Cadillac ESCALADE ESV 2005 User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts ............................................. 1-28
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-48
Airbag System ......................................... 1-72
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-86
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-8
Windows ................................................. 2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-18
Mirrors .................................................... 2-30
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-35
HomeLink
®
Transmitter ............................. 2-37
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-41
Sunroof .................................................. 2-45
Vehicle Personalization ............................. 2-46
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-22
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-31
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-49
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-69
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-53
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under
the Hood ............................................. 5-10
All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-45
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-46
Front Axle ............................................... 5-47
Headlamp Aiming ..................................... 5-48
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-51
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-59
Tires ...................................................... 5-60
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-99
Vehicle Identification ............................... 5-107
Electrical System .................................... 5-108
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-119
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-12
Index ................................................................ 1
2005 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CADILLAC,
the CADILLAC Crest & Wreath, and the names
ESCALADE ESCALADE/ESV are registered trademarks
of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve 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 whenever it
appears in this manual.
Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if it is
ever needed while you are on the road. If the vehicle
is sold, leave the manual in the vehicle.
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people read the owner manual from beginning to
end when they first receive their new vehicle. If this
is done, it can help you learn about the features
and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work
together in the owner manual to explain things.
Index
A good place to quickly locate information about the
vehicle is 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. 05ESCALADE A First Edition
©
2004 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
There are a number of safety cautions in this book. We
use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about things
that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning.
{CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is.
Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not,
you or others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Do Not,”
“Do Not do this” or “Do Not
let this happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this manual you will find these notices:
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice tells about something that can damage the
vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered
by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But
the notice will tell what to do to help avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors
or in different words.
There are also warning labels on the vehicle.
They 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.
If you need help figuring out a specific name of a
component, gage, or indicator, reference the following
topics:
•Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
•Features and Controls in Section 2
•Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
•Climate Controls in Section 3
•Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3
•Audio System(s) in Section 3
•Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle:
v

✍NOTES
vi

Front Seats ......................................................1-3
Power Seats ..................................................1-3
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-4
Heated Seats .................................................1-4
Heated and Cooled Seats ................................1-5
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-6
Head Restraints .............................................1-7
Rear Seats .......................................................1-8
Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-8
Heated Seats ...............................................1-10
Heated and Cooled Seats ..............................1-10
60/40 Split Bench Seat ..................................1-11
50/50 Split Bench Seat ..................................1-13
Bench Seat ..................................................1-19
Bucket Seats ...............................................1-25
Safety Belts ...................................................1-28
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-28
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-32
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-33
Driver Position ..............................................1-33
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-40
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-41
Center Passenger Position .............................1-41
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-42
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults .......................................1-45
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-47
Child Restraints .............................................1-48
Older Children ..............................................1-48
Infants and Young Children ............................1-50
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-54
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-57
Top Strap ....................................................1-58
Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-60
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-62
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System .........................................1-64
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position ............................................1-65
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Rear
Seat Position ............................................1-67
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position ............................................1-68
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Airbag System ...............................................1-72
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-74
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-77
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-78
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-78
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-79
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-80
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-85
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-86
Restraint System Check ..................................1-86
Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-86
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-87
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-2

Front Seats
Power Seats
The power seat controls are located on the outboard
edge of the front seats.
Horizontal Control: This control adjusts the seat
cushion.
•Raise or lower the front of the seat by raising or
lowering the forward edge of the control. Raise
or lower the rear of the seat by raising or lowering
the rear edge of the control.
•Move the seat forward or rearward by moving the
whole control toward the front or toward the rear
of the vehicle.
•Lower or raise the entire seat cushion by moving
the whole control up or down.
Vertical Control: This control adjusts the seatback.
Move the reclining front seatback rearward or forward by
moving the control toward the rear or toward the front
of the vehicle. This adjusts the angle of the seatback.
For more information on the reclining seatbacks,
see Reclining Seatbacks on page 1-6.
Your vehicle may have a memory function which allows
seat settings to be saved and recalled. See Memory
Seat on page 2-46 for more information.
1-3

