light CADILLAC CATERA 1999 1.G User Guide

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2-12
If your vehicle loses power
temporarily, you can
manually open the trunk
using the trunk release
handle. The handle is
located on the underside of
the trunk lid on the driver's
side and can be accessed
through the fold
-down
rear seats.
Fold down the driver's side rear seat and reach through
to the trunk compartment to find the release handle.
Pulling the handle opens the trunk. For more
information on how to fold the rear seats, see ªFolding
the Rear Seatº in the Index.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft
-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you
can help.
Key in the Ignition
If you leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it's an
easy target for joy riders or professional thieves
-- so
don't do it.
When you park your vehicle and open the driver's door,
you'll hear a tone reminding you to remove your key
from the ignition and take it with you. Always do this.
Your steering wheel will be locked, and so will your
ignition and transmission. And remember to lock
the doors.
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.

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2-13 Parking Lots
If you park in a lot where someone will be watching
your vehicle, it's best to lock it up and take your keys.
But what if you have to leave your key?

If possible, park in a busy, well lit area.

Put your valuables in a storage area, like your
trunk or glove box. Be sure to close and lock the
storage area.

Close all windows.

Move the trunk release lockout switch to LK (lock).

Lock the glove box.

Lock all the doors except the driver's.

Then take the door key and remote keyless entry
transmitter with you.
Theft-Deterrent System
If the ignition is off
and any door is open, the
SECURITY light will flash
to remind you to activate
the system.
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door using the power door lock or the
remote keyless entry transmitter. The SECURITY
light should come on and stay on.
3. Close all the doors. The SECURITY light should go
off within approximately 30 seconds.
The horn will sound and the headlamps will flash for
several minutes when the door or trunk is opened
without the key or remote keyless entry transmitter.
The horn also sounds if the locks are damaged.
Remember, the theft
-deterrent system won't activate if
you lock the doors with a key or use the manual door
lock. It activates only if you use a power door lock
switch or the remote keyless entry transmitter.

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To avoid activating the alarm by accident:

The vehicle should be locked with the key after the
doors are closed if you don't want to activate the
theft
-deterrent system.

Always unlock a door with a key or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter. (Pressing the unlock button
on the remote keyless entry transmitter disables the
theft
-deterrent system.) Unlocking a door any other
way will activate the alarm. Cycling the ignition
without disarming the theft
-deterrent system will
also activate the alarm.
If you activate the alarm by accident, unlock the driver's
door with your key. You can also turn off the alarm by
using the remote keyless entry transmitter. The alarm
won't stop if you try to unlock a door in any other way.
Testing the Alarm
1. From inside the vehicle, roll down the window, then
get out of the vehicle, keeping the door open.
2. From outside the vehicle, with the door open, lock
the vehicle using the power door lock or the remote
keyless entry transmitter and close the door. Wait
30 seconds until the SECURITY light stops flashing.
3. Reach in and unlock the door using the manual lock
and open the door. The horn will sound and the
headlamps will flash.
If the alarm does not sound when it should, check to see
if the horn works. The horn fuse may be blown. To
replace the fuse, see ªFuses and Circuit Breakersº in the
Index. If the fuse does not need to be replaced, you may
need to have your vehicle serviced.
To reduce the possibility of theft, always activate the
optional theft
-deterrent system when leaving
your vehicle.

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2-24 Sport Mode Button
For a firmer shift and
increased performance, you
may choose the sport mode.
This button lets you change
from a normal driving mode
to a sport driving mode. It is
located on the shift
lever handle.
Press the ªSº button once to select the sport feature.
Press it again to return to the normal driving mode.
When you start the engine, your vehicle will be in
normal mode. For general driving conditions, use the
normal mode. It will remain in normal unless you select
the sport feature.
A telltale light on the
instrument panel will come
on when the sport mode
is selected.
If this light begins flashing while you are driving, there
may be a fault in the automatic transmission. Have your
vehicle serviced.
Third-Gear Start
Press this button to provide
more traction when you are
starting on ice or other
slippery surfaces. It only
operates when the shift
lever is in DRIVE (D). The
button is located next to the
shift lever on the console.
The transmission will be in THIRD (3) when the vehicle
begins to move. After starting in THIRD (3), the vehicle
will upshift normally.

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This feature is for improved traction only when the road
surface is slippery and is not intended for continuous use
or when the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice, snow or
gravel. Drive as usual for normal road conditions.
This feature automatically turns off when any of the
following conditions occur:

When the ignition is turned off.

If the shift lever is placed in PARK (P), THIRD (3),
SECOND (2), or FIRST (1).

If you press and hold the accelerator pedal past its
resistance point for more than two seconds.

When speed falls below 25 mph (40 km/h).

Once the vehicle reaches 67 mph (108 km/h).
To turn this feature off, press the button again.
Whenever you start your vehicle, the transmission is in
the normal mode.Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your foot and pull up on the parking brake
lever. If the ignition is on, the brake system warning
light will come on.

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If you start to drive with the parking brake set, the
BRAKE warning light stays on. See ªBrake System
Warning Lightº in the Index for more information.
To release the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down
with your foot and pull the parking brake lever up until
you can press the end release button. Hold the release
button in as you move the brake lever all the way down.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause the
rear brakes to overheat. You may have to replace
them, and you could also damage other parts of
your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on a hill, see
ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index. This section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll. If
you have left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle won't move, even when
you're on fairly level ground, use the steps that
follow. If you're pulling a trailer, see ªTowing a
Trailerº in the Index.

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Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane change
is complete. The lever returns when it is released.
Arrows that flash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned
-out front signal
bulb. (This does not occur with a burned
-out rear bulb.)
Other drivers won't see the turn signal. Replace
burned
-out bulbs to help avoid possible accidents.
Check the fuse (see ªFuses and Circuit Breakersº in the
Index) and for burned
-out bulbs if the arrow fails to
work when signaling a turn.
Headlamp High/Low Beam
With the Twilight Sentinel
on or with the lamp control
dial turned to the headlamp position, push the turn
signal lever on the driver's side of the steering wheel
away from you to turn on the high
-beam headlamps.
This light on the instrument
panel will be on, indicating
high
-beam usage.Pull the lever back to the original position to return to
low
-beam headlamps. For more information, see
ªHeadlampsº in the Index.
Flash-To-Pass
This feature uses the high-beam headlamps to signal the
driver in front of you that you want to pass. This feature
will work with either the headlamps on or off.
To use, pull the turn signal lever toward you and release.
Windshield Wipers
WIPER: Move the lever on the passenger's side of the
steering wheel up and down to control the wipers.

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MIST: Tap the lever up and then release it for a single
wipe cycle. For more cycles, pull and hold the lever.
= (HIGH): Move the lever all the way up for a fast
wiper speed.
- (LOW): The third position up controls the low
wiper speed.
-- (DELAY): This position is for a controlled delay
setting. Rotate the control dial on the lever to increase or
decrease the delay between wipe cycles.
o (OFF): This position turns off the wipers.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they're frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If the blades do become
damaged, replace them with new blades.
SeeªWindshield Wiper Blade Replacementº in
the Index.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor. A
circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools. Clear
away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Windshield Washer
Pull and hold the washer
lever to wash the
windshield. Release the
lever when you have
enough fluid. The wipers
will clear the windshield
and either stop or return to
your preset speed.
CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
A telltale light on the instrument panel will be displayed
when the washer fluid reaches a low level. See ªLow
Washer Fluid Warning Lightº in the Index for
more information.

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Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don't use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to end cruise control:

Step lightly on the brake pedal.

Press the OFF button at the end of the cruise lever.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed memory is erased when you
turn off the cruise control or the ignition.Exterior Lamps
These controls on the left side of the instrument panel
operate the following lamp systems:
Lamp control dial (operates all lamps except the
Twilight Sentinel, fog lamps and brightness control).
Pull this dial toward you to turn on the interior lamps
and push the dial back in to turn the lamps off.

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Parking lamps, front and rear sidemarker
lamps, taillamps, license plate lamps, ashtray lamps,
backlighting to the radio controls and instrument
panel lights.
Headlamps.
Fog lamps.
Twilight Sentinel.
Turns the Twilight Sentinel system off.
Instrument panel brightness control.
Turn the lamp control dial clockwise (to the first
position) to turn on the parking lamps, front and rear
sidemarker lamps, taillamps, license plate lamps, ashtray
lamps, instrument panel lights and backlighting to the
center console controls. Turn the lamp control dial all
the way clockwise (to the second position) to turn on the
low
-beam headlamps.
Turn the lamp control dial counterclockwise to turn the
lamps off.
Headlamps
Turn the lamp control dial all the way to the right to turn
on the low
-beam headlamps.
To turn on the high
-beam headlamps, the low-beam
headlamps must already be on. Push the turn signal lever
on the left side of the steering wheel away from you to
engage the high
-beam headlamps. Pull the lever toward
you to return to the low
-beam headlamps. For more
information, seeªHeadlamp High/Low Beamº in
the Index.
Turn the lamp control dial all the way to the left to turn
the headlamps off.
Note: If the headlamps are activated while driving and
then you turn your vehicle's ignition off while the lamp
dial is still turned on, the headlamps will turn off. If,
however, you open the driver's door while the lamp dial
is still turned on, a warning chime will sound reminding
you to turn the lamp control dial to OFF. This will stop
the warning chime from sounding. (If you want the
headlamps to remain on, you must manually turn the
lamp control dial off and then back on to the headlamp
position. The headlamps will stay on until manually
turned off again.)