Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
2011 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual MIn Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Performance and
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Keys, Doors and Windows . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51 Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-40
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-50
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 7-33
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-60
Voice Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . 7-100
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-103 Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-30
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-40
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-47
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-54
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-82
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-1
In Brief Instrument Panel Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Third Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Heated and Ventilated
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9 Head Restraint
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Sensing System for
Passenger Airbag . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Steering Wheel
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Throttle and Brake Pedal
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-14
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Vehicle Features Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-16
Bluetooth ®
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-17 Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Side Blind Zone
Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 1-20
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Universal Remote System . . . 1-21
Performance and Maintenance StabiliTrak ®
System . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-22
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-22
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-23
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Roadside Service . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
OnStar ®
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
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 .
Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-15
Climate Controls The heating, cooling, and ventilation in the vehicle can be controlled with
this system.
Climate Control with Cooled and Heated Seats shown
A. Driver and Passenger
Temperature Controls
B. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
C. Defrost
D. Air Recirculation
E. Rear Window Defogger F. Air Conditioning
G. Heated and Cooled Seats
H. Fan Control
I. REAR (Rear Climate Control)
J. Air Delivery Mode Control See Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8 ‑ 1 and Rear
Climate Control System (Rear
Climate with Rear Seat Audio) on
page 8 ‑ 6 (If Equipped).
Transmission Driver Shift Control (DSC)
The DSC switch is located on
the shift lever. To enable the
DSC feature, move the column shift
lever to the M (Manual) position.
Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-5Notice: When replacing the
battery, do not touch any of the
circuitry on the transmitter. Static
from your body could damage the
transmitter.
To replace the battery:
1. Separate the transmitter with
a flat, thin object inserted into
the notch, located above the
metal base.
2. Remove the old battery. Do not
use a metal object. 3. Insert the new battery, positive
side facing up. Replace with a
CR2032 or equivalent battery.
4. Snap the transmitter back
together.
Remote Vehicle Start This feature allows you to start the
engine from outside of the vehicle.
It may also start up the vehicle's
heating or air conditioning systems
and rear window defogger. Normal
operation of the system will return
after the key is turned to the ON/
RUN position.
During a remote start, the climate
control system will default to a
heating or cooling mode depending
on the outside temperatures.
During a remote start, if the vehicle
has an automatic climate control
system and heated seats, the
heated seats will turn on during
colder outside temperatures and will
shut off when the key is turned to
ON/RUN. If the vehicle does not
have an automatic climate control system, during remote start, you will
need to manually turn the heated
seats on and off. See Heated and
Ventilated Front Seats on page 3 ‑ 8
for additional information.
Laws in some communities may
restrict the use of remote starters.
For example, some laws may
require a person using the remote
start to have the vehicle in view
when doing so. Check local
regulations for any requirements
on remote starting of vehicles.
Do not use the remote start feature
if the vehicle is low on fuel. The
vehicle may run out of fuel.
If the vehicle has the remote
start feature, the RKE transmitter
functions will have an increased
range of operation. However, the
range may be less while the vehicle
is running.
There are other conditions which
can affect the performance of the
transmitter, see Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 2 ‑ 2 for
additional information.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-1
Seats and
Restraints Head Restraints Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . 3-3
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Rear Seats Heated Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Third Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Safety Belts Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32 Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . 3-34
Safety Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Airbag System Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . 3-38
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . 3-49
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . 3-50
Replacing Airbag System
Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-50 Child Restraints Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-53
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . 3-56
Where to Put the Restraint . . . 3-58
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-59
Replacing LATCH System
Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-67
Securing Child Restraints
(Rear Seat Position) . . . . . . . . 3-68
Securing Child Restraints
(Center Front Seat
Position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-71
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat
Position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-71
Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-2 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints The front seats have adjustable
head restraints in the outboard
seating positions.
{ WARNINGWith head restraints that are not
installed and adjusted properly,
there is a greater chance that
occupants will suffer a neck/
spinal injury in a crash. Do not
drive until the head restraints for
all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly. Adjust the head restraint so that the
top of the restraint is at the same
height as the top of the occupant's
head. This position reduces the
chance of a neck injury in a crash. Pull the head restraint up to raise it.
To lower the head restraint, press
the button, located on the top of the
seatback, and push the
restraint down.
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-3Push down on the head restraint
after the button is released to make
sure that it is locked in place.
The head restraints are not
designed to be removed.
The vehicle's 2nd-row seats have
head restraints in the outboard
seating positions that cannot be
adjusted.
The vehicle's 3rd-row seat,
if equipped, has headrests that
can be adjusted up and down. Front Seats Power Seat Adjustment
To adjust a power seat: .
Move the seat forward or
rearward by sliding the control
forward or rearward. .
Raise or lower the front or rear
part of the seat cushion by
moving the front or rear of the
control up or down. .
Raise or lower the entire seat by
moving the entire control up
or down.
To adjust the seatback, see
Reclining Seatbacks on page 3 ‑ 6 .