2007 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV lock

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle............................................ 322
Defensive Driving...................................... 322
Drunken Driving........................................ 323
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 326
Braking...................................................... 326
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 327
Braking in Emergencies............................. 329
Locking Differential.................................... 329
Road Sensing Suspension......................... 329
StabiliTrak
®System................................... 330
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System.................. 332
Steering.................................................... 333
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 335
Passing..................................................... 335
Loss of Control.......................................... 337
Off-Road Driving........................................ 338
Driving at Night......................................... 354Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 355
City Driving............................................... 358
Freeway Driving........................................ 359
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.................. 360
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 361
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 362
Winter Driving........................................... 364
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.......................................... 368
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 368
Recovery Hooks........................................ 369
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 370
Towing........................................................ 376
Towing Your Vehicle ................................. 376
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 376
Autoride
®................................................... 378
Towing a Trailer........................................ 379
Trailer Recommendations.......................... 392
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
321

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 396.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive
away, ABS 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 ABS, this warning
light will stay on.
SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning
Light on page 237.
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.
327

Remember: ABS 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 ABS.
Using ABS
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 ABS, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you
more than even the very best braking.
Locking Differential
If your vehicle has this feature, your locking
differential can give you additional traction on
snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works like
a standard axle most of the time, but when one of
the wheels has no traction and the other does,
this feature will allow the wheel with traction
to move the vehicle.
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.
329

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” underTowing a Trailer on
page 379.
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
STABILITRAK OFF or SERVICE STABILITRAK
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, these messages may also
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.
For more information on the stability messages,
seeDriver Information Center (DIC) on page 245.
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. 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.
330

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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 396.
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 326. 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.
334

If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off
the accelerator pedal and quickly steer the
way you want the vehicle to go. If you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle may
straighten out. Always be ready for a second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow,
ice, gravel, or other material is on the road.
For safety, you will want to slow down and adjust
your driving to these conditions. It is important
to slow down on slippery surfaces because
stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control
more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction,
try your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing vehicle speed by
shifting to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You may not realize the
surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding.
Learn to recognize warning clues — such as
enough water, ice, or packed snow on the road to
make a mirrored surface — and slow down when
you have any doubt.
Remember: Any Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
helps avoid only the braking skid.Off-Road Driving
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have
all-wheel drive. If your vehicle does not have
all-wheel drive or if it has 20-inch tire/wheel
assemblies, you should not drive off-road unless
you are on a level, solid surface. SeeTires
on page 454.
Many of the same design features that help make
your vehicle responsive on paved roads during
poor weather conditions — features like all-wheel
drive — help make it much better suited for
off-road use. Its higher ground clearance also
helps your vehicle step over some off-road
obstacles. But your vehicle does not have features
like special underbody shielding and a transfer
case low gear range, things that are usually
thought necessary for extended or severe off-road
service.
Also, seeBraking on page 326.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some denite hazards. The greatest of these is
the terrain itself.
338

There are some important things to remember
about how to load your vehicle.
The heaviest things should be on the load
oor and forward of the rear axle. Put
heavier items as far forward as you can.
Be sure the load is secured properly, so
driving on the off-road terrain does not
toss things around.
You will nd other important information in this
manual. SeeLoading Your Vehicle on page 370,
Luggage Carrier on page 179, andTires on
page 454.
Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and
satisfying recreation. However, it also raises
environmental concerns. We recognize these
concerns and urge every off-roader to follow these
basic rules for protecting the environment:
Always use established trails, roads, and
areas that have been specially set aside
for public off-road recreational driving; obey
all posted regulations.
Avoid any driving practice that could damage
the environment — shrubs, owers, trees,
grasses — or disturb wildlife. This includes
wheel-spinning, breaking down trees, or
unnecessary driving through streams or over
soft ground.
Always carry a litter bag — make sure all
refuse is removed from any campsite
before leaving.
Take extreme care with open res where
permitted, camp stoves, and lanterns.
Never park your vehicle over dry grass or
other combustible materials that could
catch re from the heat of the vehicle’s
exhaust system.
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when
going to a remote area. Know the terrain and plan
your route. You are much less likely to get bad
surprises. Get accurate maps of trails and terrain.
Try to learn of any blocked or closed roads.
It is also a good idea to travel with at least
one other vehicle. If something happens to
one of them, the other can help quickly.
341

Are there obstructions on the hill that can
block your path, such as boulders, trees,
logs, or ruts?
What is beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an
embankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out
and walk the hill if you do not know. It is the
smart way to nd out.
Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often
have ruts, gullies, troughs, and exposed
rocks because they are more susceptible to
the effects of erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill,
you need to take some special steps.
Use a low gear and get a rm grip on the
steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to
maintain your speed. Do not use more power
than you need, because you do not want
the wheels to start spinning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible.
If the path twists and turns, you might want to
nd another route.
{CAUTION:
Turning or driving across steep hills can
be dangerous. You could lose traction,
slide sideways, and possibly roll over.
You could be seriously injured or killed.
When driving up hills, always try to go
straight up.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the
top of the hill.
Attach a ag to the vehicle to make you more
visible to approaching traffic on trails or hills.
345