CADILLAC Complaints

On XXX, I was driving a 2025 Cadillac Escalade equipped with the 6.2L L87 V8 engine westbound on [XXX] in [XXX] at approximately 35 mph in normal traffic. Without any warning, noise, or dashboard indication, the engine shut down and the vehicle lost all motive power while in a travel lane. I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop, but the loss of power occurred in moving traffic and created a serious risk of a rear-end collision. The vehicle had approximately 24,000 miles at the time of failure. It has been maintained according to the manufacturer's schedule and has had no prior engine repairs. The vehicle was purchased new in XXX. GM Roadside Assistance was contacted and towed the vehicle to Pepe Cadillac for diagnosis. As of this filing, the cause has not been reported to me. I am aware of NHTSA recall 25V-274 and Engineering Analysis EA26005 concerning L87 6.2L V8 engine failures involving connecting rod and crankshaft defects. My vehicle is a 2025 model year, outside the original recall production period but within the population covered by EA26005. This is my second L87 engine failure. My previous vehicle, a 2021 Cadillac Escalade with the same 6.2L L87 engine, suffered engine failure in 2024 and received a replacement engine under warranty. I purchased the 2025 vehicle new in XXX after that experience. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The engine in our escalade is starting to fail. Our cadillac dealer did their voluntary recall on our escalade at around 15,000 miles. This included a "Pico" listening forgot knock, and once it passed that test they drained the previously factory recommended 0w-20, and re filled with the now recommended 0w-40 with a filter change, and oil fill cap replacement that has 0w-40 printed in it. At around 20,000 miles, on August 16th my father in law and I performed the next oil change. My father in law has been a master technician owning his own automotive shop for almost 40 years. I used to work as a machinist, machining, building and dynoing engines. I cut open the oil filter after the oil change to inspect it, and there were flakes of bearing material throughout the filter media. I packaged all the parts of the oil filter up in a ziploc bag, and took it to my cadillac dealer the next day august 17th. I talked to, and showed a few people there the bearing material in the filter, ending in the service manager. The service manager agreed that there is something wrong with the engine, and that there shouldnt be metal in the oil filter. But he stated that the voluntary recall that they have for the engine only comes into effect if it fails the Pico test, or the engine fails, not if the engine is beginning to fail. He said he would talk to his boss, and an engineer attached to the recall, to see if there was anything else they could do. He said he would call me later in the day. He called me later and said that both people he talked to said there was nothing that cadillac could do until it has outward symptoms of a failing engine (knock) or it totally fails. Now we have a new vehicle that my wife is afraid to take anywhere because its failing cadillac knows about it, and won't do anything about it.

The car was parked for 4 to 5 hours. The keys were with me and the car was unoccupied. It proceeded to unlock from being parked, the alarm went off, and the vehicle rolled down a hill, hit a person and another parked vehicle. The incident occurred on August 8th, 2026. Case No. 26054085 Clayton County Police Department 770-477-3747. The car is being repaired and has been inspected by Cadillac. They were unable to determine the cause. We have video of the incident. With the car being unoccupied we have no idea what the dashboard said or any warnings. While the car was moving it pinched a man in between the car and another car. EMS was called and he was taken to hospital for observation.

I was driving on 35 mph road and first got a notification to service charging system, vehicle may stall, with the battery light on. Less than a mile after an alarm went off non stop stating engine overheating shut vehicle down immediately. Roadside mechanic came and discovered the serpentine belt failed. I have 1,100 miles on this car.

On XXX, I picked up my 2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV, VIN [XXX], from Open Road Cadillac after a replacement 6.2L V8 engine had been installed following failure of the original engine. Approximately one mile after leaving the dealership, the engine temperature rose to approximately 297°F. The vehicle displayed a critical oil-pressure/no-oil warning, coolant leaked from the vehicle, and the replacement engine produced a loud metallic knocking/clanking sound and had difficulty starting. The vehicle could not be safely operated and was returned to the dealership. The dealership subsequently advised me that a coolant hose/component had come off and caused the coolant loss. I was later advised that the vehicle was repaired, had completed approximately a 15-mile road test, and was ready for pickup. My safety concern remains that I have not been provided documentation showing that the oil-pressure warning and loud metallic engine knock were fully diagnosed or that internal engine damage caused by the extreme overheating and/or oil-pressure event was ruled out. I have video evidence documenting the knocking sound and photographs documenting the incident. Cadillac/GM has an open executive case concerning this vehicle, Case #106602304. I have requested GM technical/field-engineer review before accepting the vehicle for normal operation. I am reporting this incident because NHTSA currently has Engineering Analysis EA26005 open concerning loss of motive power and L87 6.2L engine failures, including failures involving replacement engines and engines manufactured after the production period covered by the earlier recall. I am requesting that this complaint and VIN be reviewed in connection with that investigation. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

