CSR

Cadillac · NHTSA safety record

2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

21

Complaints

3

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV have filed 21 safety complaints with NHTSA between December 2020 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 14 of them (67%). The typical failure was reported at 65,000 miles, the median across the 4 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (2)

TIRES

21V115000 · February 25, 2021

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
The risk
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.
The remedy
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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 33,838 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

19V837000 · November 21, 2019

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Camaro, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump may be missing a pressure regulator, allowing for over-pressurization of the fuel system.
The risk
Over-pressurization can crack the fuel pump and cause leaks, increasing the risk of a fire in the presence of an ignition source.
The remedy
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.

General Motors LLC · up to 502 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 21.

ENGINE 14 67%
AIR BAGS 4 19%
WHEELS 4 19%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 14%
STRUCTURE 2 10%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 5%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 5%
POWER TRAIN 1 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 5%
STEERING 1 5%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 8.

2020 2026
2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

DRIVING 94 WEST BOUND JUMPED OFF MY SEAT AND REMEMBERED I DIDN'T JUST HIT ANYTHING ON THE ROAD. TIRE PASSED ME AND SEATBELT STRANGLED ME WHEN IT PULLED. GRABBED AHOLD OF STEERING WHEEL AND MADE SURE NOT TO HIT ANY OBJECTS OR ANYONE. SOMETHING HIT MY FACE AND GOT DISCOMBOBULATED FROM THE SEATBELT. HAD TO REMEMBER THAT I NEEDED TO UNBUCKLE SEATBELT. ALL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED EXCEPT STEERING WHEEL AIRBAG VEHICLE WAS FLIPPED. CRAWLED OUT OF THE VEHICLE PICKED UP BY AMBULANCE TO HOSPITAL. NOT ON MY RIGHT TEMPLE WE'R WENT DOWN, DISCHARGED AND LOSS OF THE TASTE AND SMELL EXCEPT SMELL OF BRAIN MATTER FROM WITHIN FOLLOWED BY FLUID DRIP IN NASAL CAVITY.

NHTSA complaint 11384282. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 25,000 miles

LOSS OF TASTE AND SMELL EXCEPT FOR BRAIN MATTER FOLLOWED BY NASAL DRIP IN BACK OF THROAT. STEERING WHEEL AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. RIGHT REAR TIRE POP IN FREEWAY 94 WESTBOUND ON 13 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2020. USAA SENT DIAGNOSTICS OF VEHICLE'S RECALL INFORMATION. CALLED MANUFACTURER OF VEHICLE TO REPORT RECALL AND DENIED OFF RECALL AND INFO ON INSURANCE DIAGNOSTICS SENT. SEE UPLOADS:

NHTSA complaint 11384854. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

er to case number: Case#9-6698447273v 3136671128 Vera Cadillac case Escalated and I am not getting through. Just want to make sure that I made the effort to each our to dealerships and headquarters to no avail. And if this is really is what is happening, this is what really need to be done properly: per lemon vehicle with extended warranty program, with defective equipment (manufacturer’s defects)failure to service right rear tire request per fotainment alert. Plus steering wheel airbag failure to inflate and deploy upon collision, resulting internal injuries, including, but not limited to loss of smell and loss of taste due to this defective automobile. Also note: diagnostics mentioned

NHTSA complaint 11425722, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 105,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while at a complete stop at the red traffic light, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle to restart. The vehicle was towed to a certified independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the engine had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic contacted an unknown dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA complaint 11662573. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
This vehicle is equipped with the 6.2 V8 engine we have experienced catastrophic engine failure twice. The vehicle is relatively low mileage.

NHTSA complaint 11743653. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Purchased a 2020 Cadillac Escalade Suburban about three months ago from GMC dealership at 8155 Interstate 35, San Antonio, Texas 78224. This vehicle had about 50,000 miles when we bought it. We were not driving the Escalade everyday, we use it occasionally and about a month after we purchased it the battery went dead. Before the battery went completely dead we were on the road one day and we rolled down the window and it would not roll back up, then the back window popped open and it would not shut back down. GMC dealership we bought it from came to our home and used a charger to recharge the battery. We took it to the dealership service department and dealership determined it was a bad

NHTSA complaint 11736511, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
There is something causing an engine misfire, and this was the first time it happened. It has happened again, and I realized that there were a lot of class action lawsuits about lifter failure in these engines

NHTSA complaint 11734715. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
While driving on a highway, my wife abruptly experienced warning lights, loud rattling from engine and loss of power. Check engine light indicated cylinder misfire. Troubleshooting revealed a bent push rod and later discover broken lifter. While researching the issue it was found to be a very common issues with vehicles using active fuel management. Issue is so widespread parts are replacement parts are unavailable. If more traffic were around situation could resulted in loss of control in traffic and collision.

NHTSA complaint 11731123. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My original factory 2020 Escalade 6.2L engine suddenly without warning seized while driving on a two lane undivided highway. I was forced to steer and brake the vehicle from 70mph to the shoulder of the road. My Vehicle had to be towed to GM dealer who diagnosed a seized engine. GM Replaced engine under warranty. This incident is identical to the 6.2L engine failures of the 2021 to 2024 recall.

NHTSA complaint 11727921. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The colling system is not working properly and damage the engine

NHTSA complaint 11724916. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Cadillac Escalade ESV

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 10 1
2024 20 2
2023 73 4
2022 52 4
2021 66 10
2019 32 1
2018 14 1
2017 37 1
2016 15 3
2015 8 6
2011 13 5

Other 2020 Cadillac models

Every Cadillac on this site — 91 vehicles, 198 recall campaigns and 4 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst