Cadillac ESCALADE - BROCHURE 2009 User manual

Seats and Restraint System ............................. 1-1
Head Restraints ......................................... 1-2
Front Seats ............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats .............................................. 1-10
Safety Belts ............................................. 1-30
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-52
Airbag System ......................................... 1-79
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-95
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ...................................... 2-10
Windows ................................................. 2-17
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-21
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-24
Mirrors .................................................... 2-40
Object Detection Systems .......................... 2-42
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-52
Universal Home Remote System ................ 2-55
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-62
Sunroof .................................................. 2-65
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-27
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-33
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-47
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-75
Navigation System .......................................... 4-1
Overview .................................................. 4-2
Features and Controls .............................. 4-13
Navigation Audio System ........................... 4-62
Voice Recognition .................................... 4-86
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 5-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle ....... 5-2
Towing ................................................... 5-40
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 6-1
Service ..................................................... 6-3
Fuel ......................................................... 6-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 6-12
All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 6-45
Rear Axle ............................................... 6-46
2009 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual M

Front Axle ............................................... 6-47
Headlamp Aiming ..................................... 6-48
Bulb Replacement .................................... 6-51
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 6-54
Tires ...................................................... 6-56
Appearance Care ..................................... 6-96
Vehicle Identification ............................... 6-104
Electrical System .................................... 6-105
Capacities and Specifications ................... 6-113
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 7-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 7-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 8-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 8-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 8-14
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy ........... 8-16
Index ................................................................ 1

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CADILLAC,
the CADILLAC Crest & Wreath, and the names
ESCALADE and ESV are registered trademarks of
General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. GM reserves the right to make changes
after that time without notice. For vehicles first sold
in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors
of Canada Limited” for Cadillac Motor Car Division
wherever it appears in this manual.
This manual describes features that may or may not be
on your specific vehicle.
Read this manual from beginning to end to learn about
the vehicle’s features and controls. Pictures, symbols,
and words work together to explain vehicle operation.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.
Canadian Owners
Canadian Owners
(Propriétaires Canadiens)
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer/retailer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français
auprès du concessionnaire ou à l’adresse suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue française
www.helminc.com
Index
To quickly locate information about the vehicle, use the
index in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical
list of what is in the manual and the page number where
it can be found.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 15911387 B Second Printing
©
2008 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
iii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
A circle with a slash
through it is a safety
symbol which means “Do
Not,” “Do not do this,”
or “Do not let this happen.”
A box with the word CAUTION is used to tell about
things that could hurt you or others if you were to ignore
the warning.
{CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
Cautions tell what the hazard is and what to do to avoid
or reduce the hazard. Read these cautions.
A notice tells about something that can damage the
vehicle.
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
Many times, this damage would not be covered by the
vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. The notice
tells what to do to help avoid the damage.
There are also warning labels on the vehicle which use
the same words, CAUTION or Notice.
Vehicle Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or information
relating to a specific component, control, message,
gage, or indicator.
M:This symbol is shown when you need to see your
owner manual for additional instructions or information.
*:This symbol is shown when you need to see a
service manual for additional instructions or information.
iv

Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may be found on
the vehicle and what they mean. For more information
on the symbol, refer to the index.
0:Adjustable Pedals
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls or OnStar
®
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.:Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i:Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
j:LATCH System Child Restraints
*:Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway Mirrors
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_:Tow/Haul Mode
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
v

✍NOTES
vi

Head Restraints ...............................................1-2
Front Seats ......................................................1-3
Power Seats ..................................................1-3
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-4
Heated Seats .................................................1-5
Heated and Cooled Seats ................................1-6
Memory Features ...........................................1-7
Power Reclining Seatbacks ..............................1-8
Center Seat .................................................1-10
Rear Seats .....................................................1-10
Heated Seats ...............................................1-10
60/40 Split Bench Seat (Second Row) .............1-11
Bucket Seats (Second Row) ...........................1-17
Third Row Seat ............................................1-25
Safety Belts ...................................................1-30
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-30
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-35
Lap-Shoulder Belt .........................................1-43
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-50
Lap Belt ......................................................1-50
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-51
Child Restraints .............................................1-52
Older Children ..............................................1-52
Infants and Young Children ............................1-55
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-59
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-61
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH) ......................................1-63
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position ....................................1-71
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position ..........................1-75
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position ............................1-76
Airbag System ...............................................1-79
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-81
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-84
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-85
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-85
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-86
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-87
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-93
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle .............................1-94
Restraint System Check ..................................1-95
Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-95
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-96
Section 1 Seats and Restraint System
1-1

Head Restraints
The front seats have adjustable head restraints in the
outboard seating positions.
{CAUTION:
With head restraints that are not installed and
adjusted properly, there is a greater chance that
occupants will suffer a neck/spinal injury in a
crash. Do not drive until the head restraints for all
occupants are installed and adjusted properly.
Adjust the head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is at the same height as the top of the occupant’s
head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury
in a crash.
1-2

