Cadillac Escalade ESV

Where it stands out against its peers

• Service brakes: more complaints than 90% of 2017 cars — 23% of its 87 complaints, where an ordinary 2017 car has 10%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

37% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 16V651000

  A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

• 18V673000

  If the child seat is not properly secured in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seatbelt retractors and replace them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 7, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18315.

• 19V837000

  Over-pressurization can crack the fuel pump and cause leaks, increasing the risk of a fire in the presence of an ignition source.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2019. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192283991.

• 20V811000

  If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.

• 21V115000

  Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could lead to a tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050.

• 21V190000

  A damaged seat belt can break during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third-row outboard seat belts, replacing any damaged seat belts, and rerouting them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313000.

• 21V421000

  The air bag malfunction indicator light may fail to warn the driver of a problem with the air bag, increasing the risk of injury.

  The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212338110.

• 21V455000

  Increased steering effort, particularly at lower speeds, increases the risk of a crash.

  The power steering module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 13, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212333900.

8 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy

  Engineering analysis, opened August 2026, still open.

• Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy

  Recall query, opened January 2026, closed August 2026.

• Loss of motive power due to engine failure

  Engineering analysis, opened October 2025, still open.

• Loss of motive power due to engine failure

  Preliminary evaluation, opened January 2025, closed October 2025.

• Air Bag Malfunction

  Preliminary evaluation, opened April 2021, closed August 2023.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Cadillac filed 202 bulletins about the 2026 Escalade ESV.

• Electrical system: 4
• Engine: 2
• Forward collision avoidance: 1
• Fuel/propulsion system: 1
• Service brakes: 1
• Wheels: 1
• Other: 192

• This is a diagnostic PI to assist on a repair to fix a concern for the HVAC temperature doors binding at times · August 2026
• This Preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a MEC reset for wireless projection issues · August 2026
• This Preliminary information communications information on a Short Range Radar software anomaly causing false / ghost left or right side object detection alerts. · August 2026
• This preliminary information is to inform technicians to reprogram the radio with SPS if the customer has this concern. · August 2026
• This Preliminary information communicates an issue with the virtual garage door opener not programming to a garage opener. Engineering is working on a new module. · August 2026
• This PI states that if SDGM DTC P0604/P0607 is set and no other SDGM DTCs are present, clear DTCs and reset the SDGM. Advises of how to contact PQC to authorize SDGM replacement. · August 2026
• This PI advise dealers If U3000 is present, follow the correct service doc by Symptom Byte before contacting PQC; if not present, verify the camera is clean, then contact PQC if no issue is found. · August 2026
• This Preliminary information communicates an issue with the SES MIL and DTC P062B and engineering is currently investigating. · August 2026

194 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.