Page 1 of 616

2010 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Seats and Restraint System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-26Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-49Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-74Restraint System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-91
Features and Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3Doors and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22Starting and Operating Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43Object Detection Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46Universal Home Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55Storage Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-62Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-66
Instrument Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . 4-27Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-41Audio System(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-67
Page 2 of 616

2010 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner ManualM
Navigation System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2Features and Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12Navigation Audio System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-60Voice Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-86
Driving Your Vehicle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 6-2Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Service and Appearance Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-54Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-98Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-107Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-108Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-115
Maintenance Schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Customer Assistance Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1Customer Assistance and Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2Reporting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,CADILLAC, the CADILLAC Crest & Wreath, and thenames ESCALADE and ESV are registered trademarksof General Motors.
This manual describes features that may or maynot be on your specific vehicle either because they areoptions that you did not purchase or due to changessubsequent to the printing of this owner manual.Please refer to the purchase documentation relating toyour specific vehicle to confirm each of the featuresfound on your vehicle. For vehicles first sold in Canada,substitute the name“General Motors of CanadaLimited”for Cadillac Motor Division wherever it appearsin this manual.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.
Canadian Owners
Propriétaires Canadiens
A French language copy of this manual can be obtainedfrom your dealer/retailer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en françaisauprès du concessionnaire ou à l'adresse suivante:
Helm, IncorporatedP.O. Box 07130Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue française
www.helminc.com
Index
To quickly locate information about the vehicle, use theindex in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical listof what is in the manual and the page number where itcan be found.
iii
Litho in U.S.A.Part No. 25854764 A First Printing©2009 General Motors. All Rights Reserved.
Page 4 of 616

Safety Warnings and Symbols
Warning messages found on vehicle labels and in thismanual describe hazards and what to do to avoid orreduce them.
Dangerindicates a hazard with a high level of riskwhich will result in serious injury or death.
WarningorCautionindicates a hazard that could resultin injury or death.
{WARNING:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
Notice:This means there is something that couldresult in property or vehicle damage. This would notbe covered by the vehicle's warranty.
A circle with a slashthrough it is a safetysymbol which means“Do Not,”“Do not do this,”or“Do not let thishappen.”
Vehicle Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that usesymbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along withthe text describing the operation or information relatingto a specific component, control, message, gage,or indicator.
M:This symbol is shown when you need to see yourowner manual for additional instructions or information.
*:This symbol is shown when you need to see aservice manual for additional instructions or information.
iv
Page 5 of 616
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may be found onthe vehicle and what they mean. For more informationon the symbol, refer to the index.
0:Adjustable Pedals
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls or OnStar®
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.:Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i:Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
j:LATCH System Child Restraints
*:Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway Mirrors
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_:Tow/Haul Mode
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
v
Page 6 of 616
Page 7 of 616

Section 1 In Brief
Instrument Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9Third Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11Sensing System for Passenger Airbag . . . . . . . . . 1-11Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Vehicle Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17Bluetooth®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21Universal Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Performance and Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22StabiliTrak®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23Roadside Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24OnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
1-1
Page 8 of 616
Instrument Panel
United States version shown; Canada similar.
1-2