2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE Complaints

I was driving home on the evening of Monday [XXX] in my 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The car began to shake, the yellow engine warning light began flashing, black smoke began pouring out of the exhaust pipes and there was a strong smell of fuel. I was 1/2 mile from my home. I limped the car home, left it in the driveway overnight, and called Cadillac Roadside assistance to have the car towed to the Cadillac dealership in Boulder, CO the next morning. The dealership's initial diagnosis it a failed lifter and cam. This is a known issue across all GM's 6.2L engines and is caused by their AFM/DFM management system. I am at 69,000 miles, with only 1,000 miles to go on the powertrain warranty (70k). GM needs to step up and recall these motors. They are saying that they might offer extended component coverage to someone that has had at least 2 failed lifter repairs. This does me no good with only 1,000 miles to go under my 70k powertrain warranty. There are many reports of completely failed engines from this problem on super low mileage vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Driving home going 60-70 miles an hour I lost power in the middle of the highway and cruised off to the emergency lane. Engine completely shut off out of nowhere. Spedeometer went down even though i was pressing the accelerator . Starter burned out as well. Dealership says there was metal in the engine. Ordered a new engine and that engine was also defected. Now going into my third engine. In less than 2 months. If traffic would have been worse the possibility of safely maneuvering to a emergency lane could be fatal. Also one of the day running lights on multiple 2021 escalades go off.

Our 2021 Cadillac Escalade has experienced multiple ongoing issues. The “driver airbag warning” light has been a major concern, with the dealership stating that the airbag could malfunction at any moment. When we took the vehicle in for repairs, they determined that a previous maintenance job on the driver’s airbag was done incorrectly, which was causing the warning light to activate. Additionally, the vehicle intermittently displays warnings for the “service system restraint system,” “service power steering column,” “reducing features to save battery,” and “service driver assist system.” Despite multiple visits to the dealership, we are consistently told that their diagnostic computers do not populate any error codes, leaving them uncertain about the cause of these warnings. Another major issue is battery drainage. We replaced the original battery two years ago, yet we have needed Cadillac roadside assistance twice because the vehicle wouldn’t start. Each time, the battery tested as healthy, but the car remained inoperable due to a drained battery. Lastly, we have had to replace the remote key batteries every 2-3 months, which seems excessive for a relatively new vehicle. Safety Risks: The driver airbag warning light indicates that the airbag could malfunction at any moment, which poses a serious safety risk in the event of an accident. The service system restraint system warning suggests potential failure in critical safety components. Issues with the service power steering column could lead to steering difficulties while driving, increasing the risk of an accident. The reducing features to save battery warning and service driver assist system warning suggest possible electrical failures that could impact vehicle performance and safety. The other issues, including system warnings and battery drainage, have been repeatedly reported to the dealership, but they have been unable to confirm the cause as their diagnostic system does not register error codes.

My vehicle has stalled twice while I was at a stop sign and/or red light. It says there are no recalls for my Vehicle but I feel it may be a problem.

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.

We are experiencing the error code "Rear Axle System Off" multiple times per day with this vehicle. The code will appear and then disappear and the car will make beeps consistent with those heard when there is a fault code or error message with the vehicle. The "Rear Axle System Off" code does not stay on permanently. When this occurs, it can delay the acceleration of the vehicle, cause shaking, etc. which could result in an accident as a result therefore putting the driver, passengers and other drivers on the road at risk. This has been an ongoing issue with the vehicle and it has been taken in for service three (3) or four (4) times for this issue which cannot seem to be resolved. We have notified GM Corporate of such as well and they opened a case number on it when last in service. That is GM case #[XXX] for your reference. I have previously filed a report to the NHTSA for this due to GM's inability to fix this issue after multiple attempts. The issue number assigned by the NHSTA was #11621174 for your reference. We have taken the vehicle to the dealer on multiple occasions and they have not been able to correct this issue. The dealer is Ed Morse Cadillac in Delray Beach, FL. The dealer claims that there have been no codes stored in the system when taken in previously and/or have not been able to replicate the issue. We find this hard to believe given that it happens many times per day without much driving. We potentially drive approximately 20-25 miles per day and it generally happens anywhere between 6 - 10 times per day. The dealer referenced above (Ed Morse in Delray Beach, FL) has admitted to seeing or replicating the code in the past during one of the prior visits. We have our next appointment scheduled for Monday, [XXX] to try and resolve this recurring issue as the dealer did not have any availability prior to this date. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Engine breakdown in middle of the road. Lifter valves failed and had to be taken in for complete Engine repair/replacement. Dealership is currently repairing. Vehicle is available to inspect after repair if requested. Lifter valves Engine failure confirmed by dealership. Safety was serious concern as Engine failed in middle road with family in vehicle during heavy traffic. Could have lost control of vehicle as Engine went haywire. 45,997 miles. No warnings signs before complete failure. Just completed a road trip day prior with no issues.

We were driving our 2021 Escalade Cadillac on the highway and the check engine light came on and then 10 seconds later the engine completely stopped without any further warning. If we had not been right by a highway exit, we would have stopped right on the highway. When the engine stopped completely, everything was useless. We couldn't use the windows or locks or even put the car into neutral to roll it off the highway. It took 5 hours for a tow truck to get to us and we had to wait with the car the entire time because a window was rolled halfway down and we could not lock the car. Our car was towed back to Midland, TX and now requires a brand new engine. The engine is on back order and there is no expected date. We may not get our car back for months.

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from under the hood. The contact stated that his wife was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and shut off the vehicle. The contact arrived on the scene with a local independent mechanic and became aware of the abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a collapsed lifter, 2 bent push rods, and that a rotor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Car full of kids, going down the expressway in the fast lane the car completely shuts off with no warning. I had to merge four lanes to get to the side of the road and my kids and I could have been in huge trouble if I didn’t remain calm. Once parked the car would not go back into neutral and the town truck had to drag our car with brand new tires onto the truck. I’m livid. The dealership Al Serra Grand Blanc MI confirmed it was the motor and they are now on back order. It’s been there a month.