
Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-7
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 not connected
with any other vehicle system and
runs by itself.
To adjust the clock, do the following:
1. Locate the adjustment button,
near 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
you get to the desired time.
3. Push and release the button to increase the time by one minute
increments until the desired time
is reached.

Black plate (29,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-29
Vehicle Messages
Messages displayed on the DIC
indicate the status of the vehicle or
some action may be needed to
correct a condition. Multiple
messages may appear one after
another.
The messages that do not require
immediate action can be
acknowledge and cleared by
pressing any DIC button.
The messages that require
immediate action cannot be cleared
until that action is performed.
All messages should be taken
seriously and clearing the message
does not correct the problem.
The following are the possible
messages and some information
about them.
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages
BATTERY LOW START
VEHICLE
When the vehicle’s battery is
severely discharged, this message
will display and four chimes
will sound. Start the vehicle
immediately. If the vehicle is not
started and the battery continues to
discharge, the climate controls,
heated seats, and audio systems
will shut off and the vehicle may
require a jump start. These systems
will function again after the vehicle
is started.
SERVICE BATTERY
CHARGING SYSTEM
On some vehicles, this message
displays if there is a problem with
the battery charging system. Under
certain conditions, the charging
system light may also turn on
in the instrument panel cluster. See
Charging System Light on
page 5‑15. Driving with this problem
could drain the battery. Turn off all
unnecessary accessories. Have the
electrical system checked as soon
as possible. See your dealer.
Brake System Messages
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM
This message displays along with
the brake system warning light if
there is a problem with the brake
system. See Brake System Warning
Light on page 5‑18. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible
and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message
is still displayed or appears again
when you begin driving, the brake
system needs service as soon as
possible. See your dealer.

Black plate (43,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-43
There is no default for chime
volume. The volume will stay at the
last known setting.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
PARK TILT MIRRORS
This feature allows you to select
whether or not the outside mirror(s)
will automatically tilt down when the
vehicle is shifted into R (Reverse).
SeePark Tilt Mirrors on page 2‑18
for more information.
Press the customization button until
PARK TILT MIRRORS appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF (default): Neither outside
mirror will be tilted down when the
vehicle is shifted into R (Reverse). DRIVER MIRROR:
The driver
outside mirror will be tilted down
when the vehicle is shifted into
R (Reverse).
PASSENGER MIRROR: The
passenger outside mirror will be
tilted down when the vehicle is
shifted into R (Reverse).
BOTH MIRRORS: The driver and
passenger outside mirrors will be
tilted down when the vehicle is
shifted into R (Reverse).
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
EASY EXIT RECALL
If your vehicle has this feature, it
allows you to select your preference
for the automatic easy exit seat
feature. See Memory Seats on
page 3‑5 for more information. Press the customization button until
EASY EXIT RECALL appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
DOOR BUTTON ONLY:
No
automatic seat exit recall will occur.
The recall will only occur after
pressing the easy exit seat button.
BUTTON AND KEY OUT
(default): If the features are
enabled through the EASY EXIT
SETUP menu, the driver seat will
move back, and if the vehicle has
the power tilt wheel feature, the
power steering column will move up
when the key is removed from the
ignition or after pressing the easy
exit seat button.

Black plate (44,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
5-44 Instruments and Controls
The automatic easy exit seat
movement will only occur one time
after the key is removed from the
ignition. If the automatic movement
has already occurred, and you put
the key back in the ignition and
remove it again, the seat and
steering column will stay in the
original exit position, unless a
memory recall took place prior to
removing the key again.
NO CHANGE:No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
EASY EXIT SETUP
If your vehicle has this feature, it
allows you to select which areas will
recall with the automatic easy exit
seat feature. It also allows you to
turn off the automatic easy exit
feature. See Memory Seats on
page 3‑5 and“EASY EXIT RECALL”
earlier for more information. Press the customization button until
EASY EXIT SETUP appears on the
DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
menu up/down button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF:
No automatic seat exit will
recall.
SEAT ONLY: The driver seat will
recall.
TILT ONLY: The steering wheel tilt
feature will recall.
SEAT & TILT (default): The driver
seat and the steering wheel tilt
feature will recall.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC. MEMORY SEAT RECALL
This feature allows you to select
your preference for the remote
memory seat recall feature. See
Memory Seats on page 3‑5
for more
information.
Press the customization button until
MEMORY SEAT RECALL appears
on the DIC display. Press the set/
reset button once to access the
settings for this feature. Then press
the customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF (default): No remote memory
seat recall will occur.
ON: The driver seat, and on
some vehicles, the outside mirrors
will automatically move to the
stored driving position when the
unlock button on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter
is pressed. On some vehicles with
the adjustable throttle and brake
pedal feature, the pedals will also
automatically move.

