
Black plate (6,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
11-6 Service and Maintenance
.Evaporative control system
inspection. Check all fuel and
vapor lines and hoses for proper
hook‐up, routing, and condition.
Check that the purge valve,
if the vehicle has one, works
properly. Replace as needed.
An Emission Control Service.
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency or the
California Air Resources
Board has determined that
the failure to perform this
maintenance item will not
nullify the emission warranty or
limit recall liability prior to the
completion of the vehicle's
useful life. We, however,
urge that all recommended
maintenance services be
performed at the indicated
intervals and the maintenance
be recorded.First Engine Oil Change After
Every 160 000 km/100,000 Miles
.Automatic transmission fluid and
filter change (normal service).
See
Automatic Transmission
Fluid on page 10‑12.
.All‐wheel drive only: Transfer
case fluid change (normal
service). Check vent hose at
transfer case for kinks and
proper installation. Check to be
sure vent hose is unobstructed,
clear, and free of debris. During
any maintenance, if a power
washer is used to clean mud
and dirt from the underbody,
care should be taken to not
directly spray the transfer case
output seals. High pressure
water can overcome the seals
and contaminate the transfer case fluid. Contaminated fluid
will decrease the life of the
transfer case and should be
replaced.
.Spark plug replacement and
spark plug wires inspection.
An Emission Control Service.
First Engine Oil Change After
Every 240 000 km/150,000 Miles
.Engine cooling system drain,
flush, and refill (or every five
years, whichever occurs first).
See Engine Coolant on
page 10‑18. An Emission
Control Service.
.Engine drive belts inspection
for fraying, excessive cracks,
or obvious damage (or every
10 years, whichever occurs
first). Replace, if needed.

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-7
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
Fluids and lubricants identified below by name, part number, or specification can be obtained from your dealer.Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil The engine requires engine oil approved to the dexos™
specification. Oils
meeting this specification can be identified with the dexos™ certification
mark. Look for and use only an engine oil that displays the dexos™
certification mark of the proper viscosity grade. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑7.
Engine Coolant 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and use only DEX-COOL Coolant.
See
Engine Coolant on page 10‑18.
Hydraulic Brake System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. 12377967, in
Canada 89021320).
Windshield Washer Optikleen
®Washer Solvent.
Power Steering System GM Power Steering Fluid (GM Part No. 89021184, in Canada 89021186).
Automatic Transmission DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.

Black plate (8,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
11-8 Service and Maintenance
UsageFluid/Lubricant
Key Lock Cylinders Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Chassis Lubrication Chassis Lubricant (GM Part No. 12377985, in Canada 88901242) or
lubricant meeting requirements of NLGI #2, Category LB or GC-LB.
Front and Rear Axle SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle Lubricant (GM Part No. 89021677, in
Canada 89021678).
Transfer Case DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Hood Hinges Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Body Door Hinge Pins, Tailgate
Hinge and Linkage, Folding Seats, and Fuel Door Hinge Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Outer Tailgate Handle Pivot Points Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Weatherstrip Conditioning Weatherstrip Lubricant (GM Part No. 3634770, in Canada 10953518) or
Dielectric Silicone Grease (GM Part No. 12345579, in Canada 992887).
Weatherstrip Squeaks Synthetic Grease with Teflon, Superlube (GM Part No. 12371287, in
Canada 10953437).

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Active Fuel Management™ . . . . 9-38
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-82
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 3-53
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-16
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45 Airbag System (cont.)
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-42
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-53
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-16
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-52
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Alarm System Anti-Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-30, 9-45
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Antenna Rear Side Window . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-38
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-97
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-101
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Audio Players CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
Audio System Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-3
Automatic Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Level Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-40 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-35
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-102
Brake Pedal and Adjustable
Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41 Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37 Bulb Replacement (cont.)
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-41
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9, 2-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv CD
DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-3
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-18
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Ignition
Transmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-34
Child Restraints Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-63
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-72, 3-75
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-60
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-97
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-101
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
i-4 INDEX
Driving for Better FuelEconomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
DVD Rear SeatEntertainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33, 7-43
DVD/CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
E
E85 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-82
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41 Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-33
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Overheated Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-39
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Engine Oil
Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34 Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-18
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-5
F
Fan
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Features Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Filter Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-8
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-105
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-12
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-7
Lights (cont.)Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Front Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-6
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-15
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
StabiliTrak
®Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
SYSTEM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-63
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-10
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-2
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-18
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Map Data Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-98
Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-62
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Menu Configure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-83
Messages Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . 5-38
Battery Voltage and
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-33
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34 Messages (cont.)
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-36
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Mirrors Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Automatic Dimming
Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Park Tilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
i-10 INDEX
S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Replacing After a Crash . . . . . . 3-39
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 3-36
Safety Defects Reporting Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-17
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-16
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . . 11-2
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-10
Seats
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated and Ventilated Front . . . 3-8
Heated, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-6
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-3 Seats (cont.)
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Second Row . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10, 3-13
Third Row Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Second Row Seats . . . . . . 3-10, 3-13
Secondary Latch System . . . . . 10-86
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-72, 3-75
Security
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Service Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-10
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-10
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 3-52 Shift Lock Control Function
Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Side Blind Zone Alert . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Signals, Turn and
Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
StabiliTrak
®Indicator Light . . . . 5-23
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5 Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Heated Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Steps Power Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Storage
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2