steering CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT 2002 2.G User Guide

2-93
The main components of your instrument panel are the following:
A. Dome Override Button
B. Exterior Lamps Control
C. Air Outlets
D. Folding Mirrors Button
E. Cargo/Top
-Box Lamps Button
F. Multifunction Lever
G. Instrument Panel Cluster
H. Shift Lever
I. Tow/Haul Selector Button
J. Audio System
K. Comfort Control System
L. Instrument Panel Fuse Block
M. Hood ReleaseN. Fog Lamps Button
O. Audio Steering Wheel Controls
P. Center Instrument Panel Utility Block
Q. Tilt Lever
R. Parking Brake Release
S. Secondary Information Center (SIC)
T. Rear Window Defogger Button
U. Compact Disc Changer
V. Ashtray
W. Clock
X. Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist Button
Y. StabiliTrak Button
Z. OnStar Buttons

2-116
STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE Message
You may see the
STABILITY SYSTEM
ACTIVE message on the
message center.
It means that an advanced computer
-controlled system
has come on to help your vehicle continue to go in
the direction in which you're steering. This stability
enhancement system activates when the computer senses
that your vehicle is just starting to spin, as it might if
you hit a patch of ice or other slippery spot on the road.
It also activates when it senses that your wheels are
spinning, as they might when accelerating on a road
surface that provides inadequate traction. When the
system is on, you may hear a noise or feel a vibration in
the brake pedal. This is normal. When the STABILITY
SYSTEM ACTIVE message is on, you should continue
to steer in the direction you want to go. The system is
designed to help you in bad weather or other difficult
driving situations by making the most of whatever road
conditions will permit. See ªStabilitrak Systemº in
the Index.
STABILITY SYSTEM LIMITED Message
The STABILITY SYSTEM
LIMITED message will
turn on when you press the
Stabilitrak switch; see
ªInstrument Panelº in
the Index.
While in ªLIMITEDº mode the stability system is less
likely to activate. To limit wheel spin and realize the full
benefits of the stability enhancement system, you should
normally leave Stabilitrak in its normal operating mode
(not the LIMITED mode). However, you should put
Stabilitrak in LIMITED mode if your vehicle gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow and you want to ªrockº your
vehicle to attempt to free it. See ªRocking Your Vehicleº
in the Index. To exit the LIMITED mode, press the
Stabilitrak button again. The STABILITY SYSTEM
LIMITED message will be displayed whenever the
transmission is in FIRST (1). See ªStabilitrak Systemº
in the Index.

3-
3-1
Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you'll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your vehicle.
Be sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
3
-2 Comfort Controls
3
-2 Electronic Climate Control System
3
-6 Air Conditioning
3
-6 Heating
3
-7 Defogging and Defrosting
3
-7 Rear Window Defogger
3
-8 Ventilation System
3
-9 Audio Systems
3
-10 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette
Tape Player (Bose
)3
-15 Rear Seat Audio (RSA)
3
-17 Compact Disc Changer
3
-20 Theft-Deterrent Feature
3
-22 Audio Steering Wheel Controls
3
-23 Understanding Radio Reception
3
-23 Tips About Your Audio System
3
-24 Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
3
-25 Care of Your Compact Discs
3
-25 Care of Your Compact Disc Player
3
-25 Fixed Mast Antenna

3-22 Audio Steering Wheel Controls
You can control certain radio functions using the buttons
on your steering wheel.
PROG (Program): Press
this button to play a station
you have programmed on
the radio preset buttons
on the selected band.
If a cassette tape is playing,
press this button to play
the other side of the tape.
If a compact disc is playing
in the CD changer, press
this button to go to the
next available CD.
SEEK : Press the up arrow to tune to the next
radio station and the down arrow to tune to the previous
radio station.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the player
will advance with the up arrow and reverse with the
down arrow.
MUTE: Press this button to
silence the system. Press it
again to turn on the sound.
VOL : Press the up
or down arrow to increase
or decrease volume.

4-
4-1
Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you'll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We've also
included many other useful tips on driving.
4
-2 Defensive Driving
4
-3 Drunken Driving
4
-6 Control of a Vehicle
4
-6 Braking
4
-9 StabiliTrak
System
4
-10 Steering
4
-13 Off-Road Recovery
4
-13 Passing
4
-15 Loss of Control
4
-16 Operating Your All-Wheel Drive Vehicle
Off Paved Roads4
-29 Driving at Night
4
-31 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
4
-34 City Driving
4
-35 Freeway Driving
4
-36 Before Leaving on a Long Trip
4
-37 Highway Hypnosis
4
-38 Hill and Mountain Roads
4
-40 Winter Driving
4
-44 Recreational Vehicle Towing
4
-44 Loading Your Vehicle
4
-48 Towing a Trailer

4-6
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's easy
to ask more of those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. That means you can lose control of your
vehicle. Also see ªStabilitrak Systemº in the Index.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That's perception time. Then you have to bring up
your foot and do it. That's reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second.
But that's 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 3/4 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's pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.

4-9
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti
-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won't have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti
-lock brakes.
Using Anti
-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti
-lock work for you. You may feel the
brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but this
is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Stabilitrak
System
The Stabilitrak system helps the driver maintain
directional control of the vehicle in difficult driving
conditions. This is accomplished by selectively applying
either of the vehicle's front brakes and/or momentarily
reducing engine power.
When you first start your vehicle and begin to drive
away, the Stabilitrak system performs several diagnostic
checks to insure that there are no problems. The green
light near the Stabilitrak switch will turn on when the
diagnostic checks are complete and the stability
enhancement system is ready to activate if needed.
The light will come on only after the vehicle reaches a
speed of at least 10 mph (16.6 km/h).
The STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE message will
come on when the system is operating. See ªMessage
Centerº in the Index for more information. You may
also feel or hear the system working. This is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the STABILITY
SYSTEM ACTIVE message appears, the cruise control
will automatically disengage. When road conditions
allow you to safely use it again, you may reengage the
cruise control. See ªCruise Controlº in the Index.

4-10
The Stabilitrak system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle.
The Stabilitrak switch,
located to the right of
the steering wheel,
on the instrument panel,
can be pressed to put
the Stabilitrak system
in LIMITED mode.
When the switch is pressed, the STABILITY SYSTEM
LIMITED message is displayed in the message center.
While in LIMITED mode the stability system is less
likely to activate. The stability system can still activate in
LIMITED mode if the vehicle starts to spin, but it will
not activate as quickly as when the system is not in
LIMITED mode. You should put Stabilitrak in the
LIMITED mode if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice
or snow and you want to ªrockº your vehicle to attempt
to free it. See ªRocking Your Vehicleº in the Index.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer
but it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It's important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned
on the news happen on curves. Here's why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves.

4-11
The traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there's no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you've ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you'll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you're
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much of those places. You can lose control. Refer to
ªStabilitrak Systemº in the Index.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to go, and slow down.You may see the STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE
message on the message center. See ªSTABILITY
SYSTEM ACTIVE Messageº in the Index.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you'll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your
front wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can ªdriveº through
the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait
to accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.

4-12 Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly
pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from
between parked cars and stops right in front of you.
You can avoid these problems by braking
-- if you can
stop in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action
-- steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes. See ªBraking in
Emergenciesº earlier in this section. It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left
or right depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly,
and just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.