Pull the head restraint up to raise it. To lower the head
restraint, press the button, located on the top of the
seatback, and push the restraint down.
Push down on the head restraint after the button is
released to make sure that it is locked in place.
The head restraints are not designed to be removed.
The vehicle may also be equipped with manually tilting
head restraints in the outboard seating positions.
The rear seat has head rests that can be adjusted up
and down.
Front Seats
Power Seats
The power seat controls are located on the outboard
side of the front seats.
•Move the seat forward or rearward by sliding the
control forward or rearward.
•Raise or lower the front part of the seat cushion by
moving the front of the control up or down.
Driver Seat with Power Seat Control, Power Recline,
and Power Lumbar shown
1-3

•Raise or lower the rear part of the seat cushion by
moving the rear of the control up or down.
•Raise or lower the entire seat by moving the entire
control up or down.
The power reclining seatback control is located behind
the power seat control on the outboard side of the
seats. See Power Reclining Seatbacks on page 1-8.
Your vehicle has a memory function which allows seat
settings to be saved and recalled. See Memory
Features on page 1-7.
Power Lumbar
The controls used to operate the power lumbar feature
are located on the outboard side of the seats.
•To increase lumbar support, press and hold the
front of the control.
•To decrease lumbar support, press and hold the
rear of the control.
•To raise the height of the support, press and hold
the top of the control.
•To lower the height of the support, press and hold
the bottom of the control.
1-4

Let go of the control when the lower seatback reaches
the desired level of support.
Your vehicle has a memory function which allows seat
settings to be saved and recalled. See Memory
Features on page 1-7 for more information.
Keep in mind that as your seating position changes, as
it may during long trips, so should the position of
your lumbar support. Adjust the seat as needed.
Heated Seats
If the front seats have the
heated seat feature, the
buttons used to control this
feature are located on
the climate control panel.
+(Heated Seatback): To heat only the seatback,
press the top button with the heated seatback symbol.
This symbol will appear on the climate control display to
indicate that the feature is on. Press the button to cycle
through the temperature settings of high, medium, and
low and to turn the heated seatback off. Indicator bars
next to the symbol designate the level of heat selected:
three for high, two for medium, and one for low.
z(Heated Seat and Seatback): To heat the entire
seat, press the bottom button with the heated seat and
seatback symbol.
This symbol will appear on the climate control display to
indicate that the feature is on. Press the button to cycle
through the temperature settings of high, medium, and
low and to turn the heated seat off. Indicator bars next to
the symbol designate the level of heat selected: three for
high, two for medium, and one for low.
The heated seats will be canceled ten seconds after the
ignition is turned off. If you want to use the heated
seat feature after you restart the vehicle, you will need
to press the appropriate heated seat button again.
If your vehicle has heated and cooled seats, see Heated
and Cooled Seats on page 1-6.
1-5

Heated and Cooled Seats
If the front seats have the
heated and cooled seat
feature, the buttons
used to control this feature
are located on the
climate control panel.
{(Cooled Seat): To cool the entire seat, press the
button with the cooled seat symbol.
This symbol will appear on the climate control display to
indicate that the feature is on. Press the button to cycle
through the temperature settings of high, medium, and
low and to turn the cooled seat off. Indicator bars next to
the symbol designate the level of cooling selected: three
for high, two for medium, and one for low.
+(Heated Seatback): To heat only the seatback,
press the button with the heated seatback symbol.
This symbol will appear on the climate control display to
indicate that the feature is on. Press the button to cycle
through the temperature settings of high, medium, and
low and to turn the heated seatback off. Indicator bars
next to the symbol designate the level of heat selected:
three for high, two for medium, and one for low.
z(Heated Seat and Seatback): To heat the entire
seat, press the button with the heated seat and seatback
symbol.
This symbol will appear on the climate control display to
indicate that the feature is on. Press the button to cycle
through the temperature settings of high, medium, and
low and to turn the heated seat off. Indicator bars next to
the symbol designate the level of heat selected: three for
high, two for medium, and one for low.
The heated and cooled seats will be canceled after the
ignition is turned off. If you want to use the heated
and cooled seat feature after you restart your vehicle,
you will need to press the appropriate seat button again.
1-6

Memory Features
Your vehicle has the memory package.
The controls for this feature
are located on the driver’s
door, and are used to
program and recall memory
settings for the driver’s
seat, outside mirrors,
steering wheel position,
and the adjustable throttle
and brake pedal feature,
if your vehicle has it.
To save your positions in memory, do the following:
1. Adjust the driver’s seat, including the seatback
recliner and lumbar, both outside mirrors, steering
wheel, and the throttle and brake pedals to a
comfortable position.
See Outside Power Foldaway Mirrors on page 2-40
and Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal on
page 2-27 for more information.
Not all mirrors will have the ability to save and recall
the mirror positions.
2. Press and hold button 1 until two beeps let you know
that the position has been stored.
A second seating, mirror, steering wheel position, and
throttle and brake pedal position can be programmed by
repeating the above steps and pressing button 2.
To recall the memory positions, the vehicle must be in
P (Park). Press and release either button 1 or button 2
corresponding to the desired driving position. The
seat, outside mirrors, steering wheel position, and
adjustable throttle and brake pedals will move to the
position previously stored. You will hear a single beep.
If you use the remote keyless entry transmitter to
enter your vehicle and the remote recall memory feature
is on, automatic seat, mirror, steering wheel position,
and adjustable pedal movement will occur. See
“MEMORY SEAT RECALL” under DIC Vehicle
Customization on page 3-65 for more information.
To stop recall movement of the memory feature at any
time, press one of the power seat controls, memory
buttons, power mirror buttons, power tilt wheel control,
or adjustable pedal switch.
If something has blocked the driver’s seat and/or the
adjustable pedals while recalling a memory position, the
driver’s seat and/or the adjustable pedals recall may stop
working. If this happens, remove the obstruction and
press the appropriate function control for two seconds.
Then try recalling the memory position again by pressing
the appropriate memory button. If the memory position is
still not recalling, see your dealer/retailer for service.
1-7

