2003 CADILLAC ESCALADE steering wheel

Other Warning Devices
If you carry re¯ective triangles, you can use them to
warn others. Set one up at the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind your vehicle.
Horn
To sound the horn, press the center pad on the steering
wheel.
Tilt Wheel
The tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive. You can raise it to the highest
level to give your legs more room when you enter
and exit the vehicle.The tilt lever is located on
the driver's side of the
steering column under the
turn signal lever.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable
level, then release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
3-7

Rear Window Washer/Wiper
This knob is located on the
instrument panel to the left
of the steering wheel.
To turn the rear wiper on, turn the knob to either 1 or 2.
For long delayed wiping, turn the knob to 1. For short
delayed wiping, turn the knob to 2
9(Off):To turn the wiper off, turn the knob to this
symbol.
=(Washer Fluid):To wash the window, press the
knob with this symbol.
The rear window washer uses the same ¯uid bottle as
the windshield washer. However, the rear window
washer will run out of ¯uid before the windshield washer.
If you can wash your windshield but not your rear
windows, check the ¯uid level.
Cruise Control
9
(Off):This position
turns the system off.
R(On):This position activates the system.
+ (Resume/Accelerate):Push the lever to this symbol
to make the vehicle accelerate or resume to a
previously set speed.
T(Set):Press this button to set the speed.
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
about 25 mph (40 km/h).
3-11

Driver Information Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located on the instrument panel
cluster above the steering wheel. The DIC can display
information such as the trip odometer, fuel economy and
personalization features. Vehicles without the DIC
buttons will not have all the features as the regular DIC.
See
Speedometer and Odometer on page 3-36for
information on features for vehicles without a full DIC.
A (Trip Information):This button will display the
odometer, personal trip odometer, business trip
odometer, hourmeter, annual log and the timer.
B (Fuel Information):This button will display the
current range, average fuel economy, instant fuel
economy and engine oil life.C (Personalization):This button will change personal
options available on your vehicle.
D (Select):This button resets certain functions and
turns off or acknowledges messages on the DIC.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After a short
delay the DIC will display the current driver (1 or 2)
and the information that was last displayed before the
engine was turned off.
If a problem is detected, a warning message will appear
on the display. Pressing any of the four buttons will
acknowledge (clear) most current warnings or service
messages. Some warnings that cannot be
acknowledged (cleared) are: ENGINE OVERHEATED,
OIL PRESSURE LOW, REDUCED ENGINE POWER,
TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE, STABILITY SYS ACTIVE,
TRACTION SYS LIMITED and TRACTION ACTIVE.
These warnings must be dealt with immediately
and therefore cannot be cleared until the problem has
been corrected.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the four buttons on the DIC. These buttons are
trip information, fuel information, personalization and
select. The button functions are detailed in the following.
3-51

TRACTION ACTIVE
When the traction control system has detected that any
of the vehicle's wheels are slipping, the traction
control system will activate and this message will appear
on the DIC. See
StabilitrakžSystem on page 4-10for
more information.
TRACTION SYS LIMITED
New text under development.
STABILITY SYS LIMITED
New text under development.
STABILITY SYS READY
New text under development.
STABILITY SYS ACTIVE
You may see the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message on
the DIC. It means that an advanced computer-controlled
system has come on to help your vehicle continue to
go in the direction in which you're steering.
Stabilitrak
žactivates when the computer senses that
your vehicle is just starting to spin, as it might if you hit
a patch of ice or other slippery spot on the road.
When the system activates, you may hear a noise or
feel a vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal. When
the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message is on, you
should continue to steer in the direction you want to go.
The system is designed to help you in bad weather
or other difficult driving situations by making the most of
whatever road conditions will permit.
SERVICE STABILITY
If you ever see the SERVICE STABILITY message, it
means there may be a problem with your
Stabilitrak
žsystem. If you see this message try to reset
the system (stop; turn off the engine; then start the
engine again). If the SERVICE STABILITY message still
comes on, it means there is a problem. You should
see your dealer for service. The vehicle is safe to drive,
however, you do not have the bene®t of Stabilitrak
ž,
so reduce your speed and drive accordingly.
3-68

