2005 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV steering

SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
This message will be displayed if any of the tire monitor
sensors have malfunctioned, if the tire monitor sensors
have not been programmed or if the recommended
tire pressures are not programmed. See your GM dealer
for service. Pressing any of the four DIC buttons, if
equipped, will clear the message from the DIC display.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the four DIC
buttons, pressing the trip odometer reset stem will clear
the message from the DIC display.
STABILITY SYS (System) 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 are steering.
For more information on the StabiliTrak
®system, see
StabiliTrak®System on page 4-8.
STABILITY SYS (System) DISABLED
The STABILITY SYS DISABLED message will turn on
when you press the StabiliTrak®button, or when
the stability control has been automatically disabled.
There are four conditions that can cause this message
to appear.
One condition is overheating, which could occur if
StabiliTrak®activates continuously for an extended
period of time.
The message will also be displayed if the brake
system warning light is on. SeeBrake System
Warning Light on page 3-38.
The message could be displayed if the stability
system takes longer than usual to complete its
diagnostic checks due to driving conditions.
Also, if an engine or vehicle related problem has
been detected, and the vehicle needs service,
the message will appear. See your GM dealer.
The message will turn off as soon as the conditions that
caused the message to be displayed are no longer
present.
For more information on the StabiliTrak
®system, see
StabiliTrak®System on page 4-8.
3-61

Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of your
vehicle’s radio. The feature works automatically by
learning a portion of the Vehicle Identication Number
(VIN). If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it
will not operate and LOCKED will appear on the display.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that THEFTLOCK
®is armed.
With THEFTLOCK
®activated, the radio will not operate
if stolen.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
Some audio controls can be adjusted at the steering
wheel. They include the following:
g(OnStar/Mute):If your vehicle has OnStar®, press
this button to interact with the OnStar®system. See
the OnStar®manual provided with your vehicle for more
information.
If your vehicle does not have OnStar
®, press this button
to silence the system. Press it again, or any other
radio button, to turn on the sound.
3-101

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-5
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-6
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-8
Road Sensing Suspension...............................4-8
StabiliTrak
®System........................................4-8
Steering......................................................4-11
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-13
Passing.......................................................4-14
Loss of Control.............................................4-15
Operating Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
Off Paved Roads.......................................4-16
Driving at Night............................................4-29
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-30City Driving..................................................4-33
Freeway Driving...........................................4-34
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-35
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-36
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-36
Winter Driving..............................................4-38
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-42
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-42
Recovery Hooks...........................................4-43
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-44
Towing..........................................................4-49
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-49
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-49
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-50
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-50
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness,
and judgment can be affected by even a
small amount of alcohol. You can have a
serious — or even fatal — collision if you drive
after drinking. Please do not drink and drive or
ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride
home in a cab; or if you are with a group,
designate a driver who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering, and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at
the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it
is easy to ask more of those control systems than
the tires and road can provide. That means you can
lose control of your vehicle. SeeStabiliTrak
®System
on page 4-8.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That is perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is
wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of your brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake
force applied.
4-5

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 brakes, 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 4-50.
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.
4-8

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 3-49.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.
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.
4-9

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. SeeCruise Control on
page 3-10.
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.
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.
4-11

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 4-8.
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 3-53.
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.
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 cannot; 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 4-5. 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.
4-12