brake light CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV 2008 User Guide

SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM This message displays along with the brake system
warning light if there is a problem with the brake system.
See Brake System Warning Light on page 3-40 . If this
message appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off
the vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the
message on the DIC display. If the message is still
displayed or appears again when you begin driving, the
brake system needs service as soon as possible.
See your dealer/retailer.
SERVICE BRAKES SOON This message displays if there is a problem with the
brake system. If this message appears, stop as soon as
possible and turn off the vehicle. Restart the vehicle
and check for the message on the DIC display. If
the message is still displayed or appears again when
you begin driving, the brake system needs service. See
your dealer/retailer.
SERVICE PARKING ASSIST This message displays if there is a problem with the
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA) system. Do not
use this system to help you park. See Ultrasonic
Rear Parking Assist (URPA) on page 2-48 for more
information. See your dealer/retailer for service. SERVICE STABILITRAK If your vehicle has StabiliTrak ®
and this message
displays, it means there may be a problem with the
StabiliTrak ®
system. If you see this message, try to reset
the system. Stop; turn off the engine for at least
15 seconds; then start the engine again. If this message
still comes on, it means there is a problem. You
should see your dealer/retailer for service. The vehicle
is safe to drive, however, you do not have the benet
of StabiliTrak ®
, so reduce your speed and drive
accordingly.
SERVICE SUSPENSION SYSTEM This message displays when the Road Sensing
Suspension (RSS) system is not operating properly.
Have your vehicle serviced by your dealer/retailer.
SERVICE THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM This message displays when there is a problem with
the theft-deterrent system. The vehicle may or may not
restart so you may want to take the vehicle to your
dealer/retailer before turning off the engine. See
PASS-Key ®
III+ Operation on page 2-23 for more
information.
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SERVICE TIRE MONITOR SYSTEM This message displays if a part on the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS) is not working properly. The tire
pressure light also ashes and then remains on during
the same ignition cycle. See Tire Pressure Light on
page 3-42 . Several conditions may cause this message
to appear. See Tire Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 5-65 for more information. If the warning comes on
and stays on, there may be a problem with the TPMS.
See your dealer/retailer.
SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL If your vehicle has StabiliTrak ®
, this message displays
when there is a problem with the Traction Control
System (TCS). When this message displays, the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
See your dealer/retailer for service. See StabiliTrak ®
System on page 4-6 for more information.
STABILITRAK OFF If your vehicle has StabiliTrak ®
, this message displays
when you turn off StabiliTrak ®
, or when the stability
control has been automatically disabled. To limit wheel
spin and realize the full benets of the stability
enhancement system, you should normally leave
StabiliTrak ®
on. However, you should turn StabiliTrak ®
off if your vehicle gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow and you want to rock your vehicle to attempt to
free it, or if you are driving in extreme off-road conditions
and require more wheel spin. See If Your Vehicle is
Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 4-33 . To turn
the StabiliTrak ®
system on or off, see StabiliTrak ®
System on page 4-6 .
There are several conditions that can cause this
message to appear.
One condition is overheating, which could occur if
StabiliTrak ®
activates continuously for an extended
period of time.
The message also displays if the brake system
warning light is on. See Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-40 .
The message could display if the stability system
takes longer than usual to complete its diagnostic
checks due to driving conditions.
The message displays if an engine or vehicle
related problem has been detected and the vehicle
needs service. See your dealer/retailer.
The message turns off as soon as the conditions that
caused the message to be displayed are no longer
present.
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In recent years, more than 17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the
use of alcohol, with about 250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if
the person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle The following three systems help to control your vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator. At
times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. Meaning, you can lose control of
your vehicle. See StabiliTrak ®
System on page 4-6 .
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and
Modifications on page 5-3 . Braking See Brake System Warning Light on page 3-40 .
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring
up your foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement or
gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is wet, dry,
or icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes; the weight
of the vehicle; and the amount of brake force applied.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. The brakes might not have time to cool
between hard stops. The brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are driving,
brake normally but do not pump the brakes. If you do,
the pedal could get harder to push down. If the
engine stops, you will still have some power brake
assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once the
power assist is used up, it can take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and
Modifications on page 5-3 . Antilock Brake System (ABS) Your vehicle has the Antilock Brake System (ABS), an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start the engine and begin to drive away, ABS
will check itself. You might hear a momentary motor or
clicking noise while this test is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
ABS, this warning light will
stay on. See Antilock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-41 .
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights and
chime will come on each time the ignition is turned on
until the problem is repaired. See your dealer/retailer for
service.
4-4

Road Sensing Suspension The Road Sensing Suspension (RSS) feature provides
superior vehicle ride and handling under a variety of
passenger and loading conditions.
The system is fully automatic and uses a computer
controller to continuously monitor vehicle speed, wheel
to body position, lift/dive and steering position of the
vehicle. The controller then sends signals to each shock
absorber to independently adjust the damping level to
provide the optimum vehicle ride.
RSS also interacts with the tow/haul mode that, when
engaged, will provide additional control of the shock
absorbers. This additional control results in better ride
and handling characteristics when the vehicle is
loaded or towing a trailer. See “Tow/Haul Mode” under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-44 .
StabiliTrak ®
SystemYour vehicle may have the StabiliTrak ®
system which
combines antilock brake, traction and stability control
systems and helps the driver maintain directional control
of the vehicle in most driving conditions. When you rst start your vehicle and begin to drive
away, the system performs several diagnostic checks to
ensure there are no problems. You may hear or feel
the system working. This is normal and does not mean
there is a problem with your vehicle. The system
should initialize before the vehicle reaches 20 mph
(32 km/h). In some cases, it may take approximately
two miles of driving before the system initializes.
If the system fails to turn on or activate, the StabiliTrak ®
light along with one of the following messages will be
displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC):
TRACTION CONTROL OFF, SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL, STABILITRAK OFF, SERVICE
STABILITRAK. If these DIC messages appear, make
sure the StabiliTrak ®
system has not been turned
off using the StabiliTrak ®
on/off button. Then turn the
steering wheel clockwise from the nine o’clock position
to the three o’clock position. If this clears the
message(s), your vehicle does not need servicing. If this
does not clear the message(s), then turn the vehicle
off, wait 15 seconds, and then turn it back on again to
reset the system. If any of these messages still appear
on the Driver Information Center (DIC), your vehicle
should be taken in for service. For more information on
the DIC messages, see Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-48 .
4-6

