
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
2011 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Keys, Doors and Windows . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3 Instruments and Controls
. . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-40
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-50
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 7-33
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-60
Voice Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-99
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-102
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8 Driving and Operating
. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-30
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-40
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-47
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-54
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-82
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-94
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-97 

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV 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 (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Third Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Heated and Ventilated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9 Head Restraint
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Sensing System for Passenger Airbag . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Throttle and Brake Pedal Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-14
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-16
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-17 Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Side Blind Zone
Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 1-20
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Universal Remote System . . . 1-21
Performance and Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-22
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-22
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-23
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Roadside Service . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24 

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
1-10 In Brief
Head Restraint
Adjustment
Do not drive until the head restraints
for all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
To achieve a comfortable seating
position, change the seatback
recline angle as little as necessary
while keeping the seat and the
head restraint height in the proper
position.
For more information seeHead
Restraints on page 3‑2 andPower
Seat Adjustment on page 3‑3.
Safety Belts
Refer to the following sections for
important information on how to use
safety belts properly.
.Safety Belts on page 3‑22.
.How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly on page 3‑25.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑31.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑63.
Sensing System for
Passenger Airbag
The passenger sensing system,
if equipped, will turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions. The driver
airbags, seat‐mounted side impact
airbags and roof‐rail airbags are not
affected by this.
If the vehicle has one of the
indicators pictured in the following
illustrations, then the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger position.
The passenger airbag status
indicator, if equipped, will be visible
on the overhead console when the
vehicle is started. 

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV 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. 

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-1
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats
Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . 3-3
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Heated and Ventilated FrontSeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Rear Seats
Heated Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Second Row Seats (60/40Split Bench Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Second Row Seats (Bucket Seats) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Third Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Safety Belts
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31 Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . 3-38
Safety Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . 3-42
When Should an AirbagInflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-52
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . 3-53
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . 3-54
Replacing Airbag System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-54
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . 3-60
Where to Put the Restraint . . . 3-62
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-63
Replacing LATCH System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . 3-71
Securing Child Restraints (Rear Seat Position) . . . . . . . . 3-72
Securing Child Restraints (Center Front Seat
Position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-75
Securing Child Restraints (Right Front Seat
Position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-75 

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-7
To adjust the seatback:
.Tilt the top of the control
rearward to recline the seatback.
.Tilt the top of the control forward
to raise the seatback.
{WARNING
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be
dangerous. Even when buckled
up, the safety belts cannot do
their job when reclined like this.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
The shoulder belt cannot do its
job because it will not be against
your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash, you could
go into it, receiving neck or other
injuries.
The lap belt cannot do its job
either. In a crash, the belt could
go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at
your pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the
vehicle is in motion, have the
seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear the
safety belt properly.
Do not have a seatback reclined if
the vehicle is moving. 

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-10 Seats and Restraints
Second Row Seats
(60/40 Split Bench Seat)
If the vehicle has a 60/40 split
bench, the seat can be folded for
additional cargo space or folded
and tumbled for easy entry and exit
to the third row seat, if equipped.
The seat has either the manual fold
and tumble feature or the automatic
seat release fold and tumble
feature.
Manual Fold and Tumble
Feature
Folding and Tumbling the Seat
To fold and tumble the seat:
1. Make sure that there is nothingunder, in front of, or on the seat. Notice:
Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat.
2. Lift the lever, on the outboard
side of the seat, to release the
seatback.
The seatback will fold forward to
create a flat load floor.
If the seatback cannot fold flat,
try moving the front seat forward
and/or put the front seatback in
the upright position.