2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE Complaints

I own a 2021 Cadillac Escalade that falls under the manufacturer recall issued by GM/Cadillac for engine problems associated with this specific make, model, and year. I received an official recall notice via both email and U.S. Postal Service, instructing me to take my vehicle to my local dealership to have the recall addressed. I promptly complied and took my vehicle to the dealership. However, I was informed by both the dealership and the manufacturer that my VIN number “excludes” my vehicle from the recall, despite it matching the same year, make, and model. Approximately one month later, my engine failed due to the exact same defect that is the subject of the recall. Nevertheless, GM/Cadillac continues to refuse to cover my engine replacement under the recall, solely on the basis that my VIN number is not included in the recall list. As a result, the dealership has ordered an entirely new engine for my vehicle. I am now expected to be without a vehicle for two to three months while waiting for the new engine to arrive and be installed. I believe GM/Cadillac is misrepresenting to consumers which vehicles are covered under the recall to avoid financial responsibility for defective engines. My situation demonstrates that vehicles outside the listed VIN range are experiencing the exact same defect, yet GM/Cadillac is refusing to extend the recall coverage. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate whether GM/Cadillac is improperly limiting recall coverage and failing to include all affected vehicles, leaving consumers with significant expenses and lengthy repair times for a defect the manufacturer already acknowledged. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Twice in the last 6 months the vehicle doors have locked at random while the key was inside the vehicle. Both times, my children were trapped in the vehicle exposed to potential heat issues. Fortunately, in both cases the doors were able to be opened through another door that was still open one time and by hitting the unlock button through a slightly rolled down window. Breaking the glass was the next option. This is a serious safety defect that is putting young children and pets at risk for heat injury or death. There are no indications as to why this started, no warnings displayed, and seems to occur at random. Disabling autolock features does not resolve the issue meaning some glitch or equipment failure is causing the doors to lock despite all autolock features turned off.

The rear, third row passenger vent will occasionally put out very hot air. This results in the back seats becoming overheated especially on hot days. This is putting my young children at risk for heat related injuries and possibly death as the front seats remain cooled but the rear compartment heats up substantially. The dealer was unable to reproduce the problem but it occurs at random so reproduction is difficult. No error codes are shown. The problem will resolve once the vehicle is shut off for an extended period of time but will then recur at random putting all rear passengers that are sleeping or too young to complain about the temperature at significant risk.

After driving about 3 hours, the TPMS system displays an error saying the module has failed. This occurs with OEM and aftermarket TPMS sensors. The error clears itself after the vehicle is parked for > 1 hour. The dealer has found no fault in the sensors but would not test the system otherwise. Losing TPMS readings during long drives is unsafe and could lead to an accident or damage to the vehicle if tire damage occurs while the system is malfunctioning.

I was sitting in a drive through when the car just stopped running. I could not get it to restart. Engine light had come on and gone off a few times. I had it towed to a Firestone next door , they advised it needed to go to dealership for engine recall. Dealership did not look at it for 3 days so I had it towed to Cadillac- waiting for them to call.

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while returning from vacation, the vehicle stalled while the contact's wife was driving at 70 MPH. The contact's wife managed to pull to the shoulder of the highway. The vehicle was towed over 100 miles to the nearest dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000(Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle remained with the dealer for 90 days, and an unknown partial engine repair was performed. The vehicle was then towed to the contact's local dealer, where it remained for the final repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,608. Parts distribution disconnect.

At [XXX] my car started shaking on the highway I was my kids I happened and thanks God was less traffic after this problem I goes to BAYWAY CADILLAC SOUTHWEST Houston Texas 77074 From May 8 to till now my car is there and asking me 5000$ because they put new engine even this is not my fault Im uber driver and that is only my source of income in loss a lot because my car is in there hand INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Experienced engine failure as outline in recall for 6.2liter L87 engines. Engine failure occured on 5/28/2025. Confirmed engine failure by Cadillac dealer on 5/29/2025. Vehicle is still in repair shop with no ETA on replacement motor. Cadillac has failed to provide a comparable loaner vehicle. This is creating financial impact as I use my vehicle for work.

While on a family vacation in the Black Hills, I began to hear a knocking sound from the front right of the vehicle. Shortly after the engine began to sputter and multiple warning lights/ messages began to appear. Just prior to this, everything on the vehicle was functioning perfectly. We stopped operating the vehicle immediately when it began to malfunction and pulled over, leaving me and my young family stranded over an hour away from our rental cabin. The next day we were able to get a tow truck and find a dealership, Denny Menholt Chevrolet back in Rapid City, SD that was able to look at it right away. We were told by Denny Menholt later that day that there was a bearing failure of the rod and piston on cylinder #8 and that the entire engine block was destroyed resulting in the need of a whole new engine. We were also told by the dealer that our vehicle was not included in the recall of all the other 6.2 motors, however, GM was going to take care of everything including a brand new engine, rental car coverage, and shipping the vehicle back to us, all free of charge to us. Fast forward several weeks and we got a call from Denny Menholt stating that GM had gone back on their word and was not going to pay for any of the damages because we were 7k miles over the powertrain warranty. I have filed a complaint with GM customer service but have gotten nowhere after 3 weeks worth of phone calls and emails. The engine failure that I had is the exact same problem that all of the other 6.2 motors have been recalled for, so I don't understand why my vehicle is not also included in the recall. This issue left me in a very bad place being stranded with a [XXX] and [XXX]. As a lifelong GM customer, I'm severely disappointed in GM and the way that they have handled my case. This Escalade is supposed to be their top of the line vehicle, it only made it to 77,632 miles before it had catastrophic engine failure, and now GM will not stand behind their product. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO

Vehicle: 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV Engine: 6.2L V8 Mileage at failure: 84,000 miles Problem: Complete engine failure Description: I own a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV with a 6.2L V8 engine. At only 84,000 miles, the engine failed and had to be completely replaced. The symptoms and failure are identical to what is described in GM’s recent recall of 2021–2024 Escalades with 6.2L V8 engines. However, when checking my VIN, it shows that my vehicle is not included in the current recall. Given the premature engine failure and matching issue, I believe the recall scope may be too narrow and does not fully capture all affected vehicles. I’m requesting NHTSA investigate and consider expanding the recall to include my VIN. I have repair records and can provide further details.