Power Lumbar
Your vehicle’s seats may be equipped with power
lumbar.
You can increase or
decrease lumbar support
in an area of the lower
seatback with this control,
located on the outboard
sides of the front seat(s).
To increase support, press and hold the front of the
control. To decrease support, press and hold the rear of
the control. Let go of the control when the lower
seatback reaches the desired level of support.
You can also reshape the side wing area of the lower
seatback for more lateral support.
To increase support, press and hold the top of the
control. To decrease support, press and hold the bottom
of the control. Let go of the control when the lower
seatback reaches the desired level of support.
Your vehicle may have a memory function which allows
seat settings to be saved and recalled. See Memory
Seat on page 2-46 for more information.
Heated Seats
The buttons used to
control this feature are
located on the front doors.
The engine must be
running for the heated
seat feature to work.
To heat the entire seat, press the horizontal button with
the heated seat symbol. Press the button to cycle
through the temperature settings of high, medium and
low and to turn the heated seat off. Indicator lights
will glow to designate the level of heat selected, three
for high, two for medium, and one for low.
1-4

The low setting warms the seatback and cushion until
the seat temperature is near body temperature. The
medium and high settings heat the seatback and seat
cushion to a slightly higher temperature. You will be able
to feel heat in about two minutes.
To heat only the seatback, press the vertical button with
the heated seatback symbol. An indicator light on the
seatback button will glow to designate that only the
seatback is being heated. Additional presses of
the seatback button will cycle through the heat levels for
the seatback only. Press the horizontal button again
to heat the whole seat.
The heated front seats will shut off automatically when
the ignition is turned off.
Your vehicle also has heated rear seats. See Heated
Seats on page 1-10.
Heated and Cooled Seats
Your vehicle may be equipped with this feature. The
buttons used to control this feature are located on
the instrument panel, under the radio.
With the heated and cooled seats you can choose high,
medium or low heat or cool settings. The seats will
only operate either in the heat or cool mode; for
example, you cannot cool the seat cushion while heating
the seatback. An amber light will flash when a setting
cannot be selected.
1-5

To operate the heated and cooled seats, do the
following:
1. Press the red heat button (A) or the blue cool
button (B).
2. Choose one of the following:
I(Seatback Only): This can only be used for the
heat feature. Press this button to heat the seatback and
cycle through the heat settings of high, medium, low
and off. Red indicator lights will glow for each heat
setting chosen: three lights for high, two for medium and
one for low. A light in the button will also glow to
indicate the seatback heat is on.
J(Entire Seat): Press this button to heat or cool the
entire seat and cycle through the settings of high,
medium, low and off. Red (for heat) or blue (for cool)
indicator lights will glow for each setting chosen:
three lights for high, two for medium and one for low.
Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicle’s front seatbacks have a recline feature
which is described earlier. See Power Seats on
page 1-3.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
1-6

{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can not do their
job when you are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can not do its job. In a
crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or
other injuries.
The lap belt can not 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.
Head Restraints
Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top of your head. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Pull straight up on the head restraint to raise it and
push it down to lower it.
1-7

The front head restraints can also be tilted forward in
addition to being slid up or down. To tilt either of
the front head restraints do the following:
Pull the head restraint toward you until you hear a click.
Then let go. The head restraint will stay in this position
unless you pull it forward more until another click is
heard. There are four positions available: initial position,
first click, second click, and third click. After the third
position (three clicks) is reached, pulling the head
restraint farther will release it back to the normal upright
position.
The rear head restraints can be slid up or down just
as the front head restraints, but they do not tilt.
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Entering or Exiting the Third Row
Seats
Escalade: To enter or exit the third row seat you must
fold the second row seat down following the instructions
later in this section. See “Folding the Seatback” under
60/40 Split Bench Seat on page 1-11. If you are exiting
the third row seat with no assistance do the following:
1. Reach over the second
row seat and pull up on
the strap loop. Then
pull the seat cushion up
and push it forward.
2. Next, push the seatback forward until it is flat with
the floor.
1-8

Be sure to return the seat to the passenger position
when finished. Pull forward and push rearward on the
seat to make sure it is locked in place.
Escalade ESV: The passenger’s side of the second
row 60/40 or rear bucket seat has an easy entry/exit
feature. This makes it easy to get in and out of the third
row seat.
To operate the easy entry seat, do the following:
1. Lift the release lever on the back of the seat, upward.
2. Tilt the seatback toward the front of the vehicle and
the seat will release.
3. Pull (push if you are exiting the third row with no
assistance) the seat forward until it stops.
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be 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.
Be sure to return the seat to the passenger position
when finished. Pull forward and push rearward on the
seat to make sure it is locked in place.
1-9

