Page 1 of 94

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2011
2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid MIn Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-1
Hybrid Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Performance and
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-7 Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-1
Recommended Fluids,
Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . . 11-2
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Page 8 of 94

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2011
1-4 In Brief Engine OFF and AUTO STOP
modes are indicated on the
tachometer display. When the
tachometer needle indicates OFF,
the engine is not running and will
remain off until the ignition key is
placed in the START position or a
remote vehicle start is performed.
When the tachometer needle
indicates AUTO STOP, the hybrid
system is on, the engine is not
running, but may Auto Start at any
time without notice. See Tachometer
on page 5 ‑ 3 for more information.
A chime will sound if the driver door
is opened while in Auto Stop as a
reminder that the ignition switch is
not in the LOCK/OFF position.
Always turn the ignition switch to
LOCK/OFF and remove the key
from the ignition switch when exiting
the vehicle. Auto Start The vehicle also has an Auto Start
feature. The engine will remain off
while in Auto Stop mode until
vehicle conditions require the
engine to run. The near-instant
starting of the engine from Auto
Stop mode is called Auto Start.
EV Mode The vehicle also has an EV mode
which uses only the electric motor to
move the vehicle. With light
acceleration, the vehicle will drive in
EV mode. EV mode is unavailable
when the vehicle is out of fuel.
For more information on Auto Stop,
Auto Start, and EV Mode, see
Starting the Vehicle on page 9 ‑ 2 .Regenerative Braking Regenerative braking enables the
electric drive motor to operate as a
generator when coasting or braking.
Energy from the moving vehicle
recharges the hybrid battery.
The hydraulic disc brakes work with
the regenerative braking to insure
effective braking.
The braking system is computer
controlled and blends the
regenerative braking with the
conventional hydraulic disc brakes
to meet any requirements for
deceleration. Because the controller
applies the hydraulic brakes through
its high pressure accumulator, you
may occasionally hear the motor
driven pump when it recharges the
system. This is normal. In the event
of a controller problem, the brake
pedal may be harder to push and
the stopping distance may be
longer.
See Regenerative Braking on
page 9 ‑ 16 .
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Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-1
Seats and
Restraints Airbag System Replacing Airbag System Parts
After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Airbag System Replacing Airbag System
Parts After a Crash If an airbag inflates or the vehicle
has been in a crash, the vehicle's
sensing system may command the
automatic hybrid battery disconnect
to open. When the battery
disconnect is open, the hybrid
battery will be off and the vehicle
will not start. The airbag readiness
light and/or SERVICE HYBRID
SYSTEM warning message may
come on in the Driver Information
Center (DIC). See “ Airbag
Readiness Light ” in the owner
manual and Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5 ‑ 5 for more
information. To operate the vehicle, the
automatic hybrid battery disconnect
must be reconnected by a qualified
service technician and sensing
system parts will need to be
replaced. Have the vehicle serviced
right away.
Page 13 of 94
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2011
Storage 4-1
Storage Storage Compartments Rear Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage
Compartments Rear Storage Power Outlet Alternating
Current The vehicle may have a power
outlet that can be used to plug in
electrical equipment that uses a
maximum limit of 150 watts.
The power outlet is located in the
rear cargo area on the driver side.
An indicator light on the outlet turns
on to show it is in use. The light
comes on when the ignition is in
ON/RUN and equipment requiring
less than 150 watts is plugged into
the outlet, and no system fault is
detected.
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Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2011
4-2 Storage The indicator light does not come on
when the ignition is in LOCK/OFF or
if no equipment is plugged into the
outlet.
If equipment is connected using
more than 150 watts, or a system
fault is detected, a protection circuit
shuts off the power supply and the
indicator light turns off. To reset the
circuit, unplug the item and plug it
back in or turn the Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) off and
then back on. The power restarts
when equipment using 150 watts or
less is plugged into the outlet and a
system fault is not detected. The power outlet is not designed for
the following electrical equipment
and may not work properly if these
items are plugged into the power
outlet: .
Equipment with high initial peak
wattage such as:
compressor-driven refrigerators
and electric power tools. .
Other equipment requiring an
extremely stable power supply
such as:
microcomputer-controlled
electric blankets, touch sensor
lamps, etc.
See High Voltage Devices and
Wiring on page 10 ‑ 15 .
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Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Fuel Economy Gauge . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-4
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 5-4
Information Displays Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5 Vehicle Messages Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Brake System Messages . . . . . . 5-6
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Service Vehicle Messages . . . . 5-7
Transmission Messages . . . . . . 5-7
Page 16 of 94
Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2011
5-2 Instruments and Controls
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators Instrument Cluster
English version shown, Metric similar
Page 18 of 94

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2011
5-4 Instruments and Controls White Zones: Decreased fuel
efficiency driving behavior makes
the indicator display in the two white
zones. The indicator in the white
zone on the left side of the gauge
indicates decreased fuel efficiency
with a large amount of
decelerations. The indicator in the
white zone on the right side of the
gauge indicates decreased fuel
efficiency with a large amount of
accelerations.
Charging System Light
This 12 ‐ volt battery light comes on
briefly when the ignition is turned to
ON/RUN, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show it is
working. It should go out once the engine
has been started. If it stays on,
or comes on while driving, there
could be a problem with the 12 ‐ volt
charging system. Have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. A 12 ‐ volt
charging system Driver Information
Center (DIC) message may also
appear. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5 ‑ 5 for more
information. This light could indicate
that there are electrical problems.
Have it checked right away. If a
short distance must be driven with
the light on, be certain to turn off all
the accessories.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
{ WARNING
Do 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 as a
check it works, when the ignition is
in ON/RUN . If it does not, have the
vehicle serviced.
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 might have
some other system problem.
During an AUTO STOP there is zero
oil pressure, but this light will not
come on.