If your vehicle has a manual transmission, the shift lever is located on the center console between the front seats. The following explains how to operate the manual transmission.

CTS

CTS-V

These are the shift patterns for the six-speed manual transmissions.

Here is how to operate your transmission:

FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shift into FIRST (1). Then slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal. For the CTS, you can shift into FIRST (1) when you are going less than 25 mph (40 km/h). If you come to a complete stop and it is hard to shift into FIRST (1), put the shift lever in NEUTRAL and let up on the clutch. Press the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into FIRST (1). For the CTS-V, you can shift into FIRST (1) when you are going less than 40 mph (64 km/h).

SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal as you let up on the accelerator pedal and shift into SECOND (2). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.

THIRD (3), FOURTH (4), FIFTH (5) and SIXTH (6): Shift into THIRD (3), FOURTH (4), FIFTH  (5) and SIXTH (6) the same way you do for SECOND (2). Slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal. To stop, let up on the accelerator pedal and press the brake pedal. Just before the vehicle stops, press the clutch pedal and the brake pedal, and shift to NEUTRAL.

NEUTRAL: Use this position when you start or idle your engine. Your shift lever is in NEUTRAL when it is centered in the shift pattern, not in any gear.

REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch pedal, completely stop the vehicle, and shift into REVERSE (R). Let up on the clutch pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator pedal.

For the CTS, pull the shift lever quickly to the left and then forward into gear.

For the CTS-V, your six-speed manual transmission has a safety feature that prevents you from shifting into REVERSE (R) while the vehicle is driven at speeds greater than 3 mph (5 km/h). You will be locked out if you try to shift into REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is moving faster than 3 mph (5 km/h). If you have turned your ignition off and wish to park your vehicle in REVERSE (R), you will have to overcome the lockout mechanism by moving the shift lever quickly to the right, and immediately forward into gear using more force than a normal shift.

Shift Speeds (Manual Transmission)

Caution: If you skip a gear when you downshift, you could lose control of the vehicle. You could injure yourself or others. Do not shift down more than one gear at a time when you downshift.

Notice: If you skip more than one gear when you downshift, or if you race the engine when you release the clutch pedal while downshifting, you could damage the engine, clutch, driveshaft or the transmission. Do not skip gears or race the engine when downshifting.

If the vehicle speed drops below 20 mph (32 km/h), or if the engine is not running smoothly, you should downshift to the next lower gear. You may have to downshift two or more gears to keep the engine running smoothly or for good performance.

Skip Shift (CTS-V)

14: This may appear in the message center in the speedometer during light throttle, low speed maneuvers (15  to 19 mph (24 to 31 km/h)). When this message appears, you can only shift from FIRST (1) to FOURTH (4) instead of FIRST (1) to SECOND (2).

See One-to-Four Shift Message for more information.

During the shift from FIRST (1) to FOURTH (4), pull the shift lever straight back using light force on the shift lever. You must complete the shift into FOURTH (4) to turn off this feature. This helps you get the best possible fuel economy. The skip shift feature is turned backed on when the vehicle is at a complete stop.

Notice: Forcing the shift lever into any gear except FOURTH (4), when the One - to - Four Shift message comes on, may damage the transmission. Shift only from FIRST (1) to FOURTH (4) when the One - to - Four Shift message comes on.

This light comes on when: