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The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) that has been on the market since 1999. Its movie status has made it something of an icon, but it isn’t short of problems.
Lemberg Law has been aware of Cadillac Escalade problems for many years. We were quoted in a New York Daily News article, Lawyer turns car lemons to lemonade. It illustrates what Lemberg Law can do for you if you find you have bought a lemon.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2018 2020 2023
Contents
- 1| NHTSA Complaints for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade
- 2| Most Common Problems with the 2021 Cadillac Escalade
- 3| 2021 Cadillac Escalade Engine Problems
- 4| 2021 Cadillac Escalade Forward Collision Avoidance & Brake Problems
- 5| 2021 Cadillac Escalade Back Over Prevention & Lane Departure Problems
- 6| What to do if your 2021 Cadillac Escalade is a lemon? Your Lemon Rights
- 7| Complaint Data
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Seat Belts | |
| Power Train | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Exterior Lighting:back Up Lights | |
| Lane Departure: Assist |
Most Common Problems with the 2021 Cadillac Escalade
There are currently 9 complaints on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that cover a total of 14 stated problems. The luxury 2021 SUV also has 7 recalls.
Engine problems rank at the top of the list of complaints, with 3 problems cited.
There are 2 electrical system complaints, 1 of which also implicates the engine. Complaints also focus on back-over prevention, forward-collision avoidance, lane departure, and service brakes, most of which are interlinked in some way. There is 1 exterior lighting issue as well as 1 problem relating to codes.
The recalls don’t appear to be related to complaints to NHTSA.
2021 Cadillac Escalade Engine Problems
A total of 3 engine problems are recorded in NHTSA complaints, and all of them are different.
One that focuses on engine vibrations describes how the SUV went back to the dealer for repairs several times. In total, the vehicle was with car dealers for a variety of engine problems for 35 days. The complainant contacted the manufacturer, GMC, and was still waiting for a response.
Another complaint highlights abnormal rattling sounds and smoke coming from under the hood. The SUV had only 2,000 miles on the clock. Warning lights didn’t illuminate but other drivers alerted the driver to oil leaking from the rear of the vehicle. The dealer said the axle rod had come away causing engine failure. At the time of the complaint, they were waiting for a replacement engine.
The third complaint describes how the driver was unable to accelerate or maintain speed while traveling at about 65 mph on a 3-lane highway. The engine shut down and the Escalade was towed away. There was no loan vehicle available.
2021 Cadillac Escalade Forward Collision Avoidance & Brake Problems
There are 2 forward-collision avoidance and 1 service brake problem highlighted in 2 NHTSA complaints.
One complaint says, “There have been at least 5 instances where I attempted to turn off the Supercruise function and the system does not allow me to regain control of the vehicle. For example, I will turn off the Supercruise function by hitting the Supercruise function on the steering wheel and it will begin to flash red on the steering wheel. I will move the steering wheel slightly to let the system know I am taking control of the vehicle but the vehicle does not recognize my input. The car will start to slow down, turn on the flashers, and announce over the speakers to ‘take control of the vehicle.’
“The main issue is that the car will fight me and not allow me to accelerate to keep up with traffic. There are some times when Supercruise turns off without incident. But my issue stems from when Supercruise mistakenly thinks that I am not in control of the vehicle and slows down. Again, I have put my hands back on, I put input into the steering wheel to let it know I’m in control and even tap the brakes.”
The other complaint talks about the car brakes locking up and sending the SUV into a short skid. It happened on a movable steel bridge in Chicago. “I can only guess that all of the steel in the bridge decking somehow was interpreted by my vehicle to be another vehicle, and automatically slammed on the brakes in the mistaken assumption that I was about to hit another vehicle ahead of me. In fact, there was not another vehicle ahead of me for about 100 yards.”
2021 Cadillac Escalade Back Over Prevention & Lane Departure Problems
There are 2 lane departure and 1 back over prevention issues highlighted in NHTSA complaints. But there is a crossover with forward-collision avoidance. One is the first complaint mentioned in the section above.
The other, which is categorized as both a forward-collision avoidance and land departure problem talks about 2 defects. These are the driver’s side blind-spot monitoring and rear parking. The problem occurs when the SUV is moving. If the vehicle travels at less than 35 miles per hour, these monitors turn on and off at random times.
What to do if your 2021 Cadillac Escalade is a lemon? Your Lemon Rights
You will see from this article what kinds of problems other 2021 Cadillac Escalade owners are having. While they don’t all indicate that a car is necessarily a lemon, in some instances they might be. So, if you think you’ve ended up with a lemon, contact Lemberg Law. We will assess your problems and let you know what your options are.
We have negotiated many cash settlements, replacement vehicles, buybacks, and trade-ins for our clients. The law makes the manufacturer pay if you’ve got a lemon, so you don’t have to worry about legal bills.
