Cadillac Escalade Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,723 consumer complaints across the 27 model years of the Cadillac Escalade (1999–2026) that have at least 5 complaints. 2007 has the most, with 230. Across all years, the part named most often is engine (506 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Escalade years →
All Escalade model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 7,000 | 3 | 219 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2025 | 20 | 12,000 | 1 | 445 | — | Too new |
| 2024 | 52 | 17,500 | 2 | 639 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2023 | 143 | 30,000 | 4 | 853 | 100 · More | Too new |
| 2022 | 86 | 37,600 | 4 | 995 | 71 · More | Rising |
| 2021 | 78 | 42,500 | 9 | 813 | 40 · Typical | Rising |
| 2020 | 14 | 55,571 | 2 | 756 | — | Not enough data |
| 2019 | 25 | 41,000 | 0 | 832 | 0 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2018 | 22 | 42,116 | 1 | 1,129 | — | Rising |
| 2017 | 51 | 29,000 | 2 | 1,446 | 50 · Typical | Rising |
| 2016 | 89 | 38,000 | 4 | 1,724 | 86 · More | Stable |
| 2015 | 98 | 61,000 | 9 | 2,407 | 90 · More | Stable |
| 2014 | 20 | 40,500 | 2 | 1,451 | — | Falling |
| 2013 | 19 | 81,750 | 4 | 1,663 | — | Falling |
| 2012 | 20 | 66,000 | 3 | 1,582 | — | Falling |
| 2011 | 49 | 104,762 | 6 | 1,566 | 9 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2010 | 38 | 82,000 | 3 | 1,483 | 10 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2009 | 58 | 100,000 | 5 | 1,310 | 49 · Typical | Stable |
| 2008 | 136 | 98,000 | 4 | 1,218 | 61 · Typical | Falling |
| 2007 | 230 | 89,000 | 4 | 1,197 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2006 | 19 | 88,000 | 2 | 800 | — | Stable |
| 2005 | 43 | 89,053 | 2 | 695 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 69 | 84,244 | 2 | 575 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2003 | 81 | 71,000 | 4 | 521 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2002 | 115 | 78,780 | 1 | 411 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2000 | 71 | 80,943 | 1 | 276 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 39 | 112,000 | 2 | 50 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine506 28%
- Air bags327 18%
- Electrical system279 16%
- Transmission and drivetrain191 11%
- Brakes175 9.8%
- Other or unknown131 7.3%
- Fuel system105 5.9%
- Suspension73 4.1%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2010: “My son was driving home from work down Highway 288 in Houston and the car just died and did not start. The door locks were going up and down like it was trying to reset and lock the car. I had it fixed and they said it was the fuel pump was out. We had the fuel pump fixed and a new battery put in. Would this cause it to loose power immediately and the door locks to go crazy?”
NHTSA complaint #11560641, filed 2023-12, 121,440 miles2015: “I've had this vehicle since 3-28-2019 and I'm already having shifting problems with the vehicle. After doing some research, I've discovered that this is a common issue with Cadillac. My Escalade has 45,000 miles on it, so this shouldn't be a problem. I'm worried about this hesitation problem during driving, which may LED to a potential accident or worse.”
NHTSA complaint #11194815, filed 2019-04, 44,989 miles2007: “I was driving at the speed of 75mph, then all of a sudden I was reduced to 30mph. My display information read stabilitrak service, reduced speed. My concern is that my family and I could have been killed due to this dangerous situation. I feel that this problem needs to be recalled. Somebody out on the highways will be injured or killed if something is not done.”
NHTSA complaint #11251962, filed 2019-08, 83,000 milesOther Cadillac models
3,265 complaintsCadillac Deville
2,708 complaintsCadillac CTS
2,219 complaintsCadillac Seville
793 complaintsCadillac Escalade ESV
529 complaintsCadillac DTS
527 complaintsCadillac Catera
463 complaintsCadillac STS
423 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology