Page 13 of 504
Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicle’s front seatbacks have a recline feature
which is described earlier. SeePower Seats on
page 1-3.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.{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. 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.
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Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Entering or Exiting the Third Row
Seats
Escalade:To enter or exit the third row seat you must
fold the second row seat down following the instructions
later in this section. See “Folding the Seatback”
under60/40 Split Bench Seat on page 1-12. If you are
exiting the third row seat with no assistance do the
following:
1. Reach over the second
row seat and pull up on
the strap loop. Then
pull the seat cushion up
and push it forward.2. Next, push the seatback forward until it is at with
the oor.
Be sure to return the seat to the passenger position
when nished. Pull forward and push rearward on the
seat to make sure it is locked in place.
Escalade ESV:The passenger’s side of the second
row 60/40 or rear bucket seat has an easy entry/exit
feature. This makes it easy to get in and out of the third
row seat.
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Page 17 of 504
Heated Seats
If your vehicle has this
feature, the buttons used
to control this feature
are located on the back of
the center console. The
engine must be running for
the heated seat feature
to work.
To heat the seat, press the button to cycle through the
temperature settings of high and low. Press the
button a third time to turn the feature off. An indicator
light will glow for each heat setting when the feature is
operating.
The heated rear seats will shut off automatically when
the ignition is turned off.
Heated and Cooled Seats
Escalade Platinum ESV
vehicles will be equipped
with this feature. The
buttons used to control this
feature are located on
the back of the center
console.
With the heated and cooled seats you can choose high,
medium or low heat or cool settings. The seats will
only operate either in the heat or cool mode; for
example, you cannot cool the seat cushion while heating
the seatback. An amber light will ash when a setting
cannot be selected.
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Page 18 of 504

To operate the heated and cooled seats, do the
following:
1. Press the red heat button (A) or the blue cool
button (B).
2. Choose one of the following:
I(Seatback Only):This can only be used for the
heat feature. Press this button to heat the seatback and
cycle through the heat settings of high, medium, low
and off. Red indicator lights will glow for each heat
setting chosen: three lights for high, two for medium and
one for low. A light in the button will also glow to
indicate the seatback heat is on.
J(Entire Seat):Press this button to heat or cool the
entire seat and cycle through the settings of high,
medium, low and off. Red (for heat) or blue (for cool)
indicator lights will glow for each setting chosen:
three lights for high, two for medium and one for low.
60/40 Split Bench Seat
If your vehicle has a 60/40 split bench, the seatbacks
can be folded to give you more cargo space.
Folding the Seatbacks
(60/40 Split Bench Seat)
The rear seat may have a 60/40 split seat which may
be folded down to create a load oor and give you more
cargo space. On the Escalade, the rear seatbacks
are equipped with rearward folding head restraints.
When the seatback is being folded down, the head
restraint will automatically fold rearward.
To fold the rear seat, do the following:
1. Make sure that nothing is under or in front of
the seat.
2. Pull up on the strap
loop located at the rear
of the seat cushion
and ip the seat
cushion forward.
3.Escalade:Pull the seatback forward and fold it
down until it is at.
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Page 20 of 504

Returning the Seats to an Upright
Position
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not 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 safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted will not 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 return the seat to the upright position, do the
following:
1. On Escalade ESV models, lift the load oor panels
and latch them into the seatback.
2. Lift the seatback up and push it rearward all
the way.
3. Lower the seat cushion until it latches into position.
4. Pull forward on the seatback and up on the seat
cushion to make sure the seat is securely in place.
5. On Escalade models, return the head restraints to
the upright position.
6. Check to see that the safety belt buckles on the
driver’s side seat are accessible to the outboard
and center occupants and are not under the
seat cushions.50/50 Split Bench Seat
If your vehicle has a 50/50 split bench, the seatback(s)
can be folded and the entire seat(s) tilted or removed
from the vehicle.
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Page 24 of 504
Removing the 50/50 Split Bench Seats
To remove the 50/50 split 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.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.
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Page 33 of 504
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.
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Page 36 of 504

Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are 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.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you are 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.
{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
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-36.
In most states and in all 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.
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