warning CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV 2008 User Guide

A. Air Outlets. See Outlet Adjustment on page 3-31 .
B. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever. See Turn
Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-7 .
C. Instrument Panel Cluster. See Instrument Panel
Cluster on page 3-34 .
D. Hazard Warning Flasher Button. See Hazard
Warning Flashers on page 3-6 .
E. Shift Lever and Range Selection Mode. See
Automatic Transmission Operation on page 2-30 .
F. Tow/Haul Selector Button. See Tow/Haul Mode
on page 2-34 .
G. Driver Information Center Controls. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) on page 3-48 .
H. Analog Clock. See Analog Clock on page 3-25 .
I. Audio System. See Audio System(s) on page 3-70 .
J. StabiliTrak ®
Button. See StabiliTrak ®
System on
page 4-6 . Rear Park Aid Disable Button. See
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA) on
page 2-48 .
K. Tilt Wheel Lever. See Tilt Wheel on page 3-6 . L. Exterior Lamps Control. See Exterior Lamps on
page 3-16 .
M. Dome Lamp Override Button. See Dome Lamp
Override on page 3-22 . Instrument Panel Brightness
Control. See Instrument Panel Brightness on
page 3-21 . Fog Lamp Button. See Fog Lamps on
page 3-21 .
N. Cruise Control Buttons. See Cruise Control on
page 3-13 .
O. Horn. See Horn on page 3-6 .
P. Audio Steering Wheel Controls. See Audio Steering
Wheel Controls on page 3-106 .
Q. Dual Automatic Climate Controls. See Dual
Automatic Climate Control System on page 3-26 .
R. Pedal Adjust Button. See Adjustable Throttle
and Brake Pedal on page 2-28 . Heated Windshield
Washer Fluid Button. See Windshield Washer
on page 3-11 . Power Running Boards Disable Button
(If Equipped). See Power Running Boards on
page 2-17 .
S. Glove Box. See Glove Box on page 2-60 .
3-5

Hazard Warning Flashers The hazard warning ashers warn others. They also let
police know you have a problem.
The hazard warning
asher button is located on
top of the steering
column.
Press the button to make the front and rear turn signal
lamps ash on and off. Press the button again to
turn the ashers off.
The hazard warning ashers work no matter what
ignition position the key is in, and even if the key is not
in the ignition.
When the hazard warning ashers are on, your vehicle’s
turn signals will not work.
Other Warning Devices If you carry reective triangles, you can set them up at
the side of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle. Horn To sound the horn, press the center pad on the steering
wheel.
Tilt Wheel Your vehicle has a tilt wheel, that lets you adjust the
steering wheel before driving. Raising it to the highest
level gives more room to exit and enter your vehicle.
The tilt steering wheel lever is located on the lower left
side of the column.
3-6

Electric Power Management The vehicle has Electric Power Management (EPM) that
estimates the battery’s temperature and state of
charge. It then adjusts the voltage for best performance
and extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the voltage is
raised slightly to quickly put the charge back in. When
the state of charge is high, the voltage is lowered slightly
to prevent overcharging. If the vehicle has a voltmeter
gage or a voltage display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the voltage move up
or down. This is normal. If there is a problem, an alert
will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at idle if the electrical
loads are very high. This is true for all vehicles. This is
because the generator (alternator) may not be
spinning fast enough at idle to produce all the power
that is needed for very high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when several of the
following loads are on: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger, climate control fan at high
speed, heated seats, engine cooling fans, trailer
loads, and loads plugged into accessory power outlets. EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the
battery. It does this by balancing the generator’s output
and the vehicle’s electrical needs. It can increase
engine idle speed to generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce the power demands of
some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels, without
being noticeable. In rare cases at the highest levels
of corrective action, this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information Center (DIC)
message might be displayed, such as Battery Saver
Active or Service Battery Charging System. If this
message is displayed, it is recommended that the driver
reduce the electrical loads as much as possible. See
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-53 .
Battery Run-Down Protection This feature shuts off the dome lamps if they are left on
for more than 10 minutes when the ignition is in LOCK.
This will help prevent the battery from running down.
3-23

Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators This part describes the warning lights and gages on
your vehicle. The pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briey when you start the
engine just to let you know they are working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens. Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there is a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly – and even
dangerous. So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They are a big help.
Your vehicle also has a Driver Information Center (DIC)
that works along with the warning lights and gages.
See Driver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-48 .
3-33

{ CAUTION: If the airbag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the airbag system
may not be working properly. The airbags in
your vehicle may not inate in a crash, or they
could even inate without a crash. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others, have your
vehicle serviced right away if the airbag
readiness light stays on after you start your
vehicle.
The airbag readiness light should ash for a few
seconds when you start the engine. If the light does not
come on then, have it xed immediately. If there is a
problem with the airbag system, an airbag Driver
Information Center (DIC) message may also come on.
See DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-53 for
more information. Passenger Airbag Status Indicator Your vehicle has the passenger sensing system.
Your overhead console has a passenger airbag status
indicator.
When you start the vehicle, the passenger airbag status
indicator will light ON and OFF, or the symbol for on
and off, for several seconds as a system check.
Then, after several more seconds, the status indicator
will light either ON or OFF, or either the on or off symbol
to let you know the status of the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag. United States
Canada
3-37

