2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV brakes

Black plate (45,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-45
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive If the vehicle has this feature,
engine power is sent to all four
wheels when extra traction is
needed. This is like four-wheel
drive, but there is no separate lever
or switch to engage or disengage
the front axle. It is fully automatic,
and adjusts itself as needed for road
conditions.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see
“ Four-Wheel Drive ” in the hybrid
supplement. Brakes Antilock Brake
System (ABS) This vehicle has the Antilock
Brake System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the
vehicle begins to drive away, ABS
checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while
this test is going on, and it might
even be noticed that the brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal. If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 5 ‑ 22 .
If driving safely on a wet road
and it becomes necessary to slam
on the brakes and continue braking
to avoid a sudden obstacle, a
computer senses that the wheels
are slowing down. If one of the
wheels is about to stop rolling, the
computer will separately work the
brakes at each wheel.

Black plate (46,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
9-46 Driving and Operating ABS can change the brake pressure
to each wheel, as required, faster
than any driver could. This can help
the driver steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As the brakes are applied, the
computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls
braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change
the time needed to get a foot up to
the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too
close to the vehicle in front of you,
there will not be enough time to
apply the brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to
stop, even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold
the brake pedal down firmly and let
ABS work. You might hear the ABS
pump or motor operating and feel
the brake pedal pulsate, but this is
normal. Braking in Emergencies ABS allows the driver to steer and
brake at the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help
more than even the very best
braking.
Parking Brake
Set the parking brake by holding
the regular brake pedal down, then
pushing down the parking brake
pedal. If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
See Brake System Warning Light on
page 5 ‑ 21 .
Notice: Driving with the parking
brake on can overheat the brake
system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system
parts. Make sure that the parking
brake is fully released and the
brake warning light is off before
driving.
To release the parking brake, hold
the regular brake pedal down, then
push down momentarily on the
parking brake pedal until you feel
the pedal release. Slowly pull your
foot up off the parking brake pedal.
If the parking brake is not released
when you begin to drive, the brake
system warning light will flash and a
chime will sound warning you that
the parking brake is still on.
If you are towing a trailer and
are parking on a hill, see Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips on
page 9 ‑ 71 .

Black plate (47,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-47
Brake Assist This vehicle has a brake assist
feature designed to assist the driver
in stopping or decreasing vehicle
speed in emergency driving
conditions. This feature uses the
stability system hydraulic brake
control module to supplement the
power brake system under
conditions where the driver has
quickly and forcefully applied the
brake pedal in an attempt to quickly
stop or slow down the vehicle. The
stability system hydraulic brake
control module increases brake
pressure at each corner of the
vehicle until the ABS activates.
Minor brake pedal pulsation or
pedal movement during this time
is normal and the driver should
continue to apply the brake pedal
as the driving situation dictates.
The brake assist feature will
automatically disengage when
the brake pedal is released or
brake pedal pressure is quickly
decreased. Ride Control Systems StabiliTrak ®
System The vehicle has a vehicle stability
enhancement system called
StabiliTrak. It is an advanced
computer-controlled system that
assists the driver with directional
control of the vehicle in difficult
driving conditions.
StabiliTrak activates when the
computer senses a discrepancy
between the intended path and
the direction the vehicle is actually
traveling. StabiliTrak selectively
applies braking pressure at any one
of the vehicle's brakes to assist the
driver with keeping the vehicle on
the intended path.
When the vehicle is started
and begins to move, the system
performs several diagnostic checks
to insure there are no problems. The system may be heard or felt
while it is working. This is normal
and does not mean there is a
problem with the vehicle. The
system should initialize before the
vehicle reaches 32 km/h (20 mph).
In some cases, it may take
approximately 3.2 km (2 mi) of
driving before the system initializes.
If cruise control is being used when
StabiliTrak activates, the cruise
control automatically disengages.
The cruise control can be
re-engaged when road conditions
allow. See Cruise Control on
page 9 ‑ 51 .
If the system fails to turn on or
activate, the StabiliTrak light along
with one of the following messages
will be displayed on the Driver
Information Center (DIC):
TRACTION CONTROL OFF,
SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL,
STABILITRAK OFF, SERVICE
STABILITRAK.

