CADILLAC CTS 2008 2.G Repair Manual

{CAUTION:
Frontal airbags are designed to deploy in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They are not designed to inate in
rollover, rear crashes, or in many side crashes.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are
designed to inate in moderate to severe
crashes where something hits the side of
your vehicle. They are not designed to inate
in frontal, in rollover, or in rear crashes.
Roof-rail airbags are designed to inate in
moderate to severe crashes where something
hits the side of your vehicle or in a severe
frontal impact. They are not designed to inate
in rollover or rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.
{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it inates can
be seriously injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to the airbag, as you
would be if you were sitting on the edge of
your seat or leaning forward. Safety belts help
keep you in position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
airbags. The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle.
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.
1-57

{CAUTION:
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best
protection for adults, but not for young children
and infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt
system nor its airbag system is designed for
them. Young children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint system can
provide. Always secure children properly in
your vehicle. To read how, seeOlder Children
on page 1-32orInfants and Young Children on
page 1-35.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel 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. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-34
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
1-58

The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
The seat-mounted side impact airbags for the driver and
right front passenger are in the side of the seatbacks
closest to the door.Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
1-59

The roof-rail airbags for the driver, right front passenger,
and second row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not inate properly
or it might force the object into that person
causing severe injury or even death. The path
of an inating airbag must be kept clear.
Do not put anything between an occupant and
an airbag, and do not attach or put anything
on the steering wheel hub or on or near any
other airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that block the
ination path of a seat-mounted side impact
airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof of a vehicle
with roof-rail airbags by routing a rope or tie
down through any door or window opening.
If you do, the path of an inating roof-rail
airbag will be blocked. Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
1-60

When Should an Airbag Inate?
Frontal airbags are designed to inate in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal crashes to help reduce
the potential for severe injuries mainly to the driver’s
or right front passenger’s head and chest. However,
they are only designed to inate if the impact exceeds
a predetermined deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds are used to predict how severe a crash
is likely to be in time for the airbags to inate and
help restrain the occupants.
Whether your frontal airbags will or should deploy is not
based on how fast your vehicle is traveling. It depends
largely on what you hit, the direction of the impact,
and how quickly your vehicle slows down.Frontal airbags may inate at different crash speeds.
For example:If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could inate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed than
if the vehicle hits an object that does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole), the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle, the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with specic vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
1-61

In addition, your vehicle has a dual-stage driver airbag.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage
airbags inate at a level less than full deployment.
For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
Your vehicle also has a dual-depth passenger airbag
that adjusts the restraint according to crash severity, seat
location, and safety belt status using electronic frontal
sensors and other special sensors which enable the
sensing system to monitor the position of the front
passenger seat. The passenger airbag inates to a
reduced depth when the passenger seat is in a forward
position. For more rearward front seating positions, the
passenger airbag may inate to an increased depth (a full
deployment), based on the crash severity measured early
in the event. (Always wear your safety belt, even with
frontal airbags.)
Your vehicle has seat position sensors which enables
the sensing system to monitor the position of the driver’s
and right front passenger’s seat. Seat position sensors
provide information that is used to determine if the
airbags should deploy at a reduced level or at full
deployment.Your vehicle has seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail
airbags. SeeAirbag System on page 1-56. Seat-mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags are intended to inate
in moderate to severe side crashes. In addition, these
roof-rail airbags are intended to inate in a severe frontal
impact. Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags
will inate if the crash severity is above the system’s
designed threshold level. The threshold level can vary
with specic vehicle design.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are not intended to
inate in frontal impacts, near-frontal impacts, rollovers,
or rear impacts. Roof-rail airbags are not intended to
inate in rollovers or rear impacts. A seat-mounted side
impact airbag is intended to deploy on the side of
the vehicle that is struck. Both roof-rail airbags will
deploy when either side of the vehicle is struck or in
a severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, ination is determined by what
the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how quickly
the vehicle slows down. For seat-mounted side impact
and roof-rail airbags, deployment is determined by the
location and severity of the side impact.
1-62

What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an
electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the
inator. Gas from the inator lls the airbag causing the
bag to break out of the cover and deploy. The inator, the
airbag, and related hardware are all part of the airbag
module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the
steering wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles
with seat-mounted side impact airbags, there are
airbag modules in the side of the front seatbacks
closest to the door. For vehicles with roof-rail airbags,
there are airbag modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows that have occupant seating
positions.
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 safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. Seat-mounted side impact
and roof-rail airbags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body.
But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,
primarily because the occupant’s motion is not toward
those airbags. SeeWhen Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 1-61for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
1-63

What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After the frontal airbags and seat-mounted side impact
airbags inate, they quickly deate, so quickly that
some people may not even realize an airbag inated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least partially inated
for some time after they deploy. Some components
of the airbag module may be hot for several minutes.
For location of the airbag modules, seeWhat Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-63.
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
deated airbags. Airbag ination 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.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, 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
inates, then get fresh air by opening a 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 the interior lamps on, and turn the hazard
warning ashers on when the airbags inate. You can
lock the doors, turn the interior lamps off, and turn the
hazard warning ashers off by using the controls for
those features.
1-64

In many crashes severe enough to inate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur
from the right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, you will need some new parts for the
airbag system. If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include airbag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
The vehicle has a crash sensing and diagnostic
module which records information after a crash.
SeeVehicle Data Recording and Privacy on
page 7-18andEvent Data Recorders on page 7-19.
Let only qualied technicians work on the airbag
systems. Improper service can mean that an airbag
system will not work properly. See your dealer/
retailer for service.
Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger’s position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible on the instrument
panel when you start your vehicle.
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off,
will be visible during the system check. If you are using
remote start to start your vehicle from a distance, if
equipped, you may not see the system check. When
the system check is complete, either the word ON or the
word OFF, or the symbol for on or the symbol for off, will
be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-35. United States
Canada
1-65

The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side
impact airbag under certain conditions. The driver’s
airbags are not part of the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat. The sensors
are designed to detect the presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag
should be enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children be secured in a rear seat,
including: an infant or a child riding in a rear-facing
child restraint; a child riding in a forward-facing child
seat; an older child riding in a booster seat; and children,
who are large enough, using safety belts.
A label on your sun visor says, “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 deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag inates and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger frontal
airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag
(if equipped), no system is fail-safe. No one
can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual circumstance, even
though the airbag(s) are off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear
seat, even if the airbag(s) are off. If you secure
a forward-facing child restraint in the right
front seat, always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a rear seat.
1-66