2010 CADILLAC ESCALADE tow

If the vehicle is equipped with the passenger sensingsystem, and when the passenger sensing system hasturned off the right front passenger frontal airbag, the offindicator in the passenger airbag status indicator shouldlight and stay lit when you start the vehicle. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 4!31.
If a child restraint has been installed and the onindicator is lit, see“If the On Indicator is Lit for aChild Restraint”underPassenger Sensing Systemonpage 2!84for more information.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehiclesafety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
Airbag System
The 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 passengerdirectly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger andthe person seated directly behind that passenger.
The vehicle may have the following airbags:
.A seat!mounted side impact airbag for the driver.
.A seat!mounted side impact airbag for the rightfront passenger.
.If the vehicle has a third row seat, it will have athird row roof-rail airbag.
All of the airbags in the vehicle will have the wordAIRBAG embossed in the trim or on an attached labelnear the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on themiddle part of the steering wheel for the driver and onthe instrument panel for the right front passenger.
With seat!mounted side impact airbags, the wordAIRBAG will appear on the side of the seatback closestto the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG will appearalong the headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement the protectionprovided by safety belts. Even though today's airbagsare also designed to help reduce the risk of injury fromthe force of an inflating bag, all airbags must inflate veryquickly to do their job.
2-74

Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to helpcontain the head and chest of occupants in theoutboard seating positions in the first, second, and thirdrows, if equipped with a third row seat. The rollovercapable roof-rail airbags are designed to help reducethe risk of full or partial ejection in rollover events,although no system can prevent all such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,primarily because the occupant's motion is not towardthose airbags. SeeWhen Should an Airbag Inflate?onpage 2!80for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything morethan a supplement to safety belts.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and seat-mounted side impactairbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so quickly thatsome people may not even realize an airbag inflated.Roof-rail airbags may still be at least partially inflated forsome time after they deploy. Some components of theairbag module may be hot for several minutes. Forlocation of the airbag modules, seeWhat Makes anAirbag Inflate? on page 2!81.
The parts of the airbag that come into contact with youmay be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may besome smoke and dust coming from the vents in thedeflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent thedriver from seeing out of the windshield or being able tosteer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people fromleaving the vehicle.
{WARNING:
When an airbag inflates, there may be dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle
should get out as soon as it is safe to do so.
If you have breathing problems but cannot get out
of the vehicle after an airbag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or a door. If you
experience breathing problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may automatically unlockthe doors, turn on the interior lamps and hazard warningflashers, and shut off the fuel system after the airbagsinflate. You can lock the doors, turn off the interiorlamps and hazard warning flashers by using thecontrols for those features.
2-82

Additional Factors Affecting System
Operation
Safety belts help keep the passenger in position on theseat during vehicle maneuvers and braking, which helpsthe passenger sensing system maintain the passengerairbag status. See“Safety Belts”and“Child Restraints”in the Index for additional information about theimportance of proper restraint use.
If the shoulder portion of the belt is pulled out all theway, the child restraint locking feature will be engaged.This may unintentionally cause the passenger sensingsystem to turn the airbag off for some adult sizeoccupants. If this happens, let the belt go back all theway and start again.
A thick layer of additional material, such as a blanket orcushion, or aftermarket equipment such as seat covers,seat heaters, and seat massagers can affect how wellthe passenger sensing system operates. We
recommend that you not use seat covers or otheraftermarket equipment except when approved byGM for your specific vehicle. SeeAdding Equipment toYour Airbag-Equipped Vehicleon page 2!89for moreinformation about modifications that can affect how thesystem operates.
The on indicator may be lit if an object, such as abriefcase, handbag, grocery bag, laptop or otherelectronic device, is put on an unoccupied seat.If this is not desired remove the object from the seat.
{WARNING:
Stowing of articles under the passenger seat or
between the passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the proper operation
of the passenger sensing system.
2-88

Section 3 Features and Controls
Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) SystemOperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Doors and Locks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11Programmable Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . 3-11Rear Door Security Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12Liftgate/Liftglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12Power Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14Power Assist Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18Power Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Theft-Deterrent Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22Content Theft-Deterrent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22PASS-Key®III+ Electronic Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . 3-24PASS-Key®III+ Electronic ImmobilizerOperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle. . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31Active Fuel Management™. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32Automatic Transmission Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40Parking Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
3-1

