2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV

The defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Cadillac CT6, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Volt, and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automatically lock when the seatbelt is fully pulled out of the retractor, possibly preventing a child seat from being properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

The risk

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

The remedy

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.

General Motors LLC · up to 15,800 vehicles across all model years covered

towed · 23,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the engine seized, and the vehicle stopped. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The camshaft and lifters were previously replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

NHTSA complaint 11640404. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

At 60,000 miles the lifter failed and bent a pushrod rod while driving 65mph on the interstate. I had to slow my driving to 40mph in heavy traffic and "limp" it to the dealership. When I drove it to the local Cadillac dealership, they confirmed what had happened. There were no warning lamps prior to this happening. This is a common failure due to the weak lifters in GM's AFM/DOD feature. If these engines had the same lifters/cam as the Corvettes and Camaros that don't have AFM/DOD, these engines would be a lot more reliable.

NHTSA complaint 11749695. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

2019 Escalade. During summer temperatures, unable to control pedal position adjustment and vehicle automatically moves the pedals all the way forward. When the pedal position button is pushed, the pedals make clicking noise but do not adjust. No warning lights. Issue is intermittent. It becomes very difficult to drive the vehicle with both the accelerator and brake pedals in the fully forward position. Vehicle has not been inspected.

NHTSA complaint 11733626. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

11/26/25 at 85,400 miles on the v8 6.2L L86 engine, I began experiencing rough idle, loss of engine power and propulsion, a ticking/ knocking noise at idle and when RPMs increased as well as blinking engine warning light. Diagnostics/Repair work was done by Reliable GMC/Cadillac of Roseville to fix an ignition coil that was giving the engine error code. 2/24/26 At 86,697 miles, I began having rough idle worse than before, loss of power when accelerating and driving, knocking sounds that increased with acceleration in RPMs as well as a blinking engine warning light. All spark plugs and wiring were changed by Cadillac which resolved engine error codes for misfire. Diagnostics/Repair was done …

NHTSA complaint 11728347, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Transmission would intermittently lock up and cause rough running conditions. Occasionally causing wheels to lock up and the vehicle to lose control. Took the vehicle to multiple service facilities and was told this is a common issue with this transmission and it is in need of replacement to remedy the issue. The vehicle has 85,000 miles on it.

NHTSA complaint 11727496. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Rough running engine at idle. The vehicle also shows low oil pressure at idle 13psi. Took to several service technicians and was told this is unfortunately a flaw in the engine design and there is not a known current remedy. Also they are surprised that this model was not covered under the same recall campaign that later models are as they are nearly identical engines. The transmission also gave out on this same vehicle at 85k miles.

NHTSA complaint 11727501. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

towed · 127,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the rear wheels locked up and the vehicle stopped moving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and the vehicle was not driven. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V085000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

NHTSA complaint 11725207. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.