belt CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV 2012 User Guide

Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-12 Seats and Restraints Returning the Seat to the
Sitting Position To return the seat to the sitting
position from the tumbled position:
1. Pull the seat down until it latches
to the floor. The seatback cannot
be raised if the seat is not
latched to the floor.
{ WARNINGIf either 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
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
2. Lift the seatback and push it
rearward. Push and pull on the
seatback to make sure it is
locked. 3. For the 60/40 split-bench seat,
make sure the safety belt in the
center seating position is not
caught between the two seats
and is not twisted.
Third Row Seats If the vehicle has a third row seat,
the seatback can be folded, and the
entire seat can be tumbled or
removed from the vehicle.
Folding the Seatback To fold the seatback:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Remove all items on the seat
cushion.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat. 3. Lift the release lever “ 1 ” . on the
bottom rear of the seatback on
the outboard side of the seat,
and the seatback folds forward.
Returning the Seatback to the
Upright Position To return the seatback to the upright
position:
1. Open the liftgate to access the
controls for the seat.
2. Raise the seatback to the
upright position.

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-15
{ WARNINGA 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 latched to the floor.
5. Raise the seatback to the
upright position.
6. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked.
7. Make sure the safety belts are
returned to the original position
over the seatbacks. Safety Belts This section of the manual
describes how to use safety belts
properly. It also describes some
things not to do with safety belts.
{ WARNINGDo not let anyone ride where a
safety belt cannot be worn
properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing
safety belts, injuries can be much
worse than if you are wearing
safety belts. You can be seriously
injured or killed by hitting things
inside the vehicle harder or by
being ejected from the vehicle. In
addition, anyone who is not
buckled up can strike other
passengers in the vehicle.
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) It is extremely dangerous to ride
in a cargo area, inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
passengers riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow
passengers to ride in any area of
the vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts.
Always wear a safety belt, and
check that all passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5 ‑ 13 .

Black plate (16,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-16 Seats and Restraints Why Safety Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the safety belts!
When you wear a safety belt, you
and the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and,
when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the safety belts. That is why wearing
safety belts makes such good
sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A: You could be — whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not.
Your chance of being conscious
during and after a crash, so you
can unbuckle and get out, is
much greater if you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why
should I have to wear safety
belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they work with
safety belts — not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag
is provided, all occupants still
have to buckle up to get the
most protection. Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing safety belts.
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly This section is only for people of
adult size.
There are special things to know
about safety belts and children. And
there are different rules for smaller
children and infants. If a child will be
riding in the vehicle, see Older
Children on page 3 ‑ 41 or Infants
and Young Children on page 3 ‑ 43 .
Follow those rules for everyone's
protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
There are important things to know
about wearing a safety belt properly.

Black plate (17,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-17.
Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front
of you. .
Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position. .
Wear the lap part of the belt low
and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong
pelvic bones and you would be
less likely to slide under the lap
belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. .
Wear the shoulder belt over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining
forces. The shoulder belt locks if
there is a sudden stop or crash.
{ WARNINGYou can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly. .
Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted. .
Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back. .
Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest. Lap-Shoulder Belt All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt except for
the center front passenger position,
if equipped, which has a lap belt.
See Lap Belt on page 3 ‑ 23 for more
information.
The lap ‐ shoulder belts for the first
and second row seating positions
are equipped with free ‐ falling latch
plates. If the vehicle has a third row,
the lap ‐ shoulder belts have either
free ‐ falling or cinching latch plates.

Black plate (18,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-18 Seats and Restraints Use the following pictures to
determine the latch plate style:
Free-Falling Latch Plate Cinching Latch Plate
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is
adjustable, so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “ Seats ”
in the Index. 2. Pick up the latch plate and pull
the belt across you. Do not let it
get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you very
quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a
passenger belt with a free ‐ falling
latch plate is pulled out all the
way, the child restraint locking
feature may be engaged. If this
happens, let the belt go back all
the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint
locking feature in the right front
seating position may affect the
passenger sensing system,
if equipped. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3 ‑ 33
for more information.

Black plate (19,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-19
If the belt stops before it reaches
the buckle, for lap ‐ shoulder belts
with cinching latch plates, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling the
safety belt until it can be
buckled. 3. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks. If you find
that the latch plate will not go
fully into the buckle, see if you
are using the correct buckle.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the belt
is not long enough, see Safety
Belt Extender on page 3 ‑ 24 .
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary. 4. If equipped with a shoulder belt
height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you. See
“ Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster ”
in this section for instructions on
use and important safety
information.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.

Black plate (20,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-20 Seats and Restraints To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger positions.
Adjust the height so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. See How
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3 ‑ 16 . Squeeze the buttons (A) on the
sides of the height adjuster and
move the height adjuster to the
desired position.
The adjuster can be moved up just
by pushing up on the shoulder belt
guide.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without squeezing the buttons to
make sure it has locked into
position. Safety Belt Pretensioners This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near
frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if the
vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help
tighten the safety belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
the pretensioners and probably
other parts of the vehicle's safety
belt system will need to be replaced.
See Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash on page 3 ‑ 25 .

Black plate (21,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-21Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides This vehicle may have rear shoulder
belt comfort guides. If not, they are
available through your dealer. The
guides may provide added safety
belt comfort for older children who
have outgrown booster seats and
for some adults. When installed and
properly adjusted, the comfort guide
positions the belt away from the
neck and head.
There is one guide, if equipped, for
each outside passenger position in
the second row seat. Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its
storage clip on the interior body. 2. Place the guide over the belt,
and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.

Black plate (22,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-22 Seats and Restraints
3. Be sure that the belt is not
twisted and it lies flat. The
elastic cord must be under the
belt and the guide on top. { WARNINGA safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces. 4. Buckle, position, and release the
safety belt as described
previously in this section. Make
sure the shoulder portion of the
belt is on the shoulder and not
falling off of it. The belt should
be close to, but not contacting,
the neck.
To remove and store the comfort
guide, squeeze the belt edges
together so that the safety belt can
be removed from the guide. Slide
the guide onto its storage clip on the
interior body.

Black plate (23,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-23
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy Safety belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely to
be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a
lap-shoulder belt, and the lap
portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding,
throughout the pregnancy. The best way to protect the fetus is
to protect the mother. When a safety
belt is worn properly, it is more likely
that the fetus will not be hurt in a
crash. For pregnant women, as for
anyone, the key to making safety
belts effective is wearing them
properly.
Lap Belt This part is only for the lap belt. To
learn how to wear a lap-shoulder
belt, see Lap-Shoulder Belt on
page 3 ‑ 17 .
The vehicle may have a center
seating position. When you sit in the
center front seating position, you
have a lap safety belt, which has no
retractor. To make the belt longer, tilt the latch
plate and pull it along the belt.
Buckle, position and release it the
same way as the lap part of a
lap-shoulder belt.