Page 9 of 538

Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-3
A.Air Vents on page 8‑7.
B. Turn and Lane‐Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑7.
Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑4.
C. Instrument Cluster on
page 5‑11.
D. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑7.
E. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑29.
Driver Shift Control (DSC). See
Manual Mode on page 9‑32.
F. Tow/Haul Mode on page 9‑33.
G. Driver Information Center (DIC) Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑24.
H. Clock on page 5‑7. I.
Infotainment on page 7‑2.
J. StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑37.
Rear Park Aid Disable Button.
See Ultrasonic Parking Assist
on page 9‑43.
K. Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2.
L. Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
M. Dome Lamp Override. See Dome Lamps on page 6‑9.
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑8.
Fog Lamps on page 6‑8.
N. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑16. O. Automatic Transfer Case
Control (Hybrid only). See the
hybrid supplement for more
information.
P. Cruise Control on page 9‑41.
Heated Steering Wheel on
page 5‑4 (If Equipped).
Q. Horn on page 5‑4.
R. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2.
S. Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑1.
T. Pedal Adjust Button. See Adjustable Throttle and Brake
Pedal on page 9‑21.
Power Assist Steps on
page 2‑13 (If Equipped).
Page 10 of 538

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
1-4 In Brief
Initial Drive
Information
This section provides a brief
overview about some of the
important features that may or may
not be on your specific vehicle.
For more detailed information, refer
to each of the features which can be
found later in this owner manual.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
The RKE transmitter is used to
remotely lock and unlock the doors
from up to 60 m (195 ft) away from
the vehicle.
PressKto unlock the driver door.
Press
Kagain within three seconds
to unlock all remaining doors.
Press
Qto lock all doors.
Lock and unlock feedback can
be personalized. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑38.
Press and hold
8to open or
close the liftgate.
Press and hold
mto open the
liftglass. Press
Land release to locate the
vehicle.
Press
Land hold for
three seconds to sound the panic
alarm.
Press
Lagain to cancel the panic
alarm.
See Keys on page 2‑2 andRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2‑3.
Remote Vehicle Start
With this feature the engine can be
started from outside of the vehicle.
Starting the Vehicle
1. Aim the RKE transmitter at the vehicle.
2. Press and release
Q.
3. Immediately after completing Step 2, press and hold
/until
the turn signal lamps flash.
Page 11 of 538

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-5
When the vehicle starts, the parking
lamps will turn on and remain on as
long as the engine is running. The
doors will be locked and the climate
control system may come on.
The engine will continue to run for
10 minutes. Repeat the steps for a
10-minute time extension. Remote
start can be extended only once.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at
the vehicle and press and
hold
/until the parking lamps
turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition on and then
back off.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5.
Door Locks
There are several ways to lock and
unlock the vehicle.
From outside, use the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter or
the key in the driver door.
From inside, use the power door
locks or the manual door locks. To
lock or unlock the door with the
manual locks, push down or pull up
on the manual lock knob.
Power Door Locks
If available, the switches are on the
front doors.
K: Press to unlock the doors.
Q:Press to lock the doors.
See Door Locks on page 2‑7.
Liftgate
PressKtwice on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter or
use the power door lock switches to
unlock the liftgate.
There are several ways to open and
close the power liftgate:
.Press and hold8on the RKE
transmitter until the liftgate starts
moving.
.Press8on the overhead
console inside the vehicle.
Page 12 of 538

