Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Introduction vVehicle 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)
% : 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
O : Power
/ : Remote Vehicle Start
> : Safety Belt Reminders
7 : Tire Pressure Monitor
_ : Tow/Haul Mode
d : Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
M : Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
1-12 In Brief
Passenger Sensing
System The passenger sensing system,
if equipped, turns off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions. No other
airbag is affected by the passenger
sensing system.
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. United States
Canada and Mexico
See Passenger Sensing System on
page 3 ‑ 33 for important information. Mirror Adjustment Exterior Mirrors
Premium Trim Shown,
Up ‐ Level Similar
Mirror Adjustment
1. Press (A) or (B) to select the
driver or passenger side mirror.
2. Press the arrows on the control
pad to move the mirror up,
down, right, or left.
3. Press the opposite side to get
the control pad to a neutral
position.
Black plate (17,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
In Brief 1-17
Climate Controls The heating, cooling, and ventilation in the vehicle can be controlled with
this system.
Climate Control with Cooled and Heated Seats shown
A. Driver and Passenger
Temperature Controls
B. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
C. Defrost
D. Air Recirculation
E. Rear Window Defogger
F. Air Conditioning
G. Heated and Cooled Seats H. Fan Control
I. REAR (Rear Climate Control)
J. Air Delivery Mode Control
See Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8 ‑ 1 and Rear
Climate Control System (Rear
Climate with Rear Seat Audio) on
page 8 ‑ 6 (If Equipped). Transmission Driver Shift Control (DSC)
The DSC switch is located on the
shift lever.
To enable the DSC feature:
1. Move the column shift lever to
the M (Manual) position. The
Driver Information Center (DIC)
display will show the message
MANUAL SHIFT on the first line
and the current gear will be
displayed on the second line.
This is the highest attainable
range with all lower gears
accessible. As an example,
when 5 (Fifth) gear is selected,
1 (First) through 5 (Fifth) gears
are available.
Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-5Notice: When replacing the
battery, do not touch any of the
circuitry on the transmitter. Static
from your body could damage the
transmitter.
To replace the battery:
1. Separate the transmitter with a
flat, thin object inserted into the
notch, located above the
metal base.
2. Remove the old battery. Do not
use a metal object. 3. Insert the new battery, positive
side facing up. Replace with a
CR2032 or equivalent battery.
4. Snap the transmitter back
together.
Remote Vehicle Start This feature allows you to start the
engine from outside of the vehicle.
It may also start up the vehicle's
heating or air conditioning systems
and rear window defogger. Normal
operation of the system will return
after the key is turned to the
ON/RUN position.
During a remote start, the climate
control system will default to a
heating or cooling mode depending
on the outside temperatures.
During a remote start, if the vehicle
has an automatic climate control
system and heated seats, the
heated seats will turn on during
colder outside temperatures and will
shut off when the key is turned to
ON/RUN. If the vehicle does not
have an automatic climate control system, during remote start, you will
need to manually turn the heated
seats on and off. See Heated and
Ventilated Front Seats on page 3 ‑ 7
for additional information.
Laws in some communities may
restrict the use of remote starters.
For example, some laws may
require a person using the remote
start to have the vehicle in view
when doing so. Check local
regulations for any requirements on
remote starting of vehicles.
Do not use the remote start feature
if the vehicle is low on fuel. The
vehicle may run out of fuel.
If the vehicle has the remote start
feature, the RKE transmitter
functions will have an increased
range of operation. However, the
range may be less while the vehicle
is running.
There are other conditions which
can affect the performance of the
transmitter, see Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 2 ‑ 3 for
additional information.
Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
2-10 Keys, Doors, and Windows Press the touch pad on the
underside of the liftgate handle (B)
and lift up.
Use the pull cup to lower and close
the liftgate. Do not press the touch
pad while closing the liftgate. This
will cause the liftgate to be
unlatched.
Power Liftgate Operation On vehicles with a power liftgate,
the switch is on the overhead
console.
The vehicle must be in P (Park) to
use the power feature. The taillamps
will flash and a chime will sound
when the power liftgate moves.
{ WARNING
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch open, or with
any objects that pass through the
seal between the body and the
trunk/hatch or liftgate. Engine
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) exhaust contains Carbon
Monoxide (CO) which cannot be
seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate, or trunk/hatch open: .
Close all of the windows. .
Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel. .
Adjust the Climate Control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air and
set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See Climate
Control System in the Index. .
If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9 ‑ 29 . There are several ways to open and
close the power liftgate: .
Press and hold
8 on the
RKEtransmitter until the liftgate
starts moving. .
Press
8 on the overhead
console. .
Press
l on the bottom of the
liftgate next to the latch to close.
Pressing a second time while the
liftgate is moving reverses the
direction.
To disable the power liftgate
function, press OFFon the liftgate
switch.
The power liftgate may be
temporarily disabled under extreme
temperatures, or under low battery
conditions. If this occurs, the liftgate
can still be operated manually.
If the transmission is shifted out of
P (Park) while the power function is
in progress, the liftgate power
function will continue to completion.
Black plate (20,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-20 Seats and Restraints To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger positions.
Adjust the height so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. See How
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3 ‑ 16 . Squeeze the buttons (A) on the
sides of the height adjuster and
move the height adjuster to the
desired position.
The adjuster can be moved up just
by pushing up on the shoulder belt
guide.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without squeezing the buttons to
make sure it has locked into
position. Safety Belt Pretensioners This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near
frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if the
vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help
tighten the safety belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
the pretensioners and probably
other parts of the vehicle's safety
belt system will need to be replaced.
See Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash on page 3 ‑ 25 .
Black plate (34,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-34 Seats and Restraints The passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbag,
seat ‐ mounted side impact airbags
(if equipped) and the roof-rail
airbags are not affected by the
passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the right front passenger seat and
safety belt. The sensors are
designed to detect the presence of
a properly-seated occupant and
determine if the right front
passenger frontal airbag should be
enabled (may inflate) or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
We recommend that children be
secured in a rear seat, including: an
infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child
riding in a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in a booster
seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.
A label on the sun visor says,
“ Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. ” This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{ WARNINGA child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
Black plate (48,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-48 Seats and Restraints A label on your sun visor says,
“ Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. ” This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{ WARNINGA child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
The vehicle may have a
passenger sensing system which
is designed to turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions.
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) Even if the passenger sensing
system, if equipped, has turned
off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, no system is
fail-safe. No one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child
restraints in a rear seat, even if
the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
See Passenger Sensing System
on page 3 ‑ 33 for additional
information. { WARNINGA child in a child restraint in the
center front seat can be badly
injured or killed by the frontal
airbags if they inflate. Never
secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. It is always
better to secure a child restraint in
a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the
center front seat position.
When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with your
child restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seats
vary considerably in size, and some
may fit in certain seating positions
better than others. Always make
sure the child restraint is properly
secured.