Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13566588) - 2020 - CRC - 4/24/19
162 CLIMATE CONTROLS
Rear Climate Control
System
If equipped, the rear climate control
system is on the rear of the center
console. The settings can be adjusted
with the rear climate controls and the
rear climate display.
Rear Climate Controls
1. Heated Rear Seats
2. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
3. Temperature Control
4. Fan Control
5.
O(On/Off) 6. Air Delivery Mode Control
Rear Climate Display
1. Outside Temperature Display
2. Rear Climate Temperature Control
3. Fan Control
4. SYNC (Synchronized Temperatures)
5. REAR
O(On/Off)
6. Rear AUTO (Automatic Operation)
7. Front (Front Climate Control Touch Screen)
8. Rear Control Lockout 9. Air Delivery Mode Control
Rear : Touch Rear on the front
climate control display to open the
rear climate control screen. The rear
climate control settings can now be
adjusted from the front
passenger area.
O: PressOor REAROto turn the
rear climate control system on or off.
If the rear climate control system is
turned off using REAR
Oon the rear
climate display, the
Obutton and the
temperature or air delivery mode
buttons on the rear climate controls
must be pressed within five seconds
to turn it back on.
SYNC : Touch SYNC on the rear
climate display to match the rear
climate control temperature to the
front climate control driver
temperature. The SYNC button will be
lit. Press the temperature, MODE,
or AUTO button twice to unlink the
set driver and rear temperatures. The
SYNC button turns off.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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CLIMATE CONTROLS 163
Rear Control Lockout :Touch Rear
Control Lockout on the rear climate
display to lock or unlock control of
the rear climate control system from
the front climate control display.
When locked the rear climate control
system cannot be adjusted from the
rear climate controls on the rear of
the center console.
Automatic Operation
Rear AUTO : Touch to turn on or off.
The air delivery and fan speed are
controlled automatically. The AUTO
indicator appears on the display on
the rear of the center console. If the
Mode or fan control buttons are
manually adjusted, this cancels the
automatic operation.
Manual Operation
A«/ªAª: Touch or press the
fan controls on the rear climate
display or on the rear of the center
console to increase or decrease the
airf low. Pressing
A «when the
system is off will turn the system on.
The air delivery mode remains in its
previous setting.
w/x: Touch or press and hold the
rear temperature controls on the rear
climate display or on the rear of the
center console to adjust the rear
passenger temperature. Press
wfor
warmer air and press
xfor cooler air.
Y/\/Y: Touch the desired mode
on the rear climate display or the
MODE button on the rear of the
center console to change the direction
of the airflow in the rear seating area.
MorL: PressMorLto heat the
left or right outboard seat cushion.
See Heated Rear Seats 050.
Air Vents
Adjustable air vents are in the center
and on the side of the instrument
panel.
1. Slider Knob
2. Thumbwheel
Move the slider knobs (1) to change
the direction of the airf low.
Use the thumbwheels (2) near the air
vents to open or close off the airflow.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13566588) - 2020 - CRC - 4/24/19
166 DRIVING AND OPERATING
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driving for Better FuelEconomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 176
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Active Fuel Management . . . . . . . . 190
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . 191
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . 200
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/ElectronicStability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Magnetic Ride Control . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Automatic Level Control . . . . . . . . . 207
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . 210
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . 218
Assistance Systems for Parking
or Backing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . 230
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . . . 230
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . . . . 232
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . 235
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13566588) - 2020 - CRC - 4/24/19
184 DRIVING AND OPERATING
Ignition Positions
The vehicle is equipped with Keyless
Access and has pushbutton start.
The Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter must be in the vehicle for
the system to operate. If the
pushbutton start is not working, the
vehicle may be near a strong radio
antenna signal causing interference to
the Keyless Access system. SeeRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation
0 8.
To shift out of P (Park), the vehicle
must be on or in service mode, and
the brake pedal must be applied. Stopping the Engine/LOCK/OFF (No
Indicator Lights) :
When the vehicle
is stopped, press ENGINE START/
STOP once to turn the engine off.
