2013 CADILLAC ESCALADE tow

Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
3-12 Seats and Restraints
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.
Driver Side Rear Panel Button
Shown
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.

Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
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Seats and Restraints 3-13
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.
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 - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
Seats and Restraints 3-15
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.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.
7. Make sure the safety belts are returned to the original position
over the seatbacks.

Black plate (20,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
3-20 Seats and Restraints
3. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks. If you find
that the latch plate will not go
fully into the buckle, see if you
are using the correct buckle.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the belt
is not long enough, see Safety
Belt Extender on page 3‑25.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary. 4. If equipped with a shoulder belt
height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you. See
“Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster”
in this section for instructions on
use and important safety
information.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.
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.

Black plate (32,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
3-32 Seats and Restraints
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of
what the repair costs were. For
frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. For
seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by the
direction of the roll.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbags modules in the
side of the front seatbacks closest
to the door. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows that have
occupant seating positions.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping the
occupant more gradually. Seat‐mounted side impact and roof-rail
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first, second, and third rows,
if equipped with a third row seat.
The rollover capable roof-rail
airbags are designed to help reduce
the risk of full or partial ejection in
rollover events, although no system
can prevent all such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑30 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.

Black plate (38,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
3-38 Seats and Restraints
If the shoulder portion of the belt is
pulled out all the way, the child
restraint locking feature will be
engaged. This may unintentionally
cause the passenger sensing
system to turn the airbag off for
some adult‐size occupants. If this
happens, let the belt go back all the
way and start again.
A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion,
or aftermarket equipment such as
seat covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers, can affect how well the
passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that you
not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. SeeAdding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑39 for more information
about modifications that can affect
how the system operates.
The on indicator may be lit if an
object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop,
or other electronic device, is put on an unoccupied seat. If this is not
desired, remove the object from
the seat.
{WARNING
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are parts
of the airbag system in several
places around the vehicle. Your
dealer and the service manual have
information about servicing the
vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑17.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
vehicle is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.

Black plate (54,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
3-54 Seats and Restraints
Do not fold the empty rear seat
with a safety belt buckled. This
could damage the safety belt or
the seat. Unbuckle and return the
safety belt to its stowed position,
before folding the seat.
If you need to secure more than one
child restraint in the rear seat, see
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑47.
This system is designed to make
installation of child restraints easier.
When using lower anchors, do not
use the vehicle's safety belts.
Instead use the vehicle's anchors
and child restraint attachments to
secure the restraints.Some restraints also use another
vehicle anchor to secure a top
tether.
1. Attach and tighten the lower
attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the safety belts. Refer to your
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions
in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired seating
position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on the child
restraint to the lower
anchors. 2. If the child restraint manufacturer
recommends that the top tether
be attached, attach and tighten
the top tether to the top tether
anchor, if equipped. Refer to the
child restraint instructions and
the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor.
2.2. Route, attach, and tighten
the top tether according to
your child restraint
instructions and the
following instructions:

Black plate (60,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
3-60 Seats and Restraints
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
Securing Child Restraints
(Rear Seat Position)
When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with the child
restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑49 for how and
where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is
secured in the vehicle using a
safety belt and it uses a top tether,
see Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑49 for top tether anchor
locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
If the child restraint does not have
the LATCH system, you will be
using the safety belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Be
sure to follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint. Secure
the child in the child restraint when
and as the instructions say.
If more than one child restraint
needs to be installed in the rear
seat, be sure to read
Where to Put
the Restraint on page 3‑47.
The vehicle's 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 cinching
latch plates. Use the following pictures to
determine the latch plate style:
Free-Falling Latch Plate