Cadillac Escalade: Traction Control Operation
TCS is part of the StabiliTrak system. Traction control limits wheel spin by reducing engine power to the wheels (engine speed management) and by applying brakes to each individual wheel (brake-traction control) as necessary.
TCS is enabled automatically when the vehicle is started. It will activate and the StabiliTrak light will flash if it senses that any of the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction while driving. If traction control is turned off, only the brake-traction control portion of traction control will work. The engine speed management will be disabled. In this mode, engine power is not reduced automatically and the driven wheels can spin more freely. This can cause the brake-traction control to activate constantly.
Notice: If the wheel(s) of one axle is allowed to spin excessively while the StabiliTrak®, ABS, brake warning lights, and any relevant DIC messages are displayed, the transfer case could be damaged. The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Reduce engine power and do not spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and messages are displayed.
TCS may activate on dry or rough roads or under conditions such as heavy acceleration while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts of the transmission. When this happens, a reduction in acceleration may be noticed, or a noise or vibration may be heard. This is normal.
If cruise control is being used when the system activates, the StabiliTrak light will flash and cruise control will automatically disengage. Cruise control may be reengaged when road conditions allow. See Cruise Control .
StabiliTrak may also turn off automatically if it determines that a problem exists with the system. If the problem does not clear itself after restarting the vehicle, see your dealer for service.
Non-hybrid vehicles with StabiliTrak have a Trailer Sway Control (TSC) feature. See Trailer Sway Control (TSC) .
Non-hybrid vehicles with StabiliTrak have a Hill Start Assist (HSA) feature. See Hill Start Assist (HSA) .
Adding non-dealer accessories can affect the vehicle's performance. See Accessories and Modifications .
StabiliTrak® System
The vehicle has a vehicle stability enhancement system called StabiliTrak. It
is an advanced computer-controlled system that assists the driver with directional
control of the vehicle in difficult d ...
Locking Rear Axle
Vehicles with a locking rear axle can give more traction on snow, mud, ice, sand,
or gravel. It works like a standard axle most of the time, but when traction is
low, this feature will allow the rea ...
See also:
Off-Road Driving
All-wheel-drive vehicles can be used for off-road driving. Vehicles without all-wheel
drive and vehicles not equipped with All Terrain (AT) or On-Off Road (OOR) tires
must not be driven off-road exc ...
Emergency Tensioning Devices, beltforce limiters
The seat belts for the front seats are equipped
with ETDs/belt buckle tensioners and seat
belt force limiters. The outer seat belts in the
second row of seats are equipped with ETDs and seat belt f ...
System self-test
The 42 indicator lamp
illuminates when you:
• turn the SmartKey to position 1 or 2 in the
ignition lock
• on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, press the
Start/Stop button once or twice
The indica ...