What breaks most · 1999 to 2026 model years
Cadillac Escalade problems by year
Owners have filed 1,673 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Cadillac Escalade across model years 1999 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2007 for air bags complaints, 2008 for air bags complaints and 2023 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2001, 2020 and 2013.
- Years to check closely: 2007, 2008, 2023
- Fewest complaints: 2001, 2020, 2013
- Complaints on file
- 16731999 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2007230 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 8749 fires · 113 injuries · 10 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 79kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 101Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 3 | 5 | Suspension (6) | |
| 71 | 9 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (11) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 115 | 12 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (28) | |
| 80 | 4 | 6 | Electrical system (23) | |
| 69 | 10 | 4 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 43 | 3 | 4 | Electrical system (11) | |
| 19 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 230 | 13 | 4 | Air bags (116) | |
| 136 | 5 | 4 | Air bags (74) | |
| 58 | 1 | 5 | Air bags (24) | |
| 38 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (21) | |
| 49 | 0 | 6 | Air bags (34) | |
| 20 | 3 | 3 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 18 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 20 | 4 | 2 | Electrical system (8) | |
| 95 | 4 | 9 | Powertrain and transmission (26) | |
| 89 | 2 | 4 | Engine (31) | |
| 51 | 2 | 2 | Engine (22) | |
| 21 | 1 | 1 | Engine (10) | |
| 25 | 1 | 0 | Engine (17) | |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | Engine (6) | |
| 66 | 1 | 9 | Engine (39) | |
| 80 | 4 | 4 | Engine (63) | |
| 133 | 2 | 4 | Engine (103) | |
| 45 | 0 | 2 | Engine (32) | |
| 18 | 0 | 1 | Engine (11) | |
| 28 | 0 | 3 | Engine (27) |
What fails on the 2007 Cadillac Escalade
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 50% |
116 | 11 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
34 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 14% |
33 | 2 | Shop engine parts for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 8% |
19 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 7% |
15 | 0 | Shop stability control parts for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
14 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 5% |
12 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade |
| Unknown or other | 5% |
11 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Entire information cluster has lost power vehicle halts to a stop in mid driving breaking response is sometimes hard sometimes very loose intermittent warning lights
-
Truck goes into limp mode, reduced power, stuck in second gear, stabilitrak and engine lights. Took it to the Cadillac dealership and after 3100 dollars in repairs the truck is still doing it. If the high level techs can’t figure it out after 2000 in labor it’s should be a recall item.
-
Total engine failure. Had to replace entire engine. Crank shaft issue. We had just returned from vacation and could have been stranded MILES away. Willis Cadillac in Iowa replaced the engine. No warning light whatsoever. Immediate failure upon turning the car on.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Cadillac Escalade years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2007, 2008, 2023 carry the most filings on the Cadillac Escalade. The 2007 alone has 230 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Cadillac Escalade problem?
On the 2007 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 116 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Cadillac Escalade problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Cadillac Escalade complaints that include mileage is about 79,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.