Page 15 of 548

Black plate (9,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-9
Second Row Seats On vehicles with a 60/40 split bench
or buckets seats, the seatbacks can
be folded for additional cargo space,
or the seats can be folded and
tumbled for easy entry/exit to the
third row seats, if equipped. On
vehicles with bucket seats, the
seatbacks also recline.
See Second Row Seats on
page 3 ‑ 10 for more information.
Third Row Seats On vehicles with third row seats, the
seatbacks can be folded, and the
entire seat can be tumbled or
removed from the vehicle.
For detailed instructions, see Third
Row Seats on page 3 ‑ 14 . Heated and Ventilated
Seats
The buttons are on the climate
control panel.
{ : Press to cool the entire seat.
+ : Press to heat the
seatback only.
z : Press to heat the seat and
seatback.
Press the desired button once for
the highest setting. With each press
of the button, the seat will change to
the next lower setting, and then to
the off setting. Indicator bars next to
the symbol on the climate control display show the selected setting:
three for high, two for medium, and
one for low.
See Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats on page 3 ‑ 8 .
Heated Rear Seats
The buttons are on the Rear Sear
Audio (RSA) panel on the rear of the
center console.
Press
M or
L to heat the left
outboard or right outboard seat
cushion and to cycle through the
temperature settings.
See Heated Rear Seats on
page 3 ‑ 9 .
Page 66 of 548

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-10 Seats and Restraints
Second Row Seats The second row seats can be folded
for additional cargo space or folded
and tumbled for easy entry and exit
to the third row seat, if equipped.
The seat has either the manual fold
and tumble feature or the automatic
seat release fold and tumble
feature.
Reclining Seatbacks
(Bucket Seats Only) On vehicles with second row bucket
seats, the seatbacks can be
reclined. To recline the seatback:
1. Lift the lever on the outboard
side of the seat.
2. Move the seatback to the
desired position, and then
release the lever to lock the
seatback in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatback
to make sure it is locked. To return the seatback to the upright
position:
1. Lift the lever fully without
applying pressure to the
seatback, and the seatback will
return to the upright position.
{ WARNINGIf either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked.
Page 67 of 548
Black plate (11,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-11Manual Fold and Tumble
Feature Folding and Tumbling the Seat
To fold and tumble the seat:
1. Make sure that there is nothing
under, in front of, or on the seat.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat. 2. Lift the lever, on the outboard
side of the seat, to release the
seatback. The seatback will fold forward to
create a flat load floor.
If the seatback cannot fold flat,
try moving the front seat forward
and/or put the front seatback in
the upright position.
Page 68 of 548

Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-12 Seats and Restraints
3. Lift the lever again to release the
rear of the seat from the floor.
The seat will tumble forward. Folding and Tumbling the Seat
from the Third Row Seat
{ WARNINGUsing the third row seating
position while the second row is
folded, or folded and tumbled,
could cause injury in a sudden
stop or crash. Be sure to return
the seat to the passenger seating
position. Push and pull on the
seat to make sure it is locked into
place.
To fold and tumble the seat from the
third row seat, if equipped:
1. Make sure that there is nothing
under, in front of, or on the seat.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat. 60/40 Split-Bench Seat Shown,
Bucket Seat Similar
2. Lift the lever, on the bottom rear
of the second row seat on the
inboard side, to release the
seatback. The seatback will fold
forward.
3. Lift the same lever again to
release the rear of the seat from
the floor. The seat will tumble
forward.
Page 69 of 548

Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-13Automatic Fold and Tumble
Feature The transmission must be in
P (Park) for this feature to work.
{ WARNINGAutomatically folding and
tumbling the seat when someone
is sitting in the seat, could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always make sure there is no one
sitting in the seat before pressing
the automatic seat release button.
Folding and Tumbling the Second
Row Seat from the Third Row Seat
or Outside the Vehicle
{ WARNING
Using the third row seating
position while the second row is
folded, or folded and tumbled,
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) could cause injury in a sudden
stop or crash. Be sure to return
the seat to the passenger seating
position. Push and pull on the
seat to make sure it is locked into
place.
To fold and tumble the seat from the
third row seat, if equipped:
1. Make sure that there is nothing
under, in front of, or on the seat.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat. Driver Side Rear Panel Button
Shown
2. Press the automatic seat release
button on the panel behind the
rear doors.
The seatback automatically
folds flat and the seat tumbles
forward. There will be a slight
delay between the folding of the
seatback and the tumbling of
the seat.
Page 70 of 548

Black plate (14,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-14 Seats and Restraints Returning the Seat to the
Sitting Position To return the seat to the sitting
position from the tumbled position:
1. Pull the seat down until it latches
to the floor. The seatback cannot
be raised if the seat is not
latched to the floor.
{ WARNINGIf either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
2. Lift the seatback and push it
rearward. Push and pull on the
seatback to make sure it is
locked. { WARNINGA safety belt that is improperly
routed, not properly attached,
or twisted will not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After raising the
rear seatback, always check to
be sure that the safety belts are
properly routed and attached, and
are not twisted.
3. For the 60/40 split-bench seat,
make sure the safety belt in the
center seating position is not
caught between the two seats
and is not twisted. Third Row Seats If the vehicle has a third row seat,
the seatback can be folded, and
the entire seat can be tumbled or
removed from the vehicle.
Folding the Seatback To fold the seatback:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Remove all items on the seat
cushion.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat.
Page 71 of 548

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-15
3. Lift the release lever “ 1, ” on the
bottom rear of the seatback on
the outboard side of the seat,
and the seatback folds forward. Returning the Seatback to the
Upright Position To return the seatback to the upright
position:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Raise the seatback to the
upright position.
{ WARNINGIf either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked. Tumbling the Third Row Seat To tumble the seat:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Make sure the headrests are
completely lowered and there is
nothing under, in front of, or on
the seat.
3. Fold the seatbacks forward
using lever “ 1 ” and the
instructions listed previously
under “ Folding the Seatback. ”
The seat cannot be unlatched
from the floor unless the
seatback is folded.
Page 72 of 548

Black plate (16,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-16 Seats and Restraints
4. Unlatch the seat from the floor
by lifting lever “ 2 ” next to the
carrying handle on the rear of
the seat, near the bottom.
5. Lift the rear of the seat up from
the floor.
6. Tilt the seat fully forward to lock
it into place.
7. Push and pull on the seat to
make sure it is locked.
Put the seat in this position only
when necessary for additional cargo
space. Returning the Third Row Seat
from a Tumbled Position To return the seat to the normal
seating position:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Make sure there is nothing that
could become trapped under
the seat.
3. Release the seat from the
tumbled position by lifting lever
“ 2 ” next to the carrying handle at
the bottom rear of the seat.
4. Pull the seat down until it latches
to the floor. The seatback cannot
be raised to the upright position
unless the seat is latched to the
floor.
5. Raise the seatback to the
upright position. { WARNINGIf either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked.
Removing the Third Row Seat To remove the seat:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Fold the seatbacks forward
using lever “ 1 ” and the
instructions listed previously
under “ Folding the Seatback. ”
The seat cannot be unlatched
from the floor unless the
seatback is folded.