The StabiliTrak ®
light
will ash on the instrument
panel cluster when the
system is both on
and activated.
You may also feel or hear the system working; this
is normal.
The traction control disable
button is located on the
instrument panel below the
climate controls.
The traction control part of StabiliTrak ®
can be turned
off by pressing and releasing the StabiliTrak ®
button
if both systems (traction control and StabiliTrak ®
) were
previously on. To disable both traction control and
StabiliTrak ®
, press and hold the button for ve seconds. Traction control and StabiliTrak ®
can be turned on
by pressing and releasing the StabiliTrak ®
button if not
automatically shut off for any other reason.
When the TCS or StabiliTrak ®
system is turned off,
the StabiliTrak ®
light and the appropriate TCS off
or StabiliTrak ®
off message will be displayed on the
DIC to warn the driver. Your vehicle will still have
brake-traction control when traction control is off, but
will not be able to use the engine speed management
system. See “Traction Control Operation” next for
more information.
When the traction control system has been turned off,
you may still hear system noises as a result of the
brake-traction control coming on.
It is recommended to leave the system on for normal
driving conditions, but it may be necessary to turn
the system off if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud,
ice or snow, and you want to “rock” your vehicle
to attempt to free it. It may also be necessary to turn off
the system when driving in extreme off-road conditions
where high wheel spin is required. See If Your Vehicle is
Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 4-33 .
4-7

Traction Control Operation The traction control system is part of the StabiliTrak ®
system. Traction control limits wheel spin by reducing
engine power to the wheels (engine speed management)
and by applying brakes to each individual wheel
(brake-traction control) as necessary.
The traction control system is enabled automatically
when you start your vehicle. It will activate and the
StabiliTrak ®
light will ash if it senses that any of the
wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction while
driving. If you turn off traction control, only the
brake-traction control portion of traction control will work.
The engine speed management will be disabled. In this
mode, engine power is not reduced automatically and the
driven wheels can spin more freely. This can cause the
brake-traction control to activate constantly.
Notice: If you allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin
excessively while the StabiliTrak ®
, ABS and brake
warning lights and the SERVICE STABILITRAK
message are displayed, you could damage the
transfer case. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Reduce engine power and do not
spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and
this message are displayed. The traction control system may activate on dry or rough
roads or under conditions such as heavy acceleration
while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts of the
transmission. When this happens, you may notice a
reduction in acceleration, or may hear a noise or
vibration. This is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the system
activates, the StabiliTrak ®
light will ash and the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to use cruise again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. See Cruise Control on
page 3-13 .
StabiliTrak ®
may also turn off automatically if it
determines that a problem exists with the system. If
the problem does not clear itself after restarting the
vehicle, you should see your dealer/retailer for service.
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System If your vehicle is equipped with this feature, engine
power is sent to all four wheels when extra traction
is needed. This is like four-wheel drive, but there is
no separate lever or switch to engage or disengage
the front axle. It is fully automatic, and adjusts itself
as needed for road conditions.
4-8

Off-Road Recovery You may nd that your right wheels have dropped off the
edge of a road onto the shoulder while you are driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn
until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then
turn the steering wheel to go straight down the roadway. Passing Passing another vehicle on a two-lane road can be
dangerous. To reduce the risk of danger while passing,
we suggest the following tips:
Look down the road, to the sides, and to crossroads
for situations that might affect a successful pass. If
in doubt, wait.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings, and
lines that could indicate a turn or an intersection.
Never cross a solid or double-solid line on your side
of the lane.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass. Doing so can reduce your visibility.
Wait your turn to pass a slow vehicle.
When you are being passed, ease to the right.
Loss of Control Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
4-11

{ CAUTION: Heavy braking when going down a hill can
cause your brakes to overheat and fade. This
could cause loss of control and a serious
accident. Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low gear to keep
vehicle speed under control.
There some things not to do when driving down a hill.
These are important because, if you ignore them,
you could lose control and have a serious accident:
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take
you across the incline of the hill. A hill that is not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive
across. You could roll over if you do not drive
straight down. Never go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N). This is called “free wheeling.”
The brakes will have to do all the work and
could overheat and fade.
Your vehicle is much more likely to stall when going
uphill. But if it happens when going downhill:
1. Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
2. Shift to PARK (P) and, while still braking, restart the
engine.
3. Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
4. If the engine will not start, get out and get help.
4-21

Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can reduce vehicle traction
and affect your ability to stop and accelerate. Always
drive slower in these types of driving conditions
and avoid driving through large puddles and
deep-standing or owing water.
{ CAUTION: 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 owing water could
cause your 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 owing water. Hydroplaning Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water can build up
under your vehicle’s tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is wet enough
and you are going fast enough. When your 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 uid reservoir lled.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. See Tires
on page 5-56 .
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