
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-3If the engine oil life system is reset
accidentally, service the vehicle
within 5 000 km/3,000 miles since
the last service. Reset the oil life
system whenever the oil is changed.
See Engine Oil Life System on
page 10 ‑ 10 .
When the Change Engine Oil Soon
message displays, certain services,
checks, and inspections are
required.
Every Engine Oil Change .
Change engine oil and filter.
See Engine Oil on page 10 ‑ 7 .
An Emission Control Service. .
Engine coolant level check. See
Engine Coolant on page 10 ‑ 16 . .
Engine cooling system
inspection. Visual inspection
of hoses, pipes, fittings, and
clamps and replacement,
if needed. .
Windshield washer fluid level
check. See Washer Fluid on
page 10 ‑ 24 . .
Windshield wiper blade
inspection for wear, cracking,
or contamination and windshield
and wiper blade cleaning,
if contaminated. See Exterior
Care on page 10 ‑ 90 . Worn or
damaged wiper blade
replacement. See Wiper Blade
Replacement on page 10 ‑ 32 ..
Tire inflation pressures check.
See Tire Pressure on
page 10 ‑ 52 . .
Tire wear inspection. See Tire
Inspection on page 10 ‑ 58 . .
Rotate tires if necessary. See
Tire Rotation on page 10 ‑ 59 . .
Fluids visual leak check (or
every 12 months, whichever
occurs first). A leak in any
system must be repaired and
the fluid level checked. .
Engine air cleaner filter
inspection. See Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 10 ‑ 14 . .
Brake system inspection (or
every 12 months, whichever
occurs first). .
Lubricate the front suspension,
steering linkage, and parking
brake cable guides. Control arm
ball joints are maintenance ‐ free.

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-5Once a Year .
See Starter Switch Check on
page 10 ‑ 30 ..
See Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control Function
Check on page 10 ‑ 31 ..
See Ignition Transmission Lock
Check on page 10 ‑ 31 ..
See Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check on
page 10 ‑ 32 ..
Accelerator pedal check for
damage, high effort, or binding.
Replace if needed. .
Underbody flushing service. .
Hood/Decklid/Liftgate/Liftglass
Support Gas Strut Service:
Visually inspect gas strut,
if equipped, for signs of wear,
cracks, or other damage. Check
the hold open ability of the gas
strut. Contact your dealer if
service is required. First Engine Oil Change After
Every 80 000 km/50,000 Miles .
Engine air cleaner filter
replacement. See Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 10 ‑ 14 ..
Automatic transmission fluid and
filter change (severe service) for
vehicles mainly driven in heavy
city traffic in hot weather, in hilly
or mountainous terrain, when
frequently towing a trailer,
or used for taxi, police,
or delivery service. See
Automatic Transmission Fluid on
page 10 ‑ 11 . .
All ‐ wheel drive only: Transfer
case fluid change (severe
service) for vehicles mainly
driven when frequently towing a
trailer, or used for taxi, police,
or delivery service. Check vent
hose at transfer case for kinks
and proper installation.
Check to be sure vent hose is
unobstructed, clear, and free of
debris. During any maintenance,
if a power washer is used to
clean mud and dirt from the
underbody, care should be taken
to not directly spray the transfer
case output seals. High pressure
water can overcome the seals
and contaminate the transfer
case fluid. Contaminated fluid
will decrease the life of the
transfer case and should be
replaced.

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-7
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts Recommended Fluids and Lubricants Fluids and lubricants identified below by name, part number, or specification can be obtained from your dealer.
Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil The engine requires engine oil approved to the dexos specification. Oils
meeting this specification can be identified with the dexos certification
mark. Look for and use only an engine oil that displays the dexos
certification mark of the proper viscosity grade. See Engine Oil on
page 10 ‑ 7 .
Engine Coolant 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and use only DEX-COOL Coolant.
See Engine Coolant on page 10 ‑ 16 .
Hydraulic Brake System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. 12377967, in
Canada 89021320).
Windshield Washer Optikleen ®
Washer Solvent.
Power Steering System GM Power Steering Fluid (GM Part No. 89021184, in Canada 89021186).
Automatic Transmission DEXRON ®
-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Key Lock Cylinders Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Chassis Lubrication Chassis Lubricant (GM Part No. 12377985, in Canada 88901242) or
lubricant meeting requirements of NLGI #2, Category LB or GC-LB.

