Black plate (54,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM This message displays along with the brake system
warning light if there is a problem with the brake
system. See Brake System Warning Light
on
page 4 ‑ 33 . If this message appears, stop as soon as
possible and turn off the vehicle. Restart the vehicle
and check for the message on the DIC display. If the
message is still displayed or appears again when you
begin driving, the brake system needs service as soon
as possible. See your dealer.
SERVICE BRAKES SOON This message displays if there is a problem with the
brake system. If this message appears, stop as soon as
possible and turn off the vehicle. Restart the vehicle
and check for the message on the DIC display. If the
message is still displayed or appears again when you
begin driving, the brake system needs service. See
your dealer.
SERVICE LEFT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY On some models, this message will be displayed when
the left headlamp is out and needs to be serviced. See
LED Lighting
on page 7 ‑ 55 for more information. SERVICE PARKING ASSIST This message displays if there is a problem with the
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA) system. Do not
use this system to help you park. See Ultrasonic Rear
Parking Assist (URPA)
on page 3 ‑ 46 for more
information. See your dealer for service.
SERVICE RIGHT HEADLAMP
ASSEMBLY On some models, this message will be displayed when
the right headlamp is out and needs to be serviced. See
LED Lighting
on page 7 ‑ 55 for more information.
SERVICE SIDE BLIND ZONE ALERT
SYSTEM If your vehicle has the Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
system and this message displays, both SBZA displays
will remain on indicating there is a problem with the
SBZA system. If these displays remain on after
continued driving, the system needs service. See your
dealer. See Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
on page 3 ‑ 48
for more information.
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Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.
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. Control of a Vehicle The following three systems help to control the vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator. At
times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and road
can provide. Meaning, you can lose control of the
vehicle. See StabiliTrak ®
System on page 6 ‑ 6 .
Adding non ‐ dealer/non ‐ retailer accessories can affect
vehicle performance. See Accessories and
Modifications on page 7 ‑ 4 .
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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 .
6-4
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 (6,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
Using ABS Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down firmly and let antilock work. The brakes might
vibrate or some noise might be heard, but this is
normal.
Braking in Emergencies ABS allows the driver to steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help more
than even the very best braking.
Brake Assist This vehicle has a Brake Assist feature designed to
assist the driver in stopping or decreasing vehicle
speed in emergency driving conditions. This feature
uses the stability system hydraulic brake control module
to supplement the power brake system under conditions
where the driver has quickly and forcefully applied the
brake pedal in an attempt to quickly stop or slow down
the vehicle. The stability system hydraulic brake control
module increases brake pressure at each corner of the
vehicle until the ABS activates. Minor brake pedal
pulsations or pedal movement during this time is normal
and the driver should continue to apply the brake pedal
as the driving situation dictates The Brake Assist
feature will automatically disengage when the brake
pedal is released or brake pedal pressure is quickly
decreased. StabiliTrak ®
System The vehicle has a vehicle stability enhancement system
called StabiliTrak. It is an advanced computer controlled
system that assists the driver with directional control of
the vehicle in difficult driving conditions.
StabiliTrak activates when the computer senses a
discrepancy between the intended path and the
direction the vehicle is actually traveling. StabiliTrak
selectively applies braking pressure at any one of the
vehicle's brakes to assist the driver with keeping the
vehicle on the intended path.
When the vehicle is started and begins to move, the
system performs several diagnostic checks to insure
there are no problems. The system may be heard or felt
while it is working. This is normal and does not mean
there is a problem with the 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 cruise control is being used when StabiliTrak
activates, the cruise control automatically disengages.
The cruise control can be re-engaged when road
conditions allow. See Cruise Control on page 4 ‑ 8 .
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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.
6-8
Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
Steering Power Steering If the vehicle is a Two ‐ mode Hybrid, see the Two ‐ mode
Hybrid manual for more information.
If power steering assist is lost because the engine stops
or the system is not functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but it will take more effort.
Steering Tips It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
Traction in a curve depends on the condition of the tires
and the road surface, the angle at which the curve is
banked, and vehicle speed. While in a curve, speed is
the one factor that can be controlled.
If there is a need to reduce speed, do it before entering
the curve, while the front wheels are straight.
Try to adjust the speed so you can drive through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until 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
find 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. These
problems can be avoided by braking — if you can
stop in time. But sometimes you cannot stop in time
because there is no room. That is the time for evasive
action — steering around the problem.
The vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First, apply the brakes. See Braking
on
page 6 ‑ 4 . It is better to remove as much speed as
possible from a collision. Then steer around the
problem, to the left or right depending on the space
available.
6-10
Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010
Passing Passing another vehicle on a two-lane road can be
dangerous. To reduce the risk of danger while passing: .
Look down the road, to the sides, and to
crossroads for situations that might affect a
successful pass. If in doubt, wait. .
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings, and
lines that could indicate a turn or an intersection.
Never cross a solid or double ‐ solid line on your
side of the lane. .
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass. Doing so can reduce your visibility. .
Wait your turn to pass a slow vehicle. .
When you are being passed, ease to the right.
Loss of Control Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger. Skidding In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by
not overdriving those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to the vehicle's
three control systems. In the braking skid, the wheels
are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid,
too much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
Remember: Any traction control system helps avoid
only the acceleration skid. If the traction control system
is off, then an acceleration skid is best handled by
easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If the 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,
the 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, 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.
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