2003 CADILLAC ESCALADE Owners Manual

{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted won't provide the
protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.
To replace the 50/50 split bench, do the following:
1. While holding the rear of the seat up, slide the front
wheels into the slots on the ¯oor. The front latches
should lock into place. If the latches do not lock,
try tilting the rear of the seat upwards.2. Once the latches are
engaged, let the seat
drop into place.
Release the lever
labeled 1 and pull the
seatback up using
the assist strap on the
outboard side of the
seat to return it to
its upright position.
3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked
into place. The seatback cannot be raised to the
upright position unless the seat is secured to
the ¯oor.
Bench Seat
If your vehicle has a full bench, the seatback can be
folded and the seat can be tilted or removed from
the vehicle.
1-19

Folding the Seatback
{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
To fold the seatback on the bench seat, do the following:
Pull up on the release
lever labeled 1 located on
the rear of the seatback
and push the seatback
forward.
Unfolding the Seatback
1. To return the seatback
to an upright position,
pull up on the
release lever labeled 1
and then pull up on
the seatback until
it locks into the upright
position.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to check that it is
locked into place.
1-20

Tilting the Full Bench Seat
{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
1. Fold the seatbacks forward using the instructions
listed previously.
2. Unlatch the seat from
the ¯oor by pulling up
on the lever labeled 2
located on the rear
of the seat.
3. Lift the rear of the seat up from the ¯oor and push it
forward. You will not be able to unlatch the seat
from the ¯oor unless the seatback is folded down.
{CAUTION:
If the support rod isn't properly engaged, the
folded third row seat could come loose in a
sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury
to people and damage to your vehicle. Always
be sure the support rod is properly engaged
when the third row seat is folded forward.
4. While holding the seat
forward, pull the prop
rod out from the
retainer clips. Flip the
prop rod (arrow)
down until it latches
into place.
The seat will now remain in the upright position.
1-21

Returning the Seat to an Upright
Position
To return the seatback to the upright position, do the
following:
1. Pull the lever (arrow)
on the prop rod bracket
until the rod unlatches
from the seat
bracket.
2. Place the prop rod back into the storage position.
3. Pull the seat toward you and push ®rmly down until
the seat latches in the ¯oor.
4. Try pulling it up to be sure it is locked into place.
5. Pull up on the release lever labeled 1 and then pull
up on the seatback until the seatback locks into the
upright position.
Removing the Bench Seat
To remove the bench seat, do the following:
1. Open the liftgate.
2. Fold the seatback
forward onto the seat
cushion by using
the lever labeled 1.
The seat cannot
be removed unless the
seatback is folded.
1-22

3. To unlatch the rear of
the seat from the ¯oor,
pull up on the release
lever labeled 2 at
the rear of the seat and
lift the rear of the
seat up from the ¯oor.4. Pull on the release
strap located in the
lower middle of
the seat to unlatch the
seat from the ¯oor
and pull the seat out.
Use one hand to
pull the release strap
and the other on
the handle to pull the
seat out.
5. While holding the rear of the seat up, roll the seat
out of the vehicle.
1-23

Replacing the Bench Seat
{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
{CAUTION:
A seat that isn't locked into place properly can
move around in a collision or sudden stop.
People in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure
to lock the seat into place properly when
installing it.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted won't provide the
protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.
To replace the bench seat, do the following:
1. While holding the rear of the seat up, slide the front
wheels into the slots on the ¯oor. The front latches
should lock into place. If the latches do not lock,
try tilting the rear of the seat upwards.
2. Once the latches are engaged, let the seat drop
into place. Release the lever labeled 1 to return
the seatback to its upright position.
3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked
into place. The seatback cannot be raised to the
upright position unless the seat is secured to
the ¯oor.
1-24

Bucket Seats
If your vehicle has bucket seats, the seatbacks can be
reclined and the seats can be folded to give you
more cargo room.
Reclining the Seatbacks
To recline the seatback, do the following:
1. Pull up the lever
located under the seat
cushion. Escalade
lever shown,
Escalade ESV lever
similar.
2. Release the lever to lock the seatback where you
want it. Pull the lever again without pushing on the
seatback and the seatback will go to an upright
position.
Folding the Seatbacks
The seatbacks on the bucket seats may be folded
forward to give you more cargo space.
To fold the seatbacks on the bucket seats, do the
following:
1. Pull up on the strap
loop located at the rear
of the seat cushion
and pull the seat
cushion up and fold it
forward.
1-25

2. Pull the seatback
release lever upward
and pull the seatback
up and fold it down until
it is ¯at. Escalade
lever shown,
Escalade ESV lever
similar.
On the Escalade ESV models, you must ®rst
remove the headrest and store it on the top of the
seat cushion as shown next.Pull the headrest out from the seatback and slide the
pins into the holes provided in the top of the seat
cushion.
If the seatback cannot fold ¯at because it interferes with
the cushion, try moving the front seat forward and/or
bringing the front seatback more upright.
Once the seatbacks are folded down, on Escalade ESV
models only, the rear seat footwell area will be
exposed and will have to be covered by the load ¯oor
panel.
1-26