
Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
3-12 Seats and Restraints
Automatic Fold and Tumble
Feature
The transmission must be in
P (Park) for this feature to work.
{WARNING
Automatically folding and
tumbling the seat when someone
is sitting in the seat, could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always make sure there is no one
sitting in the seat before pressing
the automatic seat release button.Folding and Tumbling the Second
Row Seat from the Third Row Seat
or Outside the Vehicle
{WARNING
Using the third row seating
position while the second row is
folded, or folded and tumbled,
could cause injury in a sudden
stop or crash. Be sure to return
the seat to the passenger seating
position. Push and pull on the
seat to make sure it is locked into
place.To fold and tumble the seat from the
third row seat, if equipped:
1. Make sure that there is nothing
under, in front of, or on the seat.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat.

Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-13
Driver Side Rear Panel ButtonShown
2. Press the automatic seat release button on the panel behind the
rear doors.
The seatback automatically
folds flat and the seat tumbles
forward. There will be a slight
delay between the folding of the
seatback and the tumbling of
the seat.
Returning the Seat to the
Sitting Position
To return the seat to the sitting
position from the tumbled position:
1. Pull the seat down until it latchesto the floor. The seatback cannot
be raised if the seat is not
latched to the floor.
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
2. Lift the seatback and push it rearward. Push and pull on the
seatback to make sure it is
locked.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is improperly
routed, not properly attached,
or twisted will not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After raising the
rear seatback, always check to
be sure that the safety belts are
properly routed and attached, and
are not twisted.
3. For the 60/40 split-bench seat, make sure the safety belt in the
center seating position is not
caught between the two seats
and is not twisted.

Black plate (14,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
3-14 Seats and Restraints
Third Row Seats
If the vehicle has a third row seat,
the seatback can be folded, and
the entire seat can be tumbled or
removed from the vehicle.
Folding the Seatback
To fold the seatback:
1. Open the liftgate to access thecontrols for the seat.
2. Remove all items on the seat cushion.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat.
3. Lift the release lever “1,”on the
bottom rear of the seatback on
the outboard side of the seat,
and the seatback folds forward.
Returning the Seatback to the
Upright Position
To return the seatback to the upright
position:
1. Open the liftgate to access the controls for the seat.
2. Raise the seatback to the upright position.
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.
Tumbling the Third Row Seat
To tumble the seat:
1. Open the liftgate to access thecontrols for the seat.
2. Make sure the headrests are completely lowered and there is
nothing under, in front of, or on
the seat.
3. Fold the seatbacks forward using lever “1”and the
instructions listed previously
under “Folding the Seatback.”

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-15
The seat cannot be unlatched
from the floor unless the
seatback is folded.
4. Unlatch the seat from the floorby lifting lever “2”next to the
carrying handle on the rear of
the seat, near the bottom.
5. Lift the rear of the seat up from the floor.
6. Tilt the seat fully forward to lock it into place.
7. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked. Put the seat in this position only
when necessary for additional cargo
space.
Returning the Third Row Seat
from a Tumbled Position
To return the seat to the normal
seating position:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Make sure there is nothing that could become trapped under
the seat.
3. Release the seat from the tumbled position by lifting
lever “2”next to the carrying
handle at the bottom rear of
the seat.
4. Pull the seat down until it latches to the floor. The seatback cannot
be raised to the upright position
unless the seat is latched to the
floor.
5. Raise the seatback to the upright position.
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.
Removing the Third Row Seat
To remove the seat:
1. Open the liftgate to access thecontrols for the seat.
2. Fold the seatbacks forward using lever “1”and the
instructions listed previously
under “Folding the Seatback.”
The seat cannot be unlatched
from the floor unless the
seatback is folded.

Black plate (16,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
3-16 Seats and Restraints
3. Unlatch the seat from the floorby pulling the handle at the rear
of the seat “3 Removal Only”
toward the rear of the vehicle.
4. Roll the seat out of the vehicle. There is a track in the floor to
guide the seat wheels out of the
vehicle.
Installing the Third Row Seat
To install the seat:
1. Open the liftgate to access therear of the vehicle.
2. Slide the front outboard seat wheels into the track on the floor
and roll the seat forward. The
front latches should lock into
place. If the latches do not lock,
try tilting the rear of the seat
upward slightly.
3. Lower the rear of the seat and push down on the seat to
engage the rear floor latches.
{WARNING
A seat that is not locked into
place properly can move around
in a collision or sudden stop.
People in the vehicle could be
injured. Be sure to lock the
seat into place properly when
installing it. 4. Push and pull on the seat to
make sure it is locked into place.
The seatback cannot be raised
to the upright position unless the
seat is latched to the floor.
5. Raise the seatback to the upright position.
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.

Black plate (19,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-19
There are important things to know
about wearing a safety belt properly.
.Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front
of you.
.Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position.
.Wear the lap part of the belt
low and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong
pelvic bones and you would be
less likely to slide under the lap
belt. If you slid under it, the beltwould apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
.Wear the shoulder belt over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are
best able to take belt restraining
forces. The shoulder belt locks if
there is a sudden stop or crash.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly.
.Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted.
.Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back.
.Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt except for
the center front passenger position,
if equipped, which has a lap belt.
See
Lap Belt on page 3‑25 for more
information.
The lap‐shoulder belts for the first
and second row seating positions
are equipped with free‐falling latch
plates. If the vehicle has a third row,
the lap‐shoulder belts have either
free‐falling or cinching latch plates.

Black plate (20,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
3-20 Seats and Restraints
Use the following pictures to
determine the latch plate style:
Free-Falling Latch Plate
Cinching Latch Plate
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index. 2. Pick up the latch plate and pull
the belt across you. Do not let it
get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you very
quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a
passenger belt with a free‐falling
latch plate is pulled out all the
way, the child restraint locking
feature may be engaged. If this
happens, let the belt go back all
the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint
locking feature in the right front
seating position may affect the
passenger sensing system,
if equipped. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑35
for more information.

Black plate (22,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
3-22 Seats and Restraints
To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger positions.
Adjust the height so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑18.
Squeeze the buttons (A) on the
sides of the height adjuster and
move the height adjuster to the
desired position.
The adjuster can be moved up just
by pushing up on the shoulder belt
guide.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without squeezing the buttons to
make sure it has locked into
position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near
frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if the
vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help
tighten the safety belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
the pretensioners and probably
other parts of the vehicle's safety
belt system will need to be replaced.
See Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash on page 3‑27.