2004 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV Owners Manual

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-42.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights and
chime will come on each time the ignition is turned on
until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for service.
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Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here’s what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.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.
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Remember: Anti-lock does not 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 will not 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
Do not 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.
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 “Tow/Haul Mode” under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-57.
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Stabilitrak®System
Your vehicle is equipped with Stabilitrak®, which
combines antilock brake, traction and stability control
systems and helps the driver maintain directional control
of the vehicle in most driving conditions.
When you rst start your vehicle and begin to drive
away, the system performs several diagnostic checks to
insure there are no problems. You may hear or feel
the system working. This is normal and does not
mean there is a problem with your vehicle. The system
should initialize before the vehicle reaches
20 mph (32 km/h). In some cases, it may take
approximately two miles of driving before the system
initializes.
If the system fails to turn on or activate, the STABILITY
SYS DISABLED or SERVICE STABILITY message
will be displayed. If the vehicle has gone through heavy
acceleration or braking or multiple turns during the
rst two miles of driving after starting your vehicle, the
STABILITY SYS DISABLED message may appear.
If this is the case, your vehicle does not need servicing.
You will need to turn the vehicle off and then restart
it to initialize Stabilitrak
®. If either message appears on
the Driver Information Center (DIC), and your vehicle
hasn’t gone through hard acceleration, braking or
multiple turns in the rst two miles of driving, your
vehicle should be taken in for service.The STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message will appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) only when the system
is both on and activated. 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
®activates 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. For more information on the
stability messages, seeDriver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-50.
Stabilitrak
®and part
of the traction control
system can be turned off or
back on by pressing the
Stabilitrak
®button located
on the instrument panel.
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When the system is turned off, the traction off light will
illuminate, and the STABILITY SYS DISABLED
message will appear on the DIC to warn the driver that
both the stability system and part of the traction
control system are disabled. Your vehicle will still have
brake-traction control when Stabilitrak
®is off, but
will not be able to use the engine speed management
system. See “Traction Control Operation” next for
more information.
When the Stabilitrak
®system has been turned off you
may still hear system noises as a result of the
brake-traction control coming on.
To limit wheel spin and realize the full benets of the
stability enhancement system, you should normally
leave Stabilitrak
®on, but it may be necessary to turn the
system off if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice or
snow, and you want to “rock” your vehicle to attempt to
free it. It may also be necessary to turn off the system
when driving in extreme off-road conditions where
high wheel spin is required. SeeIf You Are Stuck: In
Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-46.
Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part of the
Stabilitrak®system. Traction control limits wheel spin by
reducing engine power to the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying brakes to each individual
wheel (brake-traction control) as necessary.
The traction control system is enabled automatically
when you start your vehicle, and it will activate and
display the TRACTION ACTIVE message in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) if it senses that any of the
wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction while
driving. If you turn off Stabilitrak
®, only the brake-traction
control portion of traction control will work. The engine
speed management will be disabled. In this state, engine
power is not reduced automatically and the driven wheels
can spin more freely. This can cause the brake-traction
control to activate constantly. For more information on the
traction active message, seeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-50.
Notice:If the traction off light comes on due to
heavy braking and/or because the traction control
system has been continuously active, do not
allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin excessively.
If you do, you may be causing damage to the
transfer case. This could lead to costly repairs not
covered by your warranty.
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If the brake traction-control system activates constantly
or if the brakes have heated up due to high-speed
braking, brake traction-control will be disabled and the
TRACTION SYS LIMITED message will be displayed. In
the limited mode, the traction control system will only
use engine traction-control and is limited in its ability to
provide optimal performance since the system will
not utilize brake traction-control to control slip on the
drive wheels. The system will return to normal operation
after the brakes have cooled. This can take up to two
minutes or longer depending on brake usage.
Notice:If you allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin
excessively while the traction off, ABS and brake
warning lights and the SERVICE STABILITY
MESSAGE are displayed, you could damage the
transfer case. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Reduce engine power and do not
spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and
this message are displayed.The traction control system may activate on dry or
rough roads or under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts
of the transmission. When this happens you may
notice a reduction in acceleration, or may hear a noise
or vibration. This is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the system
activates, the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message will
appear on the Driver Information Center and the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to use cruise again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. See “Cruise Control” under
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-8
Stabilitrak
®may also turn off automatically if it
determines that a problem exists with the system. If the
problem does not clear itself after restarting the
vehicle, you should see your dealer for service.
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Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here is why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there is no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you have
ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you will
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While
you are in a curve, speed is the one factor you
can control.Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly accelerate. Both control
systems — steering and acceleration — have to do
their work where the tires meet the road. Adding
the sudden acceleration can demand too much of those
places. You can lose control. SeeStabilitrak
®System
on page 4-10.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you
want it to go, and slow down.
If you have Stabilitrak
®, you may see the STABILITY
SYSTEM ACTIVE message on the message center. See
“Stability System Active Message” underDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-62.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds
are based on good weather and road conditions. Under
less favorable conditions you will want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach
a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
4-13

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and nd
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking — if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can not; there is not
room. That is the time for evasive action — steering
around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
SeeBraking on page 4-6. It is better to remove as much
speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you
can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer
quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
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