ABS CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV 2012 User Guide

Black plate (60,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
9-60 Driving and Operating The tow/haul mode may be used if
the transmission shifts too often.
See Tow/Haul Mode on page 9 ‑ 33 .
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, consider the
following: Engine coolant will boil at
a lower temperature than at normal
altitudes. If the engine is turned off
immediately after towing at high
altitude on steep uphill grades, the
vehicle may show signs similar to
engine overheating. To avoid this,
let the engine run while parked,
preferably on level ground, with the
automatic transmission in P (Park)
for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. If the overheat warning
comes on, see Engine Overheating
on page 10 ‑ 19 . Parking on Hills
{ WARNINGParking the vehicle on a hill with
the trailer attached can be
dangerous. If something goes
wrong, the rig could start to move.
People can be injured, and both
the vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged. When possible, always
park the rig on a flat surface.
If parking the rig on a hill:
1. Press the brake pedal, but do
not shift into P (Park) yet. Turn
the wheels into the curb if facing
downhill or into traffic if facing
uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks
under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in
place, release the regular brakes
until the chocks absorb the load. 4. Reapply the brake pedal. Then
apply the parking brake and shift
into P (Park).
5. Release the brake pedal.
{ WARNINGIt can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the shift lever is not
fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle
can roll.
If the engine has been left
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
not move, even when on fairly
level ground, always put the shift
lever fully in P (Park) with the
parking brake firmly set.
Leaving After Parking on a Hill
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Shift into a gear.

Black plate (65,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Driving and Operating 9-65
Towing Equipment Hitches The correct hitch equipment helps
maintain combination control. Many
trailers can be towed with a weight
carrying hitch which simply features
a coupler latched to the hitch ball,
or a tow eye latched to a pintle
hook. Other trailers may require a
weight distributing hitch that uses
spring bars to distribute the trailer
tongue weight among the two
vehicle and trailer axles. See
“ Weight of the Trailer Tongue ” in
Trailer Towing on page 9 ‑ 61 for
rating limits with various hitch types.
If a step-bumper hitch will be used,
the bumper could be damaged in
sharp turns. Make sure there
is ample room when turning to avoid
contact between the trailer and the
bumper. Consider using sway controls with
any trailer. Ask a trailering
professional about sway controls or
refer to the trailer manufacturer's
recommendations and instructions.
Weight ‐ Distributing Hitch
Adjustment
A. Body to Ground Distance
B. Front of Vehicle
When using a weight-distributing
hitch, the spring bars should be
adjusted so the distance (A) is the
same after coupling the trailer to the
tow vehicle and adjusting the hitch. Hitch Cover (without Dual
Exhaust) The vehicle may have a hitch cover.
To remove the hitch cover:
1. Turn the fasteners on
the lower tabs 90 degrees
counterclockwise.
2. Lift the lower edge of the cover
about 45 degrees.
3. Pull the cover downward to
disengage the upper
attachments.

Black plate (66,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
9-66 Driving and Operating To reinstall the hitch cover:
1. Hold the cover at a 45 degree
angle to the vehicle and push
the upper tabs in the hitch cover
into the chrome slots in the
fascia.
2. Move the bottom of the cover
forward until the lower tabs line
up with the lower fascia slots.
3. Snap the hitch cover into place
by pushing the upper corners
forward.
4. Turn the fasteners on the lower
tabs 90 degrees clockwise to
lock the cover in place. Hitch Cover (with Dual
Exhaust) To remove the hitch cover:
1. Turn the fasteners on
the lower tabs 90 degrees
counterclockwise.
2. Pull the lower edge of the cover
out slightly.
3. Lift the cover up off the upper
bracket. To reinstall the hitch cover:
1. Insert the tabs on the hitch cover
into the slots in the upper
bracket.
2. Move the bottom of the cover
forward.
3. Turn the fasteners on the lower
tabs 90 degrees clockwise to
lock the cover in place.
Safety Chains Always attach chains between the
vehicle and the trailer. Cross the
safety chains under the tongue of
the trailer to help prevent the tongue
from contacting the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains
may be provided by the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer
manufacturer. Safety chains should
be attached to holes on the trailer
hitch platform. Always leave just
enough slack so the combination
can turn. Never allow safety chains
to drag on the ground.

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
INDEX i-1
AAccessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Active Fuel Management ®
. . . . . 9-28
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Additional Information,
OnStar ®
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustable Throttle and
Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Adjustments
Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-13
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Airbag System
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-27
Airbags
Adding Equipment to the
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-14
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Servicing Airbag-Equipped
Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Alarm System
Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-27, 9-34
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Antenna
Rear Side Window . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Anti-theft
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-36 Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Audio Players
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Audio System
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-60
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-3
Automatic
Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Level Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . 10-10

Black plate (7,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
INDEX i-7LATCH System
Replacing Parts after a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
LATCH, Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Level Control
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Liftgate
Carbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Lighting
Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Lights
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-19
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23 Lights (cont'd)
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-5
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-13
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
StabiliTrak ®
OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak ®
. . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Locks
Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3 M Maintenance
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-16
Maintenance Schedule
Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-13
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-16
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Map Data Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-98
Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-63
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Menu
Configure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-84
Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . 5-36
Battery Voltage and
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32