Cadillac ESCALADE EXT 2005 User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-6
Safety Belts .............................................. 1-8
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-25
Airbag System ......................................... 1-46
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-59
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-8
Windows ................................................. 2-23
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-25
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-27
Mirrors .................................................... 2-39
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-44
HomeLink
®
Transmitter ............................. 2-46
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-50
Sunroof .................................................. 2-68
Vehicle Personalization ............................. 2-69
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-23
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-29
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-46
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-66
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-50
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 .................................... 5-52
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-59
Tires ...................................................... 5-60
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-95
Vehicle Identification ............................... 5-104
Electrical System .................................... 5-105
Capacities and Specifications ................... 5-115
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-11
Index ................................................................ 1
2005 Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CADILLAC,
the CADILLAC Crest & Wreath, and the names
ESCALADE and EXT 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 this 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
he 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. 05ESCEXT 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 ......................................................1-2
Power Seats ..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-3
Heated Seats .................................................1-3
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-4
Head Restraints .............................................1-5
Rear Seats .......................................................1-6
Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-6
Safety Belts .....................................................1-8
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-8
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-13
Driver Position ..............................................1-13
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-20
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-20
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-20
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults ..........................1-23
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-24
Child Restraints .............................................1-25
Older Children ..............................................1-25
Infants and Young Children ............................1-28
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-31
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-34
Top Strap ....................................................1-35
Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-37
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-38
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System ....................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position ....................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position ............................1-42
Airbag System ...............................................1-46
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-48
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-51
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-52
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-52
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inflates? .........................................1-53
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-54
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-58
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-58
Restraint System Check ..................................1-59
Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-59
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-60
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

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 1-4.
Your vehicle may have a memory function which allows
seat settings to be saved and recalled. See Memory
Seat on page 2-69 for more information.
1-2

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 2-69 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.
1-3

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.
Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicle’s front seatbacks have a recline feature
which is described earlier. See Power Seats on
page 1-2.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
1-4

{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.
1-5

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
The rear seat is a 60/40 split rear seat that can be
folded to give you more cargo space and access to the
folding midgate. See Midgate on page 2-13 for more
information on operation of the folding midgate.
To fold either side of the seat do the following:
1. Push the rear head restraints all the way down.
2. Pull the seat loop
located where the
seatback and
seat cushion meet.
The seat cushion will
release and allow
you to tilt it toward the
front of the vehicle.
1-6

3. Grasp the seatback and pull it toward the front of
the vehicle. Push it down until it is flat. You may
have to move the front seats forward slightly to
do this.
4. Repeat the procedure for the other side.
To return the seats to the normal position, pull the
seatback up and fold the seat cushion down.
{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.
1-7

Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you are not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
See Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-31.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here is why: They work.
1-8

You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do
have a crash, you do not know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be
so serious that even buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in between. In many
of them, people who buckle up can survive and
sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have
been badly hurt or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up
does matter...a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat
on wheels.
1-9

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
does not stop.
1-10

The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield... or the instrument panel...
1-11

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident
if I am wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you are upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Airbags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work with
safety belts — not instead of them. Every airbag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has
airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
1-12

Q: If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in an
accident — even one that is not your fault — you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver does not protect you from things beyond
your control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less
than 40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-25
or Infants and Young Children on page 1-28. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you will want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We will start with the driver position.
Driver Position
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see “Seats” in the Index.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
1-13

Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-24.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would be less
likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the
belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of
the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or a crash.
1-14