Complaint Data
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Mar 01, 2023 |
| State | TX |
| Description | My wife pulled out of a parking lot and was driving down the road at approximately 30mph when the brakes stopped working entirely. There was no response when she pushed on the brake pedal. The car displayed 3 warnings on the driver display: brake system failure 62 mph top speed service stabilitrak service trailer brake system my wife was able to coast into the next parking lot and go uphill to bring the car to a stop. If this had happened on the highway, this brake failure could have killed my wife and children because the brakes entirely stopped working. This is a critical safety issue. Reporting it to nhtsa now to work with cadillac to get this fixed before someone dies driving a 2021 cadillac escalade. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Feb 25, 2023 |
| State | IN |
| Description | As far as the findings from the diagnosis, the dealer advised that inspection found crank bearing failure. The engine has been ordered but does not have an eta at this time. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jan 25, 2023 |
| State | FL |
| Description | 2021 cadillac escalade esv. Consumer writes in regard to powertrain failure. The consumer stated having multiple issues with the engine and the vehicle is currently in for repair with no eta on needed part due to the part being on back order. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jan 16, 2023 |
| State | UT |
| Description | I was driving with my family of five on I-15 in utah county, ut, on 01-14-23 when the ability to accelerate was impacted. We noticed a strange noise from the engine compartment too. After about ten seconds of the strange noise and as I was attempting to cross four lanes of traffic to pull over, the car gave an oil pressure problem reading and shut off as we were in the process of coming to a complete stop. My wife and three kids were traumatized by the incident and I was rattled too. After a few hours, I was able to get towed with the help of state farm (my insurance company) at my expense (my portion was 3. 75 paid by my visa card). The vehicle was towed to jerry seiner cadillac in slc, ut. I am now without a family vehicle and no loaners were available, according to the service writer. He said that I will likely have to rent a car while I wait for a new engine. He also said that there are two cadillac's at the dealership that have been waiting on new engines since may 2022. My family cannot bear the expense of this engine failure, the depreciation of the vehicle while it sits waiting for a new engine, the trauma and danger the incident put us through, and the time I am spending to try to resolve the issue. I'm worried that other will have a similar experience and am writing about this incident to ensure that it's documented. |
| Category | Power Train, Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 30, 2022 |
| State | ID |
| Description | Ever since the lifters broke in the new vehicle (which the dealer now tells us is a defect in the engine and that the lifters keep breaking; it was not a "bad delivery of lifters" as we were initially told), the car idles very rough and has power surges. Today sitting at a red light with the foot lightly on the break, the car lunged forward against the break during one of the power surges. If we had been closer to the vehicle in front of us, or if we had been up against a cross walk, there would have been a collision. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine |
| Date | Dec 21, 2022 |
| State | WV |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 cadillac escalade esv. The contact stated while her husband was driving 15 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the electrical system and engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. |
| Category | Engine, Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Dec 19, 2022 |
| State | ID |
| Description | Back in august of 2022 my 2021 cadillac escalade started having severe engine roughness, a check engine light, and an error saying that most of the collision safety features had been disabled. I was able to limp the vehicle into a gmc dealer who informed me that cadillac had received a bad shipment of lifters and that one or more of the lifters had broken. When the vehicle detects an engine problem, it apparently disables most systems in the car. The gmc deal had the car for weeks trying to repair. They told me that cadillac only authorized replacing 1/2 of the lifters. Since that time, the vehicle has continued to idle very rough ; the rpms fluctuate and power surges at idle and while driving. I have been attempting to reach the cadillac customer service people, am routinely told that I'll receive a call back "within 2 business days" but never receive a call back. Last week the vehicle died due to a problem with the automatic software update (it completely drained the vehicle). The cadillac rescue service jumped the battery and told me I had to take it to an actual cadillac dealer and not the gmc dealer who had performed the initial repair. The vehicle had multiple errors including one that said the abs system needed service. I took the vehicle into the dealer and they charged me for an oil change and 15k mile service. They said there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and that the 6. 2l v8 engine was known for having engine roughness and surging problems. A few days later (last saturday). The check engine light came on and we received a diagnostic text message saying that the engine and transmission required serviced within "1 day." we called the dealer, and they said to bring it in. I called them this morning and apparently they haven't even looked at it and suggest they will not do so until an appointment they created for 12/30!? Is this car safe to drive? Can I get it back? |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Dec 05, 2022 |
| State | IN |
