CSR

Cadillac · NHTSA safety record

2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV

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

10

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV have filed 10 safety complaints with NHTSA between April 2025 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 5 of them (50%). The typical failure was reported at 12,800 miles, the median across the 2 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

WHEELS:HUB

26V304000 · May 14, 2026

The defect
General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2025–2026 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban 1500, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with 24-inch wheels. Incorrect bolts may have been installed on the left and right front wheel hubs, which can result in the bolts loosening or deforming over time.
The risk
A bolt that loosens or breaks during vehicle operation can result in loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the front left and right wheel hub bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. GM's number for this recall is N262554630. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 14, 2026.

General Motors, LLC · up to 2,457 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 10.

ENGINE 5 50%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 20%
POWER TRAIN 2 20%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 10%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 10%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 10%
SUSPENSION 1 10%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 10%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 10%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 10%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 9.

2025 2026
2025 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.

ENGINE
In August 2025 I purchased a brand new 2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV Sport Platinum. Purchase Price $155,000. I maintained the car to the highest level possible since taking ownership. The total miles put on the car between August 2025 and May 2026 was 6,142. On May 14, 2026 at approx. 8am EST I was driving the car southbound on Alternate AIA (going from my house to my office). As the car was approaching the intersection of Alternate AIA and Hood Road the engine stopped running and turned off. The Car rolled to a stop and the dashboard displayed a message of "please push the start button". The electronics of the car were fully functional, the dashboard was on and I was able to roll the windows

NHTSA complaint 11745971, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
My 2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV lost power and shut down while I was driving on the highway. The gas pedal stopped responding, and the vehicle would not restart afterward. This created a serious safety risk because the vehicle suddenly lost propulsion while driving in traffic. The vehicle is less than one year old and is already going to be on its third engine. The original engine was already replaced once before. The previous replacement engine was a brand-new GM engine with 0 miles, but it failed after only about 20,000 miles. Pepe Cadillac confirmed that this is the second replacement engine, which means the third engine counting the original engine. The dealer also confirmed that the

NHTSA complaint 11740929, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The headlights on our 25 Escalade started to fail. They basically became more and more dim to the point it looks like the Daytime running lights are on at night instead of the headlights. When we took it into the dealer to get checked they stated it was a known issue. Apparently it’s such a large issue that one of the headlights is back ordered with no timeline. This seems like a serious safety issue that customers were not being warned about.

NHTSA complaint 11737669. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

20,400 miles

The contact owns a 2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance sensor failed to function as intended. The contact stated that while driving behind another vehicle, the Forward Collision Avoidance system failed to alert the contact of the vehicle ahead or enable the braking system. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The contact was provided with DTC: U023E. In addition, the contact was informed that further inspection was needed to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure

NHTSA complaint 11733619, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My engine started to make noise so I took it in for service and was told by Cadillac service it was a blown piston rod and it required a full engine replacement.

NHTSA complaint 11730621. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving at approximately 40 MPH there was a loud pop and the panorama sunroof shattered. There were other cars traveling at the same speed or less, but nothing struck the vehicle to cause the glass to shatter. The glass did not immediately give way, but had it, there were passengers that would have been impacted. The roof was inspected by the dealership but is no longer available for inspection as the dealership could not provide a loaner or rental vehicle. There was no warning. The temperature was mild. This is not about the repair expense or time involved but about the safety or the panorama sunroof.

NHTSA complaint 11727950. 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
2024 20 2
2023 73 4
2022 52 4
2021 66 10
2020 21 2
2019 32 1
2018 14 1
2017 37 1
2016 15 3
2015 8 6
2011 13 5

Other 2025 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