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
6-10 Lighting
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all the
power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information
Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as BATTERY LOW
START VEHICLE. If this message
displays, it is recommended that the
driver reduce the electrical loads as
much as possible and restart the
vehicle. See
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages on page 5‑29.
Battery Power Protection
This feature shuts off the dome
lamps if they are left on for more
than 10 minutes when the ignition is
in LOCK/OFF. This helps to prevent
the battery from running down.

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-1
Climate Controls
Climate Control Systems
Dual Automatic Climate ControlSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear Climate Control System (Rear Climate with Rear Seat
Audio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Air Vents
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Climate Control Systems
Dual Automatic Climate Control System
The heating, cooling, and ventilation in the vehicle can be controlled
with this system. The vehicle also has a flow-through ventilation system
described later in this section.
Climate Control with Heated and Cooled Seats Shown
A. Driver and Passenger Temperature Controls
B. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
C. Defrost
D. Recirculation
E. Rear Window Defogger F. Air Conditioning
G. Heated and Cooled Seats
H. Fan Control
I. REAR (Rear Climate Control)
J. Air Delivery Mode Control

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-5
This mode recirculates and helps
to quickly cool the air inside the
vehicle. It can be used to help
prevent outside air and odors from
entering the vehicle.
The recirculation mode cannot be
used with floor, defog, or defrost
modes. If recirculation is selected
with one of those modes, the
indicator light flashes three times
and then turns off. The air
conditioning compressor also comes
on when this mode is activated.
While in recirculation mode the
windows may fog when the weather
is cold and damp. To clear the fog,
select either the defog or defrost
mode and increase the fan speed.
The recirculation mode can also be
turned off by turning off the ignition.REAR (Rear Climate Control):
For
vehicles with the rear heating and
air conditioning controls. Press the
REAR button to turn the rear climate
control system on or off. See Rear
Climate Control System (Rear
Climate with Rear Seat Audio) on
page 8‑6.
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a
warming grid to remove fog from the
rear window.
1(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. It automatically
turns off after it has been activated.
The defogger can also be turned off
by turning off the engine. Do not
drive the vehicle until all the
windows are clear. Notice:
Do not use a razor blade
or sharp object to clear the inside
rear window. Do not adhere
anything to the defogger grid
lines in the rear glass. These
actions may damage the rear
defogger. Repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
Heated Mirrors: Press
1to help
clear fog or frost from the surface of
the outside mirror. See “Outside
Heated Mirrors” inHeated Mirrors
on page 2‑17.
Heated or Cooled Seats: For
vehicles with heated and cooled
seats, see Heated and Ventilated
Front Seats on page 3‑7.

Black plate (6,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
8-6 Climate Controls
Rear Climate Control System (Rear Climate with Rear
Seat Audio)
For vehicles with the rear heat and air conditioning controls, they are
integrated with the rear seat audio controls located in the center console.
The system can be controlled from the front controls as well as the rear
controls.
Rear Climate Control with Rear Seat Audio Controls
A. Fan Control
B. Air Delivery Mode Control
C. Temperature Control REAR:
Press the REAR button on
the front climate control system to
turn the rear climate control system
on or off. An indicator comes on
when the rear system is on. The rear climate control system can
also be turned off by pressing and
holding the
Cbutton. To turn the
system on from the rear seats,
press any rear climate control
button, except the
Cbutton.
Mimic Mode: This mode matches
the rear climate control to the front
climate control airflow settings.
It comes on when REAR is pressed
the first time.
Independent Mode: This mode
directs rear seating airflow
according to the settings of the rear
controls.
To turn the system on from the rear,
press any rear climate control
button, except the
Cbutton.