2022 Cadillac Escalade Powertrain & Transmission Problems

On March 19, 2026 around 830AM EST, the vehicle turned off while I was driving around 40mph. I lost all power while on a busy street and I was unable to move the car to the side of the road. The car would not shift into drive or neutral, and therefore remained in the middle of the road until a tow truck had to flatbed it to the Cadillac dealership. The L87 recall on this vehicle was performed in August 2025, however the Cadillac dealership said there were no issues found with the L87 recall. The symptoms of today's issue - vehicle turning off while driving and does not start back up, is similar to other reports of this L87 recall and demonstrates that this recall was not accurately performed and/or remedied during the service.

While driving my 2021 Cadillac Escalade on an interstate highway at approximately 70 mph with my family, including two minor children, the vehicle suddenly and without warning lost propulsion, shut off, and shifted into neutral. This occurred in active traffic and created an immediate safety hazard. A warning message appeared instructing me to restart the vehicle. After several minutes navigating traffic, I was able to restart the vehicle briefly and exit the highway. Shortly thereafter, additional dashboard alerts appeared indicating critical engine and transmission failure. After exiting the highway, the vehicle shut down completely at a traffic signal and failed to restart. The vehicle was immobilized in an active roadway until police assistance arrived to prevent a rear‑end collision and a flatbed tow was arranged. The sudden loss of propulsion at highway speed placed vehicle occupants and surrounding motorists at serious risk. The vehicle is available for inspection and was diagnosed as having a seized engine on March 9, 2026, by Diamond Cadillac in [XXX] . This failure did not occur without warning. Prior to this incident, I repeatedly reported excessive oil consumption to the selling dealer, Otto Cadillac, from whom I purchased the vehicle in April 2025 as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. On two separate service visits, I reported oil consumption exceeding two quarts between recommended service intervals and requested that this be documented. I was advised that the consumption was “within tolerance” and was later informed—incorrectly—that this tolerance applied to my engine configuration. Otto Cadillac performed a recall-related inspection and implemented the manufacturer-directed remedy consisting of an oil cap replacement and a change in oil viscosity to SAE 40. No mechanical repair or deeper diagnostic action was taken. The subsequent engine seizure confirms that these mitigation measures did not resolve the underlying defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Complete Engine failure happened while driving at slow speed. Engine recall had been completed on September 3, 2025. No replacement recomended. Complete engine failure happened on January 12, 2026. Had towed to dealership. Dealership just confirmed to me that it will need to have engine replaced on January 19, 2026. There was no sign or symptoms right before the failure.

Vehicle Make: Cadillac Vehicle Model: Escalade Model Year: 2022 Component(s) Affected: Engine, Fuel System, Powertrain, Vehicle Stability Control Incident Date: [Insert Date of Incident] Mileage at Time of Incident: [Insert Approximate Mileage] Summary of Complaint: While driving my 2022 Cadillac Escalade at approximately 70 mph on the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost all power and stability. This was due to an injector breaking off inside the engine, sending metal fragments into the camshaft, which subsequently locked the motor. This created an extremely dangerous situation as the vehicle became unresponsive and unstable at high speed. Just two days prior to this incident, the vehicle had been serviced by Quantrell Cadillac in Lexington, KY, where a recall repair involving the engine was performed. Despite that service, a catastrophic failure occurred almost immediately afterward. After the breakdown, Quantrell Cadillac attempted repairs over the course of three weeks. These repairs included replacing the injectors, camshaft, and other components, before eventually replacing the entire long block. However, upon picking up the vehicle, it is exhibiting the exact same failure symptoms again—making a popping noise, stalling the engine, and becoming unsafe to operate. This vehicle is clearly not safe to drive and poses a serious risk to myself, my passengers, and others on the road. There have already been multiple recalls related to this issue, indicating a broader systemic problem. We are requesting the NHTSA’s immediate assistance to investigate this safety issue and help us obtain a replacement vehicle that meets all applicable federal safety standards. This level of repeated engine failure & instability is completely unacceptable for any vehicle—especially one with such recent manufacturer service and recall repairs. When this stall occurs, the entire computer system & all safety features are shut down and collision avoidance is also disabled. Have viideo