If the vehicle is in P (Park), the
ignition will turn off, and Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) will remain
active. See Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) 0188.
If the vehicle is not in P (Park), the
ignition will return to ACC/
ACCESSORY and display the message
SHIFT TO PARK in the Driver
Information Center (DIC). When the
vehicle is shifted into P (Park), the
ignition will turn off.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake and
steering systems and disable the
airbags.
The vehicle may have an electric
steering column lock. The lock is
activated when the ignition is turned
off and either front door is opened.
A sound may be heard as the lock
actuates or releases. The steering
column lock may not release with the wheels turned off center. If this
happens, the vehicle may not start.
Move the steering wheel from left to
right while attempting to start the
vehicle. If this does not work, the
vehicle needs service.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to a
safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop, shift to P (Park), and turn the ignition
off. On vehicles with an
automatic transmission, the shift
lever must be in P (Park) to turn
the ignition off.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake 0200 or
Electric Parking Brake 0201.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13566588) - 2020 - CRC - 4/24/19
DRIVING AND OPERATING 185
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the vehicle
off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
press and hold ENGINE START/STOP
for longer than two seconds, or press
twice in five seconds.
ACC/ACCESSORY (Amber Indicator
Light) : This mode allows some
electrical accessories to be used when
the engine is off.
With the ignition off, pressing the
button one time without the brake
pedal applied will place the ignition
system in ACC/ACCESSORY.
The ignition will switch from ACC/
ACCESSORY to off after five minutes
to prevent battery rundown. ON/RUN/START (Green Indicator
Light) :
This mode is for driving and
starting. With the ignition off, and the
brake pedal applied, pressing the
button once will turn the ignition on.
Once engine cranking begins, release
the button. Engine cranking will
continue until the engine starts. See
Starting the Engine 0185. The ignition
will then remain on.
Service Mode
This power mode is available for
service and diagnostics, and to verify
the proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp as may be
required for emission inspection
purposes. With the vehicle off, and the
brake pedal not applied, pressing and
holding the button for more than
five seconds will place the vehicle in
Service Mode. The instruments and
audio systems will operate as they do
when the ignition is on, but the
vehicle will not be able to be driven.
The engine will not start in Service
Mode. Press the button again to turn
the ignition off.
Starting the Engine
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already
moving, use N (Neutral) only.
Caution
Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving. If you do, you
could damage the transmission.
Shift to P (Park) only when the
vehicle is stopped.
Caution
If you add electrical parts or
accessories, you could change the
way the engine operates. Any
resulting damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty. See
Add-On Electrical Equipment 0253.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13566588) - 2020 - CRC - 4/24/19
190 DRIVING AND OPERATING
Parking over Things
That Burn
{Warning
Things that can burn could touch
hot exhaust parts under the vehicle
and ignite. Do not park over papers,
leaves, dry grass, or other things
that can burn.
Active Fuel Management
This system allows the engine to
operate on either all or half of its
cylinders, depending on the driving
conditions.
When less power is required, such as
cruising at a constant vehicle speed,
the system will operate in the half
cylinder mode, allowing the vehicle to
achieve better fuel economy. When
greater power demands are required,
such as accelerating from a stop,
passing, or merging onto a freeway,
the system will maintain full-cylinder
operation.
Extended Parking
It is best not to park with the vehicle
running. If the vehicle is left running,
be sure it will not move and there is
adequate ventilation.
SeeShifting Into Park 0188 and
Engine Exhaust 0190.
If the vehicle is left parked and
running with the RKE transmitter
outside the vehicle, it will continue to
run for up to half an hour.
If the vehicle is left parked and
running with the RKE transmitter
inside the vehicle, it will continue to
run for up to an hour.
The vehicle could turn off sooner if it
is parked on a hill, due to lack of
available fuel.
The timer will reset if the vehicle is
taken out of P (Park) while it is
running.
