2010 CADILLAC ESCALADE warning

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 abouthow to load your vehicle.
.The heaviest things should be on the floor, forwardof the rear axle. Put heavier items as far forwardas you can.
.Be sure the load is properly secured, so things arenot tossed around.
You will find other important information underLoadingthe Vehicleon page 6!32andTires on page 7!58.
Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and satisfyingrecreation. However, it also raises environmentalconcerns. We recognize these concerns and urgeevery off-roader to follow these basic rules forprotecting the environment:
.Always use established trails, roads, and areasthat have been specially set aside for publicoff-road recreational driving and obey allposted regulations.
.Avoid any driving practice that could damageshrubs, flowers, trees, or grasses or disturbwildlife. This includes wheel-spinning, breakingdown trees, or unnecessary driving throughstreams or over soft ground.
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{WARNING:
When you are driving off-road, bouncing and
quick changes in direction can easily throw you
out of position. This could cause you to lose
control and crash. So, whether you are driving on
or off the road, you and your passengers should
wear safety belts.
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many different kindsof terrain. Be familiar with the terrain and its manydifferent features.
Surface Conditions :Off-roading surfaces can behard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow,or ice. Each of these surfaces affects the vehicle'ssteering, acceleration, and braking in different ways.Depending on the surface, slipping, sliding, wheelspinning, delayed acceleration, poor traction, andlonger braking distances can occur.
Surface Obstacles :Unseen or hidden obstacles canbe hazardous. A rock, log, hole, rut, or bump can startleyou if you are not prepared for them. Often theseobstacles are hidden by grass, bushes, snow, or eventhe rise and fall of the terrain itself.
Some things to consider:
.Is the path ahead clear?
.Will the surface texture change abruptly up ahead?
.Does the travel take you uphill or downhill?
.Will you have to stop suddenly or change directionquickly?
When driving over obstacles or rough terrain, keep afirm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs, or othersurface features can jerk the wheel out of your hands.
When driving over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles, thewheels can leave the ground. If this happens, even withone or two wheels, you cannot control the vehicle aswell or at all.
Because you will be on an unpaved surface, it isespecially important to avoid sudden acceleration,sudden turns, or sudden braking.
Off-roading requires a different kind of alertness fromdriving on paved roads and highways. There are noroad signs, posted speed limits, or signal lights. Usegood judgment about what is safe and what is not.
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Driving on Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down, or across ahill. Driving safely on hills requires good judgment andan understanding of what the vehicle can and cannotdo. There are some hills that simply cannot be driven,no matter how well built the vehicle.
{WARNING:
Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle.
If you drive up them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you cannot control your speed. If you
drive across them, you will roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. If you have any doubt
about the steepness, do not drive the hill.
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, decide if it is too steep toclimb, descend, or cross. Steepness can be hard tojudge. On a very small hill, for example, there may be asmooth, constant incline with only a small change in
elevation where you can easily see all the way to thetop. On a large hill, the incline may get steeper as younear the top, but you might not see this because thecrest of the hill is hidden by bushes, grass, or shrubs.
Consider this as you approach a hill:
.Is there a constant incline, or does the hill getsharply steeper in places?
.Is there good traction on the hillside, or will thesurface cause tire slipping?
.Is there a straight path up or down the hill so youwill not have to make turning maneuvers?
.Are there obstructions on the hill that can blockyour path, such as boulders, trees, logs, or ruts?
.What is beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, anembankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out andwalk the hill if you do not know. It is the smart wayto find out.
.Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often haveruts, gullies, troughs, and exposed rocks becausethey are more susceptible to the effects of erosion.
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Driving Uphill
Once you decide it is safe to drive up the hill:
.Use a low gear and get a firm grip on thesteering wheel.
.Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintainspeed. Not using more power than needed canavoid spinning the wheels or sliding.
{WARNING:
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.
.Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible.If the path twists and turns, you might want to findanother route.
.Ease up on the speed as you approach the top ofthe hill.
.Attach a flag to the vehicle to be more visible toapproaching traffic on trails or hills.
.Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hillto let opposing traffic know you are there.
.Use headlamps even during the day to make thevehicle more visible to oncoming traffic.
{WARNING:
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can
cause an accident. There could be a drop-off,
embankment, cliff, or even another vehicle. You
could be seriously injured or killed. As you near
the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.
If the vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, and you cannotmake it up the hill:
.Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle andkeep it from rolling backwards and apply theparking brake.
.If the engine is still running, shift the transmissionto R (Reverse), release the parking brake, andslowly back down the hill in R (Reverse).
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{WARNING:
Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause
your brakes to overheat and fade. This could
cause loss of control and a serious accident.
Apply the brakes lightly when descending a
hill and use a low gear to keep vehicle speed
under control.
Things not to do when driving down a hill:
.When driving downhill, avoid turns that take youacross the incline of the hill. A hill that is not toosteep to drive down might be too steep to driveacross. The vehicle could roll over.
