tow CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT 2003 2.G Owner's Guide

At approximately 265ÉF (130ÉC), the DIC will display a
TRANSMISSION HOT message and the transmission
will enter a transmission protection mode. When the
transmission enters the protection mode, you may
notice a change in the transmission shifting patterns.
The transmission will return to normal shifting patterns
when the transmission ¯uid temperature falls below
260ÉF (127ÉC).
See
Driver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-47for
further information.
If the transmission ¯uid reaches temperatures of
approximately 275ÉF (135ÉC) or greater, the DIC will
display a TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE warning message
and a chime will sound. Pull the vehicle off the
roadway when it is safe to do so. Set the parking brake,
place the transmission in PARK (P) and allow the
engine to idle until the transmission temperature falls
below 260ÉF (127ÉC). If the transmission continues
to operate above 265ÉF (130ÉC), please contact your
nearest dealer or the Roadside Assistance Center.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with the
transmission temperature gage above the normal
operating range, you can damage the transmission.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered under your warranty.
The following situations can cause the transmission to
operate at higher temperatures:
·Towing a trailer,
·hot outside air temperatures,
·hauling a large or heavy load,
·low transmission ¯uid level,
·high transmission ¯uid level,
·restricted air ¯ow to the radiator.
3-41

If the Light is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
·Reducing vehicle speed.
·Avoiding hard accelerations.
·Avoiding steep uphill grades.
·If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops ¯ashing and remains on steady,
see ªIf the Light Is On Steadyº following.
If the light continues to ¯ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle.Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart
the engine. If the light remains on steady, see ªIf the
Light Is On Steadyº following. If the light is still ¯ashing,
follow the previous steps, and see your dealer for
service as soon as possible.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully
install the cap. See
Filling Your Tank on page 5-7.The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has
been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing
fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-4. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, mis®ring, hesitation
on acceleration or stumbling on acceleration.
(These conditions may go away once the engine is
warmed up.) This will be detected by the system and
cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to ®x
any mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
3-43

A reading in the low pressure zone may be caused
by a dangerously low oil level or some other problem
causing low oil pressure. Check your oil as soon
as possible. See
DIC Warnings and Messages on
page 3-58.
{CAUTION:
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low.
If you do, your engine can become so hot that
it catches ®re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Damage to your engine from neglected
oil problems can be costly and is not covered
by your warranty.
Cruise Control Light
The cruise light comes on
whenever you set your
cruise control. See
Cruise
ControlunderTurn Signal/
Multifunction Lever on
page 3-7
.
Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light is displayed
when the tow/haul mode
has been activated.
For more information, see ªTow/Haul Modeº under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-52.
3-45

TRANSMISSION HOT
If the transmission ¯uid temperature becomes high,
the message center will display this message.
When the transmission enters the protection mode,
you may notice a change in the transmission shifting
patterns. When the transmission ¯uid temperature
returns to normal, the display will turn off and the
transmission shifting patterns will return to normal.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with the
transmission TRANS FLUID HOT message displayed,
you can damage the transmission. This could lead to
costly repairs that may not be covered under your
warranty.
The following situations can cause the transmission to
operate at higher temperatures:
·Towing a trailer
·Hot outside air temperatures
·Hauling a large or heavy load
·Low transmission ¯uid level
·High transmission ¯uid level
·Restricted air ¯ow to the radiator.A temporary solution to hotter transmission operating
temperatures may be to let the transmission cool down.
If the transmission is operated at higher temperatures
on a frequent basis, see
Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-5for the proper transmission maintenance
intervals.
TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE
If the transmission ¯uid gets hot, this message will
appear on the DIC along with a continous chime.
Driving with the transmission ¯uid temperature high can
cause damage to the vehicle. Stop the vehicle and
let it idle to allow the transmission to cool. This message
will clear and the chime will stop when the ¯uid
temperature reaches a safe level.
DRIVER DOOR AJAR
If the driver's door is not fully closed and the vehicle
is in a drive gear, this message will appear on the
display and you will hear a chime. Stop and turn off the
vehicle, check the door for obstacles, and close the
door again. Check to see if the message still appears on
the DIC. Pressing the select button will clear it from
the DIC display.
3-62

