Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-3
Rear Seats
The rear seat has adjustable
headrests in the outboard seating
positions.
The height of the headrest can be
adjusted. Pull the headrest up to
raise it. To lower the headrest, push
down on the headrest.
Rear outboard headrests are not
designed to be removed.
Front Seats
Power Seat Adjustment
To adjust a power seat:
.Move the seat forward or
rearward by sliding the control
forward or rearward.
.Raise or lower the front or rear
part of the seat cushion by
moving the front or rear of the
control up or down.
.Raise or lower the entire seat by
moving the entire control up
or down.
To adjust the seatback, see
Reclining Seatbacks on page 3‑4.
Lumbar Adjustment
To adjust the lumbar support:
.Press and hold the front or rear
of the control to increase or
decrease lumbar support.
.Press and hold the top or bottom
of the control to raise or lower
the height of the lumbar support.
Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-5
Do not have a seatback reclined if
the vehicle is moving.
Memory Seats
The controls on the driver door are
used to program and recall memory
settings for the driver seat, outside
mirrors, power steering column, and
the adjustable throttle and brake
pedals.Storing Memory Positions
To save into memory:
1. Adjust the driver seat, including
the seatback recliner and
lumbar, both outside mirrors,
power steering column, and the
throttle and brake pedals.
See Power Mirrors on
page 2‑19, Steering Wheel
Adjustment on page 5‑2, and
Adjustable Throttle and Brake
Pedal on page 9‑23 for more
information.
Not all mirrors and adjustable
throttles and brake pedals will
have the ability to save and
recall their positions.
2. Press and hold “1”until
two beeps sound.
3. Repeat for a second driver position using “2.”
Black plate (14,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
3-14 Seats and Restraints
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger positions.
Adjust the height so that the
shoulder portion of the belt is
centered on the shoulder. The belt
should be away from the face and
neck, but not falling off the shoulder.
Improper shoulder belt height
adjustment could reduce the
effectiveness of the safety belt in a
crash.
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,
they will need to be replaced, and
probably other new parts for the
vehicle's safety belt system. See
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts
after a Crash on page 3‑18.
Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-7
cell phone antenna mount, a
magnetic emergency light, magnetic
note pad holder, or any other
magnetic item. Turn off the vehicle,
move the magnetic item, then turn
on the vehicle and calibrate the
compass.
To calibrate the compass, use the
following procedure:
Compass Calibration Procedure
1. Before calibrating the compass,make sure the compass zone is
set to the variance zone in which
the vehicle is located. See
“Compass Variance (Zone)
Procedure” earlier in this
section.
Do not operate any switches
such as window, sunroof,
climate controls, seats, etc.
during the calibration procedure.
2. Press the vehicle information button until PRESS
VTO
CALIBRATE COMPASS
displays. 3. Press the set/reset button to
start the compass calibration.
4. The DIC will display CALIBRATING: DRIVE IN
CIRCLES. Drive the vehicle in
tight circles at less than 8 km/h
(5 mph) to complete the
calibration. The DIC will display
CALIBRATION COMPLETE for a
few seconds when the
calibration is complete. The DIC
display will then return to the
previous menu.
Clock
The analog clock is located on the
instrument panel above the radio.
The clock is not connected with any
other vehicle system and runs by
itself. To adjust the clock:
1. The adjustment button is locatedin the lower left corner of the
clock.
2. Push and hold the adjustment button to advance the clock
hands. Holding the button down will cause the clock to advance
faster. Release the button before
reaching the desired time.
3. Push and release the button to increase the time by one minute
increments until the desired time
is reached.
Power Outlets
Accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
One accessory power outlet is
located inside the center floor
console. Lift up on the lower latch
located at the front of the console lid
to access the accessory power
outlet.
There may also be an accessory
power outlet located on the rear of
the center floor console above the
cupholder.
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-13
Sound Menu
e(Sound):Press this key or press
CONFIG to access the Sound menu
to adjust the treble, midrange, bass,
fade, balance, and Digital Signal
Processing (DSP). The system
automatically stores audio
adjustment settings as changes
are made for each audio source
including AM, FM, XM (if equipped),
CD, and AUX. Setting the Tone
TREBLE:
Press + or−to increase
or decrease the treble. If a station is
weak or has static, decrease the
treble.
MID (Midrange): Press + or−to
increase or decrease the midrange.
BASS: Press + or −to increase or
decrease the bass.
Adjusting the Speakers
L/R (Left/Right) (Balance): To
adjust the balance between the left
and the right speakers, press and
hold the L or R screen buttons.
Front/Rear (Fade): To adjust the
fade between the front and the rear
speakers, press and hold the Front
or Rear screen buttons. Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
The system has Digital Signal
Processing (DSP). DSP provides a
choice of four different listening
experiences. DSP can be used
while listening to the audio system.
Not all DSP modes are available for
all source types. The type of DSP
selected is displayed on the
status line.
Select from the following DSP
settings:
Normal:
Adjusts the audio for
normal mode. This provides the best
sound quality for all seating
positions.
Surround (Centerpoint
®):
Enables Bose®Centerpoint signal
processing that produces a
surround sound listening experience
from a CD or XM (if equipped)
stereo digital audio source.
Black plate (23,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-23
Starting and
Operating
New Vehicle Break-In
Notice:The vehicle does not
need an elaborate break-in. But it
will perform better in the long run
if you follow these guidelines:
.Keep the vehicle speed at
88 km/h (55 mph) or less for
the first 805 km (500 miles).
.Do not drive at any one
constant speed, fast or slow,
for the first 805 km
(500 miles). Do not make
full-throttle starts. Avoid
downshifting to brake or
slow the vehicle.
.Avoid making hard stops
for the first 322 km
(200 miles) or so. During
this time the new brake
linings are not yet broken in. Hard stops with new linings
can mean premature wear
and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking-in
guideline every time you get
new brake linings.
.Do not tow a trailer during
break-in. See
Trailer Towing
on page 9‑61 for the trailer
towing capabilities of the
vehicle and more
information.
Following break‐in, engine speed
and load can be gradually
increased.
Adjustable Throttle and
Brake Pedal
The vehicle has adjustable throttle
and brake pedals that allow you to
change their positions.
The feature will not operate when
the vehicle is in R (Reverse) or
while using the cruise control.
The switch used to adjust the
pedals is located on the center
console below the climate control
system.
Press the right and left arrows to
move the pedals either closer or
further from your body.
Before you start driving, fully press
the brake pedal to confirm the
adjustment is right for you. While
driving, make only small
adjustments.
The vehicle has a memory function
which allows the pedal positions to
be saved and recalled. See Memory
Seats on page 3‑5.
Black plate (32,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
10-32 Vehicle Care
Headlamp Aiming
The vehicle has a visual optical
headlamp aiming system. The aim
of the headlamps have been preset
at the factory and should need no
further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged
in a crash, the aim of the headlamps
may be affected and adjustment
may be necessary.
If oncoming vehicles flash their high
beams at you, this may mean the
vertical aim of the headlamps needs
to be adjusted.
It is recommended that the vehicle
is taken to your dealer for service if
the headlamps need to be adjusted.
It is possible however, to re-aim the
headlamps as described.
The vehicle should:
.Be placed so the headlamps are
7.6 m (25 ft.) from a light colored
wall or other flat surface.
.Have all four tires on a level
surface which is level all the way
to the wall or other flat surface.
.Be placed so it is perpendicular
to the wall or other flat surface.
.Not have any snow, ice, or mud
on it.
.Be fully assembled and all other
work stopped while headlamp
aiming is being performed.
.Be normally loaded with a full
tank of fuel and one person or
75 kg (160 lbs) sitting on the
driver seat.
.Have the tires properly inflated.
.Have the spare tire is in its
proper location in the vehicle.
Headlamp aiming is done with the
vehicle's low-beam headlamps. The
high-beam headlamps will be
correctly aimed if the low-beam
headlamps are aimed properly. To adjust the vertical aim:
1. Open the hood. See
Hood on
page 10‑4 for more information.2. Locate the center of the
projector lens of the low‐beam
headlamp.
3. Record the distance from the ground to the center of the
projector lens of the low‐beam
headlamp.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . . 9-30
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-14
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Airbag Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-21
Airbags Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-14
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Servicing Airbag-EquippedVehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Alarm System Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-27, 9-36
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Antenna Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-34
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-85
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Audio Players CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Audio System Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-3
Automatic Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Level Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-31 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28