
Black plate (50,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
9-50 Driving and Operating
This vehicle has StabiliTrak and
when the system begins to limit
wheel spin, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. See
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑45.
When road conditions allow the
cruise control to be safely used
again, it can be turned back on.
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
Ibutton.
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 (51,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-51
Increasing 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
Ion the steering wheel.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed is
erased from memory by pressing
the
Ibutton or if the ignition is
turned off.

Black plate (66,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
9-66 Driving and Operating
Passing
More passing distance is needed
when towing a trailer. The
combination will not accelerate
as quickly and is longer so it is
necessary to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before
returning to the lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right.
Always back up slowly and,
if possible, have someone
guide you.
Making Turns
Notice:Making very sharp turns
while trailering could cause the
trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. The vehicle could be
damaged. Avoid making very
sharp turns while trailering.
When turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this
so the trailer will not strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees
or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance. If the trailer turn signal bulbs burn
out, the arrows on the instrument
panel will still flash for turns. It is
important to check occasionally to
be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a
lower gear
beforestarting down a
long or steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down, the
brakes might get hot and no longer
work well.
Vehicles can tow in D (Drive). Shift
the transmission to a lower gear if
the transmission shifts too often
under heavy loads and/or hilly
conditions.

Black plate (67,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-67
The tow/haul mode may be used if
the transmission shifts too often.
SeeTow/Haul Mode on page 9‑42.
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, consider the
following: Engine coolant will boil at
a lower temperature than at normal
altitudes. If the engine is turned off
immediately after towing at high
altitude on steep uphill grades, the
vehicle may show signs similar to
engine overheating. To avoid this,
let the engine run while parked,
preferably on level ground, with the
automatic transmission in P (Park)
for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. If the overheat warning
comes on, see Engine Overheating
on page 10‑22.Parking on Hills
{WARNING
Parking the vehicle on a hill with
the trailer attached can be
dangerous. If something goes
wrong, the rig could start to move.
People can be injured, and both
the vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged. When possible, always
park the rig on a flat surface.
If parking the rig on a hill:
1. Press the brake pedal, but do not shift into P (Park) yet. Turn
the wheels into the curb if facing
downhill or into traffic if facing
uphill.
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.
{WARNING
It 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.
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.

Black plate (70,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
9-70 Driving and Operating
Use the following chart to determine how much the vehicle can weigh, based upon the vehicle model and options.Vehicle Axle Ratio Maximum Trailer Weight *GCWR
AWD 6.2L 3.42 3 447 kg (7,600 lbs) 6 350 kg (14,000 lbs)
*The Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) in the total allowable weight of the completely loaded vehicle and
trailer including any passengers, cargo, equipment and conversions. The GCWR for the vehicle should not be
exceeded.
Ask your dealer for trailering
information or advice, or write us at
our Customer Assistance Offices.
See Customer Assistance Offices
(U.S. and Canada) on page 13‑5 or
Customer Assistance Offices
(Mexico) on page 13‑6 for more
information.
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is
very important because it is also
part of the vehicle weight. The
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
includes the curb weight of the vehicle, any cargo carried in it, and
the people who will be riding in the
vehicle as well as trailer tongue
weight. Vehicle options, equipment,
passengers and cargo in the vehicle
reduce the amount of tongue weight
the vehicle can carry, which will also
reduce the trailer weight the vehicle
can tow. See
Vehicle Load Limits on
page 9‑23 for more information
about the vehicle's maximum load
capacity.
Trailer tongue weight (A) should
be 10 percent to 15 percent and
fifth wheel or gooseneck kingpin
weight should be 15 to 25 percent of
the loaded trailer weight (B) up to
the maximums for vehicle series
and hitch type shown below:

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition 65Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-12
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-16
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-22 Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-25
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-32
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-34
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-35
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps,
and Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . 10-38
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-39
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-50
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
10-2 Vehicle Care
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Tire Pressure for High-SpeedOperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67 Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-68
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Secondary Latch System . . . 10-82
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . 10-84
Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-85
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Recreational Vehicle
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-91
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-98
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-5
Hood
To open the hood:
1. Pull the handle with this symbolon it. It is located inside the
vehicle to the lower left of the
steering wheel.
2. Then go to the front of thevehicle and locate the secondary
hood release, near the center of
the grille.
3. Push the secondary hood release to the right. 4. Lift the hood.
Before closing the hood, be sure
all the filler caps are on properly.
Then bring the hood from full
open to within 152 mm (6 in)
from the closed position, pause,
then push the front center of the
hood with a swift, firm motion to
fully close the hood.