| Description | Friday evening I was left stranded on the side of the road in my 2021 cadillac escalade with less than 30k miles that I actually purchased brand brand new about a year or so ago. The vehicle slowed to a crawl in the fast lane of i65 as cars and semis whipped past me as I attempted to use any last moment to get the shoulder. I finally get to the shoulder and contact cadillac customer service to get a tow who after approximately 2 hours of supposedly searching for tow technical they come back and tell me they can't find someone to accept the contract. When I say that that is unacceptable I guess they expand the search and come back and tell me that a tow truck that is 2 hours away is coming. At that exact time I got on google myself myself and found a tow truck that got to me in 15 minutes. That then takes me to this morning where I called the service department myself and was informed by john that its is on the batter charger and I will hear back in an hour as I informed him at that moment that I had no vehicle, but he informed me that he couldn't do anything till after they found the issue. Fast forward to the call I receive at 12:20 multiple hours later where I'm informed that it is an issue with the engine of a 2021 cadillac escalade with less than 30k and the best that could be done is get me a rental car in lafayette an hour away from me I contacted the dealership today and have been informed since I intend to consult with an attorney they can no longer speak with me. |
| Category | Seat Belts |
| Date | Sep 27, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I have been waiting on the dealers to fix this recall for now 2 months and no solution has been found. I need to list my vehicle on turo website and need this recall to be cleared. |
| Category | Seat Belts |
| Date | Aug 29, 2022 |
| State | SC |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 cadillac escalade esv. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v617000 (seat belts) 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 local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms part not available. |
| Category | Seat Belts |
| Date | Aug 19, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Hello, I own two 2021 cadillac escalades that I brought into my local cadillac dealership to get the recent "third row seatbelt retention" remedied. They both return with no repairs needed after a thorough inspection was completed. May I ask how long does it take for my vehicles to be cleared/remedied on the website? My dealership has already sent in the paperwork to nhtsa to get it evaluated. Vin: [xxx] vin: [xxx] thank you information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6). |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jun 07, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Bought one of only 4 available in the entire usa. Flew to atlanta to drive it back to ca 11 weeks ago. Since then it's been at dealership 5 times for a total of 9 weeks for an electrical ghost they can't fix! Cost us over ,000 in income this month and paying approx 00 month insurance while it sits there in a workshop with no resolution. Now working with gm and the bbb. Summary below: issue - only at low speeds, idling, or at start up the car suddenly throws on the heater, service lights going off like lights on the vegas strip of warning to service just about everything, loses power steering, and won't shift past 2nd gear even if you could keep driving…restart it and it's fine except for check engine light if you drive freeways most days. But codes all informational and no real helpful error pinpointing. Dealer can't find any problems and chasing a ghost so even after calling in top software engineers, they say manufacture won't approve replacing parts other than one of the hubs. Then tell us they are working on it when we can clearly locate the vehicle through onstar and see it parked for days at your offsite lot!! We beg them to just try changing battery and wiring since seems basic if it only happens at under 10 mph, idling, or at start up in the morning… all times where battery pull is the highest . But they say we test the simple things first like I'm dumb… ok we'll explain my video of the battery voltage meter jumping all over the place like ghost hunter spectrometer at area 51!! This is ridiculous for a 2021 flagship premium luxury platinum esv model. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Service Brakes |
| Date | Jun 02, 2022 |
| State | MI |
| Description | 4/24/2022 vehicle locks in neutral in major roads as your driving and motor seized I have several videos last night as of 5/01/2022 vehicle locked into park as I was going 50 miles with oncoming traffic I was in fear of danger thank god was able to pull off into side ditch |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Mar 07, 2022 |
| State | CO |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 cadillac escalade esv. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v036000 (power train) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jan 06, 2022 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | On november 29th 2021, I cranked up my esv headed to work. To my surprise, I heard which to me sounds like metal hammers clanking together. I immediately turn off the truck. In my experience it sounded like lifters and pistons out of sync. If I had been traveling to work this would have left me stranded on the freeway. I called roadside to set an appt to flatbed the truck to the dealership where I just purchased the esv 8 months ago (11,100k mi). Currently, the last update was the upper half of the esv engine has to be rebuilt due to damaged cam, lifters & piston rods. When asked, the service writer mention there have been 2021 escalades along with denali's with the same engine malfunction returned back to the dealership. Also, the tow driver informed me that he has responded to the same exact noise coming from 2021 escalade models frequently approximately 3 or more monthly. That's a lot for a 0k vehicle of any luxury model. The inspection for these defective of back part has only been looked at by the dealership. I expect to also see these damage parts as well. No new engine was repaired the issue. The breakdown determined the bottom half of the engine was fine and only the top portion of the engine was in need of rebuild. Upon cranking the esv, there were no warning lights, symptoms, diagnostic prompts that alerted me of the noise. In conclusion, as of jan 6th 2022, my escalade esv has been at the dealership now over a month. Shipping issues with damaged parts along with diagnostic issues post previous rebuilds has keep the esv inoperable, yet im left with the tag of paying the note for a vehicle I do not have in my possession. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting:back Up Lights |
