Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12460268) - 2019 - crc - 9/14/18
INTRODUCTION 3
Danger, Warning, and
Caution
Warning messages found on vehicle
labels and in this manual describe
hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
{Danger
Danger indicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result
in serious injury or death.
{Warning
Warning indicates a hazard that
could result in injury or death.
Caution
Caution indicates a hazard that
could result in property or vehicle
damage.
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means“Do Not,”
“Do not do this,” or“Do not let this
happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message, gauge,
or indicator.
M: Shown when the owner’s manual
has additional instructions or
information.
*: Shown when the service manual
has additional instructions or
information.
0: Shown when there is more
information on another page —
“see page.” Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that
may be found on the vehicle and what
they mean. See the features in this
manual for information.
u:
Air Conditioning System
G:Air Conditioning Refrigerant Oil
9:Airbag Readiness Light
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
$:Brake System Warning Light
9:Dispose of Used Components
Properly
P: Do Not Apply High Pressure
Water
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
_:Flame/Fire Prohibited
H: Flammable
[:Forward Collision Alert
R: Fuse Block Cover Lock Location
+:Fuses
j:ISOFIX/LATCH System Child
Restraints
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12460268) - 2019 - crc - 9/14/18
38 KEYS, DOORS, AND WINDOWS
3. Remove the cap (2).
4. Use the key (4) in the cylinder.To replace the slotted cap:1. Pull the door handle (1) to the open position and hold it open
until cap installation is complete.
2. Position the bottom edge of the cap under the lower edge of the
metal piece (6). The tabs (7)
attach to metal piece (6) at the
positions (5).
3. Rotate the cap upward to install into place.
4. Check that the cap is secure.
5. Release the door handle.
Free-Turning Locks
The door key lock cylinder turns freely
when either the wrong key is used,
or the correct key is not fully inserted.
The free turning door lock feature
prevents the lock from being forced
open. To reset the lock, turn it to the
vertical position with the correct key
fully inserted. Remove the key and
insert it again. If this does not reset
the lock, turn the key halfway around
in the cylinder and repeat the reset
procedure.Power Door Locks
PressQorKon the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter. See Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation
0 28.
Q:Press to lock the doors.
K:Press to unlock the doors.
Delayed Locking
This feature delays the locking of the
doors until five seconds after all doors
are closed.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12460268) - 2019 - crc - 9/14/18
INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS 123
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . 124
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . 124
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . 124
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . 124
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . 126
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . 138
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Brake System Warning Light . . . . 141
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . 142
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Sport Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Winter Driving Mode Light . . . . . . 143
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light . . . 143
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . 144
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . 146
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . 146
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . . . . . 150
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Engine Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . 154
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . 154
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . . . . 155
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . . . . . . 163
Universal Remote System Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Universal Remote System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12460268) - 2019 - crc - 9/14/18
INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS 143
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
This light comes on briefly when the
engine is started.
If the light does not come on, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem.
If the light comes on while driving,
stop as soon as it is safely possible
and turn off the vehicle. Then start
the engine again to reset the system.
If the ABS light stays on, or comes on
again while driving, the vehicle needs
service. A chime may also sound when
the light comes on steady.
If the ABS light is the only light on,
the vehicle has regular brakes, but the
antilock brakes are not functioning.If both the ABS and the brake system
warning light are on, the vehicle's
antilock brakes are not functioning
and there is a problem with the
regular brakes. See your dealer for
service.
See
Brake System Warning Light 0141.
Sport Mode Light
This light comes on when Sport mode
is selected. See Magnetic Ride Control
0 224.
Tow/Haul Mode Light
For vehicles with the Tow/Haul Mode
feature, this light comes on when the
Tow/Haul Mode has been activated.
See Tow/Haul Mode 0213.
Winter Driving Mode Light
This light comes on when Snow/Ice
mode is selected. See Magnetic Ride
Control 0224.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
Light
This light is green if LKA is available
to assist.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12460268) - 2019 - crc - 9/14/18
184 CLIMATE CONTROLS
4. Release the two tabs holding theservice door. Open the service
door and remove the old filter.
5. Install the new air filter.
6. Close the service door and secure the tabs.
7. Reverse the steps to reinstall the glove box.
See your dealer if additional
assistance is needed.
Service
All vehicles have a label underhood
that identifies the refrigerant used in
the vehicle. The refrigerant system
should only be serviced by trained and
certified technicians. The air
conditioning evaporator should never
be repaired or replaced by one from a
salvage vehicle. It should only be
replaced by a new evaporator to
ensure proper and safe operation.
During service, all refrigerants should
be reclaimed with proper equipment.
Venting refrigerants directly to the
atmosphere is harmful to the
environment and may also create
unsafe conditions based on inhalation,
combustion, frostbite, or other
health-based concerns.
The air conditioning system requires
periodic maintenance. See
Maintenance Schedule 0360.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12460268) - 2019 - crc - 9/14/18
DRIVING AND OPERATING 185
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 194
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Adjustable Throttle and BrakePedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Active Fuel Management . . . . . . . . 208
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . 209
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . 218
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/ElectronicStability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Magnetic Ride Control . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Automatic Level Control . . . . . . . . . 225
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . 228
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . 236
Assistance Systems for Parking
or Backing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Forward Automatic Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . 247
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . . . 248
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . . . . 250
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . 253
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12460268) - 2019 - crc - 9/14/18
188 DRIVING AND OPERATING
Steering
Electric Power Steering
This vehicle has electric power
steering. It does not have power
steering fluid. Regular maintenance is
not required.
If power steering assist is lost due to a
system malfunction, the vehicle can
be steered, but may require increased
effort.
See your dealer if there is a problem.
If the steering assist is used for an
extended period of time while the
vehicle is not moving, power assist
may be reduced.
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel, and is
held in that position for an extended
period of time, power steering assist
may be reduced.
Normal use of the power steering
assist should return when the system
cools down.
See your dealer if there is a problem.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable speed.
. Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
. Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve.
. Wait until the vehicle is out of the
curve before accelerating gently
into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may be
more effective than braking.
. Holding both sides of the steering
wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
. Antilock Brake System (ABS)
allows steering while braking.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop off
the edge of a road onto the shoulder
while driving. Follow these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way,
steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.
3. Turn the steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12460268) - 2019 - crc - 9/14/18
DRIVING AND OPERATING 195
.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, crash).
. 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 0221.
. 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) 0218.
. 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. If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside Service 0381.
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 cannot be seen or
smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle is stuck in snow:
. Clear snow from the base of
the vehicle, especially any
blocking the exhaust pipe.
. Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the vehicle side that
is away from the wind, to
bring in fresh air.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set the
(Continued)