wheel CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV 2008 Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
.............................................. 1-10
Safety Belts
............................................. 1-29
Child Restraints
....................................... 1-50
Airbag System
......................................... 1-76
Restraint System Check
............................ 1-92
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
...................................... 2-10
Windows
................................................. 2-18
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................ 2-20
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
........... 2-24
Mirrors
.................................................... 2-41
Object Detection Systems
.......................... 2-48
OnStar ®
System
...................................... 2-50
Universal Home Remote System
................ 2-53
Storage Areas
......................................... 2-60
Sunroof
.................................................. 2-64
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
...................................... 3-26
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........ 3-33
Driver Information Center (DIC)
.................. 3-48
Audio System(s)
....................................... 3-70 Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
................................................... 4-41
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
............... 5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................ 5-45
Rear Axle
............................................... 5-46
Front Axle
............................................... 5-47
Headlamp Aiming
..................................... 5-48
Bulb Replacement
.................................... 5-51
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
......... 5-54
Tires
...................................................... 5-56
Appearance Care
..................................... 5-98
Vehicle Identication
............................... 5-107
Electrical System
.................................... 5-108
Capacities and Specications
................... 5-115
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
........................... 7-13
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
........... 7-15
Index ................................................................ 12008 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual
M

4. Pull the seat down until it latches to the oor. The
seatback cannot be raised if the seat is not latched
to the oor.
5. Pull up on the seatback until it locks into the upright
position.
{ CAUTION: If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is
locked. Removing the Third Row Seat To remove the seat, do the following:
1. Open the liftgate to access the controls for the seat.
2. Fold the seatback forward using the instructions
listed under “Folding the Seatbacks” previously.
The seat cannot be removed unless the seatback is
folded.
3. Unlatch the seat from
the oor by pulling the
carrying handle,
located at the rear of
the seat, rearward.
4. Roll the seat out of the vehicle. There is a track in
the oor to guide the seat wheels out of the vehicle.
1-27

Installing the Third Row Seat To install the seat, do the following:
1. Open the liftgate to access the rear of the vehicle.
2. Slide the front outboard seat wheels into the track on
the oor and roll the seat forward. The front latches
should lock into place. If the latches do not lock, try
tilting the rear of the seat upward slightly.
3. Lower the rear of the seat and push down on the
seat to engage the rear oor latches.
{ CAUTION: A seat that is not locked into place properly
can move around in a collision or sudden stop.
People in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure
to lock the seat into place properly when
installing it.
4. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked
into place. The seatback cannot be raised to the
upright position unless the seat is secured to
the oor.
5. Pull up on the seatback until it locks into the upright
position. { CAUTION: If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is
locked.
{ CAUTION: A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted will not provide
the protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.
7. Make sure the safety belts are returned to the
original position over the seatbacks.
1-28

Why Safety Belts Work When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on
wheels. Put someone on it.
1-30

Airbag System Your vehicle has the following airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front passenger.
A roof-rail airbag for the driver and the passenger
seated directly behind the driver.
A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger and
the passenger seated directly behind the right
front passenger.
Your vehicle may have the following airbags:
If your vehicle has a third row seat, it will have third
row roof-rail airbags.
All of the airbags in your vehicle will have the word
AIRBAG embossed in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on the
middle part of the steering wheel for the driver and
on the instrument panel for the right front passenger.
With roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear
along the headliner or trim. Airbags are designed to supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Even though today’s airbags
are also designed to help reduce the risk of injury
from the force of an inating bag, all airbags must inate
very quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{ CAUTION: You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you are not wearing your safety belt — even
if you have airbags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Airbags are “supplemental
restraints” to the safety belts. All airbags are
designed to work with safety belts, but do not
replace them.
1-76

{ CAUTION: Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best
protection for adults, but not for young
children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s
safety belt system nor its airbag system is
designed for them. Young children and infants
need the protection that a child restraint
system can provide. Always secure children
properly in your vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 1-50 or Infants and
Young Children on page 1-53 .
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 3-36
for more information. Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
1-78

If your vehicle has roof-rail airbags and a third row
passenger seat, the airbags are located in the ceiling
above the rear windows for the outboard passenger
positions in the third row. { CAUTION: If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not inate properly or
it might force the object into that person
causing severe injury or even death. The path
of an inating airbag must be kept clear. Do
not put anything between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put anything on
the steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
If your vehicle has roof-rail airbags, never
secure anything to the roof of your vehicle by
routing the rope or tie down through any door
or window opening. If you do, the path of an
inating roof-rail airbag will be blocked.Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
1-80

What Makes an Airbag Inate? In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an
electrical signal triggering a release of gas from
the inator. Gas from the inator lls the airbag causing
the bag to break out of the cover and deploy. The
inator, the airbag, and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag modules in the ceiling
of the vehicle, near the side windows that have
occupant seating positions.
How Does an Airbag Restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. Roof-rail airbags
distribute the force of the impact more evenly over
the occupant’s upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to help
contain the head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the rst, second, and third
rows, if equipped with a third row seat. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are designed to help reduce the
risk of full or partial ejection in rollover events, although
no system can prevent all such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,
primarily because the occupant’s motion is not
toward those airbags. See When Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 1-81 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
1-83

Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the airbag system in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer/retailer and the service
manual have information about servicing your vehicle
and the airbag system. To purchase a service manual,
see Service Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-14 .
{ CAUTION: For up to 10 seconds after the ignition is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
airbag can still inate during improper service.
You can be injured if you are close to an
airbag when it inates. Avoid yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualied to do so. Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might add to or change
about the vehicle that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
frame, bumper system, height, front end or side
sheet metal, they may keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or moving any parts
of the front seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing
and diagnostic module, steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules, ceiling headliner
or pillar garnish trim, overhead console, front
sensors, side impact sensors, rollover sensor
module, or airbag wiring can affect the operation of
the airbag system.
1-90

In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system for the right front passenger’s position,
which includes sensors that are part of the
passenger’s seat. The passenger sensing system
may not operate properly if the original seat
trim is replaced with non-GM covers, upholstery or
trim, or with GM covers, upholstery or trim
designed for a different vehicle. Any object, such as
an aftermarket seat heater or a comfort enhancing
pad or device, installed under or on top of the
seat fabric, could also interfere with the operation of
the passenger sensing system. This could either
prevent proper deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger sensing system
from properly turning off the passenger airbag(s).
See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-85 .
If you have any questions about this, you should
contact Customer Assistance before you modify
your vehicle. The phone numbers and addresses for
Customer Assistance are in Step Two of the
Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this manual.
See Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 7-2 .
If your vehicle has rollover roof-rail airbags, see
Different Size Tires and Wheels on page 5-73
for additional important information. Q: Because I have a disability, I have to get my
vehicle modied. How can I nd out whether
this will affect my airbag system?
A: If you have questions, call Customer Assistance.
The phone numbers and addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this manual. See
Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 7-2 .
In addition, your dealer/retailer and the service manual
have information about the location of the airbag
sensors, sensing and diagnostic module and airbag
wiring.
1-91