2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT light

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
..............................................1-10
Safety Belts
.............................................1-12
Child Restraints
.......................................1-32
Airbag System
.........................................1-56
Restraint System Check
............................1-72
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-24
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-26
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-30
Mirrors
....................................................2-46
Object Detection Systems
..........................2-54
OnStar
®System
......................................2-56
Universal Home Remote System
................2-60
Storage Areas
.........................................2-67
Sunroof
..................................................2-87
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-24
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-29
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-45
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-66Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-42
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-45
Rear Axle
...............................................5-46
Front Axle
...............................................5-47
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-48
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-51
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-53
Tires
......................................................5-54
Appearance Care
.....................................5-97
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-106
Electrical System
....................................5-107
Capacities and Specications
...................5-115
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-14
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-16
Index................................................................ 1
2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner ManualM

3. Fold the seatback forward until it is at.
You may have to move the front seats
forward slightly to do this.
4. Repeat the procedure for the other side.
To return the seats to the normal position, push
the seatback up and fold the seat cushion down.
{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.
{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
be sure to press the rear of the seat cushion
down. This action locks the seatback in place.
Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.
Raise the head restraint.
1-11

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in your vehicle have a
lap-shoulder belt.
Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you
can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in
the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
If you ever pull the shoulder portion of a passenger
belt out all the way, you may engage the child
restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let
the belt go back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature
may affect the passenger sensing system.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-65.3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-32.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if necessary.
4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster,
move it to the height that is right for you. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment could reduce
the effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
See “Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment” later in
this section.
1-26

Do not secure a child seat in a position without a
top tether anchor if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions
that come with the child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing
child restraints have a top tether, and that the tether
be attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator on the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the vehicle.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-33.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Make sure the release button is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if necessary.
1-54

If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the
child restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens,
slightly recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the
seat cushion if possible. Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped under the vehicle head
restraint. If this happens, adjust the head restraint.
Remove any additional material from the seat such
as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters or
seat massagers before reinstalling or securing the
child restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the
child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle
and check with your dealer/retailer.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way.Airbag System
Your vehicle has the following airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front passenger.
A roof-rail airbag for the driver and the passenger
seated directly behind the driver.
A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger
and the passenger seated directly behind the
right front passenger.
All of the airbags in your vehicle will have the word
AIRBAG embossed in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on
the middle part of the steering wheel for the driver and
on the instrument panel for the right front passenger.
With roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear
along the headliner or trim.
1-56

{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster than
the blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against,
or very close to, any airbag when it inates
can be seriously injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to the airbag, as you
would be if you were sitting on the edge of
your seat or leaning forward. Safety belts
help keep you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with airbags. The driver should sit as far back
as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against
the door or side windows in seating positions
with roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION:
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the
best protection for adults, but not for young
children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s
safety belt system nor its airbag system is
designed for them. Young children and infants
need the protection that a child restraint
system can provide. Always secure children
properly in your vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 1-32orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-35.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-32
for more information.
1-58

The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
The right front passenger seat is unoccupied.
The system determines that an infant is present
in a rear-facing infant seat.
The system determines that a small child is
present in a child restraint.
The system determines that a small child is
present in a booster seat.
A right front passenger takes his/her weight off
of the seat for a period of time.
The right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints.
Or, if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off indicator
will light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-33.If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint
following the child restraint manufacturer’s directions
and refer toSecuring a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position on page 1-53.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint
is not trapped under the vehicle head restraint.
If this happens, adjust the head restraint. SeeHead
Restraints on page 1-9.
Remove any additional material from the seat such
as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters,
or seat massagers before reinstalling or securing the
child restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the
child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle,
and check with your dealer/retailer.
1-67

The passenger sensing system is designed to enable
(may inate) the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag anytime the system senses that a person of
adult size is sitting properly in the right front passenger’s
seat. When the passenger sensing system has
allowed the airbag to be enabled, the on indicator will
light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is active.
For some children who have outgrown child restraints
and for very small adults, the passenger sensing
system may or may not turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag, depending upon the
person’s seating posture and body build. Everyone
in your vehicle who has outgrown child restraints
should wear a safety belt properly — whether or
not there is an airbag for that person.
If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting properly in the seat.
If this happens, turn the vehicle off, remove any
additional material from the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat heaters or seat massagers
and ask the person to place the seatback in the fully
upright position, then sit upright in the seat, centered on
the seat cushion, with the person’s legs comfortably
extended. Restart the vehicle and have the person
remain in this position for two to three minutes.
This will allow the system to detect that person and
then enable the right front passenger’s frontal airbag.Safety belts help keep the passenger in position on
the seat during vehicle maneuvers and braking,
which helps the passenger sensing system maintain
the passenger airbag status. See “Safety Belts”
and “Child Restraints” in the Index for additional
information about the importance of proper restraint use.
1-68