Cadillac · Escalade · 2012
3
Recalls
26
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2012 Cadillac Escalade has 3 recalls and 26 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: air bags (3 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
24.6% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328770.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V054000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED MALOUF CADILLAC (1975 US-1, NORTH BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP, NJ 08902) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
EVERY SO OFTEN MY SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT WILL APPEAR ON THE DASH UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE. I THOUGHT IT COULD HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH MOVING THE SEATS BACK AND FORTH AND A WIRE ISSUE. I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL AIRBAG INFLATOR SHORTLY AFTER THIS STARTED HAPPENING. WHEN I CALLED ABOUT REPAIRING THE RECALL THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T HAVE PARTS AVAILABLE TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE. I HAVE CHILDREN THAT RIDE IN THE FRONT AND I'D HATE FOR THIS TO EXPLODE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ON THEM OR ANYONE FOR THAT MATTER. WHEN WILL THERE BE A SOLUTION? HOW WILL WE KNOW THE PART IS AVAILABLE? PLEASE FIX ASAP!!
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V051000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 124,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
WE HAVE THREE CRACKS ON OUR DASH BOARD. THE CAR IS GARAGE KEPT AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE CRACKS KEEP FORMING. WE HAVE HAD THE CAR FIVE YEARS AND EVERY YEAR ANOTHER CRACK FORMS.
INTERIOR DASH CRACK , ONSTAR SYSTEM STOP WORKING
I HIT AND TOTALED A BLACK MAN CONVERTIBLE I WAS AT FAULT. PLEASE HELP I WAS TEXTING AND DRIVING. *TR
MY 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE HYBRID ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING HAS FAILED.WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. A SERVICE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED IN THE DASH AND THE VEHICLE ALMOST WENT OUT OF CONTROL WHILE I WAS ON A TWO LANE DUAL HIGHWAY. IT APPEARS THAT IT IS A MOTOR THAT IS MANUFACTURED IN JAPAN THAT HAS A WEAK SHAFT THAT IS KNOWN TO BREAKAGE. THE VEHICLE IS MORE THAN DIFFICULT TO TRY TO STEER. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION AND HAS BEEN NOTED TO BE HAPPENING IN QUITE A NUMBER OF THESE LIMITED PRODUCTION VEHICLES. *TR
THE CAR LOOSE POWER ON THE ROAD THE ELECTRONICS IN CAR GO CRAZY THESE MAY LEAD TO ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES CODE C0900 A LOT OF GM PRODUCT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM GM NEEDS TO DO A RECALL THIS HAPPEN IN THE HIGHWAY IN RUSH HOUR PLEASE TAKE ACTION
ISSUE STARTED BY HAVING THE ENGINE CUTOFF OR GO INTO LOW POWER MODE. MECHANIC TRIED FINING POWER ISSUES, ENDED UP REPLACING PCM BOARD. ISSUE REMAINED. THEN OIL PRESSURE SENSOR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, HAD A MECHANIC REPLACE THE OIL PRESSURE SENSOR AND EVERYTHING WORKED FOR A LITTLE WHILE. NEXT LOW OIL PRESSURE MESSAGE CAME UP, STATING TO SHUT OFF ENGINE. AFTER READING AROUND, THE ISSUE SEEMS TO BE THAT THE CAMSHAFT ACTUATOR IS BEING STARVED OF OIL DUE TO LOW OIL PRESSURE, THAT IS CAUSED BY THE CAMSHAFT AND BEARINGS BEING BAD. THIS FAULTY PART CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO TURN OFF WHILE RUNNING, EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! HOW LONG UNTIL SOMEONE DIES? NEED GM TO MAKE THIS RIGHT. VEHICLE IS UNDER 80K MILES.
COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE (BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR) WHEN EXITING THE FREEWAY. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIST, SERVICE ABS ON LED SCREEN, AND RED BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND WARNING CHIMES. NO PREVIOUS WARNING OR INDICATOR LIGHTS SIGNALING A PROBLEM. HAD SERVICED AT DEALERSHIP WHO INDICATED IT WAS CAUSED BY FAILING HYBRID BATTERY. AFTER BEING IN FOR SERVICE FOR 52 DAYS, I RETRIEVED THE VEHICLE WITH A NEW BATTERY INSTALLED. ONE WEEK LATER, WE EXPERIENCED ANOTHER BRAKING ISSUE. THIS TIME WHILE THERE WAS SOME BRAKING ABILITY THE PEDAL WAS VERY STIFF WHEN PRESSURE WAS APPLIED AND THE BRAKES DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY (I.E. THEY DID SLOW THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY BUT DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE OR SLOW IT AS IT SHOULD HAVE). BROUGHT BACK IN FOR SERVICE AT A DIFFERENT DEALER WHO STATES THAT THE PBMV FAILED. HOW CAN THIS FAIL WITHOUT ANY WARNING? SHOULDN'T THERE BE SAFETY MEASURES IN PLACE (I.E. THE CAR SHOULD NOT EVEN START IF THIS IS MALFUNCTIONING).
