wheel CADILLAC CATERA 2000 1.G Owners Manual

ii
Table of Contents
Keys and Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Trunk Release
Automatic Transmission
Windows
Tilt Wheel
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
Windshield Wipers
Cruise ControlInterior and Exterior Lamps
Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Convenience Net
Accessory Power Outlet
OnStar® System (If Equipped)
Sunroof (Option)
HomeLink® Transmitter (Option)
Instrument Panel, Warning Lights and Gages Seats and Seat Controls
Safety BeltsAir Bag Systems
Child Restraints
Section
1
Section
2
Seats and Restraint Systems
Features and Controls

Section
3
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
Section
4
Your Driving and the Road
Section
5
Table of Contents (cont'd)
Your Driving, the Road and Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
Drunken Driving
Control of a Vehicle
BrakingSteering
Driving Tips for Various Road Conditions
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer Heating and Air Conditioning
Setting the Radio Clock
Radio/Cassette Player/CD PlayerRadio Theft-Deterrent Feature
Steering Wheel Controls
Hazard Warning Flashers
Jump Starting
Towing Your VehicleEngine Overheating
Changing a Flat Tire
If You're Stuck
Problems on the Road

Fuel
Checking Fluids and Lubricants
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
Brakes
Bulb ReplacementWindshield Wiper Blade Replacement
Tires and Wheels
Appearance Care
Electrical System/Fuses and Circuit Breakers
Capacities and Specifications
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
Table of Contents (cont'd)
Maintenance Schedule Service and Appearance Care
Section
6
Scheduled Maintenance
Owner Checks and Services
Periodic Maintenance InspectionsRecommended Fluids and Lubricants
Maintenance Records
See separate Maintenance Schedule Booklet

1-2
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and also about reclining front seatbacks, lumbar
adjustments, heated seats and head restraints.
Manual Lumbar Support
The lumbar control is
located on the outboard
side of each front seatback.
The control provides
additional support to your
lower back and works
independently of other
seat controls.
Use the seat controls first to get the proper seating
position. Then proceed with the lumbar adjustment.
The upper and lower seatback can be adjusted using the
small hand
-wheel control. Turn the control forward to
increase support and rearward to decrease support.Keep in mind that as your seating position changes,
as it may during long trips, so should the position of
the lumbar support. Adjust the seat as needed.
Power Seats
The power seat controls are located on the outboard side
of each front seat cushion.

Move the front of the control up or down to adjust
the front portion of the cushion up or down.

Move the rear of the control up or down to adjust the
rear portion of the cushion up or down.

1-13 Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels.
Put someone on it.

1-28
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel,
which shows the
air bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See ªAir Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index
for more information.How the Air Bag Systems Work
Where are the air bags?
The driver's frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.

1-30
CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don't
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don't attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering and don't let seat covers block the
inflation path of a side impact air bag.
When should an air bag inflate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near
-frontal crashes. The frontal air bags are designed
to inflate only if the impact speed is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º If your vehicle goes
straight into a wall that doesn't move or deform, the
threshold level is about 9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h).The threshold level can vary, however, with specific
vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above or
below this range. If your vehicle strikes something
that will move or deform, such as a parked car, the
threshold level will be higher. The driver's and right
front passenger's frontal air bags are not designed to
inflate in rollovers, side impacts, or rear impacts,
because inflation would not help the occupant.
The side impact air bags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes involving a front door.
A side impact air bag will inflate if the crash severity
is above the system's designed ªthreshold level.º
The threshold level can vary with specific vehicle
design. Side impact air bags are not designed to inflate
in frontal or near
-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear
impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant.
A side impact air bag will only deploy on the side of the
vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle
of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and near
-frontal impacts. For side impact air
bags, inflation is determined by the location and severity
of the impact.

1-31
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates
the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware
are all part of the air bag modules inside the steering
wheel, instrument panel and the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door.
How does an air bag 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. The air bag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But the frontal
air bags would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts, and side impacts,
primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward
the air bag. Side impact air bags would not help you inmany types of collisions, including frontal or near
frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily
because an occupant's motion is not toward those air
bags. Air bags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in
moderate to severe frontal or near
-frontal collisions for
the driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags,
and only in moderate to severe side collisions for the
driver's and right front passenger's side impact air bags.
What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates,
so quickly that some people may not even realize
the air bag inflated. Some components of the air bag
module
-- the steering wheel hub for the driver's air
bag, the instrument panel for the right front passenger's
bag, the side of the seatback closest to the door for
the driver and right front passenger's side impact air
bags
-- will be hot for a short time. The parts of the
bag that come into contact with you may be warm, but
not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from the vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag
inflation doesn't prevent the driver from seeing or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from
leaving the vehicle.

1-32
CAUTION:
When an air bag inflates, there is 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 can't get out of the
vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger air bag.

Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an
air bag inflates, you'll need some new parts for your
air bag system. If you don't get them, the air bag
system won't be there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include air bag modules
and possibly other parts. The service manual for
your vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information about
the frontal air bag system. The module records
information about the readiness of the system, when
the system commands air bag inflation and driver's
safety belt usage at deployment.

Let only qualified technicians work on your air
bag systems. Improper service can mean that an
air bag system won't work properly. See your
dealer for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver's or
the right front passenger's air bag, or the
air bag covering on the driver's and right front
passenger's seatback, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel, both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger's air bag, or both the air bag
module and seatback for the driver's and right
front passenger's side impact air bag. Do not
open or break the air bag coverings.

2-
2-1
Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
2
- 2 Keys
2
- 4 Door Locks
2
- 7 Remote Keyless Entry System (RKE)
2
- 11 Trunk
2
- 12 Theft
2
- 13 Theft-Deterrent System (Option)
2
- 15 Immobilizer
2
- 16 New VehicleªBreak-Inº
2
- 16 Ignition Positions
2
- 18 Starting Your Engine
2
- 19 Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
2
- 21 Automatic Transmission Operation
2
- 26 Parking Brake
2
- 27 Shifting Into PARK (P)
2
- 29 Shifting Out of PARK (P)
2
- 30 Parking Over Things that Burn2
- 31 Engine Exhaust
2
- 31 Running Your Engine While You're Parked
2
- 32 Windows
2
- 34 Horn
2
- 34 Tilt Wheel
2
- 35 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
- 41 Exterior Lamps
2
- 47 Interior Lamps
2
- 48 Mirrors
2
- 50 Storage Compartments
2
- 53 OnStar
System (If Equipped)
2
- 54 Sunroof (Option)
2
- 58 HomeLink
Transmitter (If Equipped)
2
- 62 The Instrument Panel -- Your
Information System
2
- 66 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators