Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
2011 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual MElectrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-2
Recommended Fluids,
Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . . 11-7
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 11-10 Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Customer Information . . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 13-1
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 13-16
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Black plate (23,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-23
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) Vehicles that have a FlexFuel badge
and a yellow fuel cap can use either
unleaded gasoline or ethanol fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85).
See Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) on
page 9 ‑ 66 . For all other vehicles,
use only the unleaded gasoline
described under Recommended
Fuel on page 9 ‑ 64 .
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy Driving habits can affect fuel
mileage. Here are some driving tips
to get the best fuel economy
possible. .
Avoid fast starts and accelerate
smoothly. .
Brake gradually and avoid
abrupt stops. .
Avoid idling the engine for long
periods of time. .
When road and weather
conditions are appropriate,
use cruise control. .
Always follow posted speed
limits or drive more slowly
when conditions require. .
Keep vehicle tires properly
inflated. .
Combine several trips into a
single trip. .
Replace the vehicle's tires with
the same TPC Spec number
molded into the tire's sidewall
near the size. .
Follow recommended scheduled
maintenance. Roadside Service U.S. or Canada: 1-800-882-1112
TTY Users (U.S. or Canada):
1-888-889-2438
Mexico: 01-800-466-0805
As the owner of a new Cadillac, you
are automatically enrolled in the
Roadside Service program.
See Roadside Service (U.S. and
Canada) on page 13 ‑ 7 or Roadside
Service (Mexico) on page 13 ‑ 10 for
more information.
Roadside Service and OnStar
(U.S. and Canada)
If you have an active OnStar
subscription, press the
Q button
and the current GPS location will
be sent to an OnStar advisor who
will assess your problem, contact
Roadside Service, and relay your
exact location to get the help
you need.
Black plate (50,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-50 Seats and Restraints Q: Because I have a disability,
I have to get my vehicle
modified. How can I find out
whether this will affect my
airbag system?
A: If you have 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 .
In addition, your dealer and the
service manual have information
about the location of the airbag
sensors, sensing and diagnostic
module and airbag wiring. Airbag System Check The airbag system does not need
regularly scheduled maintenance or
replacement. Make sure the airbag
readiness light is working. See
Airbag Readiness Light on
page 5 ‑ 16 for more information.
Notice: If an airbag covering is
damaged, opened, or broken,
the airbag may not work properly.
Do not open or break the airbag
coverings. If there are any
opened or broken airbag covers,
have the airbag covering and/or
airbag module replaced. For the
location of the airbag modules,
see What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? on page 3 ‑ 41 . See your
dealer for service. Replacing Airbag System
Parts After a Crash
{ WARNINGA crash can damage the
airbag systems in the vehicle.
A damaged airbag system
may not work properly and
may not protect you and your
passenger(s) in a crash, resulting
in serious injury or even death.
To help make sure the airbag
systems are working properly
after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon
as possible.
Black plate (24,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
5-24 Instruments and Controls When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of
the tires are significantly
underinflated.
A tire pressure message can
accompany the light. See Tire
Messages on page 5 ‑ 39 for more
information. Stop as soon as
possible, and inflate the tires to the
pressure value shown on the Tire
and Loading Information label. See
Tire Pressure on page 10 ‑ 52 for
more information.
When the Light Flashes First and
Then is On Steady
This indicates that there may be a
problem with the TPMS. The light
flashes for about a minute and stays
on steady for the remainder of the
ignition cycle. This sequence
repeats with every ignition cycle.
See Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation on page 10 ‑ 56 for
more information. Engine Oil Pressure Light
{ WARNINGDo not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced. Notice: Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil.
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If the system is working
normally the indicator light then
goes off.
If the light comes on and stays on, it
means that oil is not flowing through
the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and it might
have some other system problem.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see the
hybrid supplement for more
information.
Black plate (34,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
5-34 Instruments and Controls
Engine Oil Messages CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON This message displays when the
engine oil needs to be changed.
When you change the engine oil, be
sure to reset the CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON message. See Engine
Oil Life System on page 10 ‑ 10 for
information on how to reset the
message. See Engine Oil on
page 10 ‑ 7 and Scheduled
Maintenance on page 11 ‑ 2 for
more information.
ENGINE OIL HOT
IDLE ENGINE This message displays when the
engine oil becomes hotter than the
normal operating temperature. Stop
and allow the vehicle to idle until it
cools down. See Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge on page 5 ‑ 14 . OIL PRESSURE LOW
STOP ENGINE Notice: If you drive the vehicle
while the engine oil pressure is
low, severe engine damage may
occur. If a low oil pressure
warning appears on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), stop the
vehicle as soon as possible. Do
not drive the vehicle until the
cause of the low oil pressure is
corrected. See Engine Oil on
page 10 ‑ 7 for more information.