Engine Exhaust
{Warning
Engine exhaust contains carbon
monoxide (CO), which cannot be
seen or smelled. Exposure to CO
can cause unconsciousness and
even death.
Exhaust may enter the vehicle if: . The vehicle idles in areas with
poor ventilation (parking
garages, tunnels, deep snow
that may block underbody
airflow or tail pipes).
. The exhaust smells or sounds
strange or different.
. The exhaust system leaks due
to corrosion or damage.
. The vehicle exhaust system
has been modified, damaged,
or improperly repaired.
(Continued)
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13566588) - 2020 - CRC - 4/24/19
DRIVING AND OPERATING 191
Warning (Continued)
.There are holes or openings
in the vehicle body from
damage or aftermarket
modifications that are not
completely sealed.
If unusual fumes are detected or if
it is suspected that exhaust is
coming into the vehicle: . Drive it only with the
windows completely down.
. Have the vehicle repaired
immediately.
Never park the vehicle with the
engine running in an enclosed area
such as a garage or a building that
has no fresh air ventilation.
Running the Vehicle While
Parked
It is better not to park with the engine
running.
If the vehicle is left with the engine
running, follow the proper steps to be
sure the vehicle will not move. See
Shifting Into Park 0188 and
Engine Exhaust 0190.
If parking on a hill and pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips 0237.
Automatic Transmission
If equipped, there is an electronic shift
lever position indicator within the
instrument cluster. This display comes
on when the ignition is on or in
service mode.
There are several different positions
for the shift lever.
See “Range Selection Mode ”under
Manual Mode 0194.
P : This position locks the drive
wheels. Use P (Park) when starting the
engine because the vehicle cannot
move easily. When parked on a hill,
especially when the vehicle has a
heavy load, you might notice an
increase in the effort to shift out of
P (Park). See “Torque Lock” under
Shifting Into Park 0188.
Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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DRIVING AND OPERATING 193
Caution
A transmission hot message may
display if the automatic
transmission fluid is too hot.
Driving under this condition can
damage the vehicle. Stop and idle
the engine to cool the automatic
transmission fluid. This message
clears when the transmission fluid
has cooled sufficiently.
D : This position is for normal driving.
If more power is needed for passing,
press the accelerator pedal down.
Use D (Drive) and Tow/Haul Mode
when towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, driving on steep hills,
or driving off-road. Shift the
transmission to a lower gear selection
if the transmission shifts too often.
Downshifting the transmission in
slippery road conditions could result
in skidding. See “Skidding”underLoss
of Control 0170. The vehicle has a shift stabilization
feature that adjusts the transmission
shifting to the current driving
conditions in order to reduce rapid
upshifts and downshifts. This shift
stabilization feature is designed to
determine, before making an upshift,
if the engine is able to maintain
vehicle speed by analyzing things such
as vehicle speed, throttle position, and
vehicle load. If the shift stabilization
feature determines that a current
vehicle speed cannot be maintained,
the transmission does not upshift and
instead holds the current gear.
In some cases, this could appear to be
a delayed shift, however the
transmission is operating normally.
The transmission uses adaptive shift
controls. The adaptive shift control
process continually compares key shift
parameters to pre-programmed ideal
shifts stored in the transmission’s
computer. The transmission
constantly makes adjustments to
improve vehicle performance
according to how the vehicle is being
used, such as with a heavy load or
when the temperature changes.
During this adaptive shift control process, shifting might feel different
as the transmission determines the
best settings.
When temperatures are very cold, the
transmission's gear shifting could be
delayed providing more stable shifts
until the engine warms up. Shifts
could be more noticeable with a cold
transmission. This difference in
shifting is normal.
L :
This position allows selection of a
range of gears appropriate for current
driving conditions. If equipped, see
“Range Selection Mode ”under Manual
Mode 0194.
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 the vehicle is
stuck, do not spin the tires. When
stopping on a hill, use the brakes to
hold the vehicle in place.