Heated Seats
If your vehicle has this
feature, the buttons used
to control this feature
are located on the back of
the center console. The
engine must be running for
the heated seat feature
to work.
To heat the seat, press the button to cycle through the
temperature settings of high and low. Press the
button a third time to turn the feature off. An indicator
light will glow for each heat setting when the feature is
operating.
The heated rear seats will shut off automatically when
the ignition is turned off.
Heated and Cooled Seats
Your vehicle may be
equipped with this feature.
The buttons used to
control this feature are
located on the back of the
center console.
With the heated and cooled seats you can choose high,
medium or low heat or cool settings. The seats will
only operate either in the heat or cool mode; for
example, you cannot cool the seat cushion while heating
the seatback. An amber light will flash when a setting
cannot be selected.
1-10

To operate the heated and cooled seats, do the
following:
1. Press the red heat button (A) or the blue cool
button (B).
2. Choose one of the following:
I(Seatback Only): This can only be used for the
heat feature. Press this button to heat the seatback and
cycle through the heat settings of high, medium, low
and off. Red indicator lights will glow for each heat
setting chosen: three lights for high, two for medium and
one for low. A light in the button will also glow to
indicate the seatback heat is on.
J(Entire Seat): Press this button to heat or cool the
entire seat and cycle through the settings of high,
medium, low and off. Red (for heat) or blue (for cool)
indicator lights will glow for each setting chosen:
three lights for high, two for medium and one for low.
60/40 Split Bench Seat
If your vehicle has a 60/40 split bench, the seatbacks
can be folded to give you more cargo space.
Folding the Seatbacks (60/40 Split
Bench Seat)
The rear seat may have a 60/40 split seat which may be
folded down to create a load floor and give you more
cargo space. On the Escalade, the rear seatbacks
are equipped with rearward folding head restraints.
When the seatback is being folded down, the head
restraint will automatically fold rearward.
To fold the rear seat, do the following:
1. Make sure that nothing is under or in front
of the seat. 2. Pull up on the strap
loop located at the rear
of the seat cushion
and flip the seat
cushion forward.
3. Escalade: Pull the seatback forward and fold it
down until it is flat.
1-11

Escalade ESV: On the passenger side of
Escalade ESV models, the lever at the base of the
seat must be pulled up to release the seatback.
Pull the seatback forward and fold it down until
it is flat.
If the seatback cannot fold flat because it interferes with
the cushion, try moving the front seat forward and/or
bringing the front seatback more upright.
Once the seatbacks are folded down, on Escalade ESV
models only, the rear seat footwell area will be
exposed and will have to be covered by the load floor
panel(s). To create a load floor, do the following:
1. Release the panels from the seatbacks by pushing
forward on the latches.
2. Then fold the panels back to cover the rear seat
footwell area.
1-12

Returning the Seats to an Upright
Position
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be 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.
To return the seat to the upright position, do the
following:
1. On Escalade ESV models, lift the load floor panels
and latch them into the seatback.
2. Lift the seatback up and push it rearward
all the way.
3. Lower the seat cushion until it latches into position.
4. Pull forward on the seatback and up on the seat
cushion to make sure the seat is securely in place.
5. On Escalade models, return the head restraints
to the upright position.
6. Check to see that the safety belt buckles on the
driver’s side seat are accessible to the outboard
and center occupants and are not under the
seat cushions.
50/50 Split Bench Seat
If your vehicle has a 50/50 split bench, the seatback(s)
can be folded and the entire seat(s) tilted or removed
from the vehicle.
1-13

Folding the Seatbacks
To fold the seatbacks, do the following:
1. Pull up on the release
lever labeled 1 located
on the rear of the
seatback, and push the
seatback forward.
Unfolding the Seatbacks
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
To return the seatbacks to the passenger position, do
the following: 1. Pull up on the release
lever labeled 1 and
then pull up on
the seatback or the
assist strap located on
the outboard side of
the seat until the
seatback locks into the
upright position.
2. Push forward on the seatback to make sure it is
locked into position.
1-14