| Date | Nov 19, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | 2021 cadillac escalade. Consumer stated that the tail lights on the vehicle were intensely bright. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 26, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | 5/19/2021, engine vibrating, vehicle stall, 3 days repair. Ignition wiring bad/ replaced 5/28/2021, engine vibrating, vehicle stop running, 3 day repair/electric module burn/temporary repair by georgia car dealer. 6/3/2021 taken to ny dealer to repair 5/28/2021 problems, 15 day to repair. 10/12/2021 engine vibrating, passenger compartment filled with smoke, valve lifter crack, vehicle parked on dealers parking lot for 15 day, has not been repair. Vehicle has spent 35 total days in car dealers for different engine problems. On all occasions dashboard has gong haywire. Emergency brake lock, passenger door would not open 10/12/2021. Contacted gmc has not responded. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Sep 07, 2021 |
| State | WA |
| Description | At 3,000 miles on this new car, the motor began to rattle, shake, and then heat up to 240-260 degrees when the dashboard flashed and the vehicle and lights turned off. The brakes were not powered and because I was towing a trailer at night, I nearly crashed. My wife and 5 children were in the car with me. I have since learned that there is a major problem with these new cadillacs, but if I would have know the motor was going to grenade and then turn off the car, I would not have spent 0,000 on this car. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jul 30, 2021 |
| State | CT |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 cadillac escalade. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the contact heard an abnormal rattling sound and then saw smoke coming from under the hood. Other drivers were honking at the contact and alerted him that there was oil leaking from the rear of the vehicle. There was no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the axle rod had detached causing an engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The dealer was awaiting a new replacement engine. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,000. Vin was not available. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jul 30, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | 2021 cadillac escalade. Consumer writes in regards t0 engine failure. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure: Assist |
| Date | Jun 28, 2021 |
| State | WA |
| Description | I recently purchased a 2021 cadillac escalade with supercruise driver assistance system. There have been at least 5 instances where I attempted to turn off the supercruise function and the system does not allow me to regain control of the vehicle. For example, I will turn off the supercruise fuction by hitting the supercruise function on the steering wheel and it will begin to flash red on the steering wheel. I will move the steering wheel slightly to let the system know I am taking control of the vehicle but the vehicle does not recognize my input. The car will start to slow down, turn on the flashers, and announce over the speakers to "take control of the vehicle." the main issue is that the car will fight me and not allow me to accelerate to keep up with traffic. There are sometimes when supercruise turns off without incident, but my issue stems from when supercruise mistakenly thinks that I am not in control of the vehicle and slows down. Again, I have put my hands back on, I put input into the steering wheel to let it know I'm in control and even tap the brakes. I have contacted cadillac customer service and have opened a case on june 28, 2021. The case number is 9-680-7138449 |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Jun 28, 2021 |
| State | WI |
| Description | When driving on the city streets of chicago I approached a movable bridge which spans the illinois river. The bridge deck was constructed of steel. As I was about to begin crossing the bridge my car brakes locked up completely, sending the vehicle into a short skid. Fortunately, the car behind me was not tailgating me or I most certainly would have been struck in the back of the vehicle. This is a brand new vehicle which I took delivery of on may 14, 2021. There were no warning lights or indications that anything was malfunctioning on the vehicle. I can only guess that all of the steel in the bridge decking somehow was interpreted by my vehicle to be another vehicle, and automatically slammed on the brakes in the mistaken assumption that I was about to hit another vehicle ahead of me. In fact, there was not another vehicle ahead of me for about 100 yards. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | May 09, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | While driving within the speed limit of approximately 65 mph on a 3 lane highway on route 476 in pennsylvania, the ability to accelerate or maintain speed was inexplicably disabled. I was forced to attempt to move the vehicle across multiple lanes in an effort to reach the breakdown lane. Seconds after reaching the breakdown lane, the engine shut down. The vehicle was towed from the scene on a flatbed and was transported to holman cadillac in marlton new jersey. I am without a vehicle and no loaners were available. I am reporting this hazardous incident for your records. Please acknowledge receipt of this submission through a return email. My name is [xxx] and email address is [xxx]. Thank you parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6). |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Warnings, Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection |
| Date | Apr 14, 2021 |
| State | OR |
| Description | Drivers side blind spot monitoring and rear parking defective. This occurs when the car is in motion and stays on over 35 miles per hour. Under 35 miles per hour it turns on and off at random times. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Feb 05, 2021 |
| State | SC |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2021 cadillac escalade. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the dashboard indicator began to flicker and then went blank. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer baker motor company of charleston (1513 savannah hwy suite a, charleston, sc 29407, (843) 628-0202) where the mechanic was unable to diagnose the cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Dec 17, 2020 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Service driver assist system alert while driving dealer is consulting with cadillac engineering, but can't figure how to fix, because no code appears - even thought the warning still appears |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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