Page 54 of 90

Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
10-12 Vehicle Care If an airbag inflates or the vehicle
has been in a crash, the vehicle's
sensing system might command the
automatic hybrid battery disconnect
to open. See Replacing Airbag
System Parts after a Crash on
page 3 ‑ 1 for more information.
{ WARNINGBattery posts, terminals, and
related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and reproductive
harm. Wash hands after handling.
Vehicle Storage
{ WARNING
Batteries have acid that can burn
you and gas that can explode.
You can be badly hurt if you are
not careful. See Jump Starting on
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) page 10 ‑ 29 for tips on working
around a battery without
getting hurt.
Infrequent Usage: Remove the
12 ‐ volt battery black, negative ( − )
cable from the battery to keep the
battery from running down.
Extended Storage: Remove the
12 ‐ volt battery black, negative ( − )
cable from the battery or use a
battery trickle charger.
Remember to reconnect the battery
when ready to drive the vehicle.
Four-Wheel Drive Transfer Case
When to Check Lubricant
See “ Scheduled Maintenance ” in the
owner manual to determine how
often to check the lubricant. How to Check Lubricant
Active Transfer Case
A. Fill Plug
B. Drain Plug
To get an accurate reading, the
vehicle should be on a level
surface.
If the level is below the bottom of
the fill plug hole, some lubricant will
need to be added. Add enough
lubricant to raise the level to the
bottom of the fill plug hole. Use care
not to overtighten the plug.
Page 72 of 90

Black plate (30,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
10-30 Vehicle Care If the vehicle's 12 ‐ volt battery has
run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper
cables to start your vehicle. Use the
following steps to do it safely.
{ WARNINGBatteries can hurt you. They can
be dangerous because: .
They contain acid that can
burn you. .
They contain gas that can
explode or ignite. .
They contain enough
electricity to burn you.
If you do not follow these steps
exactly, some or all of these
things can hurt you.
Notice: Ignoring these steps
could result in costly damage to
the vehicle that would not be
covered by the warranty. Trying to start the vehicle by
pushing or pulling it will not
work, and it could damage the
vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must
have a 12 ‐ volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice: Only use a vehicle that
has a 12-volt system with a
negative ground for jump
starting. If the other vehicle does
not have a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles
can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough
so the jumper cables can reach,
but be sure the vehicles are not
touching each other. It could
cause a ground connection you
do not want. You would not be
able to start your vehicle, and
the bad grounding could damage
the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the
vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start procedure. Put the automatic
transmission in P (Park) or
a manual transmission in
N (Neutral) before setting the
parking brake. If you have a
four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure
the transfer case is in a drive
gear, not in N (Neutral).
Notice: If any accessories are left
on or plugged in during the jump
starting procedure, they could be
damaged. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Whenever possible,
turn off or unplug all accessories
on either vehicle when jump
starting the vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Unplug unnecessary
accessories plugged into the
cigarette lighter or the accessory
power outlets. Turn off the radio
and all the lamps that are not
needed.
This avoids sparks and helps
save both batteries. It could
save the radio!
Page 74 of 90

Black plate (32,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
10-32 Vehicle Care
{ WARNINGFans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
6. Check that the jumper cables
do not have loose or missing
insulation. If they do, you could
get a shock. The vehicles could
be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables,
here are some basic things you
should know. Positive (+) goes
to positive (+) or to a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle
has one. Negative ( − ) will go to a
heavy, unpainted metal engine
part or a solid engine ground.
Do not connect positive (+) to
negative ( − ) or you will get a
short that would damage the
battery and maybe other parts
too. Do not connect the
negative ( − ) cable to the negative ( − ) terminal on the dead
battery because this can cause
sparks.
7. Connect the red positive (+)
cable to the positive (+) terminal
of the vehicle with the dead
battery. Use a remote
positive (+) if the vehicle
has one.
8. Do not let the other end touch
metal. Connect it to the
positive (+) terminal of the
good battery. Use a remote
positive (+) if the vehicle
has one.
9. Now connect the black
negative ( − ) cable to the
negative ( − ) terminal of the
good battery. Use a remote
negative ( − ) if the vehicle
has one.
Do not let the other end touch
anything until the next step. The
other end of the negative ( − )
cable does not go to the dead
battery. It goes to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or to the remote negative ( − )
terminal on the vehicle with the
dead battery.
10. Connect the other end of the
negative ( − ) cable to the
remote negative ( − ) terminal,
on the vehicle with the dead
battery.
11. Now start the vehicle with the
good battery and run the
engine for a while.
12. Try to start the vehicle that
had the dead battery. If it will
not start after a few tries, it
probably needs service.
Notice: If the jumper cables are
connected or removed in the
wrong order, electrical shorting
may occur and damage the
vehicle. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always connect and remove the
jumper cables in the correct
order, making sure that the
cables do not touch each other or
other metal.
Page 75 of 90

Black plate (33,1)Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-33Jumper Cable Removal
A. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine
Part or Remote Negative ( − )
Terminal
B. Good Battery or Remote
Positive (+) and Remote
Negative ( − ) Terminals
C. Dead Battery or Remote
Positive (+) Terminal To disconnect the jumper cables
from both vehicles:
1. Disconnect the black
negative ( − ) cable from the
vehicle that had the bad battery.
2. Disconnect the black
negative ( − ) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive (+)
cable from the vehicle with the
good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+)
cable from the other vehicle.
5. Return the remote positive (+)
terminal cover to its original
position. Towing Recreational Vehicle
Towing Recreational vehicle towing
means towing the vehicle behind
another vehicle – such as behind
a motorhome. The two most
common types of recreational
vehicle towing are known as dinghy
towing and dolly towing. Dinghy
towing is towing the vehicle with all
four wheels on the ground. Dolly
towing is towing the vehicle with
two wheels on the ground and
two wheels up on a device known
as a dolly.