Black plate (53,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
After selecting the INFO (information) screen button,
the type of traffic condition, the street name, and a
description of the traffic condition displays. See
“ Scrolling the Map ” under Maps
on page 5 ‑ 14 for more
information.
To display traffic events in another state or a great
distance away, scroll to the desired area, and then stop
scrolling. Wait for the traffic to update. It may take up to
two minutes before traffic in this new area can be
received and displayed.
Traffic Event Display Categories The following are traffic condition categories and
symbols that can appear on the display:
Category 1, Road Closure:
q (Road Closed): Road and/or ramps closed.
Category 2, Traffic Delayed:
o (Stopped Traffic): Traffic stopped, stop and go
traffic, delayed and congested traffic. Category 3, Incidents:
p (Alert): Object in the roadway, disabled vehicle,
or dangerous road conditions.
t (Accident): Roadway obstructed due to accident.
s (Road Works): Delayed traffic due to construction.
Category 4, Advisories:
j /
r (Road Condition): Delayed or stopped traffic,
lane blocked or closed due to a road condition.
k (Weather): Heavy rain, snow, or fog weather
condition.
m (Parking): Available parking area.
l (Information): Special event, general information,
or warning.
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Black plate (83,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
8. Touch the left or right arrow to select desired
Category such as: Artist, Album, Genre, etc. A list
of that category will display.
The iPod or USB storage device should not be pulled
out from the USB dock. To safely remove it, touch Eject. A warning message will display for a few seconds.
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Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
Your Driving, the Road, and the
Vehicle Defensive Driving Defensive driving means “ always expect the
unexpected. ” The first step in driving defensively is to
wear your safety belt — See Safety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 2 ‑ 26 .
{ WARNING: Assume that other road users (pedestrians,
bicyclists, and other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they
might do and be ready. In addition: .
Allow enough following distance between you
and the driver in front of you. .
Focus on the task of driving.
Driver distraction can cause collisions resulting in
injury or possible death. These simple defensive
driving techniques could save your life. Drunk Driving
{ WARNING: Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your
reflexes, 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. 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.
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a global tragedy.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle: judgment, muscular coordination, vision, and
attentiveness.
Police records show that almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
17,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have
been associated with the use of alcohol, with about
250,000 people injured.
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Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
Braking See Brake System Warning Light on page 4 ‑ 33 .
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. Deciding to push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it 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 100 km/h (60 mph) travels
20 m (66 feet). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between the
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 the 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.
The brakes might not have time to cool between hard
stops. The brakes will wear out much faster with a lot
of heavy braking. Keeping pace with the traffic and
allowing realistic following distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means better braking and
longer brake life.
If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is being
driven, brake normally but do not pump the brakes.
If the brakes are pumped, the pedal could get harder to
push down. If the engine stops, there will still be some
power brake assist but it will be used when the brake is
applied. Once the power assist is used up, it can take
longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder
to push.
Adding non ‐ dealer/non ‐ retailer accessories can affect
vehicle performance. See Accessories and
Modifications on page 7 ‑ 4 .
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Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
Antilock Brake System (ABS) This vehicle has the Antilock Brake System (ABS), an
advanced electronic braking system that helps prevent
a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the vehicle begins to
drive away, ABS checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while this test is going on.
This is normal.
If there is a problem with
ABS, this warning light
stays on. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light on
page 4 ‑ 34 .
Along with ABS, the vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights 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 the 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.
ABS can change the brake pressure to each wheel, as
required, faster than any driver could. This can help the
driver steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As the brakes are applied, the computer keeps
receiving updates on wheel speed and controls braking
pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change the time needed to
get a foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, there will not be enough time to apply the
brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to stop, even with ABS.
6-5
Black plate (8,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
It is recommended to leave the system on for normal
driving conditions, but it may be necessary to turn the
system off if the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice or
snow, and you want to “ rock ” the 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. See If Your Vehicle is Stuck in
Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 6 ‑ 30 .
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 the vehicle is started. It will activate and the
StabiliTrak light will flash if it senses that any of the
wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction while
driving. If traction control is turned off, only the
brake-traction control portion of traction control will
work. The engine speed management will be disabled.
In this mode, engine power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin more freely. This can
cause the brake-traction control to activate constantly. Notice: If the wheel(s) of one axle is allowed to spin
excessively while the StabiliTrak ®
, ABS, brake
warning lights, and any relevant DIC messages are
displayed, the transfer case could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Reduce engine power and do not spin the
wheel(s) excessively while these lights and
messages 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, a reduction in
acceleration may be noticed, or a noise or vibration may
be heard. This is normal.
If cruise control is being used when the system
activates, the StabiliTrak light will flash and cruise
control will automatically disengage. Cruise control may
be reengaged when road conditions allow. See Cruise
Control on page 4 ‑ 8 .
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,
see your dealer for service.
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Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
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 the 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: Antilock brakes help avoid only the
braking skid.
Off-Road Driving Vehicles with all ‐ wheel drive can be used for off ‐ road
driving. Vehicles without all ‐ wheel drive and vehicles
with 22 ‐ inch tire/wheel assemblies should not be driven
off-road except on a level, solid surface.
Many of the vehicle design features that help make the
vehicle more responsive on paved roads during poor
weather conditions also help make it better suited for
off ‐ road use than conventional passenger vehicles. The
vehicle does not have features usually thought to be
necessary for extended or severe off ‐ road use such as
special underbody shielding and transfer case low gear
range. The airbag system is designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off ‐ road usage.
Always wear your safety belt and observe safe driving
speeds, especially on rough terrain.
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous on any
road and this is certainly true for off-road driving. At the
very time you need special alertness and driving skills,
your reflexes, perceptions, and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount of alcohol. You could
have a serious — or even fatal — accident if you drink
and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking.
Off-roading can be great fun but has some definite
hazards. The greatest of these is the terrain itself. When
off-road driving, traffic lanes are not marked, curves are
not banked, and there are no road signs. Surfaces can
be slippery, rough, uphill, or downhill.
Avoid sharp turns and abrupt maneuvers. Failure to
operate the vehicle correctly off ‐ road could result in loss
of vehicle control or vehicle rollover.
Off-roading involves some new skills. That is why it is
very important that you read these driving tips and
suggestions to help make off-road driving safer and
more enjoyable.
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Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
Loading Your Vehicle for Off-Road
Driving
{ WARNING: .
Cargo on the load floor piled higher than the
seatbacks can be thrown forward during a
sudden stop. You or your passengers could
be injured. Keep cargo below the top of the
seatbacks. .
Unsecured cargo on the load floor can be
tossed about when driving over rough terrain.
You or your passengers can be struck by
flying objects. Secure the cargo properly. .
Heavy loads on the roof raise the vehicle's
center of gravity, making it more likely to roll
over. You can be seriously or fatally injured if
the vehicle rolls over. Put heavy loads inside
the cargo area, not on the roof. Keep cargo in
the cargo area as far forward and low as
possible. There are some important things to remember about
how to load your vehicle. .
The heaviest things should be on the floor, forward
of the rear axle. Put heavier items as far forward
as you can. .
Be sure the load is properly secured, so things are
not tossed around.
You will find other important information under Loading
the Vehicle
on page 6 ‑ 32 and Tires on page 7 ‑ 58 .
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 and obey all posted
regulations. .
Avoid any driving practice that could damage
shrubs, flowers, trees, or grasses or disturb
wildlife. This includes wheel-spinning, breaking
down trees, or unnecessary driving through
streams or over soft ground.
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