Black plate (24,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
3-24 Seats and Restraints
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of
what the repair costs were. For
frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat‐mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by the
direction of the roll.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbags modules in the
side of the front seatbacks closest
to the door. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows that have
occupant seating positions.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.Seat‐mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first and second rows. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the risk of
full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can
prevent all such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑22 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
Black plate (25,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-25
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, seeWhat Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑24.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle may have a feature
that may automatically unlock the
doors, turn on the interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the airbags
inflate. You can lock the doors, turn off the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers by using the
controls for those features.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Black plate (38,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
3-38 Seats and Restraints
(B) Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child seat (B)
provides restraint for the child's
body with the harness.(C) Booster Seats
A booster seat (C) is a child restraint
designed to improve the fit of the
vehicle's safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a child
to see out the window.
Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{WARNING
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in
the vehicle. Secure the child
restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle safety belt or
LATCH system, following the
instructions that came with that
child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury,
the child restraint must be secured
in the vehicle. Child restraint
systems must be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Storage 4-3
E. Water drainage area aroundboth sides of the box and the
tailgate side
F. Rear drains
G. Cargo floor
H. Cargo mat
Maintenance and Cleaning
To ensure that the water
management system performs
properly, be sure that the Midgate,
tailgate, and cover system are fully
closed and that all parts are clean
and not blocked with debris. Follow
the instructions given next in this
section for the proper procedures on
cleaning each item.
Top Drain Grates –Removal
and Cleaning
The top drain grates are located
near the rear window on both sides
of the vehicle. Clean the grates and
drains if there is a blockage. To remove each drain grate, do the
following:
1. Remove the cargo panels. See
Cargo Cover Panels on
page 4‑5 for more information.
2. Grasp the edges of the grate
and pull it out from the vehicle.
Flush the drain with clean water.
Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Storage 4-13
Notice:Loading cargo on the
roof rack that weighs more than
91 kg (200 lbs) or hangs over the
rear or sides of the vehicle may
damage the vehicle. Load cargo
so that it rests evenly between
the crossrails, making sure to
fasten cargo securely.
To prevent damage or loss of cargo
when driving, check to make sure
crossrails and cargo are securely
fastened. Loading cargo on the roof
rack will make the vehicle’ s center
of gravity higher. Avoid high speeds,
sudden starts, sharp turns, sudden
braking or abrupt maneuvers,
otherwise it may result in loss of
control. If driving for a long distance,
on rough roads, or at high speeds,
occasionally stop the vehicle to
make sure the cargo remains in its
place. Do not exceed the maximum vehicle
capacity when loading the vehicle.
For more information on vehicle
capacity and loading, see
Vehicle
Load Limits on page 9‑16.
.If small heavy objects are placed
on the roof, cut a piece of 9 mm
or 3/8 inch plywood to fit inside
the crossrails and siderails to
spread the load. Tie the plywood
to the siderail supports.
.Tie the load and secure it to the
crossrails or the siderail
supports. Use the crossrails only
to keep the load from sliding. To
move a crossrail, lift the release
lever up, on both sides of the
rail. Then slide the crossrail to
the desired position balancing
the force side to side. Press the
release lever down on both
sides of the rail, down to tighten
it. Try to slide the crossrail back
and forth slightly to make sure it
is tight.
.To carry long items, move the
crossrails as far apart as
possible. Tie the load to the
crossrails and the siderails or
siderail supports. Also tie the
load to the bumpers, but do not
tie the load so tightly that the
crossrails or siderails are
damaged.
.After moving a crossrail, be sure
it is securely locked into the
siderail.
A Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
(CHMSL) is located above the rear
window glass.
Make sure items loaded on the roof
of the vehicle do not block or
damage the CHMSL.
Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-5
6(Adjustable Interval Wipes):
Turn the band up for more frequent
wipes or down for less frequent
wipes.
6(Low Speed): Slow wipes.
1(High Speed): Fast wipes.
9(Off):Turns the windshield
wipers off.
Clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them. If frozen
to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged blades should
be replaced.
Windshield Washer
{WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use
the washer until the windshield is
warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.
L(Washer Fluid): Push the
paddle at the top of the lever
to spray washer fluid on the
windshield. The wipers clear the
window and then either stop or
return to the preset speed.
Compass
Your vehicle may have a compass
in the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
Compass Zone
The zone is set to zone eight upon
leaving the factory. Your dealer will
set the correct zone for your
location.
Under certain circumstances,
such as during a long distance
cross-country trip or moving to a
new state or province, it will be
necessary to compensate for
compass variance by resetting the
zone through the DIC if the zone is
not set correctly.
Compass variance is the difference
between the earth's magnetic north
and true geographic north. If the
compass is not set to the zone
where you live, the compass may
give false readings. The compass
must be set to the variance zone in
which the vehicle is traveling.
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 (4,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
6-4 Lighting
.Your vehicle's windshield is
covered with ice, dirt, haze or
other obstructions.
.Your vehicle is loaded such that
the front end of the vehicle
points upward, causing the
IntelliBeam sensor to aim high
and not detect headlamps and
taillamps.
.You are driving on winding or
hilly roads.
You may need to manually disable
or cancel the high-beam headlamps
by turning the low-beam headlamps
on, if any of the above conditions
exist.
Disabling and Resetting
IntelliBeam at the Rearview Mirror
IntelliBeam can be disabled by
using the controls on the inside
rearview mirror. AUTO
3(On/Off):
To disable the
system, press this button on the
inside rearview mirror. The
IntelliBeam indicator will turn off and
will not come back on until the
IntelliBeam button is pressed again.
(Stalk Disable): When IntelliBeam
has turned on the high-beams, pull
or push the high-beam stalk. This
will disable IntelliBeam. The
IntelliBeam indicator on the mirror
will turn off. To re-enable
IntelliBeam, press the IntelliBeam
button on the mirror.
A different sensitivity setting is
available for dealer diagnostics.
This is done by pushing and holding
this button for 20 seconds until the
IntelliBeam indicator light flashes
three times. If you accidentally
activate this, the vehicle's setting
will automatically be reset each time
the ignition is turned off and then on
again. Cleaning the IntelliBeam Light
Sensor
The light sensor is located on the
inside of the vehicle in front of the
inside rearview mirror.
Clean the light sensor window,
periodically, using glass cleaner on
a soft cloth. Gently wipe the sensor
window. Do not spray glass cleaner
directly on the surface of the sensor
window.