2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV Owner Complaints

Complaint Summary
The 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV has 5 reported complaints.
- Top issues involve electrical system and engine.
Reliability Score
Reliability Score
Based on 5 complaints
Most Frequent Issues
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2 40%
ENGINE
1 20%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1 20%
AIR BAGS
1 20%
Quick Insights
The top category is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, accounting for 40% of all complaints.
Owners have reported issues across 4 distinct vehicle systems.
Note: Complaint data reflects owner reports and may not always indicate a verified defect. Compare with Recalls and TSBs for a complete picture.
Subscribe to Recall Alerts
Get notified when a new recall or important ownership update lands for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV.
Free alerts based on U.S. recall data. Unsubscribe anytime.
What owners keep reporting on the 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV
The 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV has 5 owner complaints in this dataset. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM is the most common complaint category, representing about 40% of the reports shown here.
Most common complaint categories
The top complaint groups for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV are ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (2), ENGINE (1), VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL (1).
Are these complaints a serious red flag?
Potentially. 4 complaint reports involve higher-attention systems like brakes, steering, engine, powertrain, fuel, suspension, airbags, or electrical components, which is enough to justify a focused inspection.
What should buyers inspect on a used 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
Start with the top complaint systems, compare them against the recall report, then inspect service records for evidence that those same areas were already repaired or monitored.
Detailed Complaint Log
Showing 4 of 4 systems
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2 Reports40% of totalPreviewing the first 2 complaint summaries.
DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH THE DASH LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING, RADIO WENT ON AND OFF, DOOR LOCKS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED, REVVED THE ENGINE, COOLED SEATS AUTOMATICALLY CAME ON, ALL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON LIKE VEHICLE DIED(BUT NEVER DIED) THEN WENT BACK TO NORMAL FOR ABOUT 10 MILES AND SAME THING WAS REPEATED.THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN ANOTHER 50 MILES TO HOME
5/26/2015
DRIVING NORMAL ON A CITY STREET FOR ABOUT ONE HOUR WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE VEHICLE STARTED ACTING STRANGE, THE DOORS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED, THE AC& HTG CAME ON, HTG&FAN FOR THE SEATS CAME ON, CLOCK BLINKED, NAVIGATION SCREEN BLINKED ON AND OFF, THE VEHICLE SOUNDED AS THOUGH IT WOULD ACCELERATE AND THEN HESITATE, IT DID THIS AT LEAST 4 TIMES, I NOTICED UPON BRAKING EACH TIME AFTER THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO RUN OKAY, BUT ONLY WHILE BREAKING. AFTER THIS OCCURRED FOR ABOUT ONE MILE, THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES STOPPED AND THE VEHICLE DROVE AS SHOULD, OR AT LEAST IT SEEMED OKAY. AFTER READING SOME OF THE BLOG'S OF OTHER 2012 ESCALADE OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, GM SHOULD TAKE NOTICE, AFTER ALL THE VEHICLES ARE NOT CHEAP AND GM SHOULD CORRECT IT.
12/17/2018
ENGINE
1 Report20% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
DRIVING NORMAL ON A CITY STREET FOR ABOUT ONE HOUR WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE VEHICLE STARTED ACTING STRANGE, THE DOORS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED, THE AC& HTG CAME ON, HTG&FAN FOR THE SEATS CAME ON, CLOCK BLINKED, NAVIGATION SCREEN BLINKED ON AND OFF, THE VEHICLE SOUNDED AS THOUGH IT WOULD ACCELERATE AND THEN HESITATE, IT DID THIS AT LEAST 4 TIMES, I NOTICED UPON BRAKING EACH TIME AFTER THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO RUN OKAY, BUT ONLY WHILE BREAKING. AFTER THIS OCCURRED FOR ABOUT ONE MILE, THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES STOPPED AND THE VEHICLE DROVE AS SHOULD, OR AT LEAST IT SEEMED OKAY. AFTER READING SOME OF THE BLOG'S OF OTHER 2012 ESCALADE OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, GM SHOULD TAKE NOTICE, AFTER ALL THE VEHICLES ARE NOT CHEAP AND GM SHOULD CORRECT IT.
12/17/2018
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1 Report20% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
DRIVING NORMAL ON A CITY STREET FOR ABOUT ONE HOUR WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE VEHICLE STARTED ACTING STRANGE, THE DOORS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED, THE AC& HTG CAME ON, HTG&FAN FOR THE SEATS CAME ON, CLOCK BLINKED, NAVIGATION SCREEN BLINKED ON AND OFF, THE VEHICLE SOUNDED AS THOUGH IT WOULD ACCELERATE AND THEN HESITATE, IT DID THIS AT LEAST 4 TIMES, I NOTICED UPON BRAKING EACH TIME AFTER THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO RUN OKAY, BUT ONLY WHILE BREAKING. AFTER THIS OCCURRED FOR ABOUT ONE MILE, THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES STOPPED AND THE VEHICLE DROVE AS SHOULD, OR AT LEAST IT SEEMED OKAY. AFTER READING SOME OF THE BLOG'S OF OTHER 2012 ESCALADE OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, GM SHOULD TAKE NOTICE, AFTER ALL THE VEHICLES ARE NOT CHEAP AND GM SHOULD CORRECT IT.
12/17/2018
AIR BAGS
1 Report20% of totalPreviewing the first 1 complaint summaries.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V054000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED MALOUF CADILLAC (1975 US-1, NORTH BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP, NJ 08902) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
4/29/2021
Data and Methodology
Scores are derived from NHTSA recalls and owner complaints, normalized by vehicle segment averages.
What are the most common owner complaints for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
Are complaints about the 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV a serious warning sign?
How should buyers use complaint data for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
Are complaints about the 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV severe?
Complaint list entries are sourced from owner-submitted NHTSA ODI records.
Cadillac Escalade ESV: How should complaint data influence buying decisions?
Carfocal links complaint data directly to recall and maintenance routes for the same model year.
- Complaint entries
- 5
- Top-topic view
- 4 grouped topics shown
- Primary source
- NHTSA ODI owner complaint records
We may earn a commission via links on this page.