2001 Cadillac DeVille Owner's Manual - Page 100

FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power than SECOND (2). You can use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. (If the shift lever is put in FIRST (1), the transaxle won't shift into first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.) Performance Shifting (DTS Only) When your vehicle detects a change in driving conditions, it will automatically initiate the appropriate performance shift mode. When this occurs the gear display on the instrument panel cluster will change to indicate that the transaxle has shifted to a different gear. For example, the gear display on the cluster may indicate D, 3, 2, or 1 even though the gearshift is still in DRIVE (D). Once the performance shift mode ends, the gear display on the instrument panel cluster will return to normal. NOTICE: If your front wheels can't turn, don't try to drive. This might happen if you were stuck in very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid object. You could damage your transaxle. Also, if you stop when going uphill, don't hold your vehicle there with only the accelerator pedal. This could cause overheating and damage the transaxle. Use your brakes to hold your vehicle in position on a hill. 2-30