
Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
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)
%: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
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
M:Windshield Washer Fluid

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
1-10 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 3‑26 for important information.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
Vehicles with outside power mirrors
and foldaway mirrors have controls
on the driver door.
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 (14,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
1-14 In Brief
Climate Controls
The heating, cooling, and ventilation in the vehicle can be controlled with
this system.
Climate Control with Heated and Cooled Seats shown
A. Driver and Passenger Temperature Controls
B. AUTO (Auto Operation)
C. Air Recirculation
D. Air Conditioning
E. Heated and Cooled Seats F. Fan Control
G. Defrost
H. Rear Window Defogger
I. Air Delivery Mode Control
See
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1.
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.

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-15
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.
2. Press the plus/minus buttons, located on the steering column
shift lever, to select the desired
range of gears for current driving
conditions. See Manual Mode on
page 9‑34.
While using DSC, cruise control and
the tow/haul mode can be used.
Grade Braking is not available when
DSC is active. See Tow/Haul Mode
on page 9‑35.Vehicle Features
Satellite Radio
XM is a satellite radio service that is
based in the 48 contiguous United
States and 10 Canadian provinces.
XM satellite radio has a wide
variety of programming and
commercial-free music, coast to
coast, and in digital-quality sound.
A fee is required to receive the XM
service.
For more information, refer to:
.www.xmradio.com or call
1-800-929-2100 (U.S.)
.www.xmradio.ca or call
1-877-438-9677 (Canada)
Also, see Satellite Radio on
page 7‑16.
Portable Audio Devices
This vehicle has an auxiliary input,
located on the audio faceplate,
and a USB port located on the
instrument panel or in the center console. External devices such
as iPod
®, laptop computers,
MP3 players, CD changers, USB
storage device, etc. can be
connected to the auxiliary port using
a 3.5 mm (1/8 in) input jack or the
USB port depending on the audio
system.
See Auxiliary Devices on page 7‑30
or CD/DVD Player on page 7‑18 for
further information.
Bluetooth®
For vehicles with a Bluetooth
system, it allows users with a
Bluetooth‐enabled cell phone to
make and receive hands-free calls
using the vehicle’ s audio system
and controls.
The Bluetooth‐enabled cell phone
must be paired with the Bluetooth
system before it can be used in the
vehicle. Not all phones will support
all functions. For more information,
visit www.gm.com/bluetooth.
For more information, see Bluetooth
on page 7‑81.

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-5
To replace the battery:
1. Separate the transmitter with aflat, 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 2‑2 for
additional information.
/(Remote Start): This button will
be on the RKE transmitter if you
have remote start.

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 (27,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-27
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.
{WARNING
A 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.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag if:
.The right front passenger seat is
unoccupied.

Black plate (40,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2012
3-40 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
A 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.
Even if the passenger sensing
system, if equipped, has turned
off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, no system is(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑26 for additional
information.
When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with the 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.
Depending on where you place the
child restraint and the size of the
child restraint, you may not be able
to access adjacent safety belt
assemblies or LATCH anchors for
additional passengers or child
restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to or
interferes with the routing of the
safety belt.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured
child restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to
properly secure any child restraint in
the vehicle
—even when no child
is in it.