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO:To adjust the balance between the right
and the left speakers, push and release the AUDIO
knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob to
move the sound toward the right or the left speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and the rear
speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE
appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the
sound toward the front or the rear speakers.
To adjust the balance and fade to the middle position,
push the AUDIO knob then push it again and hold it until
the radio produces one beep. The balance and fade
will be adjusted to the middle position and the display
will show the speaker balance.
To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle
position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone
or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce
one beep and display ALL with the level display in
the middle position.
Finding a PTY Station (RDS and XMŸ)
To select and ®nd a desired PTY perform the following:
1. Turn the P-TYPE LIST knob. TYPE and a PTY
will appear on the display.
2. Select a category by turning the P-TYPE LIST knob.
3. Once the desired category is displayed, press the
SEEK TYPE button or one of the SEEK arrows to
take you to the category's ®rst station.
4. If you want to go to another station within that
category and the category is displayed, press
the SEEK TYPE button once. If the category is not
displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button twice
to display the category and then to go to another
station.
If the radio cannot ®nd the desired program type, NONE
will appear on the display and the radio will return to
the last station you were listening to.
3-71

Problem Recommended Action
The remote control
does not work.Point the remote control
directly at the infrared
window below the video
screen while using.
Check that the batteries
are not dead or put
in wrong.
The parental control
button might have been
pressed. (The power
indicator light will ¯ash.)
After stopping the
player, I push Play but
sometimes the DVD
starts where I left off
and sometimes at the
beginning.If the stop button was
pressed one time, the
DVD player will resume
playing where the DVD
was stopped. If the stop
button was pressed two
times the DVD player will
begin to play from the
beginning of the DVD.
The auxiliary source is
running but there is no
picture or sound.Press the SRCE button
to change from the DVD
player mode to the
auxiliary source mode.
Check to make sure that
the auxiliary source is
connected to the inputs
properly.Problem Recommended Action
My disc is stuck in the
player. The Load/Eject
button does not work.Press the Load/Eject
button on the DVD player.
Turn the power off, then
on again, then press the
Load/Eject button on the
DVD player.
Do not attempt to forcibly
remove the disc from the
DVD player. This could
permanently damage the
DVD player.
Sometimes the wireless
headphone audio cuts out
or buzzes.This could be caused by
interference from cellular
telephone towers or by
using your cellular
telephone in the vehicle.
I lost the remote and/or
the headphones.See your dealer for
assistance.
What is the best way to
clean the video screen?Wipe the video screen
with a soft cloth that is
damp with water.
3-92

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-3
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-6
Braking.........................................................4-6
Road Sensing Suspension...............................4-9
Stabilitrak
žSystem.......................................4-10
Steering......................................................4-13
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-15
Passing.......................................................4-15
Loss of Control.............................................4-17
Operating Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
Off Paved Roads.......................................4-18
Driving at Night............................................4-32
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-34City Driving..................................................4-37
Freeway Driving...........................................4-38
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-39
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-40
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-40
Winter Driving..............................................4-42
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-46
Towing..........................................................4-48
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-48
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-48
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-48
Truck-Camper Loading Information..................4-51
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-51
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-52
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

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
®rmly 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.
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 ªTow/Haul Modeº under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-52.
4-9

If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you don't want to spin your
wheels too fast. The method known as ªrockingº can
help you get out when you're stuck, but you must
use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they
can explode, and you or others could be
injured. And, the transmission or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment ®re or other damage.
When you're stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don't spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transmission
back and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, see
Tire Chains on page 5-74.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If your vehicle
has the Stabilitrak
žSystem, turn the system off by
pressing the Stabilitrakžbutton so that the STABILITY
SYS DISABLED message and the traction off light
are illuminated on the instrument panel cluster. Then
shift back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a
forward gear, spinning the wheels as little as possible.
Release the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal when the transmission
is in gear. By slowly spinning your wheels in the forward
and reverse directions, you will cause a rocking
motion that may free your vehicle. If that doesn't get
you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
Or, you can use your recovery hooks if your vehicle
has them. If you do need to be towed out, see
Towing
Your Vehicle on page 4-48.
4-46

Using the Recovery Hooks
Your vehicle is equipped with recovery hooks. The
hooks are provided at the front of your vehicle. You may
need to use them if you're stuck off-road and need to
be pulled to some place where you can continue driving.{CAUTION:
These hooks, when used, are under a lot of force.
Always pull the vehicle straight out. Never pull on
the hooks at a sideways angle. The hooks could
break off and you or others could be injured from
the chain or cable snapping back.
Notice:Never use recovery hooks to tow the vehicle.
Your vehicle could be damaged and it would not be
covered by warranty.
4-47