child restraint CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV 2012 Owner's Guide

Black plate (59,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-59
5. To tighten the belt, push down
on the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 4 and 5. 6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3 ‑ 49 for more
information.
7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt
to move it side ‐ to ‐ side and
back ‐ and ‐ forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it. Securing Child Restraints
(Center Front Seat
Position)
{ WARNINGA child in a child restraint in the
center front seat can be badly
injured or killed by the frontal
airbags if they inflate. Never
secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. It is always
better to secure a child restraint in
a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the
center front seat position.

Black plate (60,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-60 Seats and Restraints
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat
Position) This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3 ‑ 47 .
In addition, the vehicle may have a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3 ‑ 33 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5 ‑ 14 for more information,
including important safety
information.
A label on the sun visor says,
“ Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. ” This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great if the
airbag deploys. { WARNINGA child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This
is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
The vehicle may have a
passenger sensing system which
is designed to turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions.
Even if the passenger sensing
system, if equipped, has turned
off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, no system is
(Continued) WARNING (Continued) fail-safe. No one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
See Passenger Sensing System
on page 3 ‑ 33 for additional
information.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3 ‑ 49 for how and
where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is

Black plate (61,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Seats and Restraints 3-61secured using a safety belt and it
uses a top tether, see Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3 ‑ 49 for
top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder
belt to secure the child restraint in
this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it
will go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
2. Put the child restraint on
the seat. 3. Pick up the latch plate, and run
the lap and shoulder portions of
the vehicle's safety belt through
or around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary. 5. Pull the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.

Black plate (62,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
3-62 Seats and Restraints
6. To tighten the belt, push down
on the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt. Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6.
7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt
to move it side ‐ to ‐ side and
back ‐ and ‐ forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement. If the vehicle is equipped with the
passenger sensing system, and
when the passenger sensing system
has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator should light and stay
lit when you start the vehicle. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5 ‑ 14 .
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit, see “ If the
On Indicator is Lit for a Child
Restraint ” under Passenger Sensing
System on page 3 ‑ 33 for more
information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
9-2 Driving and Operating Fuel Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Gasoline Specifications
(U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . 9-52
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-52
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-54
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Towing General Towing
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69 Driving Information Distracted Driving Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention away
from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, always
keep your eyes on the road, hands
on the wheel, and mind on the drive. .
Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls. .
Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices. .
Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions. .
Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving. .
Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor. .
Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children. .
Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint. .
Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.

Black plate (20,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
9-20 Driving and Operating weight ratings. Ask your dealer
to help you load your vehicle the
right way.
If you put things inside your
vehicle — like suitcases, tools,
packages, or anything
else — they will go as fast as the
vehicle goes. If you have to stop
or turn quickly, or if there is a
crash, they will keep going.
{ WARNING
Things you put inside the
vehicle can strike and injure
people in a sudden stop or
turn, or in a crash. .
Put things in the cargo
area of the vehicle. Try to
spread the weight evenly. .
Never stack heavier
things, like suitcases,
(Continued) WARNING (Continued)
inside the vehicle so that
some of them are above the
tops of the seats. .
Do not leave an
unsecured child restraint
in the vehicle. .
When you carry something
inside the vehicle, secure
it whenever you can. .
Do not leave a seat folded
down unless you need to.
There is also important loading
information for off-road driving in
this manual. See “ Loading Your
Vehicle for Off-Road Driving ”
under Off-Road Driving on
page 9 ‑ 6 . Add-On Equipment
When you carry removable
items, you may need to put a
limit on how many people you
can carry inside your vehicle. Be
sure to weigh your vehicle
before you buy and install the
new equipment.
Notice: Overloading the
vehicle may cause damage.
Repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Do
not overload the vehicle.
Remember not to exceed the
Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) of the front or rear axle.

Black plate (3,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
INDEX i-3Child Restraints
Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-56, 3-59, 3-60
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Cleaning
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Climate Control Systems
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-14
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Compressor Kit, Tire
Sealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Configure Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-84
Connections, OnStar ®
. . . . . . . . . 14-4 Continuous Damping
Control (CDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Coolant
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Courtesy Transportation
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Customer Information
Service Publications
Ordering Information . . . . . . 13-17
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3 D Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-14
Danger, Warnings, and
Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-19
Database Coverage
Explanations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-99
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Destination, Navigation . . . . . . . . 7-70
Devices, Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Diagnostics, OnStar ®
. . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Door
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . 12-3
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 10-27, 9-34

Black plate (6,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
i-6 INDEX
HHazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-7
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Headlamps
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-5
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Heated
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Heater
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22 High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . 10-53
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
I Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Ignition Transmission Lock
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Infants and Young Children,
Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-88 K Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-32
Keyless Entry
Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-47
Lamps
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

Black plate (8,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
i-8 INDEX Messages (cont'd)
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-33
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Mirrors
Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Automatic Dimming
Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Park Tilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Monitor System, Tire
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27 N Navigation
Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-70
OnStar ®
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-65
Using the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-62
Vehicle Data Recording
and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
O Object Detection System
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Object Detection, Side Blind
Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Oil
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 10-9
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-41 Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
OnStar ®
Additional Information . . . . . . . . 14-5
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
System, In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Ordering
Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-17
Outlets
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Overview, Infotainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Overview, OnStar ®
. . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1

Black plate (11,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
INDEX i-11Seats
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated and Ventilated Front . . . 3-7
Heated, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-3
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-3
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Second Row . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Third Row Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Secondary Latch System . . . . . 10-85
Securing Child
Restraints . . . . . . . . 3-56, 3-59, 3-60
Security
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
OnStar ®
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13 Service
Accessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-16
Maintenance, General
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-13
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Shift Lock Control Function
Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Shifting
Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Side Blind Zone Alert . . . . . . . . . . 9-45 Signals, Turn and
Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Specifications and
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
StabiliTrak
OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Heated Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Steps
Power Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Storage
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2