2
Power Seats ..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-2
Heated Seats .................................................1-3
Heated and Ventilated Seats ............................1-3
Power Reclining Seatbacks ..............................1-4
Head Restraints .............................................1-6
Rear Seats .......................................................1-7
Heated Seats .................................................1-7
Rear Seat Pass-Through Door .........................1-7
Safety Belts .....................................................1-8
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-8
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-13
Lap-Shoulder Belt .........................................1-21
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-27
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-27
Child Restraints .............................................1-28
Older Children ..............................................1-28
Infants and Young Children ............................1-30
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-34
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-36
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH) ......................................1-37
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position ....................................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position ............................1-47
Airbag System ...............................................1-51
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-53
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-56
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-57
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-58
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-58
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-60
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-64
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-65
Restraint System Check ..................................1-66
Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-66
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-67
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Front Seats
Power Seats The power seat controls
are located on the
outboard side of the seats.
To adjust the seat:
•Move the seat forward or rearward by sliding the
horizontal control forward or rearward.
•Raise or lower the front part of the seat cushion by
moving the front of the horizontal control up or down.
•Raise or lower the rear part of the seat cushion by
moving the rear of the horizontal control up or down.
•Use the vertical control to recline the seatback.
See Power Reclining Seatbacks on page 1-4.
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 2-77.
Power Lumbar On vehicles with power
lumbar, the control is
located on the outboard
sides of the front seat(s).
To increase or decrease support, press and hold the
front or rear of the control.
To raise or lower the position of the lumbar support,
press and hold the top or bottom of the control.
Vehicles with a memory function allow seat settings to
be saved and recalled. See Memory Seat, Mirrors
and Steering Wheel on page 2-77 for more information.
1-2

Heated Seats On vehicles with heated
front seats, the buttons are
located on the climate
control panel.
z(Heated Seat and Seatback): Press the up or down
arrow once to turn on the heated seat at the highest
or lowest setting.
Press the up or down arrows a second time to raise or
lower the setting. Keep pressing the down arrow until
the indicator on the climate control display is off to
turn off the heated seat.
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.
The heated seat will automatically shut off when the
vehicle is turned off.
Heated and Ventilated Seats
On vehicles with heated and ventilated front seats, the
buttons are located on the climate control panel.
z(Heated Seat and Seatback): Press for the heated
seat and seatback.
{(Ventilated Seat): Press for the ventilated seat.
The light bar in the climate control display shows
the setting; high, medium or low.
Press either button to start that feature at the highest
setting. Each time you press the button, the feature will
decrease one setting.
Keep pressing the button until the display lights turn off
to turn the feature off
The heated or ventilated seats will automatically shut off
when the vehicle is turned off.
1-3

Power Reclining Seatbacks
The front seats have
power reclining seatbacks.
Use the vertical power
seat control located on the
outboard side of the
seat to operate them.
•To recline the seatback, press the control toward
the rear of the vehicle.
•To raise the seatback, press the control toward the
front of the vehicle.
1-4

{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts cannot do their
job when you are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt cannot do its job because it
will not be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. In a crash, you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
The lap belt cannot 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.
Do no have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
1-5

Head Restraints
Adjust the head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is at the same height as the top of the occupant’s
head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury
in a crash.
Pull the head restraint up
to raise it. To lower the
head restraint, press
the button, located on
the top of the seatback,
and push the head
restraint down.
The front head restraints can also tilt forward or
rearward.
1-6

Rear Seats
Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have this feature. The buttons used to
control the heated rear seats are located on the rear
of the center console. The engine must be running
for the heated seat feature to work.
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 2-16.
1-7

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 cannot
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 harder or be ejected
from it and 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 passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
{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 indicators as a reminder to buckle your
safety belts. See Safety Belt Reminders on page 3-59.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the
law requires wearing safety belts. Here is why:
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 serious 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.
1-8

After more than 40 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter... a lot!
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 a crash if
I am wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle
and get out, is much greater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are
upside down.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental systems only; so they
work with safety belts — not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is provided, all occupants
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 a
crash — even one that is not your fault — you and
your passenger(s) 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 section 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 1-28
or Infants and Young Children on page 1-30. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
It is very important for all occupants to buckle up.
Statistics show that unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.
Occupants who are not buckled up can be thrown out of
the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others in
the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
First, before you or your passenger(s) wear a safety
belt, there is important information you should know. Sit up straight and always keep your feet on the floor in
front of you. 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 on
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 shoulder belt locks if there is a sudden stop or
crash.
1-13

Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It will not give nearly
as much protection this way.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt
is too loose. In a crash, you would move
forward too much, which could increase injury.
The shoulder belt should fit snugly against
your body.
1-14

Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The lap belt is too loose. It will not give as much
protection this way.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your lap belt is
too loose. In a crash, you could slide under the
lap belt and apply force on your abdomen.
This could cause serious or even fatal injuries.
The lap belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs.
1-15

Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt is
buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash,
the belt would go up over your abdomen.
The belt forces would be there, not on the
pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries. Always buckle your belt into the
buckle nearest you.
1-16