I purchased the vehicle two weeks ago. As we were driving on the freeway the car would not accelerate and it started making a clanking noise and then the cab filled with smoke. We pulled over and exited the vehicle. My husband opened the hood and saw a fire. He quickly put out the fire with 3 stanley cups of water. My husband said that the failure caused a hole in the side of the block and the oil completely drained out of the vehicle and was all over the freeway.

This is the second time the car has completely shut off and unable to restart. This is the second time it failed on the interstate. When the car died the car could not be switch to park and had to hold the brake pedal to prevent the car from rolling backward. Second whenever the car was turned of the hazard flashers would turn off. The dealer has previous looked at the car and claimed no problem. This is extremely dangerous to have a car random dying on the interstate. The car at the dealer with often have communication error codes that are just cleared and send you on your way.

While operating my vehicle at speeds exceeding 70 mph in the leftmost lane of [XXX] , the vehicle unexpectedly shifted into neutral. Despite attempts to manually select a driving gear, the transmission failed to engage, causing a rapid loss of speed. In an effort to avoid a potentially hazardous situation due to the decreasing speed in a high-speed lane, I attempted to maneuver the vehicle towards the right shoulder but was unable to because of the oncoming traffic. It became necessary to bring the vehicle to a complete halt, turn off the ignition, and then restart the engine in the left lane with traffic building behind me. The vehicle managed to restart but with difficulty, allowing me to exit the highway and pull into a nearby gas station where it eventually stalled and could not be restarted. - The vehicle displayed no warning lights or error messages prior to or during the incident. - got the vehicle towed to Cadillac dealership for inspection and diagnostic testing. The Engine needs to be replaced - The dealership was unable to provide a conclusive explanation but noted that similar incidents had been reported with this model. - Independent research indicated a pattern of similar issues among owners of the same model, involving unintended shifts into neutral while driving. - Multiple online forums and consumer reports sites have documented complaints regarding this issue. [XXX] - The inability to maintain or control vehicle speed in high-speed traffic lanes presents a significant risk of collision. - Inexperienced drivers may not respond adequately to such unexpected vehicle behaviors, increasing the likelihood of accidents. This incident underscores a critical safety concern that requires immediate attention from both the manufacturer and regulatory bodies. I recommend a thorough investigation into the model’s transmission system by the National Highway Safety Commission. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I only had my 2022 Cadillac Escalade for 3 months and noticed black oil drippings in my garage. Took it to Cadillac dealership for inspection I was told it was a seal leaking. Within a month I noticed the same issue black oil drippings in the garage, but I also started to smell a burning smell. Call the dealership again to let them know I had the same issue again from a month earlier, the oil drippings in garage also the burning smell. I was told to bring the vehicle in. Started the vehicle the SERVICE TRANSMISSION LIGHT was on. Made it to the dealership, getting out my vehicle the burning smell I noticed before was more noticeable. Received a call I was told it was the DRIVESHAFT and the part is back ordered. Doing my on investigation reading the 2021 GMC's VEHICLES are RECALL for THE SAME ISSUE AND DRIVESHAFTS ARE BACK ORDERED

The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the RPM’s revved up and down continuously and the vehicle shuddered significantly. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal and shifted into drive (D), and the failure ceased. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while the vehicle was in park (P). Additionally, the contact stated while driving 20-35 MPH with low RPMs, the vehicle would shudder significantly while driving. The contact stated that the failure ceased upon dressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed but no issues were found. The dealer stated that the vehicle was operating as designed. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Brogan Cadillac of Totowa (112 US-46 East, Totowa, NJ 07512), who advised as the first dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. The failure mileage was approximately 20.