CADILLAC XLR V 2007 1.G Owners Manual

Notice:Cranking the engine for long periods
of time, by pressing the START button
immediately after cranking has ended, can
overheat and damage the cranking motor, and
drain the battery. Wait at least 15 seconds
between each try, to allow the cranking motor
to cool down.
Your vehicle has a Computer-Controlled Cranking
System. This feature assists in starting the
engine and protects components. Once cranking
has been initiated, the engine continues cranking
for a few seconds or until the vehicle starts. If
the engine does not start, cranking automatically
be stops after 15 seconds to prevent cranking
motor damage. To prevent gear damage,
this system also prevents cranking if the engine is
already running.
Notice:Your engine is designed to work with
the electronics in your vehicle. If you add
electrical parts or accessories, you could
change the way the engine operates. Before
adding electrical equipment, check with
your dealer. If you do not, your engine might
not perform properly. Any resulting damage
would not be covered by your vehicle’s
warranty.Stopping Your Engine
Move the shift lever to PARK (P) and press the
Acc. (Off/Accessory) button located on the
instrument panel. If the shifter is not in PARK (P),
the engine shuts off and the vehicle goes into
the Accessory Mode. The DIC displays″SHIFT TO
PARK″. Once the shifter is moved to PARK (P),
the vehicle turns off.
If the keyless access transmitter is not detected
inside the vehicle when it is turned to off, the DIC
displays NO FOB – OFF OR RUN?.
SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 206for
more information.
91

Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for the shift
lever.
PARK (P):This position locks the rear wheels. It
is the best position to use when you starting
the engine because your vehicle cannot move
easily.
{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake rmly set. Your
vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine
is running unless you have to. If you have
left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle will not
move, even when you are on fairly level
ground, always set your parking brake
and move the shift lever to PARK (P). See
Shifting Into Park (P) on page 99.
Be sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine. Your vehicle has an
automatic transmission shift lock control system.
You have to fully apply the regular brakes rst and
then press the shift lever button before you can
shift from PARK (P) when the vehicle is running.
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If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure
on the shift lever and push the shift lever all the
way into PARK (P) as you maintain brake
application. Then press the shift lever button and
move the shift lever into another gear. See
Shifting Out of Park (P) on page 100.
REVERSE (R):Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your
vehicle is moving forward could damage
the transmission. The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Shift to
REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of
snow, ice, or sand without damaging your
transmission, seeIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 353.
NEUTRAL (N):In this position, your engine does
not connect with the wheels. To restart when
you are already moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only.
Also, use NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is
being towed. Use Neutral (N) if the vehicle must
be moved with the engine off for short distances.
Please seeTowing Your Vehicle on page 359.
{CAUTION:
Shifting into a drive gear while your
engine is running at high speed is
dangerous. Unless your foot is rmly on
the brake pedal, your vehicle could move
very rapidly. You could lose control and
hit people or objects. Do not shift into a
drive gear while your engine is running at
high speed.
Notice:Shifting out of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) with the engine running at high
speed may damage the transmission. The
repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Be sure the engine is not running at high
speed when shifting your vehicle.
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DRIVE (D):This position is for normal driving. It
provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle. If
you need more power for passing and you are:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push
the accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56km/h) or more, push
the accelerator all the way down.
Downshifting the transmission in slippery road
conditions could result in skidding, see “Skidding”
underLoss of Control on page 337.
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the
vehicle in one place on a hill using only the
accelerator pedal may damage the
transmission. The repair will not be covered by
your warranty. If you are stuck, do not spin
the tires. When stopping on a hill, use the
brakes to hold the vehicle in place.
Maximum engine speed is limited to protect
driveline components from improper operation.
Driver Shift Control (DSC)
The Driver Shift Control (DSC) feature lets you
manually control over the operation of the
transmission.
To use this feature,
move the shift lever from
the DRIVE (D) position
to the left and into the
driver shift control gate.
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The Sport Automatic Mode is selected by moving
the shift lever into the DSC area without shifting
towards the +(plus) or−(minus) symbols. While in
the Sport Automatic Mode, the transmission
computer determines when the vehicle is being
driven in a competitive manner. It then selects and
holds the transmission in lower gears giving
more noticeable upshifts for a sportier vehicle
performance. Once you shift to the + (plus)
or−(minus) controls, the driver manual gear
selection is activated. A + (plus) symbol appears
on the shift console above the DRIVE (D) indicator
and minus symbol appears below the indicator.
The Head-Up Display (HUD) also displays
the requested gear, though the actual upshift or
downshift could be delayed until the engine speed
is correct for that gear.The requested gear displays on the HUD until the
next time you upshift or downshift. The gear
selected and shown in the HUD is one of a number
of gears available. The vehicle does not upshift
beyond the chosen gear. The actual gear that the
vehicle shifts to depends on a combination of
the driver-requested gear range, vehicle speed and
throttle position.
Notice:If you drive your vehicle at high
RPMs without upshifting while using Driver
Shift Control (DSC), you could damage
your vehicle. Always upshift when necessary
while using DSC.
If you do not upshift as the engine approaches
the red line on the engine RPM (Revolutions
Per Minute) gage, the engine speed is controlled
to limit the engine RPM.
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Not all manual downshift requests will be allowed
by the transmission. To prevent excessive
engine RPMs, each gear has a maximum vehicle
speed associated with it. Any downshift request
above this speed is not allowed by the
transmission.
If shifting is prevented for any reason, the current
gear ashes multiple times in the Driver
Information Center (DIC), indicating that the
transmission has not shifted gears.
Some automatic downshifts can occur to maintain
minimum engine speed. This only happens if the
vehicle is left in too high of a gear for the vehicle’s
speed. For example, if you have been driving in
sixth gear range and come to a stop without
manually downshifting, the transmission
automatically downshifts to rst gear and displays
rst gear on the HUD. As you begin to drive and
accelerate, the transmission remains in rst gear
until the driver selects a downshift.DSC can be used while using cruise control, but
transmission shifting is different while the
cruise control is on. This is not a malfunction and
is necessary to let proper operation of the
cruise control.
To return to fully automatic operation, move the
shift lever to the right and back into DRIVE (D).
When accelerating your vehicle from a stop
in snowy and icy conditions, you may want to shift
into second gear. A higher gear lets you gain
more traction on slippery surfaces.
In higher gears, on the XLR only, an automatic
downshift occurs if you press the accelerator pedal
to the oor. This feature provides adequate
acceleration capabilities if you forget to downshift
manually. Tap the shifter forward and the
vehicle upshifts.
96

