Owners have filed 439 complaints on the Cadillac Escalade ESV, covering 2003–2026. The system named most often is Engine (142 reports). Worst years by volume: 2023, 2021, 2022; cleanest: 2012, 2006, 2010. 25 reports describe a crash, 7 a fire. On average the car was 4.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Cadillac Escalade ESV
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 439 Escalade ESV complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine 142 Read
I was on highway and car all the sudden started slowing down and stopped completely and I wasn’t able to start it back. I had to tow it to closest dealership It happened [XXX] 9/16/2024 car was transferred to another dealership cadillac of Manhattan. And it had been there and as of today 1/21/2025 isn’t fixed. On a…
Vehicle caught on fire while owner was driving. Owner reported small puff of black smoke prior to fire
Driving on [XXX] in Missouri, on the way to Kentucky for business. Outside of St. Robert, motor started knocking and losing power. AC quit, knocking got worse the power loss continued. I limped it to the top of the hill with hazards on, pulled off the interstate on a large shoulder, not safe. Could not stand in the…
Power Train 74 Read
We were traveling on a highway trip, approximately 71 miles from home the engine made a brief grinding noise and then with in about 2 seconds the engine completely shut down and stopped running. After having the vehicle towed back to my Cadillac dealer, the dealer determined that the engine was completely damaged by…
I had my 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv vehicle service twice at the dealership of purchase regarding the vehicle gear shifting on its own and dragging. The service advisor said they couldn’t find a problem with the vehicle. He told bring it back if it does it again. [XXX] the problem occurred twice in one day. I thought…
I parked my 2017 Cadillac in a parking spot put the car in park shut it off and put the brake on went in side the pharmacyand my daughter was in the passenger seat with the windows downwind the car went Forward and hit a pole then rolled back and wrecked in the two cars with the car shut off in park a man tryed to…
Electrical System 50 Read
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer with the assistance of a Police patrol. The dealer diagnosed that the engine was…
4-12-2023 My 8-year-old daughter and I were driving a 2022 CADILLAC ESCALADE esv and were hit by an out-of-control Ford F150 at a speed of 60 miles. The airbag on the car was almost completely driven, and the insurance company told us the total loss. Fortunately, we were all only affected by it. Minor injuries but…
We were on our way home from charlotte nc where the suv sat for a week while we were on vacation. Less than an hour of traveling home we smelled something burning so my husband pulled over, turns the suv off, and we looked on the outside at the tires. We didn’t see anything no smoke, no flat tires, so we look back in…
Air Bags 45 Read
Loss of taste and smell except for brain matter followed by nasal drip in back of throat. Steering wheel air bag did not deploy. Right rear tire pop in freeway 94 westbound on 13 friday november 2020. Usaa sent diagnostics of vehicle's recall information. Called manufacturer of vehicle to report recall and denied off…
Er to case number: Case#9-6698447273v 3136671128 Vera Cadillac case Escalated and I am not getting through. Just want to make sure that I made the effort to each our to dealerships and headquarters to no avail. And if this is really is what is happening, this is what really need to be done properly: per lemon vehicle…
We were hit from the side, in the front part of the drivers door at between 35-45 mph, by someone who ran a red light as we were turning right. The force rammed us head on into a telephone pole. The impact of the pole was just shy of the middle of the front bumper. None of the airbags deployed.Emergency personnel were…
Service Brakes 24 Read
The contact owned a 2017 cadillac escalade esv. While driving approximately 35 mph, a police officer abruptly made a left turn causing a chain reaction crash of four vehicles. The contact depressed the brake pedal and it traveled all the way down to the floorboard. The contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. The…
The contact owns a 2017 cadillac escalade esv. While attempting to park the vehicle, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop and crashed into another vehicle. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not…
Vacuum pump deterioration or failure caused reduced stopping of vehicle. Backed up vehicle in driveway and could not stop until I pumped brake petal several times. And finally stopped. Placed vehicle in neutral and set hand brake. I checked accelerator and stop petals for obstruction and found none. Placed vehicle in…
Engine And Engine Cooling 19 Read
The contact owns a 2024 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there were metal shavings found in the oil. The contact owned a 2023 Cadillac Escalade…
The contact owns a 2024 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…
The contact owns a 2024 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN…
Suspension 15 Read
06/14/2019 I was driving my cadillac to escalate esv traveling from baltimore to washington dc 95 south band. 12:04 pm my vehicle flip over. I almost lost my life. After the accident, I inspected the vehicle. I found that left the rear wheel of the car; come out of the vehicle. Wheel locks and axle bar of the tire cut…
On XXX, Dimmitt Cadillac of Pinellas Park confirmed three tires on my 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV (VIN: [XXX]) at 3/32" tread depth with alignment wear damage — unsafe for highway travel at 41,796 miles. A fourth tire replaced via warranty at 20,586 miles is now at 7/32". All four tires are destroyed or degraded. This…
Back in April of 2024 when the truck only had about 16,500 miles on it the engine went out causing steering to become heavy and braking to become very hard. This happened on a highway going about 65-70mph. The should was very narrow causing the truck to kind of protrude into the roadway, almost got hit by several…
Steering 13 Read
The steering wheel locked up and the car shifted. I was unable to control the steering wheel it caused a crash
Driving 94 west bound jumped off my seat and remembered I didn't just hit anything on the road. Tire passed me and seatbelt strangled me when it pulled. Grabbed ahold of steering wheel and made sure not to hit any objects or anyone. Something hit my face and got discombobulated from the seatbelt. Had to remember that…
Vehicle caught fire in seatbelt harness
Escalade ESV years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Electrical System,engine,fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2024 | Electrical System,vehicle Speed Control,engine | 1 | — | |
| 2023 | Back Over Prevention | 3 | — | |
| 2022 | Electrical System,engine | 1 | — | |
| 2021 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags,wheels,fuel/propulsion System | 3 | — | |
| 2019 | Electrical System | 1 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Electrical System | — | 2 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 2015 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 309 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.4 |
| Worst single series | 6 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.2 years |
A model average of 1.4 hides a worst series at 6. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Escalade ESV?
By complaint volume, 2023, 2021, 2022 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Escalade ESV years are the cleanest?
2012, 2006, 2010 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Cadillac Escalade ESV have?
439 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2003–2026. Of those, 25 describe a crash and 7 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.