NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V827000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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. The VIN tool showed no present recall.
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 $143.75 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.
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.
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.
2 years ago I was driving down I-65 in indiana heading back to indiana and had an immediate loss of propulsion and had to steer to side of road with remaing power in the farthest left lane. Vehichles and semis at high speed as i tried to steer with remaining proprulsion to side of road. I was left stranded by cadillac on side of road for several hours before having to get my own tow. Then was denied a repair claim saying it was because i failed to maintain vehicle for this vehicle leaving me without a vehicle for several months paying for my own rental as my vehicle set on the dealerships. Only to seek legal counsel to try to sue jiffy lube who did the repair for it to be finally determined s=jiffy Lube was not at fault. it then took cadillac several months after they admitted fault to find and source another engine. Once i got that vehicle back i was then stranded on side of the road twice after that repair and have videos dates of informing cadillac. I have pics and videos and messages I sent to cadillac I contacted the police for tow assistance as it was extremely cold and battery died while waiting for cadillac repair no tow was available from police had to contact several companies to tow hours to dealership
When I was driving my Cadillac Escalade, when I stopped at the stop light, the car caught fire, it was later towed and totaled
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started jerking significantly. The check engine and traction control warning lights were illuminated, and a message advising of a rear axle failure was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side road and turned off the vehicle. The contact did not attempt to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that with a blown engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced under warranty due to the same failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001(Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 34,918.
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).
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
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the driver's side front door failed to unlock as intended. The contact stated that the driver's side front door failed to unlock from inside or outside the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the key fob was inside the vehicle at the time of the failure. The contact crawled to the front passenger's side to exit the vehicle. The contact stated that because of the failure, the contact had been locked inside and outside the vehicle several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.
2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE. CONSUMER STATED THAT THE TAIL LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE WERE INTENSELY BRIGHT.
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.
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.
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
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