2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV roof

Black plate (37,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-37
{ WARNINGAirbags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to any airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge
of the seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear a safety belt,
even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags. { WARNINGChildren who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag
when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer protection
for adults and older children, but
not for young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle safety belt
system nor its airbag system
is designed for them. Young
children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint
system can provide. Always
secure children properly in the
vehicle. To read how, see Older
Children on page 3 ‑ 51 or Infants
and Young Children on
page 3 ‑ 53 . There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5 ‑ 16 for
more information.

Black plate (39,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-39
Driver Side Shown, Passenger
Side Similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows. Driver Side Shown, Passenger
Side Similar
If the vehicle has a third row
passenger seat, the roof-rail airbags
are located in the ceiling above the
rear windows for the outboard
passenger positions in the third row. { WARNINGIf something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories
that block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.

Black plate (41,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-41The seat position sensor provides
information that is used to determine
if the airbags should deploy at a
reduced level or at full deployment.
The vehicle has seat ‐ mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags.
See Airbag System on page 3 ‑ 35 .
Seat ‐ mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended to
inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes. In addition, these roof-rail
airbags are intended to inflate
during a rollover or in a severe
frontal impact. Seat ‐ mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags will
inflate if the crash severity is above
the system's designed threshold
level. The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not
intended to inflate in rear impacts.
A seat ‐ mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck. Both
roof-rail airbags will deploy when
either side of the vehicle is struck or
if the sensing system predicts that
the vehicle is about to roll over,
or in a severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag should
have inflated simply because of
the damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat ‐ mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by the
direction of the roll. What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat ‐ mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbags modules in the
side of the front seatbacks closest
to the door. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows that have
occupant seating positions.

Black plate (42,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-42 Seats and Restraints
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat ‐ mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the
force of the impact more evenly
over the occupant's upper body. Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in
the outboard seating positions
in the first, second, and third rows,
if equipped with a third row seat.
The rollover capable roof-rail
airbags are designed to help
reduce the 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 toward those airbags. See When
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3 ‑ 40 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts. What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates? After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, see What Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3 ‑ 41 .
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out
of the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.

Black plate (44,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-44 Seats and Restraints .
Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.
Passenger Sensing
System If the vehicle has the passenger
airbag status indicator pictured in
the following illustration, then the
vehicle has a passenger sensing
system for the right front passenger
position. The passenger airbag
status indicator, if equipped, is
visible on the overhead console
when the vehicle is started.
In addition, if the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger position, the
label on the vehicle's sun visors
refers to “ ADVANCED AIRBAGS ” . United States
Canada and Mexico
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbols for on and off, will be
visible during the system check.
If you are using remote start,
if equipped, to start the vehicle from
a distance, you may not see the
system check. When the system
check is complete, either the word
ON or OFF, or the symbol for on or
off, will be visible. See Passenger
Airbag Status Indicator on
page 5 ‑ 16 . The passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbag,
seat ‐ mounted side impact airbags
(if equipped) and the roof-rail
airbags are not affected by the
passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part
of the right front passenger seat
and safety belt. The sensors are
designed to detect the presence
of a properly-seated occupant
and determine if the right front
passenger frontal airbag should
be enabled (may inflate) or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.

Black plate (49,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-49WARNING (Continued)proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle Q: Is there anything I might add
to or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that
change the vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, overhead console, front
sensors, side impact sensors,
or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system.
In addition, the vehicle may
have a passenger sensing
system for the right front
passenger position, which
includes sensors that are part
of the passenger seat. The
passenger sensing system
may not operate properly if the
original seat trim is replaced
with non-GM covers, upholstery
or trim, or with GM covers,
upholstery or trim designed for a
different vehicle. Any object,
such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort enhancing
pad or device, installed under or
on top of the seat fabric, could
also interfere with the operation
of the passenger sensing
system. This could either prevent proper deployment
of the passenger airbag(s) or
prevent the passenger sensing
system from properly turning off
the passenger airbag(s). See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3 ‑ 44 .
If you have any questions,
call Customer Assistance. The
phone numbers and addresses
for Customer Assistance are
in Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. See Customer
Satisfaction Procedure
(U.S. and Canada) on
page 13 ‑ 1 or Customer
Satisfaction Procedure (Mexico)
on page 13 ‑ 3 .
If the vehicle has rollover
roof-rail airbags, see Different
Size Tires and Wheels on
page 10 ‑ 62 for additional
important information.

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Storage 4-1
Storage Storage Compartments Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Rear Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Center Console Storage . . . . . . 4-3
Roof Rack System Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Storage
Compartments Glove Box Pull the bottom of the glove box
handle upward to open it. Use
the key to lock and unlock the
glove box.
Cupholders Cupholders are in the center
console for the front passengers.
Press down on the access door
release to open and use the front
cupholders. Push the door back
down to close it. Push down and
then back on the front cupholder to
remove it for cleaning. Heated and Cooled
Cupholders For vehicles with heated and cooled
cupholders, these are located in the
front center console.
Press down on the access door
release button to open the
cupholder door.
To set to cool mode, press and
release the button; the
i shows
blue. Press and release again to
turn it off.

Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Storage 4-3
Center Console Storage A console compartment is located
between the bucket seats.
The console has both an upper and
lower storage bin accessed by lifting
up on the latches located at the
front of the console lid.
The console may have an
accessory power outlet inside.
See Power Outlets on page 5 ‑ 9 .
The rear of the console also has a
cupholder that swings down for the
rear seat passengers to use. Roof Rack System
{ WARNINGIf something is carried on top of
the vehicle that is longer or wider
than the roof rack — like paneling,
plywood, or a mattress — the
wind can catch it while the vehicle
is being driven. The item being
carried could be violently torn off,
and this could cause a collision
and damage the vehicle. Never
carry something longer or wider
than the roof rack on top of the
vehicle unless using a GM
certified accessory carrier.
For vehicles with a roof rack, the
rack can be used to load items.
For roof racks that do not have
crossrails included, GM Certified
crossrails can be purchased as an
accessory. See your dealer for
additional information. For vehicles with crossrails, they
can be moved back and forth to
help secure cargo. To adjust them,
turn the knob located at each end of
the crossrail counterclockwise until
the crossrail can move freely. To
secure the crossrail, turn the knob
located at each end of the crossrail
clockwise until tightened. Tie the
load to the siderails or siderail
supports.
Notice: Loading cargo on the
roof rack that weighs more than
91 kg (200 lbs) or hangs over the
rear or sides of the vehicle may
damage the vehicle. Load cargo
so that it rests evenly between
the crossrails, making sure to
fasten cargo securely.
To prevent damage or loss of cargo
when driving, check to make sure
crossrails and cargo are securely
fastened. Loading cargo on the roof
rack will make the vehicle ’ s center
of gravity higher. Avoid high speeds,