2000 CADILLAC ESCALADE Owners Manual

1-5
CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job because it
won't be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can't do its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest to the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
The head restraints tilt forward and rearward also.
Pull the head restraint forward to one of the preset positions.
To return the head restraint to its original position, pull the
head restraint forward all the way and release.
Rear Seats
CAUTION:
If a head restraint is not installed on the seatback
or stored in the vehicle properly, it could be
thrown about the vehicle in a crash or sudden
maneuver. People in the vehicle could be injured.
Remove the head restraints only when you need
to fold the seat, and be sure that the head
restraints are stored securely in the appropriate
holes at the rear of the lower seat cushion. When
the seat is returned to the passenger position, be
sure the head restraints are installed properly.

1-6
Folding the Rear Seat
Your vehicle has a 60/40 rear seat. Either side may be
folded down to give you more cargo space.
Before folding, place the latch portion of the center
safety belt in the center armrest. That way, the center
safety belt will be out of the way when the seat is folded
and also will be easily available for passengers to use
when the seat is returned to the passenger position. Also,
make sure that nothing is under or in front of the seat.
When the seat is folded, it will lay flat on the floor.
To fold the seat, use the following procedure.
1. Pull up on the strap
loop at the rear of the
seat cushion.2. Then, pull the seat cushion up and fold it forward.
3. Fold the seatback
forward enough to
allow removal of the
head restraints.
4. Push and hold the release buttons at the bottom of
each head restraint height
-adjust post and slide the
head restraint out of the height
-adjust tubes. Set the
head restraints aside for now. You will stow them in
their proper position after you are done folding
the seat.

1-7
5. Pull the seatback forward and fold the seatback
down until it is flat.
6. Then, stow the head
restraints by sliding
them into the rear of the
seat cushion. Make sure
the posts go in all
the way.
To return the seat to the passenger position, use the
following procedure.
1. Remove the head restraints by sliding them out of
the seat cushion.2. Lift the seatback up enough to install the
head restraints.
3. Push the seatback rearward all the way.
4. Lower the seat cushion until it latches in position.
5. After returning the seat to the passenger position,
return the head restraints to the top of the seatback.
6. Pull forward on the seatback and up on the seat
cushion to make sure that the seat is securely
in place.
If the latch plate portion of the center safety belt was put
in the center armrest when the seat was folded, take the
latch plate portion out and place it on the seat. That way,
the center position safety belt will be available for the
center rear seat passenger to use.

1-8
Heated Rear Seats
The controls for the heated
rear seats are located on
the rear of the center floor
console, below the rear
seat audio controls.
Press the top of the switch to HI or the bottom of the
switch to LO to turn on the heating elements in the
outside rear seat positions. The text HI or LO on the
switch will illuminate to indicate that the heated seat
elements are operating. The switch on the driver's
side seat operates the left seat and the switch on the
passenger's side seat operates the right seat. The rear
seat outside passenger's safety belt must be attached
before the heating element in that seat will operate.
To turn the heated seats off, move the switch to the
center. For more information on heated front seats,
see ªHeated Front Seatsº in the Index.
Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the air bag system.
CAUTION:
Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you're not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers' belts
are fastened properly too.

1-9
CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See ªSafety Belt
Reminder Lightº in
the Index.)In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here's why: They work.
You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!

1-10 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.

1-11
Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop.The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...

1-12
or the instrument panel ...or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.