2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV Owners Manual

Black plate (11,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-11Automatic Fold and Tumble
Feature The transmission must be in
P (Park) for this feature to work.
{ WARNINGAutomatically folding and
tumbling the seat when someone
is sitting in the seat, could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always make sure there is no one
sitting in the seat before pressing
the automatic seat release button.
Folding and Tumbling the Second
Row Seat from the Third Row Seat
or Outside the Vehicle
{ WARNING
Using the third row seating
position while the second row is
folded, or folded and tumbled,
could cause injury in a sudden
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) stop or crash. Be sure to return
the seat to the passenger seating
position. Push and pull on the
seat to make sure it is locked into
place.
To fold and tumble the seat from the
third row seat, if equipped:
1. Make sure that there is nothing
under, 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. Driver Side Rear Panel Button
Shown
2. Press the automatic seat release
button on the panel behind the
rear doors.
The seatback automatically folds
flat and the seat tumbles
forward. There will be a slight
delay between the folding of the
seatback and the tumbling of
the seat.

Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-12 Seats and Restraints Returning the Seat to the
Sitting Position To return the seat to the sitting
position from the tumbled position:
1. Pull the seat down until it latches
to the floor. The seatback cannot
be raised if the seat is not
latched to the floor.
{ WARNINGIf either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
2. Lift the seatback and push it
rearward. Push and pull on the
seatback to make sure it is
locked. 3. For the 60/40 split-bench seat,
make sure the safety belt in the
center seating position is not
caught between the two seats
and is not twisted.
Third Row Seats If the vehicle has a third row seat,
the seatback can be folded, and the
entire seat can be tumbled or
removed from the vehicle.
Folding the Seatback To fold the seatback:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Remove all items on the seat
cushion.
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. 3. Lift the release lever “ 1 ” . on the
bottom rear of the seatback on
the outboard side of the seat,
and the seatback folds forward.
Returning the Seatback to the
Upright Position To return the seatback to the upright
position:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Raise the seatback to the
upright position.

Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-13
{ WARNINGIf either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked.
Tumbling the Third Row Seat To tumble the seat:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Make sure the headrests are
completely lowered and there is
nothing under, in front of, or on
the seat.
3. Fold the seatbacks forward
using lever “ 1 ” and the
instructions listed previously
under “ Folding the Seatback. ” The seat cannot be unlatched
from the floor unless the
seatback is folded.
4. Unlatch the seat from the floor
by lifting lever “ 2 ” next to the
carrying handle on the rear of
the seat, near the bottom.
5. Lift the rear of the seat up from
the floor.
6. Tilt the seat fully forward to lock
it into place.
7. Push and pull on the seat to
make sure it is locked. Put the seat in this position only
when necessary for additional
cargo space.
Returning the Third Row Seat
from a Tumbled Position To return the seat to the normal
seating position:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Make sure there is nothing that
could become trapped under
the seat.
3. Release the seat from the
tumbled position by lifting lever
“ 2 ” next to the carrying handle at
the bottom rear of the seat.
4. Pull the seat down until it latches
to the floor. The seatback cannot
be raised to the upright position
unless the seat is latched to the
floor.
5. Raise the seatback to the
upright position.

Black plate (14,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-14 Seats and Restraints
{ WARNINGIf either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked.
Removing the Third Row Seat To remove the seat:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Fold the seatbacks forward
using lever “ 1 ” and the
instructions listed previously
under “ Folding the Seatback. ”
The seat cannot be unlatched
from the floor unless the
seatback is folded. 3. Unlatch the seat from the floor
by pulling the handle at the rear
of the seat “ 3 Removal Only ”
toward the rear of the vehicle.
4. Roll the seat out of the vehicle.
There is a track in the floor to
guide the seat wheels out of the
vehicle. Installing the Third Row Seat To install the seat:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
rear of the vehicle.
2. Slide the front outboard seat
wheels into the track on the floor
and roll the seat forward. The
front latches should lock into
place. If the latches do not lock,
try tilting the rear of the seat
upward slightly.
3. Lower the rear of the seat and
push down on the seat to
engage the rear floor latches.

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-15
{ WARNINGA seat that is not locked into
place properly can move around
in a collision or sudden stop.
People in the vehicle could be
injured. Be sure to lock the seat
into place properly when
installing it.
4. Push and pull on the seat to
make sure it is locked into place.
The seatback cannot be raised
to the upright position unless the
seat is latched to the floor.
5. Raise the seatback to the
upright position.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked.
7. Make sure the safety belts are
returned to the original position
over the seatbacks. Safety Belts This section of the manual
describes how to use safety belts
properly. It also describes some
things not to do with safety belts.
{ WARNINGDo not let anyone ride where a
safety belt cannot be worn
properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing
safety belts, injuries can be much
worse than if you are wearing
safety belts. You can be seriously
injured or killed by hitting things
inside the vehicle harder or by
being ejected from the vehicle. In
addition, anyone who is not
buckled up can strike other
passengers in the vehicle.
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) It is extremely dangerous to ride
in a cargo area, inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
passengers riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow
passengers to ride in any area of
the vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts.
Always wear a safety belt, and
check that all passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5 ‑ 13 .

Black plate (16,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-16 Seats and Restraints Why Safety Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the safety belts!
When you wear a safety belt, you
and the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and,
when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the safety belts. That is why wearing
safety belts makes such good
sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A: You could be — whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not.
Your chance of being conscious
during and after a crash, so you
can unbuckle and get out, is
much greater if you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why
should I have to wear safety
belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they work with
safety belts — not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag
is provided, all occupants still
have to buckle up to get the
most protection. Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing safety belts.
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly This section is only for people of
adult size.
There are special things to know
about safety belts and children. And
there are different rules for smaller
children and infants. If a child will be
riding in the vehicle, see Older
Children on page 3 ‑ 41 or Infants
and Young Children on page 3 ‑ 43 .
Follow those rules for everyone's
protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
There are important things to know
about wearing a safety belt properly.

Black plate (17,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-17.
Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front
of you. .
Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position. .
Wear the lap part of the belt low
and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong
pelvic bones and you would be
less likely to slide under the lap
belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. .
Wear the shoulder belt over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining
forces. The shoulder belt locks if
there is a sudden stop or crash.
{ WARNINGYou can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly. .
Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted. .
Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back. .
Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest. Lap-Shoulder Belt All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt except for
the center front passenger position,
if equipped, which has a lap belt.
See Lap Belt on page 3 ‑ 23 for more
information.
The lap ‐ shoulder belts for the first
and second row seating positions
are equipped with free ‐ falling latch
plates. If the vehicle has a third row,
the lap ‐ shoulder belts have either
free ‐ falling or cinching latch plates.

Black plate (18,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-18 Seats and Restraints Use the following pictures to
determine the latch plate style:
Free-Falling Latch Plate Cinching Latch Plate
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is
adjustable, so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “ Seats ”
in the Index. 2. Pick up the latch plate and pull
the belt across you. Do not let it
get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you very
quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a
passenger belt with a free ‐ falling
latch plate is pulled out all the
way, the child restraint locking
feature may be engaged. If this
happens, let the belt go back all
the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint
locking feature in the right front
seating position may affect the
passenger sensing system,
if equipped. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3 ‑ 33
for more information.