2006 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT Owners Manual

But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance
of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the
right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able to
react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There is something else about drinking and driving that
many people do not know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or
heart. This means that when anyone who has been
drinking — driver or passenger — is in a crash, that
person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
{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 4-9.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3.
4-5

Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-35.
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.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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3.
4-6

Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
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 3-36.
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.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 is 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.
4-7

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 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 brakes, 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

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 thereis 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.
4-9

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 3-45.
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.
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 Your Vehicle is
Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-42.
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.
4-10

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, see
Driver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-45.
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.
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 system is 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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3for more information.
4-11

All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System
With this feature, engine power is sent to all four wheels
at all times. This is like four-wheel drive, but there is
no separate lever or switch to engage or disengage the
front axle. It is fully automatic, and adjusts itself as
needed for road conditions. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on
page 4-9for more information.
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
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 4-9.
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.
You may see the STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE
message on the message center. See “Stability System
Active Message” underDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-48.
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.
4-12