This message displays if low oil
pressure levels occur. Stop the
vehicle as soon as safely possible
and do not operate it until the cause
of the low oil pressure has been
corrected. Check the oil as soon
as possible and have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. See Engine
Oil on page 10 ‑ 7 .Engine Power Messages ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED This message displays and a chime
sounds when the cooling system
temperature gets too hot and the
engine further enters the engine
coolant protection mode. See
Engine Overheating on page 10 ‑ 20
for further information.
This message also displays when
the engine power is reduced.
Reduced engine power can affect
the vehicle's ability to accelerate.
If this message is on, but there is
no reduction in performance,
proceed to your destination. The
performance may be reduced the
next time the vehicle is driven. The
vehicle may be driven at a reduced
speed while this message is on, but
acceleration and speed may be
reduced. Anytime this message
stays on, the vehicle should be
taken to your dealer for service as
soon as possible.
Black plate (88,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
7-88 Infotainment System
Three types of traffic information for
major roadways are displayed on
the navigation system: .
Unscheduled traffic incident
data, such as accidents and
disabled vehicles .
Scheduled traffic incident data,
such as road construction and
road closures .
Traffic flow information (rate of
speed data) Traffic information is delivered to the
vehicle by the XM Radio satellites.
XM NavTraffic makes it possible for
the navigation system to provide
continuously updated traffic
information personalized for a
driver ’ s needs.
XM NavTraffic currently broadcasts
the traffic information for many
markets nationally, and the service
may be available in more cities in
the future. Visit
www.xmnavtraffic.com for more
details on local coverage.
A service fee is required in order to
receive the XM NavTraffic service.
Turning XM NavTraffic On and Off
To turn traffic on or off:
1. Press CONFIG, then press
CONFIG repeatedly until Nav is
selected or press the Nav
screen button.
2. Press the Traffic Options button. 3. Press the Traffic button. This
button is highlighted when it is
active.
Selecting Alert for Approaching
Traffic Events enables the
system to show a pop-up screen
that notifies of possible traffic
issues ahead.
When this feature is highlighted,
while traveling on a route,
accidents located on the route
are indicated and can be
avoided.
Traffic Icon
The Traffic Icon appears on the
Traffic Tab, next to the word Traffic,
when traffic is found in the
local area.
Black plate (18,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
9-18 Driving and Operating Find out how deep the water is
before driving through it. Do not try
it if it is deep enough to cover the
wheel hubs, axles, or exhaust
pipe — you probably will not get
through. Deep water can damage
the axle and other vehicle parts.
If the water is not too deep, drive
slowly through it. At faster speeds,
water splashes on the ignition
system and the vehicle can stall.
Stalling can also occur if you get the
tailpipe under water. If the tailpipe is
under water, you will never be able
to start the engine. When going
through water, remember that when
the brakes get wet, it might take
longer to stop. See Driving on Wet
Roads on page 9 ‑ 18 . After Off-Road Driving Remove any brush or debris that
has collected on the underbody,
chassis, or under the hood. These
accumulations can be a fire hazard.
After operation in mud or sand,
have the brake linings cleaned and
checked. These substances can
cause glazing and uneven braking.
Check the body structure, steering,
suspension, wheels, tires, and
exhaust system for damage and
check the fuel lines and cooling
system for any leakage.
The vehicle requires more frequent
service due to off-road use. Refer to
the Maintenance Schedule for
additional information. Driving on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can reduce
vehicle traction and affect your
ability to stop and accelerate.
Always drive slower in these types
of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and
deep ‐ standing or flowing water.
{ WARNINGWet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a
quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
(Continued)
Black plate (74,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
9-74 Driving and Operating 2. Have someone place chocks
under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in
place, release the regular brakes
until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brake pedal. Then
apply the parking brake and shift
into P (Park).
5. Release the brake pedal.
{ WARNINGIt can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the shift lever is not
fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle
can roll.
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) If the engine has been left
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
not move, even when on fairly
level ground, always put the shift
lever fully in P (Park) with the
parking brake firmly set.
Leaving After Parking on a Hill 1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Shift into a gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Let up on the brake pedal.
6. Drive slowly until the trailer is
clear of the chocks.
7. Stop and have someone pick up
and store the chocks. Maintenance When Trailer
Towing The vehicle needs service
more often when pulling a trailer.
See the Maintenance Schedule
for more information. Things
that are especially important in
trailer operation are automatic
transmission fluid, engine oil, axle
lubricant, belts, cooling system and
brake system. It is a good idea to
inspect these before and during
the trip.
Check periodically to see that all
hitch nuts and bolts are tight.
Trailer Towing If the vehicle is a hybrid, see the
hybrid supplement for more
information.
Do not tow a trailer during break ‐ in.
See New Vehicle Break-In on
page 9 ‑ 30 for more information.