2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE HYBRID engine

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
9-4 Driving and Operating
Engine Coolant Heater The engine coolant heater can
provide easier starting and better
fuel economy during engine
warm-up in cold weather conditions
at or below − 18°C (0°F). Vehicles
with an engine heater should be
plugged in at least four hours before
starting. An internal thermostat in
the plug-end of the cord may exist
which will prevent engine coolant
heater operation at temperatures
above − 18°C (0°F). Using the Engine Coolant
Heater 1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the
electrical cord. The cord is
secured to a wiring harness
between the engine and the
Hybrid Auxiliary Underhood
Fuse Block with a clip. Carefully
remove the wire tie which
secures the electrical cord.
Do not cut the electrical cord.
3. Plug the cord into a normal,
grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
{ WARNINGPlugging the cord into an
ungrounded outlet could cause
an electrical shock. Also, the
wrong kind of extension cord
could overheat and cause a fire.
You could be seriously injured.
Plug the cord into a properly
grounded three-prong 110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord will not
reach, use a heavy-duty
three-prong extension cord
rated for at least 15 amps.

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-54. Before starting the engine, be
sure to unplug and store the
cord as it was before to keep
it away from moving engine
parts. If you do not, it could be
damaged.
The length of time the heater should
remain plugged in depends on
several factors. Ask a dealer in the
area where you will be parking the
vehicle for the best advice on this. Shifting Into Park
{ WARNINGIt can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the shift lever is not
fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
not move, even when you are on
fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow. With four-wheel
drive, if the transfer case is in
N (Neutral), the vehicle will be
free to roll, even if the shift lever
is in P (Park). So, be sure the
transfer case is in a drive
gear — not in N (Neutral).
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) If you are pulling a trailer, see
“ Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips ” in the owner
manual.
1. Hold the brake pedal down, then
set the parking brake.
See “ Parking Brake ” in the
owner manual.
2. Move the shift lever into the
P (Park) position by pulling the
shift lever toward you and
moving it up as far as it will go.
3. Be sure the transfer case
(if equipped) is in a drive
gear — not in N (Neutral).
4. Turn the ignition key to
LOCK/OFF.
5. Remove the key and take it with
you. If you can leave the vehicle
with the ignition key in your
hand, the vehicle is in P (Park).

Black plate (6,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
9-6 Driving and Operating Leaving the Vehicle with the
Engine Running
{ WARNINGIt can be dangerous to leave the
vehicle with the engine running.
The vehicle could move suddenly
if the shift lever is not fully in
P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set.
If you have four-wheel drive and
the transfer case is in N (Neutral),
the vehicle will be free to roll,
even if the shift lever is in
P (Park). So be sure the transfer
case is in a drive gear — not in
N (Neutral).
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) And, if you leave the vehicle
with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You
or others could be injured. Do not
leave the vehicle with the engine
running unless you have to.
If you have to leave the vehicle with
the engine running, be sure your
vehicle is in P (Park) and the
parking brake is firmly set before
you leave it. After you move the shift
lever into P (Park), hold the regular
brake pedal down. Then, see if you
can move the shift lever away from
P (Park) without first pulling it toward
you. If you can, it means that the
shift lever was not fully locked into
P (Park). Torque Lock If parking on a hill and the
transmission not shifted into
P (Park) properly, the weight
of the vehicle may put too much
force on the parking pawl in the
transmission. You may find it
difficult to pull the shift lever out
of P (Park). This is called torque
lock. To prevent torque lock, set the
parking brake and then shift into
P (Park) properly before you leave
the driver seat. To find out how, see
Shifting Into Park on page 9 ‑ 5 .
When you are ready to drive, move
the shift lever out of P (Park) before
you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may
need to have another vehicle push
yours a little uphill to take some of
the pressure from the parking pawl
in the transmission, then you will be
able to pull the shift lever out of
P (Park).

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-7
Engine Exhaust Running the Vehicle
While Parked It is better not to park with the
engine running. But if you ever have
to, here are some things to know.
{ WARNINGExiting the vehicle, without first
shifting into P (Park), may cause
the vehicle to move, and you or
others can be seriously injured.
Because the vehicle has the
Automatic Engine Start/Stop
feature, the vehicle ’ s engine
might seem to be shut off when
you come to a complete stop.
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) However, once the brake pedal is
released, the vehicle can move.
The vehicle ’ s engine can also
restart at any time.
Shift to P (Park) and turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF, before
exiting the vehicle.
Follow the proper steps to be sure
the vehicle will not move. See
Shifting Into Park on page 9 ‑ 5 .
If pulling a trailer, see “ Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips ” in
the owner manual. Automatic
Transmission The vehicle has an electronic
shift position indicator within the
instrument panel cluster.
There are several different positions
for the shift lever.
See “ Range Selection Mode ” in this
section.
P (Park): This position locks the
rear wheels. It is the best position
to use when you start the engine
because the vehicle cannot move
easily.