If, after several seconds, both status indicator lights
remain on, or if there are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the passenger sensing
system. See your dealer/retailer for service.
{ CAUTION: If the airbag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on and stays on, it
means that something may be wrong with the
airbag system. If this ever happens, have the
vehicle serviced promptly, because an
adult-size person sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat may not have the protection
of the airbag(s). See Airbag Readiness Light
on page 3-36 for more on this, including
important safety information. Charging System Light This light will come on
briey when you turn on
the ignition, but the engine
is not running, as a
check to show you it is
working.
It should go out once the engine is running. If it stays
on, or comes on while you are driving, you may have a
problem with the charging system. A charging system
Driver Information Center (DIC) message may also
appear. See DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-53
for more information. This light could indicate that you
have problems with a generator drive belt, or another
electrical problem. Have it checked right away. If
you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
3-39

Brake System Warning Light With the ignition on, the brake system warning light will
come on when you set the parking brake. If you try
to drive with the parking brake engaged, a chime will
sound when the vehicle speed is greater than 3 mph
(5 km/h).
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part is not working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on and a chime sounds there
could be a brake problem. Have your brake system
inspected right away.
This light may also come on due to low brake uid. See
Brakes on page 5-36 for more information. This light should come on briey when you turn the
ignition key to RUN. If it does not come on then, have it
xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a
problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push or may go closer to the oor. It may
take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the vehicle
towed for service. See Towing Your Vehicle on
page 4-41 .
{ CAUTION: Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you have pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed for
service.
United States
Canada
3-40

Antilock Brake System
Warning Light For vehicles with the
Antilock Brake System
(ABS), this light will come
on briey when you
start the engine.
That is normal. If the light does not come on then, have it
xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
If the ABS light stays on, turn the ignition off, if the light
comes on when you are driving, stop as soon as it
is safely possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the
engine again to reset the system. If the ABS light still
stays on, or comes on again while you are driving, your
vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light is not on, you still have brakes, but you do
not have antilock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you do not have antilock brakes
and there is a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-40
For vehicles with a Driver Information Center (DIC), see
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-53 for all
brake related DIC messages. StabiliTrak ®
Indicator Light This warning light should
come on briey when the
engine is started.
If the warning light does not come on then, have it xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem. If
it stays on, or comes on when you are driving, there may
be a problem with your StabiliTrak ®
system and your
vehicle may need service. When this warning light is on,
the system is off and will not limit wheel spin. Adjust
your driving accordingly.
This light will also ash when the StabiliTrak ®
system is
active.
If the StabiliTrak ®
system warning light comes on and
stays on for an extended period of time when the system
is turned on, your vehicle needs service. See
StabiliTrak ®
System on page 4-6 for more information.
3-41

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage This gage shows the
engine coolant
temperature.
If the indicator on the gage moves towards the shaded
in thermostat, it means that your engine coolant has
overheated. If you have been operating your vehicle
under normal driving conditions, you should pull off the
road, stop your vehicle and turn off the engine as
soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on page 5-26 . Tire Pressure Light This light comes on briey
when the engine is started.
This light will also come on when one or more of your
tires are signicantly underinated.
A tire pressure message in the Driver Information Center
(DIC), may accompany the light. See DIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-53 for more information.
Stop and check your tires as soon as it is safe to do so.
If underinated, inate to the proper pressure. See
Tires on page 5-56 for more information.
If a problem is detected with the Tire Pressure Monitor
System, this light will ash for approximately
60 seconds and then stay on solid for the remainder of
the ignition cycle. See Tire Pressure Monitor System
on page 5-64 for more information.
3-42

Fuel Gage When the ignition is on,
the fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have left in your tank.
The gage will rst indicate empty before you are out of
fuel, and you should get more fuel as soon as possible.
Here are some situations you may experience with your
fuel gage. None of these indicate a problem with the
fuel gage.
At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
fuel gage indicated. For example, the gage may
have indicated the tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than half the tank’s
capacity to ll the tank.
The gage goes back to empty when you turn off the
ignition. Driver Information Center (DIC) Your vehicle has a Driver Information Center (DIC).
The DIC displays information about your vehicle. It also
displays warning messages if a system problem is
detected. The DIC also allows some features to
be customized. See DIC Vehicle Customization on
page 3-61 for more information.
All messages will appear in the DIC display located in
the center of the instrument panel cluster.
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After a short
delay, the DIC will display the information that was
last displayed before the engine was turned off.
See DIC Operation and Displays on page 3-49 and DIC
Vehicle Customization on page 3-61 for the displays
available.
3-48