Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
2012 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid MIn Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-1
Hybrid Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Performance and
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5 Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-7
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16 Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
Recommended Fluids,
Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . . 11-2
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief Initial Drive Information Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Hybrid Features High Voltage Safety
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Fuel Economy Gauge . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Automatic Engine Start/Stop
Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Regenerative Braking . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Performance and Maintenance Tire Sealant and
Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5 Initial Drive
Information Transmission Range Selection Mode
The Range Selection Mode switch
is located on the shift lever.
To enable the Range Selection
feature:
1. Move the column shift lever
to the M (Manual) position.
The current range will appear
next to the M. This is the
highest attainable range with
all lower gears accessible. As an example, when
3 (Third) gear is selected,
1 (First) through 3 (Third) 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 Automatic
Transmission Operation in the
owner manual.
Cruise control can be used while the
vehicle is in Range Selection Mode.
See Manual Mode on page 9 ‑ 10 .
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.
Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
1-2 In Brief Automatic Transfer Case
The transfer case knob is located
to the left of the instrument panel
cluster. You can choose among
five driving settings:
2
m (Two-Wheel Drive High): This
setting is used for driving in most
street and highway situations.
AUTO (Automatic Four-Wheel
Drive): This setting is ideal for
use when road surface traction
conditions are variable. 4
m (Four-Wheel Drive High): Use
the four-wheel high position when
you need extra traction, such as
on snowy or icy roads or in most
off-road situations.
4
n (Four-Wheel Drive Low): This
setting delivers extra torque. You
might choose Four-Wheel Drive Low
if you are driving off-road in deep
sand, deep mud, deep snow, and
while climbing or descending steep
hills.
N (Neutral): Shift the vehicle's
transfer case to N (Neutral) only
when towing the vehicle. See
Recreational Vehicle Towing on
page 10 ‑ 33 and “ Towing the
Vehicle ” in the owner manual.
See Four-Wheel Drive on
page 9 ‑ 11 .Hybrid Features High Voltage Safety
Information This vehicle has a standard
12-volt battery and a high voltage
hybrid battery. Only a trained
service technician with the proper
knowledge and tools should inspect,
test, or replace the hybrid battery.
See your dealer if the hybrid battery
needs service.
The 12-volt battery cables, in the
engine compartment, are clearly
labeled. In emergency situations,
first responders can cut those
cables to disable the high voltage
hybrid battery system.
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
In Brief 1-3
Fuel Economy Gauge
Metric
English This gauge shows when the vehicle
is operating at a fuel efficient point.
Driving behavior that improves fuel
efficiency makes the fuel indicator
move to the high efficiency band on
the fuel gauge.
See Fuel Economy Gauge on
page 5 ‑ 3 for more information.
Automatic Engine Start/
Stop Feature Start the engine as you would any
other engine. See “ Starting the
Engine ” in the owner manual for
more information on starting. The
hybrid system provides very quiet
engine starting. If pulling a trailer
with trailer brakes, see Trailer
Towing on page 9 ‑ 16 for more
information. Auto Stop The vehicle has an Auto Stop
feature. After a successful engine
start, the engine may turn off and
operate in the Auto Stop mode.
Keep your foot firmly on the brake
pedal until you are ready for the
vehicle to move.
Engine OFF and AUTO STOP
modes are indicated on the
tachometer display. When the
tachometer needle indicates OFF,
the engine is not running and will
remain off until the ignition key is
placed in the START position or a
remote vehicle start is performed.
When the tachometer needle
indicates AUTO STOP, the hybrid
system is on, the engine is not
running, but may Auto Start at any
time without notice. See Tachometer
on page 5 ‑ 3 for more information.
Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
1-4 In Brief A chime will sound if the driver door
is opened while in Auto Stop as a
reminder that the ignition switch is
not in the LOCK/OFF position.
Always turn the ignition switch to
LOCK/OFF and remove the key
from the ignition switch when exiting
the vehicle.
Auto Start The vehicle also has an Auto Start
feature. The engine will remain off
while in Auto Stop mode until
vehicle conditions require the
engine to run. The near-instant
starting of the engine from Auto
Stop mode is called Auto Start. EV Mode The vehicle also has an EV mode
which uses only the electric motor
to move the vehicle. With light
acceleration, the vehicle will drive in
EV mode. EV mode is unavailable
when the vehicle is out of fuel.
For more information on Auto Stop,
Auto Start, and EV Mode, see
Starting the Vehicle on page 9 ‑ 2 .
Regenerative Braking Regenerative braking enables the
electric drive motor to operate as a
generator when coasting or braking.
Energy from the moving vehicle
recharges the hybrid battery.
The hydraulic disc brakes work with
the regenerative braking to insure
effective braking. The braking system is computer
controlled and blends the
regenerative braking with the
conventional hydraulic disc brakes
to meet any requirements for
deceleration. Because the controller
applies the hydraulic brakes through
its high pressure accumulator, you
may occasionally hear the motor
driven pump when it recharges the
system. This is normal. In the event
of a controller problem, the brake
pedal may be harder to push and
the stopping distance may be
longer.
See Regenerative Braking on
page 9 ‑ 15 .
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Fuel Economy Gauge . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-4
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 5-4
Information Displays Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5 Vehicle Messages Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Brake System Messages . . . . . . 5-6
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Service Vehicle Messages . . . . 5-7
Transmission Messages . . . . . . 5-7
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-3
Tachometer
English Version Shown, Metric
Similar
When the ignition is in ON/RUN the
tachometer indicates the vehicle
status:
When pointing to AUTO STOP, the
vehicle is on and can move, the
engine could AUTO START at any
time. When the indicator is OFF, the
vehicle is off. When the engine is
on, the tachometer will indicate
the engine's revolutions per
minute (rpm). The tachometer may vary by several
hundred rpm's, during AUTO STOP
mode, when the engine is shutting
off and restarting. A slight bump
may be felt when the transmission is
determining the most fuel efficient
operating range.
Fuel Economy Gauge
Metric English
This gauge is to assist in driving
efficiently and may vary during
normal operation.
The vehicle is being driven the most
efficient when the gauge is kept in
the middle.
The gauge moves to the left when
braking and to the right when
accelerating. When either are done
aggressively, the efficiency is
decreased.
Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
5-4 Instruments and Controls
Charging System Light
This 12 ‐ volt battery light comes on
briefly when the ignition is turned to
ON/RUN, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show it is
working.
It should go out once the engine
has been started. If it stays on,
or comes on while driving, there
could be a problem with the 12 ‐ volt
charging system. Have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. A 12 ‐ volt
charging system Driver Information
Center (DIC) message may also
appear. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5 ‑ 5 for more
information. This light could indicate
that there are electrical problems.
Have it checked right away. If a short distance must be driven with
the light on, be certain to turn off all
the accessories.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
{ WARNINGDo not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil. This light comes on briefly as a
check it works, when the ignition is
in ON/RUN. If it does not, have the
vehicle serviced.
If the light comes on and stays on, it
means that oil is not flowing through
the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and might have
some other system problem.
During an Auto Stop there is zero
oil pressure, but this light will not
come on.