Parking Brake
The parking brake pedal
is located to the left of
the regular brake pedal,
near the driver’s door.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push the
parking brake pedal down with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the parking brake indicator light
on the instrument panel cluster should come on.
If it does not, you need to have your vehicle
serviced.When you move out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
and the engine is running, the parking brake
should release. If the parking brake has not been
fully released and you try to drive off with the
parking brake on, the parking brake indicator light
will come on and stay on.
If the parking brake does not fully release, you
can manually release the pedal.
{CAUTION:
Always shift to PARK (P) before pulling
the manual release lever. If your hand or
arm is in the way of the pedal you could
be hurt. The pedal springs back quickly.
Keep your hand and arm away when you
use the manual release lever.
Before releasing the manual parking brake, be
sure to put the vehicle in PARK (P) and turn the
ignition off.
97

Reach under the driver’s side of the instrument
panel and pull down on the manual release lever,
which is located behind the parking brake
pedal. Pull down on the yellow tab. If the parking
brake does not release, you should have your
vehicle towed to your dealer for service.
Notice:Driving with the parking brake on can
overheat the brake system and cause
premature wear or damage to brake system
parts. Verify that the parking brake is fully
released and the brake warning light is
off before driving.
98

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 rmly
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 will not move,
even when you are on fairly level ground,
use the steps that follow.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot
and set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) by pushing
the lever all the way toward the front of the
vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition off.
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle
with the engine running. Your vehicle
could move suddenly if the shift lever is
not fully in PARK (P) with the parking
brake rmly set. And, if you leave the
vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch re. You or
others could be injured. Do not leave your
vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P)
and your parking brake is rmly set before you
leave it. After you have moved the shift lever into
PARK (P), hold down the regular brake pedal.
See if you can move the shift lever away
from PARK (P) without rst pulling it toward you. If
you can, it means that the shift lever was not
fully locked into PARK (P).
99

Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift
your transmission into PARK (P) properly,
the weight of the vehicle may put too much force
on the parking pawl in the transmission. You
may nd it difficult to pull the shift lever out
of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave
the driver’s seat. To nd out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” listed previously in this section.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever
out of PARK (P) before you release the parking
brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have
another vehicle push yours a little uphill to
take some of the pressure from the parking pawl
in the transmission, so you can pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of Park (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transmission shift
lock control system. You have to fully apply
your regular brake before you can shift from
PARK (P) when the vehicle is running. See
Automatic Transmission Operation on page 92.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure
on the shift lever – push the shift lever all the
way into PARK (P) and release the shift lever
button as you maintain brake application. Then
press the shift lever button and move the
shift lever into the gear desired.
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still
cannot shift out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Press the regular bake.
2. Press the Acc. button twice to place the
ignition in accessory mode.
3. Apply and hold the brake until the end of
Step 4.
4. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
5. Start the engine and then shift to the drive
gear you want.
6. Have your vehicle inspected by your dealer as
soon as possible.
100