Black plate (6,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
1-6 In Brief
.Press the touch pad switch on
the underside of the liftgate
handle (B).
.Presslon the bottom of the
liftgate next to the latch to close.
To disable the power liftgate
function, press OFF on the
overhead console.
Liftglass
There are two ways to unlatch the
liftglass:
.Press the button on the
underside of the license plate
applique (A).
.Pressmon the RKE
transmitter.
See Liftgate (Power) on page 2‑9 or
Liftgate (Manual) on page 2‑12.
Windows
The power window controls are
located on each of the side doors.
The driver door also has switches
that control the front passenger and
rear windows. The power windows
work when the ignition is in ON/
RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY, or in
Retained Accessory Power (RAP).
See Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑25.
Press the switch to lower the
window. Pull the switch up to
raise it. For more information, see:
.Windows on page 2‑19.
.Power Windows on page 2‑20.
Seat Adjustment
To adjust the seat:
.Move the seat forward or
rearward by sliding the control
forward or rearward.
.Raise or lower the front or rear
part of the seat cushion by
moving the front or rear of the
control up or down.
Page 13 of 538
Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-7
.Raise or lower the entire seat by
moving the entire control up
or down.
See Power Seat Adjustment on
page 3‑3 for more information.
Lumbar Adjustment
To adjust the lumbar support:
.Press and hold the front or rear
of the control to increase or
decrease lumbar support.
.Press and hold the top or bottom
of the control to raise or lower
the height of the support. See
Lumbar Adjustment on
page 3‑3 for more information.
Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback:
.Tilt the top of the control
rearward to recline.
.Tilt the top of the control forward
to raise.
See Reclining Seatbacks on
page 3‑4 for more information.
Memory Features
The controls on the driver door are
used to program and recall memory
settings for the driver seat, outside
mirrors, power steering column, and
the adjustable throttle and brake
pedals.
Page 14 of 538

Black plate (8,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
1-8 In Brief
Storing Memory Positions
To save into memory:
1. Adjust the driver seat, includingthe seatback recliner and
lumbar, both outside mirrors,
power steering column, and the
throttle and brake pedals.
See Power Mirrors on
page 2‑17, Steering Wheel
Adjustment on page 5‑2, and
Adjustable Throttle and Brake
Pedal on page 9‑21 for more
information.
Not all mirrors and adjustable
throttles and brake pedals will
have the ability to save and
recall their positions.
2. Press and hold “1”until
two beeps sound.
3. Repeat for a second driver position using “2.”
To recall, press and release “1”
or “2.” The vehicle must be in
P (Park). A single beep will sound. The seat, outside mirrors, steering
column, and adjustable throttle
and brake pedals will move to the
positions previously stored for the
identified driver.
See
Memory Seats on page 3‑5
and Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑38 for more information.
Easy Exit Positions
This feature can move the driver
seat rearward and the power
steering column up and forward to
allow extra room to exit the vehicle.
B: Press to recall the easy exit
positions. The vehicle must be in
P (Park).
See Memory Seats on page 3‑5
and Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑38 for more information.
Second Row Seats
On vehicles with a 60/40 split bench
or buckets seats, the seatbacks can
be folded for additional cargo space,
or the seats can be folded and
tumbled for easy entry/exit to the
third row seats, if equipped. On
vehicles with bucket seats, the
seatbacks also recline.
SeeSecond Row Seats on
page 3‑9 for more information.
Third Row Seats
On vehicles with third row seats, the
seatbacks can be folded, and the
entire seat can be tumbled or
removed from the vehicle.
For detailed instructions, see Third
Row Seats on page 3‑14.
Page 15 of 538

Black plate (9,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-9
Heated and Ventilated
Seats
The buttons are on the climate
control panel.
{:Press to cool the entire seat.
+:Press to heat the
seatback only.
z: Press to heat the seat and
seatback.
Press the desired button once for
the highest setting. With each press
of the button, the seat will change to
the next lower setting, and then to the off setting. Indicator bars next to
the symbol on the climate control
display show the selected setting:
three for high, two for medium, and
one for low.
See
Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats on page 3‑7.
Heated Rear Seats
The buttons are on the Rear Sear
Audio (RSA) panel on the rear of the
center console. Press
MorLto heat the left
outboard or right outboard seat
cushion and to cycle through the
temperature settings.
See Heated Rear Seats on
page 3‑8.
Head Restraint
Adjustment
Do not drive until the head restraints
for all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
To achieve a comfortable seating
position, change the seatback
recline angle as little as necessary
while keeping the seat and the
head restraint height in the proper
position.
For more information see Head
Restraints on page 3‑2 andPower
Seat Adjustment on page 3‑3.
Page 16 of 538
Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
1-10 In Brief
Safety Belts
Refer to the following sections for
important information on how to use
safety belts properly.
.Safety Belts on page 3‑17.
.How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly on page 3‑18.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑19.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑51.
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 3‑35 for important information.