2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE check engine light

Black plate (25,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-25
Brake Fluid
The brake master cylinder reservoir
is filled with DOT 3 brake fluid. See
Engine Compartment Overview on
page 10‑6for the location of the
reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the
brake fluid level in the reservoir
might go down:
.The brake fluid level goes down
because of normal brake lining
wear. When new linings are
installed, the fluid level goes
back up.
.A fluid leak in the brake
hydraulic system can also cause
a low fluid level. Have the brake
hydraulic system fixed, since a
leak means that sooner or later
the brakes will not work well. Do not top off the brake fluid.
Adding fluid does not correct a
leak. If fluid is added when the
linings are worn, there will be too
much fluid when new brake linings
are installed. Add or remove brake
fluid, as necessary, only when work
is done on the brake hydraulic
system.
{WARNING
If too much brake fluid is added, it
can spill on the engine and burn,
if the engine is hot enough. You
or others could be burned, and
the vehicle could be damaged.
Add brake fluid only when work
is done on the brake hydraulic
system. See
“Checking Brake
Fluid” in this section.
When the brake fluid falls to a low
level, the brake warning light comes
on. See Brake System Warning
Light on page 5‑18. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule
to determine when to check the
brake fluid. See
Maintenance
Schedule on page 11‑4.
Checking Brake Fluid
Check brake fluid by looking at the
brake fluid reservoir. See Engine
Compartment Overview on
page 10‑6.
The fluid level should be above
MIN. If it is not, have the brake
hydraulic system checked to see if
there is a leak.

Black plate (90,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
10-90 Vehicle Care
The remote negative (−) terminal
is a stud located on the right
front of the engine, where the
negative battery cable attaches.
SeeEngine Compartment
Overview on page 10‑6 for more
information on the location of the
remote positive (+) and remote
negative (−) terminals.
{WARNING
An electric fan can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{WARNING
Using an open flame near a
battery can cause battery gas to
explode. People have been hurt
doing this, and some have been
blinded. Use a flashlight if you
need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You do not need to add
water to the battery installed in
your new vehicle. But if a battery
has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low,
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
add water to take care of that
first. If you do not, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
{WARNING
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
5. 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.

Black plate (10,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
11-10 Service and Maintenance
Battery
The battery supplies power to
start the engine and operate any
additional electrical accessories.
.To avoid break‐down or failure
to start the vehicle, maintain a
battery with full cranking power.
.Trained dealer technicians have
the diagnostic equipment to test
the battery and ensure that the
connections and cables are
corrosion‐free.
Belts
.Belts may need replacing if
they squeak or show signs of
cracking or splitting.
.Trained dealer technicians
can inspect the belts and
recommend replacement when
necessary. Brakes
Brakes stop the vehicle and are
crucial to safe driving.
.Signs of brake wear may include
chirping, grinding, or squealing
noises, or difficulty stopping.
.Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the brakes and
recommend quality parts
engineered for the vehicle.
Fluids
Proper fluid levels and approved
fluids protect the vehicle’s
systems and components. See
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑13
for GM
approved fluids..Engine oil and windshield
washer fluid levels should be
checked at every fuel fill.
.Instrument cluster lights may
come on to indicate that fluids
may be low and need to be
filled.
Hoses
Hoses transport fluids and should
be regularly inspected to ensure
that there are no cracks or leaks.
With a multi‐point inspection, your
dealer can inspect the hoses and
advise if replacement is needed.

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . . 9-27
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-14
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Airbag Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-29
Airbags Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-14
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Servicing Airbag-EquippedVehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Alarm System Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 9-34, 10-27
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Antenna Rear Side Window . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-36
Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Audio Players CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
Audio System Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-56
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-3
Automatic Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Level Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-29 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-88
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-31
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-100
Brake Pedal and Adjustable
Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-18
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-37
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9, 2-12
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-3
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-15
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-30
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-58, 3-61, 3-62
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
i-4 INDEX
Dual Automatic ClimateControl System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
DVD Rear SeatEntertainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32, 7-42
DVD/CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
E
E85 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Electrical Equipment,
Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Electrical System
Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Emergency, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6 Engine (cont'd)
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-31
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Overheated Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-29
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Engine Oil
Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-20
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-5
F
Fan Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Features Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-7
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-103
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . .10-11
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Front Fog Lamp
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Front Seats Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Black plate (6,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
i-6 INDEX
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Ignition Transmission Lock
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Infants and Young Children,
Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-88
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-33
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-47
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Lamps Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-16
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
LATCH System Replacing Parts after a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-58 LATCH, Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Level Control Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Liftgate Carbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . 2-9, 2-12
Light StabiliTrak®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Lighting Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Lights
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-18
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23

Black plate (8,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
i-8 INDEX
N
NavigationDestination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-66
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-61
Using the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Vehicle Data Recordingand Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-22
Navigation, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
O
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Object Detection, Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5 Oil
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-43
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
OnStar
®
Additional Information . . . . . . . . 14-5
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar
®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-18
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8 Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Overview, Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Overview, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
P
Park
Shifting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Shifting out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Park Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Parking
Assist, Ultrasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-31
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-27