Black plate (49,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-49Traction Control Operation The traction control system is
part of the StabiliTrak system.
Traction control limits wheel
spin by reducing engine power
to the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying
brakes to each individual wheel
(brake-traction control) as
necessary.
The traction control system is
enabled automatically when the
vehicle is started. It will activate and
the StabiliTrak light will flash if it
senses that any of the wheels are
spinning or beginning to lose
traction while driving. If traction
control is turned off, only the
brake-traction control portion of
traction control will work. The
engine speed management will be
disabled. In this mode, engine
power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin
more freely. This can cause the
brake-traction control to activate
constantly. Notice: If the wheel(s) of one axle
is allowed to spin excessively
while the StabiliTrak ®
, ABS, brake
warning lights, and any relevant
DIC messages are displayed, the
transfer case could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Reduce
engine power and do not spin the
wheel(s) excessively while these
lights and messages are
displayed.
The traction control system may
activate on dry or rough roads or
under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or
abrupt upshifts/downshifts of the
transmission. When this happens, a
reduction in acceleration may be
noticed, or a noise or vibration may
be heard. This is normal. If cruise control is being used when
the system activates, the StabiliTrak
light will flash and cruise control will
automatically disengage. Cruise
control may be reengaged when
road conditions allow. See Cruise
Control on page 9 ‑ 51 .
StabiliTrak may also turn off
automatically if it determines
that a problem exists with the
system. If the problem does not
clear itself after restarting the
vehicle, see your dealer for service.
Locking Rear Axle Vehicles with a locking rear axle can
give more traction on snow, mud,
ice, sand, or gravel. It works like a
standard axle most of the time, but
when traction is low, this feature will
allow the rear wheel with the most
traction to move the vehicle.

Black plate (51,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-51An air compressor connected to
the rear shocks will raise or lower
the rear of the vehicle to maintain
proper vehicle height. The system
is activated when the ignition
key is turned to ON/RUN and will
automatically adjust vehicle height
thereafter. The system may exhaust
(lower vehicle height) for up to
ten minutes after the ignition key
has been turned off. You may hear
the air compressor operating when
the height is being adjusted.
If a weight ‐ distributing hitch is being
used, it is recommended to allow
the shocks to inflate, thereby
leveling the vehicle prior to adjusting
the hitch. Cruise Control
{ WARNINGCruise control can be dangerous
where you cannot drive safely at
a steady speed. So, do not use
the cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes in tire traction can
cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use
cruise control on slippery roads.
With cruise control, a speed of
about 40 km/h (25 mph) or more can
be maintained without keeping your
foot on the accelerator. Cruise
control does not work at speeds
below about 40 km/h (25 mph). When the brakes are applied, cruise
control is turned off.
This vehicle has a Hydra ‐ Matic
6 ‐ speed automatic transmission,
see Grade Braking and Cruise
Grade Braking under Tow/Haul
Mode on page 9 ‑ 43 for an
explanation of how cruise control
interacts with the Range Selection
Mode, tow/haul and grade braking
systems.
This vehicle has StabiliTrak and
when the system begins to limit
wheel spin, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. See
StabiliTrak ®
System on page 9 ‑ 47 .
When road conditions allow the
cruise control to be safely used
again, it can be turned back on.