In August 2026, at approximately 99,639 miles, my 2014 Cadillac ATS was taken to an authorized Cadillac dealership for service. During the inspection, the dealership discovered and diagnosed a leaking right rear axle shaft seal. I was not aware of the leak beforehand and did not receive a warning light or message indicating the condition. The dealership’s written repair order states that the right rear axle shaft seal was leaking and that the right rear axle seal was replaced. The repair was completed at my expense. I have the dealership repair order and invoice documenting the diagnosis, mileage, parts replaced, and repair. After the repair, I researched this issue and found other NHTSA consumer complaints involving rear axle/differential seal leakage on 2014 Cadillac ATS vehicles. I also found GM manufacturer communications addressing rear axle leakage on certain Cadillac ATS vehicles. I am reporting this failure so NHTSA has a record of another rear axle seal leak involving a Cadillac ATS and can determine whether this condition may represent a broader defect or safety trend. I do not know the specific underlying cause of the seal failure and am not asserting that it has been established as the same cause as any other reported vehicle. The failed seal was replaced by the dealership. Documentation of the diagnosis and repair is available upon request.

I was going down the highway at 75mph and all of sudden the engine started loud knocking and loss of power. Good thing I was able to get off the exit and stop safely. Car was towed to dealer. Needs new engine 48k miles

The truck drives rough feels like I hit something while driving and slows down while driving high speed. Every time I take to the dealership they don’t see anything wrong with it. I’m not the only one with this issue a lot of people with this same 2023 Escalade esv have the the same problem. I want the problem fixed it’s not fair that I have to deal with this. I paid a lot of money for my truck and work hard for it.

# NHTSA Complaint – 2026 Cadillac Escalade IQL My 2026 Cadillac Escalade IQL has experienced repeated "Service High Voltage System" warnings despite multiple warranty repair attempts involving the A/C/high-voltage thermal-management system. The vehicle is currently at an authorized Cadillac dealership and is available for inspection if requested. The problem first occurred in May 2026 at approximately 9,378 miles. The vehicle displayed "Service High Voltage System," "Maximum charge is limited to 69%," and "One-Pedal Driving Unavailable." The dealer documented DTC P0534, evacuated the refrigerant, flushed and recharged the A/C system, performed vehicle-wide programming, cleared the code, road-tested the vehicle, and returned it as operating properly. The problem recurred. On June 5, 2026, the vehicle was returned with "Service High Voltage System" displayed again. The dealer documented DTC P1C01, "NO OUTPUT FROM AC COMPRESSOR" and "INTERNAL OPEN IN COMPRESSOR MOTOR." The dealer replaced the A/C compressor and necessary parts, recharged the R-1234yf system, cleared the DTC, road-tested the vehicle, and documented proper operation. On August 8, 2026, "Service High Voltage System" appeared again while the vehicle was approximately three hours from home. Because the same high-voltage warning had returned after multiple prior repairs, including replacement of the A/C compressor, we did not feel comfortable driving the vehicle approximately three hours home. The problem was reported to Cadillac that day. The dealer retrieved the vehicle on August 13, and it remains at the dealership. My safety concern is the recurrence of a high-voltage system warning and previous charging restriction despite multiple dealer repair attempts. The repeated fault raises concern about the vehicle's ability to operate and charge reliably, particularly during travel. Prior occurrences were confirmed by an authorized Cadillac dealer, and the vehicle is currently available for inspection.

The night vision does not work. I told it to the dealer on 17 July they claimed they don’t know how to fix it. They blow it off and say that it’s because of the temperature but it’s not true. It wasn’t working at night when it was nice and cool. It wasn’t working during the day. It doesn’t work at all. They have a history of failing and general motors does not have a solid fix. They had this in their shop for six weeks and they still couldn’t figure out how to fix it. It still doesn’t work to this day. The temperatures have dropped at night, especially in the rain and that is not the problem. They lack of experience with night vision camera cameras is the problem and they are unable to fix it.