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Customer Information 13-15Remember, if the vehicle is leased,
you may be obligated to have the
vehicle repaired with Genuine GM
parts, even if your insurance
coverage does not pay the full cost.
If another party's insurance
company is paying for the repairs,
you are not obligated to accept a
repair valuation based on that
insurance company's collision
policy repair limits, as you have no
contractual limits with that company.
In such cases, you can have control
of the repair and parts choices as
long as the cost stays within
reasonable limits. Service Publications
Ordering Information Service Manuals Service Manuals have the diagnosis
and repair information on the
engines, transmission, axle,
suspension, brakes, electrical,
steering, body, etc.
Service Bulletins Service Bulletins give additional
technical service information
needed to knowledgeably service
General Motors cars and trucks.
Each bulletin contains instructions
to assist in the diagnosis and
service of the vehicle. Owner Information Owner publications are written
specifically for owners and intended
to provide basic operational
information about the vehicle. The
Owner Manual includes the
Maintenance Schedule for all
models.
In-Portfolio: Includes a Portfolio,
Owner Manual, and Warranty
Booklet.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$35.00 (U.S.) plus handling and
shipping fees.
Without Portfolio: Owner
Manual only.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$25.00 (U.S.) plus handling and
shipping fees.

Black plate (18,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
13-18 Customer Information
Event Data Recorders This vehicle has an Event Data
Recorder (EDR). The main purpose
of an EDR is to record, in certain
crash or near crash-like situations,
such as an airbag deployment or
hitting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a
vehicle's systems performed. The
EDR is designed to record data
related to vehicle dynamics and
safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed
to record such data as: .
How various systems in the
vehicle were operating. .
Whether or not the driver and
passenger safety belts were
buckled/fastened. .
How far, if at all, the driver was
pressing the accelerator and/or
brake pedal. .
How fast the vehicle was
traveling. This data can help provide a better
understanding of the circumstances
in which crashes and injuries occur.
Important: EDR data is recorded
by the vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data is
recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal
data (e.g., name, gender, age, and
crash location) is recorded.
However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the
EDR data with the type of
personally identifying data routinely
acquired during a crash
investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR,
special equipment is required, and
access to the vehicle or the EDR is
needed. In addition to the vehicle
manufacturer, other parties, such as
law enforcement, that have the
special equipment, can read the
information if they have access to
the vehicle or the EDR. GM will not access this data or
share it with others except: with the
consent of the vehicle owner or,
if the vehicle is leased, with the
consent of the lessee; in response
to an official request by police or
similar government office; as part of
GM's defense of litigation through
the discovery process; or, as
required by law. Data that GM
collects or receives may also be
used for GM research needs or may
be made available to others for
research purposes, where a need is
shown and the data is not tied to a
specific vehicle or vehicle owner.

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-1
AAccessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Active Fuel Management ®
. . . . . 9-38
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-82
Adjustable Throttle and
Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Adjustments
Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-14
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Airbag
Adding Equipment to the
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Airbag System
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-50
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41 Airbag System (cont.)
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-38
Airbags
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-16
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Servicing Airbag-Equipped
Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Alarm System
Anti-Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-28, 9-45
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Antenna
Rear Side Window . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Anti-Theft
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-38
Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-94
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Audio Players
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
Audio System
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-3
Automatic
Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Level Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-40
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
BBattery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Voltage and Charging
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-32
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-103
Brake
Pedal and Adjustable
Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-21
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34 Bulb Replacement (cont.)
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-37
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
C Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9, 2-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Cautions, Danger, and
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-3 Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Charging
System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Ignition
Transmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-31
Child Restraints
Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-53
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-59
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-68, 3-71
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Cleaning
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-94
Climate Control Systems
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-12

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
i-4 INDEX
EE85 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
Electrical Equipment,
Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-82
Electrical System
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-33
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35 Engine (cont.)
Overheated Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-39
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Engine Oil
Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-18
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-5
F Fan
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Features
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-8
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-98
Fluid
Automatic Transmission . . . . .10-11
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Fog Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Front Fog Lamp
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Front Seats
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-65