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, THE VEHICLE WENT OVER A BUMP IN THE ROADWAY AND LOSS POWER STEERING FUNCTIONALITY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER, TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BROTHERTON CADILLAC LOCATED AT 215 SW 12TH ST, SUITE 101, RENTON WA 98057, BUT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, BOTH HEADLIGHTS BLEW OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BILL GATTON CHEVROLET (1000 W STATE ST, BRISTOL, TN 37620) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT WATER WAS ENTERING BEHIND THE LENS OF THE HEADLIGHTS, WHICH CAUSED THE BULBS TO BLOW OUT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,500. *TT *TR
DRIVING NORMAL ON A CITY STREET FOR ABOUT ONE HOUR WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE VEHICLE STARTED ACTING STRANGE, THE DOORS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED, THE AC& HTG CAME ON, HTG&FAN FOR THE SEATS CAME ON, CLOCK BLINKED, NAVIGATION SCREEN BLINKED ON AND OFF, THE VEHICLE SOUNDED AS THOUGH IT WOULD ACCELERATE AND THEN HESITATE, IT DID THIS AT LEAST 4 TIMES, I NOTICED UPON BRAKING EACH TIME AFTER THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO RUN OKAY, BUT ONLY WHILE BREAKING. AFTER THIS OCCURRED FOR ABOUT ONE MILE, THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES STOPPED AND THE VEHICLE DROVE AS SHOULD, OR AT LEAST IT SEEMED OKAY. AFTER READING SOME OF THE BLOG'S OF OTHER 2012 ESCALADE OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, GM SHOULD TAKE NOTICE, AFTER ALL THE VEHICLES ARE NOT CHEAP AND GM SHOULD CORRECT IT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FACTORY RIMS WERE MISSHAPED AND CAUSED THE TIRES TO DEFLATE WEEKLY AND LOSE TIRE PRESSURE DAILY. THE TIRE PRESSURE GAUGE WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME AND THEN TAKEN TO NAPERVILLE CADILLAC (1507 OGDEN AVE, NAPERVILLE, IL 60540, (630) 355-2700) WHERE THE MECHANIC STATED THAT FOUR NEW RIMS NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,279.
DASH ON MY ESCALADE HAS CRACKED IN 3 DIFFERENT PLACES AND POSES A HAZARD TO OCCUPANTS. DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY ARE AWARE OF DASH CRACKS IN THAT MODEL AS WELL AS OTHERS BUT GM REFUSES TO RECALL. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURE DEFECT IN MATERIAL USED AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED ASAP.
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY LOST ELECTRICAL POWER, LIGHTS, DOOR LOCKS, EVERYTHING AND THE ENGINE UPSHIFTED INTO SECOND OR THIRD GEAR COMPLETELY ON ITS OWN, THEN REFUSED TO ACCELERATE. THE ELECTRICS WOULD COME BACK ON AND THEN GO OFF AGAIN. THE ELECTRONIC WENT COMPLETELY BERSERK AND PRESENTED A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE FOR MY WIFE, CHILDREN AND I.
LOUD NOISE (KNOCK) WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 65 MPH, ALL ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON, VEHICLE TOWED TO RESIDENCE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE KEY COULD BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 66,000.
DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH THE DASH LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING, RADIO WENT ON AND OFF, DOOR LOCKS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED, REVVED THE ENGINE, COOLED SEATS AUTOMATICALLY CAME ON, ALL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON LIKE VEHICLE DIED(BUT NEVER DIED) THEN WENT BACK TO NORMAL FOR ABOUT 10 MILES AND SAME THING WAS REPEATED.THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN ANOTHER 50 MILES TO HOME
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, ALL THE WARNING LIGHT IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED AS THE BRAKE PEDAL SANK INTO THE FLOOR BOARD AND FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A BAD CELL IN THE BATTERY AND AS A RESULT, IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2012 Cadillac Escalade has 3 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 26 owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade.
The 2012 Cadillac Escalade received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade are air bags (3 reports), electrical system (3 reports), steering (2 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 3 recalls on record for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.