Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13690472) - 2021 - CRC - 5/15/20
252
DRIVING AND OPERATING
Vehicles with Tap Shift have controls
on the back of the steering wheel to
manually shift the automatic
transmission.
Permanent Tap Shift Mode
To enter Permanent Tap Shift Mode:
1. With the vehicle in D (Drive), pull
back on the shift lever to activate
M (Manual Mode). The M in the
shift pattern will illuminate in red,
and the D will switch to white.
2. After releasing the shift lever, it
will return to the center position.
3. Press the controls on the back of
the steering wheel to shift. Use the
left steering wheel control to
downshift, and the right control to
upshift. To shift to the lowest
available gear, press and hold the
left control.
To exit Permanent Tap Shift Mode:
1. To exit M (Manual Mode) and
return to D (Drive), pull back on
the shift lever. The D in the shift
pattern will illuminate in red, and
the M will switch to white.
2. After releasing the shift lever, it
will return to the center position.
M (Manual Mode) can be exited to
return to D (Drive) at any speed by
pulling the lever rearward from the
center position. It is not necessary to
stop the vehicle or shift to N (Neutral)
or P (Park) before shifting back to
D (Drive).
Temporary Tap Manual Shift Mode
To enter Temporary Tap Shift Mode:
1. With the transmission in D (Drive)
and not in Permanent Tap Shift
Mode, the Tap Shift controls will
activate a temporary tap manual
shift mode, allowing the
transmission to be manually
shifted.
2. To shift to the lowest available
gear, press and hold the left
control.
3. To deactivate, hold the right
control briefly. Automatic shifts
return after no manual shifts have
been done for seven to 10 seconds.
While using Tap Shift, the vehicle will
have firmer, quicker shifting. This can
be used for sport driving or when
climbing or descending hills, to stay in
gear longer, or to downshift for more
power or engine braking.
The transmission will only allow
shifting into gears appropriate for the
vehicle speed and engine revolutions
per minute (rpm). If shifting is
prevented for any reason, a SHIFT
DENIED message will be displayed in
the instrument cluster. The
transmission will not automatically
shift to the next higher gear if the
engine rpm is too high. It will only
automatically shift to the next lower
gear if the engine rpm is much
too low.