Cadillac Escalade Complaints

358 consumer complaints on file.

#11714091January 28, 2026
ENGINE
After receiving the recall notice, the car was taken to the dealership in Mid-November 2025 at 42,713 miles for the pico engine test. The engine passed the test and had the oil and oil filter changed to the 0-W40 oil and a new oil cap. On January 9, 2026 at approx. 43,700 miles, the engine seized while driving the freeway at approx. 70 mph. The car was towed to the same dealership who confirmed that the engine was destroyed and needed replacement. 2.5 weeks later, I received the car back where the service writer confirmed that the replacement engine was not a “ new” but instead a “re-manufactured” engine with the same 0-W40 oil. Subsequent to this, I contacted Cadillac and started the process of a repurchase. Cadillac has agreed to repurchase the car in the amount of $69,801 based on a mileage usage charge of $31,895 based on 42,713 miles. Depending on your state’s Lemon Law, I would encourage any other owner with this problem to force a repurchase of this car. There are many stories out there of these vehicles experiencing more than one engine replacement. This vehicle can not be trusted.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714069January 28, 2026
ENGINE
We just purchased our new 2026 Cadillac Escalade V this month. We were driving on interstate 64 when we experienced a sudden loss of propulsion and a warning that there was no oil pressure. We barely made it to the side of the highway where the engine had seized up and was unable to be started. The vehicle was towed to our local Cadillac dealer. They informed me today that the crankshaft had failed similar to the previous 6.2 L engine recalls. they have ordered a new engine. They are unable to tell me when the new engine will be there or how long it will take for the repairs to be done. I should also mention that our 2022 Cadillac Escalade experienced catastrophic engine failure as well. This led us to our new purchase of the 2026 Escalade. There were no warning signs prior to this catastrophic failure. It put myself and my entire family at significant risk as the failure occurred to highway speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714023January 28, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
Component/System Involved: Engine / Powertrain and Vehicle Electronic Control Systems, including Serial Data Gateway Module Description of Failure: While driving at highway speed (approximately 60 mph), the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of propulsion without warning. Engine power was lost while traveling on an interstate, forcing me to pull onto the shoulder without propulsion. The loss-of-power event occurred more than once during the same trip. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Cadillac dealership for inspection. Dealer diagnosis confirmed internal mechanical engine failure, including metal debris present in the engine oil, requiring full engine replacement. During diagnostic procedures, the dealership also identified electrical communication faults involving the serial data gateway module, including voltage fluctuation and wiring chafing within the vehicle harness. These faults caused loss-of-communication conditions between control modules and required repair. Safety Risk: The loss of propulsion occurred at highway speed with passengers present in the vehicle, creating a serious safety hazard. Sudden power loss on an interstate increased the risk of collision due to the inability to maintain speed or maneuver safely in traffic. Confirmation / Inspection: The failure was confirmed by an authorized Cadillac dealership. The engine was removed and replaced due to internal damage. Electrical communication faults related to the serial data gateway module were also confirmed and repaired. Warning Indicators: No warning lamps or alerts were displayed prior to the loss of propulsion. Communication faults were identified during post-failure diagnostics. Current Status: The vehicle has undergone engine replacement and electronic repairs and is currently under post-repair monitoring due to the severity and safety implications of the failure. Availability for Inspection: The vehicle and repair documentation should be available through dealership
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713244January 25, 2026
ENGINE
While driving vehicle reported multiple system failures and started shaking. Was safety parked and towed to dealership. Dealership found metal shavings in engine oil. No resolution as of yet.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713148January 24, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Received a recall letter that stated the engine in my 2023 escalade with roughly 49,000 miles on it at the time. Has problems with the engine breaking down and shutting the entire vehicle off. Took the car to the dealer to fix per the recall letter. They stated they only needed to replace an oil cap and put better oil in the car, and not replace the engine as stated in the recall letter. About two weeks later the transmission started to slip and the car would not go over 50 MPH, in addition it would switch automatically into 4wd and get stuck in 4wd. Took the car back to the dealership they did not replace transmission they stated it may have something to do with the recall or an electrical issue. About 8,000 miles later I was driving on the highway taking kids to school and the entire vehicle just shut down completely, I could not brake, steer, control the car in anyway possible. I was riding what felt like a death trap. I was so scared for my family and myself, the car came to a stop on its own pretty drastically. I thought I was going to get slammed into or hit the car in front of me. Luckily I was not hit. The car prompted to push the start button, I tried to start the car, nothing. There was still music playing but the screens were all black, also the engine did not turn over at all. I could not put on my hazards either. I called a tow truck while sitting there and got the car towed to the dealership. The dealership took 3 days to get back to me and stated it was the engine and they are going to have to replace it with a new engine. In addition they would not provide me with a time frame at all, or a temporary vehicle to take my kids to school in. I feel this should be illegal with what has happened to me, I got regular oil changes and maintenance done. If they are still using this engine someone will end up dying from this poorly engineered engine and car. Cadillac once had a great reputation, I regret putting my kids and my life into this automobile.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713031January 23, 2026
ENGINE
I PURCHASED A 2025 CADILLAC ESCALADE IN APRIL 2025 AND IGOT 9300 MILES AND THE LIFTER NOISE IS LIKE TYPE WRITER THAT SPEEDS UP WITH ACCELERATION AND THE TAPING IS LOUD I CAN NOT DRIVE IT ANYMORE BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO BE STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711938January 19, 2026
ENGINE
2023 Escalade, the dealer did the oil change recall to put the thicker oil and oil filter in it a few months ago after the motor was ticking. They had to get recall approved by GM, due to it not showing up under my VIN for the recall. They approved it and on Friday 1/16 driving on a 55mph 3 lane highway with my newborn baby the car just stopped driving and shut off with no warning and not enough time to pull into a shoulder or out of the way. Sat in the car for 30 mins with my newborn baby until cops arrived to help with safety and we waited 45 mins for a tow truck. Cars were swerving nearly hitting us multiple times and you cannot neutral override them to atleast push or pull the car out of the road while waiting for a tow truck
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711875January 19, 2026
ENGINE
We were driving down the road and the car completely quit running I could not steer it and it was moving to a coast mode The motor locked up and it had to be replaced Since being replaced I keep hearing tapping noises in the motor and everytime I bring it in they always say there nothing wrong with my car I also stated that sometimes it cuts out or loses power but still they say nothing is wrong Now trying to trade it in has been a nightmare
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711851January 19, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
Complete Engine failure happened while driving at slow speed. Engine recall had been completed on September 3, 2025. No replacement recomended. Complete engine failure happened on January 12, 2026. Had towed to dealership. Dealership just confirmed to me that it will need to have engine replaced on January 19, 2026. There was no sign or symptoms right before the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710467January 12, 2026
ENGINE
Component/System Failure: The engine experienced catastrophic failure related to Recall N252494000 (NHTSA 25V-274), resulting in complete loss of power and immediate engine shutdown. The original engine was removed and replaced by the Cadillac dealership. The failed engine should be in possession of the dealer or manufacturer and should be available for inspection upon request per manufacturer retention policies. Safety Risk: The vehicle lost all power while traveling at highway speed on Highway 70 with three children and two adults in the vehicle. I was forced to coast into a center turning lane between oncoming traffic in both directions, with no ability to accelerate or move out of traffic. The shutdown occurred without warning, creating a high risk of rear-end or head-on collision. Loss of life was narrowly avoided. Confirmation of Failure: The failure was confirmed by an authorized Cadillac dealership, which determined the vehicle was affected by the active engine recall and replaced the engine under recall service, confirming the failure matched the known defect. Inspections: The vehicle was inspected by the Cadillac dealership acting on behalf of the manufacturer. No police or insurance inspection occurred since no collision took place and the issue was handled through recall repair. Warnings or Symptoms: There were no prior warning lights or drivability symptoms. While driving, a message stating “not safe to drive” appeared, and within approximately five seconds the engine shut off completely. There was no abnormal engine noise before shutdown. After failure, the vehicle could not be restarted, turned off, or shifted and automatically placed itself into park.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710385January 12, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I am reporting serious and repeated safety defects involving loss of vehicle control in my 2025 Cadillac Escalade Sport Platinum. The vehicle has experienced multiple incidents of uncommanded braking (“phantom braking”) while driving at approximately 45 mph with no driver input and no obstacles present. The vehicle has also slammed on the brakes while reversing into a parking space, then became locked and would not move until shifted into PARK and reset, leaving me stuck in the roadway. In another incident, while stopped at a traffic light with the vehicle in DRIVE, the vehicle shifted itself into PARK without any driver input. Additionally, the vehicle has produced uncommanded system activity while powered off overnight, followed by a “Service 4 Wheel Drive” warning. These incidents represent loss of vehicle control and create a serious risk of collision, injury, or death. The issues have occurred multiple times, are intermittent, and have not been repaired despite dealer inspection. The vehicle is unsafe to operate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710307January 12, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. While the contact's wife was driving 70 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred while a tractor-trailer was driving closely behind the vehicle. The contact stated that an error code indicated a failure with the fuel pump drive module. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The contact referenced an unknown recall which had a similar failure description; however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709410January 7, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I purchased this vehicle on October 20, 2025. I took it to the Cadillac dealership and was told a list of over 20 issues involving the vehicle. The tires have holes in them. The suspension is at Rick of failing, wiring and components are missing. The night vision camera and radars on the vehicle and not functioning. I was told this vehicle should not have been on a lot to be sold.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709355January 7, 2026
ENGINE
The check engine light has been coming on intermittently and the engine has felt rough operating. On December 23, 2025, despite the absence of an illuminated "Check Engine Light", I was driving the vehicle when it suddenly lost power/acceleration in the middle of a busy street, which caused me to nearly get into an accident. I brought the vehicle into the Dealership on 12/29/25, and is still there as of 1/7/26. The Dealership has hooked my car up to the scanner, which found code P0300, and they indicated that it's showing a history of misfires across all cylinders. The Dealership has said that they cannot fix the car because they cannot get the Engine Light to illuminate and because as of 1/7/26, my VIN is not included in part of the widespread Engine recall. My vehicle poses an extreme safety risk to drive, and I do not feel comfortable driving it, knowing that the Engine is misfiring and could lose acceleration or power at any moment and without warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709119January 6, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle tires were swaying
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708639January 4, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle: 2024 Cadillac EscaladenV VIN: [XXX] Mileage: ~31,000 miles On December 29, 2025 at approximately 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time, while driving at Approximately 30 mph under normal operating conditions, the front panoramic sunroof glass of my 2024 Cadillac Escalade V catastrophically shattered without warning. Ambient temperature was approximately 21°F. Weather conditions included freezing rain and high winds. The vehicle interior was heated. The interior sunshade was closed at the time of failure. The vehicle was equipped with a roof rack and a mounted cargo box positioned directly above the sunroof plane, providing physical shielding of the glass from above. There was no collision, no road debris strike, and no external object interaction. The glass failure was sudden and explosive. After safely pulling over and retracting the interior sunshade to assess the damage, glass fragments fell into the passenger compartment and struck both front occupants. Two children seated in the second row were not injured. Visual inspection shows no identifiable impact point, crater, or localized strike origin. Fracture patterns appear to originate near the perimeter of the glass panel, suggesting possible stress related or installation related failure rather than impact damage. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708250January 1, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On Tuesday, [XXX] at approximately [XXX], my 2025 Cadillac Escalade (VIN: [XXX] ) experienced a sudden and complete failure of multiple critical safety and control systems while in motion. My wife was driving downhill toward a stoplight with our two toddlers in the vehicle when the incident occurred. Without warning, all dashboard alerts illuminated simultaneously, including brake, engine, collision, and steering warnings. At the same time, the vehicle lost braking capability, power steering assist, electronic gear shifting, and emergency brake functionality. The vehicle continued moving downhill with no functional means of controlled stopping. Because the vehicle was approaching an intersection at the bottom of the hill, a collision would have been unavoidable if the traffic signal had been red. The only way to stop the vehicle was to leave the roadway and pull into dirt, using terrain resistance to bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle became inoperable and required towing. This was not a degraded performance or warning condition; it was a complete loss of control over a moving vehicle. The failure placed the occupants, including young children, at immediate risk of serious injury or death. The vehicle was towed to North County Buick Cadillac GMC Service and remains under evaluation. A GM safety escalation case has been opened (GM Case #[XXX]). Due to the severity of this incident, trust in the vehicle’s safety is permanently lost INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705426December 16, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Vehicle was running with the driver side door open and driver out of vehicle. The vehicle slipped out of gear and reversed quickly. Driver went to get back in while moving backwards to try and stop vehicle. The driver got smashed between the garage and vehicle door. The vehicle door hyperextended and caused damage/injury to driver. The emergency brake did not come on until after the accident. Prior to this happening recalls were not preformed due to GM advising us that our vehicle was not next to get it done. Throughout ownership the vehicle has slipped out of gear two other times. We took it in each time and were told it shouldn’t happen again and they could not replicate. GM did an inspection after and fixed recalls and told us they would not assist us with damage or any compensation.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11705216December 15, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle showed error on the dash for all various systems. It told me those systems required service. I parked the truck and it locked me out of it. OnStar could not open the doors, they kept telling me the truck was unlocked. My app could not open the doors. I called roadside and they showed me how to remove the cover on drive side handle and insert the manual key. The lock turned but the vehicle would not unlock due to the automatic doors. We had to insert an airbag and Jimmy open the door by hooking the interior door handle. The issue is this vehicle will lock you out of your car in an emergency. With the key you cannot unlock the doors. Luckily I only had dinner stuck in the car. I have little children and my fear is they will be locked in the truck if this happens. In the event of an emergency there is no way to get into the truck without smashing windows. The running boards in this mode disappear which makes it even more challenging to break the window and get over and inside. This is a very serious and dangerous design by Cadillac on the Escalade 2025.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11703647December 8, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally loud motor sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle unexpectedly shut off while in a parking lot and failed to restart after several attempts. The contact was picked by her husband. The contact stated that her husband later returned to the vehicle and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair and passed a vehicle inspection, and the dealer added a higher viscosity oil, installed an oil fill cap, replaced the oil filter, and updated the Owner’s Manual. The contact stated that two weeks later, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic inspected the vehicle and discovered there was no oil in the engine. The contact was informed that the vehicle was unsafe to operate. The dealer that had serviced the recall was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was serviced according to the recall. The mechanic informed the contact that the dealer had possibly drained the oil and refilled it with 0W-40 oil to pass the recall inspection and not have to replace the engine. The contact asked the dealer if the practice was performed during the recall repair, and the dealer avoided answering the question. The contact stated that a service member from the dealer arrived at the residence to top off the engine oil. The dealer suggested that an oil consumption test be performed every 1,000 miles to monitor the oil consumption. The contact stated that the recall remedy was insufficient and failed to properly address the issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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