Easy Exit Seat
The control for this feature is located on the driver’s
door between buttons 1 and 2.
With the vehicle in P (Park), the exit position can be
recalled by pressing the exit button. You will hear
a single beep. The driver’s seat will move back.
If the easy exit seat feature is on in the Driver
Information Center (DIC), automatic seat movement will
occur when the key is removed from the ignition.
See “EASY EXIT SEAT” under DIC Vehicle
Customization on page 3-65 for more information.
Further programming for the memory seat feature can
be done using the DIC. You can select the automatic
easy exit seat feature or the remote memory seat recall
feature.
For programming information, see DIC Vehicle
Customization on page 3-65.
Power Reclining Seatbacks
The controls for the power reclining seatback are
located on the outboard side of the front seats behind
the power seat control.
•To recline the seatback, tilt the top of the control
rearward.
•To bring the seatback forward, tilt the top of the
control forward.
Driver’s Seat with Power Seat Control, Power
Recline, and Power Lumbar shown
1-8

{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts cannot do their job when you
are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt cannot do its job. In a crash,
you could go into it, receiving neck or other
injuries.
The lap belt cannot do its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear your safety belt
properly.
Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
Your vehicle has a memory function which allows seat
settings to be saved and recalled. See Memory Features
on page 1-7.
1-9

Center Seat
Your vehicle may have a front center seat. The seatback
doubles as an armrest and cupholder/storage area for the
driver and passenger when the center seat is not used.
Do not use it as a seating position when the seatback is
folded down.
Rear Seats
Heated Seats
The rear outboard seats
have the heated seat
feature. The buttons used
to control this feature
are located on the Rear
Seat Audio (RSA) panel.
M(Heated Seat): To heat the seat cushion, press the
button with the heated seat symbol.
A heated seat symbol will be shown in the RSA display
to indicate that the feature is on. Press the button to
cycle through the temperature settings of high, medium,
and low, and to turn it off. Indicator bars next to the
symbol will designate the level of heat selected: three for
high, two for medium, and one for low.
The heated seats will be canceled ten seconds after the
ignition is turned off. If the vehicle is restarted, the
heated seat button will need to be pressed again to
restart the feature.
Driver’s Side RSA
Heated Seat Button
Only shown
1-10

60/40 Split Bench Seat
(Second Row)
If your vehicle has a 60/40 split bench, the seat(s) can
be folded for additional cargo space or folded and
tumbled for easy entry and exit to the third row seats, if
your vehicle has them. These seats will have either
the manual fold and tumble feature or the automatic seat
release fold and tumble feature.
Manual Fold and Tumble Feature
Folding and Tumbling the Seat(s)
To fold and tumble the seat, do the following:
1. Make sure that there is nothing under, in front of, or
on the seat.
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.
2. Lift the lever, located on the outboard side of the
seat, to release the seatback.
1-11

The seatback will fold forward automatically.
Leaving the seatback in this position creates a flat
load floor.
If the seatback cannot fold flat, try moving the front
seat forward and/or put the front seatback in the
upright position.
3. Lift the same lever
again to release the
rear of the seat from the
floor. The seat will
tumble forward.
1-12

Returning the Seat(s) to the Sitting
Position
To return the seat to the sitting position, do the following:
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.
{CAUTION:
If 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.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not properly
attached, or twisted will not provide the protection
needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt
could be seriously injured. After raising the rear
seatback, always check to be sure that the safety
belts are properly routed and attached, and are
not twisted.
3. Make sure the safety belt in the center seating
position is not caught between the two seats
and is not twisted.
1-13

Folding and Tumbling the Seat(s) from the
Third Row Seats
{CAUTION:
Using the third row seating position while the
second row is folded, or folded and tumbled, could
cause injury in a sudden stop or crash. Be sure to
return the seat to the passenger seating position.
Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked
into place.
To fold and tumble the seat from the third rows, if your
vehicle has them, do the following:
1. Make sure that there is nothing under, in front of, or
on the seat.
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.
2. Lift the lever(s), located on the bottom rear of the
second row seat(s) on the inboard side, to release
the seatback. The seatback will fold forward.
3. Lift the same lever again to release the rear of the
seat from the floor. The seat will tumble forward
automatically.
1-14