Audio Steering Wheel Controls
You can control certain radio functions using the buttons
on your steering wheel.
g(OnStar/Voice Recognition):You can press this
button to interact with the OnStaržsystem. See the
OnStaržmanual provided with your vehicle for more
information.
PROG (Program):Press this button to play a station
you have programmed on the radio preset buttons
on the selected band. If a cassette tape is playing, press
this button to play the other side of the tape. If a
compact disc is playing in the CD changer, press this
button to go to the next available CD.
QSOURCER:Press this button to select AM, FM1
or FM2, XM1 or XM2 (USA only, if equipped), or a
cassette tape or CD. The cassette or CD must be loaded
to play. Available loaded sources are shown on the
display as a tape or a CD symbol.
QSEEKR:Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next or to the previous radio station and stay
there.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the player
will advance with the up arrow and reverse with the
down arrow.
QVOLR:Press the up or the down arrow to increase
or to decrease volume.
DVD Distortion
You may experience audio distortion in the
IR headphones when operating cellular phones,
scanners, CB radios, Global Positioning Systems
(GPS)*, two-way radios, mobile fax, or walkie talkies.
It may be necessary to turn off the DVD player
when operating one of these devices in or near the
vehicle.
* Excludes the OnStar
žSystem.
3-102

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Road Sensing Suspension...............................4-9
Stabilitrak
žSystem.......................................4-10
Steering......................................................4-13
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-15
Passing.......................................................4-16
Loss of Control.............................................4-17
Operating Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle Off
Paved Roads............................................4-18
Driving at Night............................................4-32Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-34
City Driving..................................................4-37
Freeway Driving...........................................4-38
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-40
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-41
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-42
Winter Driving..............................................4-43
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow........4-48
Towing..........................................................4-50
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-50
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-50
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-51
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-53
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-54
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the
vehicle in front of you, you won't have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
4-8

Supplemental Brake Assist System
If your vehicle has vacuum assist power brakes, it is also
equipped with a supplemental brake assist system
that supplies additional vacuum to the vacuum brake
booster if engine vacuum is reduced. Under certain
conditions, the supplemental brake assist system may
run brie¯y after starting your vehicle or when you
apply and release the brake pedal and it may continue
to run even after you have removed your foot from
the brake pedal. When the supplemental brake assist
system is operating, you may hear a motor running
or feel a slight vibration in the steering wheel or brake
pedal. This indicates that the supplemental brake
assist system is working to supply additional vacuum for
your vacuum assist power brakes. This is a normal
operation of your brake system and does not require that
the brake system be serviced.
Each time you start your vehicle and accelerate to 10
mph, the supplemental brake assist system will perform
a self-diagnostic check of the system and you may
hear or feel the supplemental brake assist motor run
brie¯y. While you are driving your vehicle, the
supplemental brake assist system monitors itself to
ensure that it is operating properly. If there is a problem
with the supplemental brake assist system, the
SERVICE BRAKE BOOSTER message will be displayed
on the Driver Information Center. See
DIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-62.If your supplemental brake assist system runs every
time you apply and release the brake pedal or you notice
that the brake pedal has suddenly become much
harder to push and the vehicle takes longer to stop, you
should have your vehicle serviced as soon as possible.
Road Sensing Suspension
The Road Sensing Suspension (RSS) feature provides
superior vehicle ride and handling under a variety of
passenger and loading conditions.
The system is fully automatic and uses a computer
controller to continuously monitor vehicle speed, wheel
to body position, lift/dive and steering position of the
vehicle. The controller then sends signals to each shock
absorber to independently adjust the damping level to
provide the optimum vehicle ride.
RSS also interacts with the tow/haul mode that, when
engaged, will provide additional control of the shock
absorbers. This additional control results in better ride
and handling characteristics when the vehicle is
loaded or towing a trailer. See ªTow/Haul Modeº under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-54.
4-9