There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2003 Cadillac Escaladein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
All of a sudden 3rd and 4th gears became useless causing a rapid deacceleration of the vehicle and posing the possibility of being rear ended with end result of massive damage to vehicle and serious injury to occupants
WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION BOOSTER FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *AK
THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE COULD BE PLACED IN GEAR WITHOUT THE BRAKE BEING APPLIED. *AK *JB
DRIVELINE "CLUNK" #99-04-20-002B-(08/21/2003) - PER GM ADVISORY BULLETIN TO DEALER- PERSISTENT-NO RESOLVE BY GM CHARACTERIZED AS A "DESIGN CHARACTERISTIC" BY GM REPRESENTATIVE.*AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026