
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369153) -
2016 - crc - 6/19/15
Instruments and Controls 151
This can occur under the following
conditions:
.The radar is not clean. Keep the
radar sensors free of mud, dirt,
snow, ice, and slush. Clean the
entire front and/or rear of the
vehicle. For cleaning
instructions, see Exterior Care
0 323.
. Heavy rain or snow is interfering
with the radar object detection or
camera performance.
See Driver Assistance Systems
0 232.
SERVICE AUTOMATIC
COLLISION PREP
If this message displays, take the
vehicle to your dealer to repair the
system. Adaptive Cruise Control
(ACC), Forward Collision Alert
(FCA), and/or the Front Automatic
Braking (FAB) System may not
work. Do not use these systems
until the vehicle has been repaired.
SERVICE DRIVER ASSIST
SYSTEM
If this message displays, take the
vehicle to your dealer to repair the
system.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC),
Forward Collision Alert (FCA), Front
Automatic Braking (FAB) System,
Assistance Systems for Parking or
Backing, and/or Lane Keep Assist
(LKA) system may not work. Do not
use these systems until the vehicle
has been repaired.
SERVICE FRONT CAMERA
If this message remains on after
continued driving, the vehicle needs
service. Do not use the Lane Keep
Assist (LKA), Lane Departure
Warning (LDW), Front Automatic
Braking (FAB), and Forward
Collision Alert (FCA) features. Take
the vehicle to your dealer.
SERVICE PARK ASSIST
This message displays if there is a
problem with the Parking Assist
system. Do not use this system to
help you park. See your dealer for
service.
SERVICE REAR AUTO BRAKE
AND PARK ASSIST
This message displays if there is a
problem with the parking and
backing features of the Driver
Assistance System. Do not use this
system to help park or back the
vehicle. See your dealer for service.
SERVICE SIDE DETECTION
SYSTEM
If this message remains on after
continued driving, the vehicle needs
service. Side Blind Zone Alert
(SBZA), Lane Change Alert (LCA),
and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
features will not work. Take the
vehicle to your dealer.

Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369153) -
2016 - crc - 6/19/15
154 Instruments and Controls
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
This message displays when the
system is learning new tires. See
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation
0296.
TIRE LOW ADD AIR TO TIRE
This message displays when the
pressure in one or more of the tires
is low.
This message also displays LEFT
FRONT, RIGHT FRONT, LEFT
REAR, or RIGHT REAR to indicate
the location of the low tire.
The low tire pressure warning light
will also come on. See Tire
Pressure Light 0136.
If a tire pressure message appears
on the DIC, stop as soon as you
can. Inflate the tires by adding air
until the tire pressure is equal to the
values shown on the Tire and
Loading Information label. See Tires
0 291, Vehicle Load Limits 0196,
and Tire Pressure 0293. You can receive more than one tire
pressure message at a time. The
DIC also shows the tire pressure
values. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) 0139.
Transmission Messages
4WD OFF
If equipped with four-wheel drive,
this message displays when the
four-wheel-drive system is
temporarily disabled due to an
overheated condition. The vehicle
will run in two-wheel drive when this
message is present. Once the
four-wheel-drive system cools down,
the message turns off and the
four-wheel-drive system returns to
normal operation.
4WD SHIFT IN PROGRESS
This message will display while the
four-wheel-drive system is shifting.
GRADE BRAKING OFF
This message displays when grade
braking has been disabled with the
Tow/Haul Mode button on the end of the shift lever. See
Tow/Haul Mode
0 212, Automatic Transmission
0 207, and Cruise Control 0223.
GRADE BRAKING ON
This message displays when grade
braking has been enabled with the
Tow/Haul Mode button on the end of
the shift lever. See Tow/Haul Mode
0 212, Automatic Transmission
0 207, and Cruise Control 0223.
GRADE BRAKING ACTIVE
This message displays when grade
braking has been activated while
driving on downhill grades. This
message will only appear the first
time the feature is activated in an
ignition cycle. See Tow/Haul Mode
0 212, Automatic Transmission
0 207, and Cruise Control 0223.
SERVICE 4WD
If the vehicle has four-wheel drive,
this message may display if a
problem occurs with the
four-wheel-drive system. If this
message appears, stop as soon as
possible and turn off the vehicle.
Turn the vehicle off for at least

Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369153) -
2016 - crc - 6/19/15
158 Instruments and Controls
.Park Assist
. Lane Change Assist
. Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Alert Type
This feature will set crash alerts to
beeps or seat vibrations. This
setting affects all crash alerts
including Forward Collision Alert,
Lane Departure Warning, and Park
Assist alerts. See Driver Assistance
Systems 0232.
Select Beeps or Safety Alert Seat.
Auto Collision Preparation
This feature will turn on or off the
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) and
Front Automatic Braking (FAB). The
Off setting disables all FCA and
FAB functions. With the Alert &
Brake setting, both FCA and FAB
are available. The Alert setting
disables FAB, but some last-second
automatic braking capability is still
provided, though less likely to occur.
See Front Automatic Braking (FAB)
System 0240.
Select Off, Alert and Brake, or Alert. Go Notifier
This feature will give a reminder that
Adaptive Cruise Control provides
when it has brought the vehicle to a
complete stop behind another
stopping vehicle, and then that
vehicle drives on.
Select Off or On.
Park Assist
If equipped, this allows the feature
to be turned on or off. See
Assistance Systems for Parking or
Backing
0233.
Select Off, On, or On with Towbar
Attached.
Lane Change Assist
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off. See Side Blind Zone Alert
(SBZA) 0241.
Select Off or On.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off. See Assistance Systems
for Parking or Backing 0233.
Select Off or On.Comfort and Convenience
Select the Comfort and
Convenience menu and the
following may display:
. Auto Memory Recall
. Easy Exit Options
. Chime Volume
. Reverse Tilt Mirror
. Auto Mirror Folding
. Auto Wipe in Reverse Gear
Auto Memory Recall
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select On or Off.
Easy Exit Options
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select On or Off.
Chime Volume
This allows the selection of the
chime volume level.
Press + or −to adjust the volume.

Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369153) -
2016 - crc - 6/19/15
184 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 192
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 193
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 195
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 200
Adjustable Throttle and BrakePedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . 206
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 207
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 218
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 219
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Magnetic Ride Control . . . . . . . . 222
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Automatic Level Control . . . . . . 222
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . 225
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 232
Assistance Systems for Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 233
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Front Automatic Braking (FAB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 242
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 244
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369153) -
2016 - crc - 6/19/15
Driving and Operating 193
{Warning
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a
quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
flowing water could cause the
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under the vehicle's
tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road iswet enough and you are going fast
enough. When the vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.
Allow extra following distance.
. Pass with caution.
. Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
. Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
. Have good tires with proper
tread depth. See Tires0291.
. Turn off cruise control.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips 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
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.

Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369153) -
2016 - crc - 6/19/15
194 Driving and Operating
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.
. Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, accident).
. Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
. Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0220.
. Antilock Brake System (ABS)
improves vehicle stability during
hard stops, but the brakes
should be applied sooner than
when on dry pavement. See
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
0216.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stay with the vehicle unless there is
help nearby. To get help and keep
everyone in the vehicle safe:
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{Warning
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO), which
(Continued)

Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369153) -
2016 - crc - 6/19/15
210 Driving and Operating
Caution (Continued)
may damage the transmission.
The repair will not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. If you are
stuck, do not spin the tires. When
stopping on a hill, use the brakes
to hold the vehicle in place.
Normal Mode Grade Braking
This mode is enabled when the
vehicle is started, but is not enabled
in Range Selection Mode. It assists
in maintaining desired vehicle
speeds when driving on downhill
grades by using the engine and
transmission to slow the vehicle.
The first time the system engages
for each ignition cycle, a DIC
message will be displayed. See
Transmission Messages0154.
To disable or enable Normal Mode
Grade Braking within the current
ignition cycle, press and hold the
Tow/Haul button for five seconds.
When the button is released, the requested mode change is made.
A DIC message displays. See
Transmission Messages
0154.
For other forms of grade braking,
see Tow/Haul Mode 0212 and
Cruise Control 0223.
Kickdown Mode
The accelerator pedal provides an
additional downshift after pressing
through the kickdown feature.
It requires extra pedal pressure near
the end of its travel to engage.
Manual Mode
Range Selection Mode
If equipped, Range Selection Mode
helps control the vehicle's
transmission and vehicle speed while driving downhill or towing a
trailer by letting you select a desired
range of gears.
To use this feature:
1. Move the shift lever to M (Manual Mode).
2. Tap the plus/minus buttons on the shift lever to select the
desired range of gears for
current driving conditions. Or,
hold the plus/minus buttons to
select the highest or lowest
range available for the current
vehicle speed.
When the shift lever is moved from
D (Drive) to M (Manual Mode), a
number displays next to the M,
indicating the current transmission
range.
This number is the highest gear that
the transmission will command while
operating in M (Manual Mode). All
gears below that number are
available. As driving conditions
change, the transmission can
automatically shift to lower gears.
For example, when 5 (Fifth) is
selected, 1 (First) through 5 (Fifth)

Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-MidEast-9369153) -
2016 - crc - 6/19/15
Driving and Operating 211
gears are automatically shifted by
the transmission, but 6 (Sixth)
cannot be used until the plus/minus
button on the shift lever is used to
change to the range.
In vehicles with gasoline engines,
when the shift lever is moved from
D (Drive) to M (Manual Mode), a
downshift may occur. The gear that
the transmission is operating in
when the shift lever is moved from
D (Drive) to M (Manual Mode)
determines if a downshift occurs.
See the following chart.Gear before
shifting from D
(Drive) to M
(Manual Mode)
8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st
Range after
shifting from
D (Drive) to
M (Manual Mode)
– Tow/Haul not
engaged M6 M6 M5 M4 M3 M3 M2 M1
Range after
shifting from
D (Drive) to
M (Manual Mode)
– Tow/Haul
engaged M6 M5 M4 M3 M3 M3 M2 M1
Grade Braking is not available when
Range Selection Mode is active.
See Tow/Haul Mode 0212.
While using Range Selection Mode,
cruise control and the Tow/Haul
Mode can be used.
Caution
Spinning the tires or holding the
vehicle in one place on a hill
using only the accelerator pedal
may damage the transmission.
The repair will not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. If you are (Continued)