Black plate (52,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
9-52 Driving and Operating
Cruise Control Shown With
Heated Steering Wheel Button
(If Equipped)
The cruise control buttons are
located on left side of the steering
wheel. I (On/Off): Press to turn the
system on or off. The indicator light
is on when cruise control is on and
turns off when cruise control is off.
+ RES (Resume/Accelerate):
Press briefly to make the vehicle
resume to a previously set speed,
or press and hold to accelerate.
SET − (Set/Coast): Press to set
the speed and activate cruise
control or make the vehicle
decelerate.
[ (Cancel): Press to disengage
cruise control without erasing the
set speed from memory.
Setting Cruise Control
If the cruise button is on when not in
use, it could get bumped and go into
cruise when not desired. Keep the
cruise control switch off when cruise
is not being used. The cruise control light on the
instrument panel cluster comes on
after the cruise control has been set
to the desired speed.
1. Press the
I button.
2. Get up to the desired speed.
3. Press the SET − button located
on the steering wheel and
release it.
4. Take your foot off the
accelerator.
Resuming a Set Speed
If the cruise control is set at a
desired speed and then the brakes
are applied, the cruise control is
disengaged without erasing the set
speed from memory.
Once the vehicle speed reaches
about 40 km/h (25 mph) or more,
press the +RES button on the
steering wheel. The vehicle returns
to the previous set speed and stays
there.

Black plate (53,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-53Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated, .
Press and hold the +RES button
on the steering wheel until the
desired speed is reached, then
release it. .
To increase vehicle speed in
small amounts, press the +RES
button. Each time this is done,
the vehicle goes about 1.6 km/h
(1 mph) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated, .
Press and hold the SET – button
on the steering wheel until the
desired lower speed is reached,
then release it. .
To slow down in small amounts,
press the SET – button on the
steering wheel briefly. Each time
this is done, the vehicle goes
about 1.6 km/h (1 mph) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While
Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to
increase the vehicle speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal,
the vehicle will slow down to the
previous set cruise speed.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work
on hills depends upon the vehicle
speed, load, and the steepness of
the hills. When going up steep hills,
you might have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain the
vehicle speed. When going
downhill, you might have to brake
or shift to a lower gear to keep the
vehicle speed down. When the
brakes are applied the cruise
control is disengaged. Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to end cruise
control: .
To disengage cruise control,
step lightly on the brake pedal. .
Press
[ on the steering wheel. .
To turn off the cruise control,
press
I on the steering wheel.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed is
erased from memory by pressing
the
I button or if the ignition is
turned off.

Black plate (55,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-55
The system can be disabled by
pressing the rear park aid disable
button located next to the radio.
The indicator light will come on and
PARK ASSIST OFF displays on the
Driver Information Center (DIC) to
indicate that URPA is off, see Object
Detection System Messages on
page 5 ‑ 36 .
When the System Does Not
Seem to Work Properly If the URPA system will not activate
due to a temporary condition, the
messages PARK ASSIST OFF or
PARK ASST BLOCKED SEE
OWNERS MANUAL will be
displayed on the DIC. SERVICE PARK ASSIST: If this
message occurs, take the vehicle
to your dealer to repair the system.
PARK ASSIST OFF: This message
occurs if the driver disables the
system.
PARK ASST BLOCKED SEE
OWNERS MANUAL: This
message can occur under the
following conditions: .
The ultrasonic sensors are not
clean. Keep the vehicle's rear
bumper free of mud, dirt, snow,
ice and slush. For cleaning
instructions, see “ Washing the
Vehicle ” under Exterior Care on
page 10 ‑ 90 . .
The park assist sensors are
covered by frost or ice. Frost or
ice can form around and behind
the sensors and may not always
be seen; this can occur after
washing the vehicle in cold
weather. The message may
not clear until the frost or ice
has melted. .
A trailer was attached to the
vehicle, or a bicycle or an object
was hanging out of the liftgate
during the last drive cycle. Once
the attached object is removed,
URPA will return to normal
operation. .
A tow bar is attached to the
vehicle. .
The vehicle's bumper is
damaged. Take the vehicle to
your dealer to repair the system. .
Other conditions may affect
system performance, such as
vibrations from a jackhammer or
the compression of air brakes on
a very large truck.