Starting and Operating Your
Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In
Notice:The vehicle does not need an elaboratebreak-in. But it will perform better in the long runif you follow these guidelines:
.Keep your speed at 55 mph (88 km/h) or less
for the first 500 miles (805 km).
.Do not drive at any one constant speed, fast
or slow, for the first 500 miles (805 km).
Do not make full-throttle starts. Avoid
downshifting to brake or slow the vehicle.
.Avoid making hard stops for the first
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
the new brake linings are not yet broken in.
Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking-in guideline every time
you get new brake linings.
.Do not tow a trailer during break-in. See
Towing a Traileron page 6!42for the trailer
towing capabilities of the vehicle and more
information.
Following break!in, engine speed and load can begradually increased.
3-26

Ignition Positions
The ignition switch hasfour different positions.
To shift out of P (Park), the ignition must be in ON/RUNor ACC/ACCESSORY and the regular brake pedal mustbe applied.
A (LOCK/OFF) :This position locks the ignition.It may also lock the steering wheel and automatictransmission. The key can be removed in LOCK/OFF.
On vehicles with an automatic transmission, the shiftlever must be in P (Park) to turn the ignition switchto LOCK/OFF.
The steering may bind with the wheels turned off center.If this happens, move the steering wheel from right toleft while turning the key to ACC/ACCESSORY. If thisdoesn't work, then the vehicle needs service.
Notice:Using a tool to force the key to turn in theignition could cause damage to the switch or breakthe key. Use the correct key, make sure it is all theway in, and turn it only with your hand. If the keycannot be turned by hand, see your dealer/retailer.
B (ACC/ACCESSORY) :This position lets things likethe radio and the windshield wipers operate while theengine is off. Use this position if the vehicle must bepushed or towed.
3-27

When parked on a hill, especially when the vehicle hasa heavy load, you may notice an increase in the effortto shift out of P (Park). See Torque Lock (AutomaticTransmission) underShifting Into Parkon page 3!39for more information.
{WARNING:
It is dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift
lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly
level ground, always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park). SeeShifting Into
Parkon page 3!39. If you are pulling a trailer,
seeTowing a Trailer on page 6!42.
R (Reverse) :Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to R (Reverse) while the vehicle ismoving forward could damage the transmission.The repairs would not be covered by the vehiclewarranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only after the vehicleis stopped.
To rock the vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,ice, or sand without damaging the transmission, seeIfYour Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snowonpage 6!30.
3-33

N (Neutral) :In this position, the engine does notconnect with the wheels. To restart when you arealready moving, use N (Neutral) only. Also, useN (Neutral) when the vehicle is being towed.
{WARNING:
Shifting into a drive gear while the engine is
running at high speed is dangerous. Unless your
foot is firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
move very rapidly. You could lose control and hit
people or objects. Do not shift into a drive gear
while the engine is running at high speed.
Notice:Shifting out of P (Park) or N (Neutral) withthe engine running at high speed may damage thetransmission. The repairs would not be covered bythe vehicle warranty. Be sure the engine is notrunning at high speed when shifting the vehicle.
D (Drive) :This position is for normal driving. It providesthe best fuel economy. If you need more power forpassing, and you are:
.Going less than about 35 mph (55 km/h), push theaccelerator pedal about halfway down.
.Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push theaccelerator all the way down.
By doing this, the vehicle shifts down to the next gearand has more power.
D (Drive) can be used when towing a trailer, carrying aheavy load, driving on steep hills, or for off-road driving.You may want to shift the transmission to a lower gearselection if the transmission shifts too often.
Downshifting the transmission in slippery roadconditions could result in skidding, see Skidding underLoss of Control on page 6!12.
M (Manual Mode) :This position lets drivers selectthe range of gears appropriate for current drivingconditions. See Driver Shift Control (DSC) later inthis section.
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle inone place on a hill using only the accelerator pedalmay damage the transmission. The repair will not becovered by the vehicle warranty. If you are stuck, donot spin the tires. When stopping on a hill, use thebrakes to hold the vehicle in place.
The vehicle has a shift stabilization feature thatadjusts the transmission shifting to the currentdriving conditions in order to reduce rapid upshiftsand downshifts. This shift stabilization feature isdesigned to determine, before making an upshift, ifthe engine will be able to maintain vehicle speed by
3-34