What breaks most · 2003 to 2026 model years
Cadillac Escalade ESV problems by year
Owners have filed 517 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Cadillac Escalade ESV across model years 2003 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2023 for engine complaints, 2021 for engine complaints and 2022 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2013, 2012 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2023, 2021, 2022
- Fewest complaints: 2013, 2012, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 5172003 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 202385 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 268 fires · 33 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 63kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 70Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | 1 | Air bags (2) | |
| 22 | 3 | 1 | Electrical system (6) | |
| 14 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (1) | |
| 39 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (14) | |
| 17 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (12) | |
| 6 | 1 | 5 | Air bags (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (4) | |
| 13 | 0 | 5 | Air bags (5) | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 8 | 1 | 6 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 15 | 2 | 3 | Suspension (7) | |
| 37 | 4 | 1 | Brakes (11) | |
| 15 | 0 | 1 | Engine (9) | |
| 32 | 1 | 1 | Engine (19) | |
| 21 | 3 | 2 | Engine (14) | |
| 71 | 2 | 10 | Engine (51) | |
| 54 | 1 | 4 | Engine (41) | |
| 85 | 3 | 4 | Engine (60) | |
| 21 | 1 | 2 | Engine (13) | |
| 13 | 0 | 1 | Engine (7) | |
| 8 | 0 | 3 | Engine (8) |
What fails on the 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 71% |
60 | 3 | Shop engine parts for the 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 22% |
19 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 12% |
10 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
9 | 1 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 8% |
7 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV |
| Unknown or other | 7% |
6 | 0 | — |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop all forward collision system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 4% |
3 | 0 | Shop brakes parts for the 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV |
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.
-
The engine is knocking between 10-30 mph and over 50 mph. The forward collision light lights up. This is the third time this has happened. I am very concern it will stall on me at high speeds
-
While driving out of state the engine started knocking- I took it to the dealer before it left me stranded on the road. I was told the engine had failed and needed to be replaced.
-
Engine started knocking and past half a mile completely lost power and stoped, towed to dealer, will wait till Monday for any info
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 ESV years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2023, 2021, 2022 carry the most filings on the Cadillac Escalade ESV. The 2023 alone has 85 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Cadillac Escalade ESV problem?
On the 2023 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 60 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Cadillac Escalade ESV problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Cadillac Escalade ESV complaints that include mileage is about 63,000 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.