Black plate (8,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
9-8 Driving and Operating When parked on a hill, especially
when the vehicle has a heavy
load, you may notice an increase in
the effort to shift out of P (Park). See
Shifting Into Park on page 9 ‑ 5 .
{ WARNINGIt is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when
the engine is running unless you
have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake
and move the shift lever to
P (Park). See Shifting Into Park
on page 9 ‑ 5 . If you are
pulling a trailer, see “ Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips ”
in the owner manual. { WARNINGIf you have Four-Wheel Drive, the
vehicle will be free to roll — even
if the shift lever is in P (Park) — if
the transfer case is in Neutral. So,
be sure the transfer case is in a
drive gear, Two-Wheel Drive High
or Four-Wheel Drive High or
Four-Wheel Drive Low — not in
Neutral. See Shifting Into Park
on page 9 ‑ 5 .
R (Reverse): Use this gear to
back up.
Notice: Shifting to R (Reverse)
while the vehicle is moving
forward could damage the
transmission. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only
after the vehicle is stopped. To rock the vehicle back and forth to
get out of snow, ice, or sand without
damaging the transmission, see “ If
the Vehicle is Stuck ” in the owner
manual.
N (Neutral): In this position, the
engine and transmission are not
connected with the wheels. To
restart the engine when the
vehicle is already moving, use
N (Neutral) only.
{ WARNINGShifting into a drive gear while the
engine is running at high speed is
dangerous. Unless your foot is
firmly on the brake pedal, the
vehicle could move very rapidly.
You could lose control and hit
people or objects. Do not shift
into a drive gear while the engine
is running at high speed.

Black plate (9,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-9Notice: Shifting out of P (Park)
or N (Neutral) with the engine
running at high speed may
damage the transmission. The
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Be sure the
engine is not running at high
speed when shifting the vehicle.
D (Drive): This position is for
normal driving. It provides the best
fuel economy. If you need more
power for passing, and you are: .
Going less than about 55 km/h
(35 mph), push the accelerator
pedal about halfway down. .
Going about 55 km/h (35 mph) or
more, push the accelerator all
the way down.
D (Drive) or M (Manual Mode) can
be used when towing a trailer,
carrying a heavy load, driving
on steep hills, or for off-road
driving. You may want to shift the
transmission to a lower gear
selection if the transmission shifts
too often. Downshifting the transmission in
slippery road conditions could result
in skidding. See “ Loss of Control ” in
the owner manual.
When temperatures are very cold,
the transmission's gear shifting may
be delayed, providing more stable
shifts until the engine warms up.
Shifts may be more noticeable with
a cold transmission. This difference
in shifting is normal.
M (Manual Mode): This position
lets drivers select the range of
gears appropriate for current driving
conditions. If the vehicle has this
feature, see Manual Mode on
page 9 ‑ 10 . Notice: Spinning the tires
or holding the vehicle in
one place on a hill using only the
accelerator pedal may damage
the transmission. The repair will
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. If you are stuck, do not
spin the tires. When stopping on
a hill, use the brakes to hold the
vehicle in place.
The vehicle has a shift stabilization
feature that adjusts the transmission
shifting to the current driving
conditions to reduce rapid upshifts
and downshifts. If the shift
stabilization feature determines that
a current vehicle speed cannot be
maintained, the transmission does
not upshift. In some cases, this
may appear to be a delayed shift,
however the transmission is
operating normally.

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
9-10 Driving and Operating
Manual Mode Range Selection Mode
The Range Selection Mode controls
the vehicle's transmission.
To use this feature:
1. Move the shift lever to the
M (Manual Mode).
2. Press the plus/minus button to
upshift or downshift selecting the
desired range of gears.
A number displays next to the M,
indicating the current gear that
has been selected. The number
displayed in the gear indicator is
the highest gear that can be used. The vehicle can automatically shift
to lower gears as it adjusts to
driving conditions. When 3 (Third) is
selected, 1 (First) through 3 (Third)
gears are automatically shifted by
the vehicle, but 4 (Fourth) cannot be
used until it is selected.
The Range Selection Mode controls
the vehicle and engine speed while
driving down a hill or towing a trailer,
by allowing you to select a desired
range of gears.
When you move the shift lever
into M, the transmission will default
to M4. In this gear range, effective
engine braking occurs at speeds
above 72 km/h (45 mph).
Pushing the minus ( − ) button on the
shift lever reduces the gear range. In the M3 gear range, effective
engine braking occurs at speeds
above 56 km/h (35 mph).
In the M2 gear range, effective
engine braking occurs at speeds
above 40 km/h (25 mph).
In the M1 gear range, effective
engine braking occurs at speeds
above 16 km/h (10 mph).
When operating in M (Manual
Mode), Auto Stop is disabled.
For better vehicle efficiency,
operate the vehicle in D (Drive)
not M (Manual Mode).
Cruise control can be used while
using the Range Selection Mode.

Black plate (11,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-11
Drive Systems Four-Wheel Drive If the vehicle has four-wheel drive,
you can send the engine's driving
power to all four wheels for extra
traction. Read the following before
using four-wheel drive.
Notice: Driving on clean, dry
pavement in Four-Wheel Drive
High or Four-Wheel Drive Low for
an extended period of time may
cause premature wear on the
vehicle's powertrain. Do not
drive on clean, dry pavement
in Four-Wheel Drive High or
Four-Wheel Drive Low for
extended periods of time. While driving on clean dry pavement
and during tight turns, you may
experience a vibration in the
steering system.
The vehicle has StabiliTrak. Shifting
into Four-Wheel Drive Low will turn
Traction Control and StabiliTrak off.
See “ StabiliTrak System ” in the
owner manual.
Front Axle The front axle engages and
disengages automatically when you
shift the transfer case. Some delay
for the axle to engage or disengage
is normal. Automatic Transfer Case
The transfer case knob is located
to the left of the instrument panel
cluster.
Use this dial to shift into and out of
four-wheel drive.
You can choose among five driving
settings:
Indicator lights in the switches show
you which setting you are in. The
indicator lights will come on briefly
when you turn on the ignition and
the last chosen setting will stay on.