Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
9-12 Driving and Operating
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips for
driving in these conditions include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
.Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
.Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{WARNING
If you do not shift down, the
brakes could get so hot that they
would not work well. You would
then have poor braking or even
none going down a hill. You could
crash. Shift down to let the engine
assist the brakes on a steep
downhill slope.
{WARNING
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. The brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down
and they could get so hot that
they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill.
Steering may also be affected
when ignition is off. You could
crash. Always have the engine
running and the vehicle in gear
when going downhill.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
.Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(stalled car, accident).
.Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the
condition. Accelerate gently so
traction is not lost. Accelerating too
quickly causes the wheels to spin
and makes the surface under the
tires slick, so there is even less
traction.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 10-9
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-12
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-18
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20 Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-20
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-27
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-28
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-30
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31 Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-32
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Electrical System
Electrical System
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-42
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Black plate (41,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
Vehicle Care 10-41
WARNING (Continued)
.Worn or old tires can
cause a crash. If the tread
is badly worn,
replace them.
.Replace any tires that
have been damaged by
impacts with potholes,
curbs, etc.
.Improperly repaired tires
can cause a crash. Only
the dealer or an
authorized tire service
center should repair,
replace, dismount, and
mount the tires.
.Do not spin the tires in
excess of 56 km/h
(35 mph) on slippery
surfaces such as snow,
mud, ice, etc. Excessive
spinning may cause the
tires to explode.See
Tire Pressure for
High-Speed Operation on
page 10‑48 for inflation pressure
adjustment for high speed
driving.
22‐Inch Tires
If the vehicle has 22‐inch P285/
45R22 size tires, they are
classified as touring tires and
are designed for on‐road use.
The low‐profile, wide tread
design is not recommended for
off‐road driving. See Off-Road
Driving on page 9‑6, for
additional information.
Notice: Low‐profile tires are
more susceptible to damage
from road hazards or curb
impact than standard profile
tires. Tire and/or wheel
assembly damage can occur
when coming into contact
with road hazards like,
potholes, or sharp edged
objects, or when sliding into a curb. The warranty does not
cover this type of damage.
Keep tires set to the correct
inflation pressure and, when
possible, avoid contact with
curbs, potholes, and other
road hazards.
All-Season Tires
This vehicle may come with
all-season tires. These tires are
designed to provide good overall
performance on most road surfaces
and weather conditions. Original
equipment tires designed to GM's
specific tire performance criteria
have a TPC specification code
molded onto the sidewall. Original
equipment all-season tires can be
identified by the last two characters
of this TPC code, which will
be
“MS.”
Consider installing winter tires on
the vehicle if frequent driving on
snow or ice-covered roads is
expected. All-season tires provide
adequate performance for most
Black plate (42,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
10-42 Vehicle Care
winter driving conditions, but they
may not offer the same level of
traction or performance as winter
tires on snow or ice-covered roads.
SeeWinter Tires on page 10‑42.
Winter Tires
This vehicle was not, originally,
equipped with winter tires. Winter
tires are designed for increased
traction on snow and ice-covered
roads. Consider installing winter
tires on the vehicle if frequent
driving on snow or ice-covered
roads is expected. See your dealer
for details regarding winter tire
availability and proper tire selection.
Also, see Buying New Tires on
page 10‑55.
With winter tires, there may be
decreased dry road traction,
increased road noise, and shorter
tread life. After changing to winter
tires, be alert for changes in vehicle
handling and braking. If using winter tires:
.Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.
.Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as the original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W, Y,
and ZR speed rated tires. If winter
tires with a lower speed rating are
chosen, never exceed the tire's
maximum speed capability.
Summer Tires
This vehicle may come with high
performance summer tires. These
tires have a special tread and
compound that are optimized for
maximum dry and wet road
performance. This special tread and
compound will decrease
performance in cold climates, and
on ice and snow. We recommend
installing winter tires on the vehicle if frequent driving in cold
temperatures or on snow or ice
covered roads is expected. See
Winter Tires on page 10‑42.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is
molded into the sidewall. The
example shows a typical
passenger vehicle tire sidewall.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire
(A) Tire Size:The tire size
code is a combination of letters
and numbers used to define a
Black plate (58,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
10-58 Vehicle Care
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter tires,
compact spare tires, tires withnominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tiregraded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
–AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-29
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-103
Brake Pedal and Adjustable
Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-19
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-32
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-3 Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-16
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-28
Child Restraints
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-56, 3-57, 3-60
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-93
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-14
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
INDEX i-3
Compressor Kit, TireSealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Configure Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-84
Connections OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Continuous Damping Control (CDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Engine Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Courtesy Transportation
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-5 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5 Customer Information
Service Publications
Ordering Information . . . . . . 13-17
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-14
Danger, Warnings, andCautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-19
Database Coverage Explanations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-100
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Destination, Navigation . . . . . . . . 7-70
Devices Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Diagnostics OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9 Door
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . 12-4
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 10-25, 9-34
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Driving
Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . 1-23
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-12
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
i-12 INDEX
Tires (cont'd)Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-49
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Sealant and
Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Sealant and Compressor Kit, Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Secondary Latch System . . . 10-79
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-59
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 9-57
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-87 Towing (cont'd)
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 9-67
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Road Sensing Suspension . . . 9-40
Trailer
Sway Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-44
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Universal Remote System . . . . . 5-46 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Updates Map Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-99
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
V
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-97
Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-37