.Never go downhill with the transmission inN (Neutral), called free-wheeling. The brakes willhave to do all the work and could overheatand fade.
Vehicles are much more likely to stall when going uphill,but if it happens when going downhill:
1. Stop the vehicle by applying the regular brakesand apply the parking brake.
2. Shift to P (Park) and, while still braking, restartthe engine.
3. Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,and drive straight down.
4. If the engine will not start, get out and get help.
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Driving Across an Incline
An off-road trail will probably go across the incline of ahill. To decide whether to try to drive across the incline,consider the following:
{WARNING:
Driving across an incline that is too steep
will make your vehicle roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. If you have any doubt
about the steepness of the incline, do not drive
across it. Find another route instead.
.A hill that can be driven straight up or downmight be too steep to drive across. When goingstraight up or down a hill, the length of the wheelbase—the distance from the front wheels to therear wheels—reduces the likelihood the vehiclewill tumble end over end. But when driving acrossan incline, the narrower track width—the distancebetween the left and right wheels—might notprevent the vehicle from tilting and rolling over.Driving across an incline puts more weight on thedownhill wheels which could cause a downhill slideor a rollover.
.Surface conditions can be a problem. Loosegravel, muddy spots, or even wet grass cancause the tires to slip sideways, downhill. If thevehicle slips sideways, it can hit something thatwill trip it—a rock, a rut, etc.—and roll over.
.Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of theincline even worse. If you drive across a rock withthe uphill wheels, or if the downhill wheels dropinto a rut or depression, the vehicle can tilteven more.
For these reasons, carefully consider whether to try todrive across an incline. Just because the trail goesacross the incline does not mean you have to drive it.The last vehicle to try it might have rolled over.
If you feel the vehicle starting to slide sideways, turndownhill. This should help straighten out the vehicle andprevent the side slipping. The best way to prevent thisis to“walk the course”first, so you know what thesurface is like before driving it.
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Stalling on an Incline
{WARNING:
Getting out on the downhill (low) side of a vehicle
stopped across an incline is dangerous. If the
vehicle rolls over, you could be crushed or killed.
Always get out on the uphill (high) side of the
vehicle and stay well clear of the rollover path.
If the vehicle stalls when crossing an incline, be sureyou, and any passengers, get out on the uphill side,even if the door there is harder to open. If you get outon the downhill side and the vehicle starts to roll over,you will be right in its path.
If you have to walk down the slope, stay out of the paththe vehicle will take if it does roll over.
Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow, or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow, or sand, the wheelsdo not get good traction. Acceleration is not asquick, turning is more difficult, and braking distancesare longer.
It is best to use a low gear when in mud—thedeeper the mud, the lower the gear. In really deep mud,keep the vehicle moving so it does not get stuck.
When driving on sand, wheel traction changes.On loosely packed sand, such as on beaches orsand dunes, the tires will tend to sink into the sand.This affects steering, accelerating, and braking.Drive at a reduced speed and avoid sharp turns orabrupt maneuvers.
Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction.On these surfaces, it is very easy to lose control. Onwet ice, for example, the traction is so poor that you willhave difficulty accelerating. And, if the vehicle does getmoving, poor steering and difficult braking can cause itto slide out of control.
{WARNING:
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds, or rivers can be
dangerous. Underwater springs, currents under
the ice, or sudden thaws can weaken the ice. Your
vehicle could fall through the ice and you and your
passengers could drown. Drive your vehicle on
safe surfaces only.
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Driving in Water
{WARNING:
Driving through rushing water can be dangerous.
Deep water can sweep your vehicle downstream
and you and your passengers could drown. If it is
only shallow water, it can still wash away the
ground from under your tires, and you could lose
traction and roll the vehicle over. Do not drive
through rushing water.
Heavy rain can mean flash flooding, and flood watersdemand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before driving throughit. Do not try it if it is deep enough to cover the wheelhubs, axles, or exhaust pipe—you probably will not getthrough. Deep water can damage the axle and othervehicle parts.
If the water is not too deep, drive slowly through it.At faster speeds, water splashes on the ignition systemand the vehicle can stall. Stalling can also occur if youget the tailpipe under water. If the tailpipe is underwater, you will never be able to start the engine. Whengoing through water, remember that when the brakesget wet, it might take longer to stop. SeeDriving in Rainand on Wet Roads on page 6!25.
After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has collectedon the underbody, chassis, or under the hood.These accumulations can be a fire hazard.
After operation in mud or sand, have the brake liningscleaned and checked. These substances can causeglazing and uneven braking. Check the body structure,steering, suspension, wheels, tires, and exhaust systemfor damage and check the fuel lines and cooling systemfor any leakage.
The vehicle requires more frequent service due tooff-road use. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule foradditional information.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day drivingbecause some drivers are likely to be impaired—byalcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or byfatigue.
Night driving tips include:
.Drive defensively.
.Do not drink and drive.
.Reduce headlamp glare by adjusting the insiderearview mirror.
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