Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
0:Adjustable Pedals
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
(: Heated Steering Wheel
j:LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway
Mirrors
}: Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_: Tow/Haul Mode
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (18,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
1-18 In Brief
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located at the
bottom of the instrument panel
cluster. It shows the status of
many vehicle systems and enables
access to the personalization menu.
The DIC buttons are located on
the instrument panel, next to the
steering wheel.
3:Press to display the
odometer, trip odometer, fuel range,
average economy, fuel used,
timer, transmission temperature,
instantaneous economy, and
average vehicle speed. The
compass and outside air
temperature will also be shown
in the display. The temperature will
be shown in °C or °F depending on
the units selected.
T: Press to display the oil life,
units, tire pressure readings for
vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), compass
zone setting, and compass
recalibration.
U: Press to customize the feature
settings on the vehicle. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑35 for
more information.
V: Press to set or reset certain
functions and to turn off or
acknowledge messages on the DIC. For more information, see
Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑23.
Vehicle Customization
Some vehicle features can be
programmed by using the DIC
buttons next to the steering wheel.
These features include:
.Language
.Door Lock and Unlock Settings
.RKE Lock and Unlock Feedback
.Lighting
.Chime Volume
.Memory Features
.Digital Speedometer Display
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑35.
Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-7
Also, the engine will turn off during a
remote vehicle start if the coolant
temperature gets too high or if the
oil pressure gets low.
Door Locks
{WARNING
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
.Passengers, especially
children, can easily open the
doors and fall out of a moving
vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not
open it. The chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in
a crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all
passengers should wear
safety belts properly and
the doors should be locked
whenever the vehicle is
driven.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child can
be overcome by extreme heat
and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from
heat stroke. Always lock the
vehicle whenever leaving it.
.Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when you slow down or stop
your vehicle. Locking your
doors can help prevent this
from happening.
There are several ways to lock and
unlock the vehicle.
From outside, use the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter or
the key in the driver door. From inside, use the power door
locks or manual door locks. To lock
or unlock the door with the manual
locks, push down or pull up on the
manual lock knob.
Power Door Locks
With power door locks, the switches
on the front doors can be used to
lock and unlock the vehicle.
K(Unlock):
Press to unlock the
doors.
Q(Lock): Press to lock the doors.
Delayed Locking
When locking the doors with the
power lock switch and a door
is open, the doors will lock
five seconds after the last door is
closed. You will hear three chimes
to signal that the delayed locking
feature is in use.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 5-4
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-5
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11 Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-12
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-13
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-15
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-19
StabiliTrak
®Indicator Light . . . 5-20
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-21
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High-Beam on Light . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-22
Lamps on Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-28
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-31
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-31
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-31
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-33
Anti-Theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Black plate (24,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
5-24 Instruments and Controls
The compass and outside air
temperature will also be shown in
the display. The temperature will be
shown in °C or °F depending on the
units selected.
T(Vehicle Information):Press
to display the oil life, units, tire
pressure readings for vehicles with
the Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS), compass zone setting, and
compass recalibration.
U(Customization): Press to
customize the feature settings
on the vehicle. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑35 for
more information.
V(Set/Reset): Press to set or
reset certain functions and to turn
off or acknowledge messages on
the DIC.
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
3(Trip/Fuel): Press to scroll
through the following menu items:
Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until
ODOMETER displays. This display
shows the distance the vehicle has
been driven in either kilometers (km)
or miles (mi).
To switch between English and
metric measurements, see “Units”
later in this section.
Trip Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until TRIP
displays. This display shows the
current distance traveled in either
kilometers (km) or miles (mi) since
the last reset for the trip odometer.
The trip odometer can be reset to
zero by pressing the set/reset
button while the trip odometer is
displayed. Fuel Range
Press the trip/fuel button until FUEL
RANGE displays. This display
shows the approximate number of
remaining kilometers (km) or
miles (mi) the vehicle can be driven
without refueling. The display will
show LOW if the fuel level is low.
The fuel range estimate is based on
an average of the vehicle's fuel
economy over recent driving history
and the amount of fuel remaining in
the fuel tank. This estimate will
change if driving conditions change.
For example, if driving in traffic and
making frequent stops, this display
may read one number, but if the
vehicle is driven on a freeway, the
number may change even though
the same amount of fuel is in the
fuel tank. This is because different
driving conditions produce different
fuel economies. Generally, freeway
driving produces better fuel
economy than city driving.
Fuel range cannot be reset.
Black plate (30,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
5-30 Instruments and Controls
ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP
ENGINE
Notice:If you drive the vehicle
while the engine is overheating,
severe engine damage may
occur. If an overheat warning
appears on the instrument panel
cluster and/or DIC, stop the
vehicle as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑22 for more information.
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the engine cooling system
reaches unsafe temperatures for
operation. Stop and turn off the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so to avoid severe damage. This
message clears when the engine
has cooled to a safe operating
temperature.
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 10‑12 for
information on how to reset the
message. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑8 andScheduled
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 5‑12.
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 10‑8 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 10‑8.
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 (11,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-11
Cold Temperature Operation: In an
area of extreme cold, where the
temperature falls below−29°C(−20°F), an SAE 0W-30 oil should
be used. An oil of this viscosity
grade will provide easier cold
starting for the engine at extremely
low temperatures. When selecting
an oil of the appropriate viscosity
grade, be sure to always select
an oil that meets the required
specification, dexos™. See
“Specification”
for more information.
Engine Oil Additives/Engine
Oil Flushes
Do not add anything to the oil. The
recommended oils with the dexos™
specification and displaying the
dexos™certification mark are all
that is needed for good performance
and engine protection.
Engine oil system flushes are not
recommended and could cause
engine damage not covered by the
vehicle warranty.
What to Do with Used Oil
Used engine oil contains certain
elements that can be unhealthy for
your skin and could even cause
cancer. Do not let used oil stay on
your skin for very long. Clean your
skin and nails with soap and water,
or a good hand cleaner. Wash or
properly dispose of clothing or rags
containing used engine oil. See the
manufacturer's warnings about the
use and disposal of oil products.
Used oil can be a threat to the
environment. If you change your
own oil, be sure to drain all the oil
from the filter before disposal. Never
dispose of oil by putting it in the
trash or pouring it on the ground,
into sewers, or into streams or
bodies of water. Recycle it by taking
it to a place that collects used oil.