2023 Cadillac Escalade Owner Complaints

While riding after a stoplight, the engine started malfunctioning and not responding. Noise came out apparently from the engine heads (sounded like the valve lifters) . Driver was unable to accelerate and take a street exit almost hitting another vehicle The truck was towed

6/14/2023

INCIDENT: I was driving on the highway when I heard a strange "whistling noise." Thinking the noise originated from an old van in front of me, I passed it. The noise grew louder; the vehicle slowed very suddenly and, I pulled to the side of the road. The "low oil pressure" light came on just as the engine entirely blew. There were NO OTHER WARNING LAMPS, MESSAGES or OTHER SYMPTOMS. On-Star did not send roadside assistance for six hours and the battery died from extended use of the emergency lights. DANGERS: Experiencing catastrophic engine failure while driving on a highway presents obvious dangers as does sitting roadside for six hours (with a dead battery and no emergency flashers). INSPECTION: The G.M. Dealer (manufacturer representative) inspected the engine and confirmed that it was a catastrophic engine failure, requiring a new engine. The issue was also reported directly to G.M. The engine core, if need of further inspection, is likely either at the dealer, G.M., or a GM remanufacturing facility.

7/23/2023

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that there was an abnormal squealing sound coming from the vehicle at start-up. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

4/28/2025

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000(Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. 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.

6/12/2025

Please explain your complaint in detail: Every Cadillac dealership in the area is refusing to service my vehicle for a serious safety recall •GM #: N222384930
 Trailer Brake Control Switch. When I call the dealerships to set up an appointment, they tell me there is a note on my account to not service your vehicle. The vehicle is brand new and was purchased from Brotherton Cadillac. All of the Cadillac dealerships are working together to block any service of my vehicle.

3/21/2023

When reversing this huge SUV, there is no visibility. Currently, I have to keep pressing my brakes to get the red light to see little however it is not enough. I have taken it to the 2 different Cadillac Escalade dealership and they keep giving it back to me that it is working properly. This has been a problem since I bought this car, unfortunately when we went to test drive it was in a very bright parking lot. During the day it is fine, however if I reverse at night and god forbid hit someone/something - GM will be liable as this should not be on the road and they refuse the fix this big safety concern. Please note this is a 7 passenger SUV- It is too big to lack reverse visibility.

12/7/2023

Friday 03/03/2023 Off hwy 34 was on i25 for about 5 minutes going 75 I accelerated to 80, to get in my right lane and out of the fast lane got over and a pop up came on my dash board, said press start. I then realized my car lost power on the interstate with cars going 75-80+ mph and I had no way of starting or pulling off the side of the road, as there was construction and temporary road w/ barricades on both sides. My car was stopped in highway traffic, I was pumping my brakes to notify the semi behind me that something was wrong so he wouldn’t hit me. How is a 2023 vehicle going to stop on the highway with evening traffic, no where to pull over and hope I don’t get in an accident, it was dangerous and there was no notifications on the dashboard telling me what was wrong. My fuel was full, battery was fine and oil life was good. There could have been several fatalities as it was on the interstate and I was in the right lane with moving traffic in both. Approximately 6:50pm. I do have photos and video of the incident. I hit the onstar button, was holding for several minutes, it disconnected, so I hit the SOS emergency button and the operator took my info including my location on I-25 near mile marker 255 prior to the exit near the park n ride. She advised she was sending cdot to get traffic controlled, traffic in the left lane was still moving fast, people were honking and going around the semi. My sister was in her Cadillac in front of me stopped with her hazards so traffic behind could see the hazards. Cdot arrived about 15 minutes later, and then followed by a State Patrol officer. He advised ME TO GET IN MY SISTERS VEHICLE, and go to the park n ride at exit 255 and the tow truck and office would meet me there.

3/6/2023

INCIDENT: I was driving on the highway when I heard a strange "whistling noise." Thinking the noise originated from an old van in front of me, I passed it. The noise grew louder; the vehicle slowed very suddenly and, I pulled to the side of the road. The "low oil pressure" light came on just as the engine entirely blew. There were NO OTHER WARNING LAMPS, MESSAGES or OTHER SYMPTOMS. On-Star did not send roadside assistance for six hours and the battery died from extended use of the emergency lights. DANGERS: Experiencing catastrophic engine failure while driving on a highway presents obvious dangers as does sitting roadside for six hours (with a dead battery and no emergency flashers). INSPECTION: The G.M. Dealer (manufacturer representative) inspected the engine and confirmed that it was a catastrophic engine failure, requiring a new engine. The issue was also reported directly to G.M. The engine core, if need of further inspection, is likely either at the dealer, G.M., or a GM remanufacturing facility.

7/23/2023

INCIDENT: I was driving on the highway when I heard a strange "whistling noise." Thinking the noise originated from an old van in front of me, I passed it. The noise grew louder; the vehicle slowed very suddenly and, I pulled to the side of the road. The "low oil pressure" light came on just as the engine entirely blew. There were NO OTHER WARNING LAMPS, MESSAGES or OTHER SYMPTOMS. On-Star did not send roadside assistance for six hours and the battery died from extended use of the emergency lights. DANGERS: Experiencing catastrophic engine failure while driving on a highway presents obvious dangers as does sitting roadside for six hours (with a dead battery and no emergency flashers). INSPECTION: The G.M. Dealer (manufacturer representative) inspected the engine and confirmed that it was a catastrophic engine failure, requiring a new engine. The issue was also reported directly to G.M. The engine core, if need of further inspection, is likely either at the dealer, G.M., or a GM remanufacturing facility.

7/23/2023

I was driving to work at 45 miles/hour and the car's engine cut out. My life was at risk because the car cut out without warning while I was driving. When the car stopped working, I called the dealership, and they came to take the car away. The car didn't give any warning or display any warning messages beforehand. The car has been at the dealership for a month and they still haven't repaired it.

5/1/2025

The backup camera has no guidelines. GM has a bulletin but no fix and has not issues a recall. Document ID is 6153943. My dealer has told me they cannot do anything. This is a brand new car! Here is link to forum where frustrated owners have discussed the issue: https://www.cadillacforums.com/threads/backup-camera-grid-lines.1124433/ Here is link to youtube video to illustrate the issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUYXcroezZE

11/4/2022

I hooked up a 20' car hauler trailer with trailer brakes to my 2023 Cadillac Escalade and proceeded to go on a trip when immediately I received a message on the dash that said, "service trailer brakes" and then proceeded by another message that says "trailer brakes have been disabled". I took the trailer to a trailer shop where they checked all of the wiring, connections and brakes on the new 2023 trailer and they said everything was working perfectly when they hooked up their electrical device to the trailer. They said the problem was with the 2023 Cadillac Escalade internal brake controller. I took the Escalade to Cadillac of South Charlotte on Dec 30, 2022 and they confirmed that there is a problem with the controller and there is no fix. This is consistent to what I have read on the 2021-2022 GM vehicles that have this controller. This is a safety hazard should anyone try to trailer assuming their brakes are working on their trailer and they do not.

12/30/2022

when i took delivery of my vehicle in November of 2022 my rear parking and pedestrian guide lines worked perfectly and a month later they stopped working and is no longer active. Given the huge size of the Cadillac escalade this is major safety issue and could result in a rear collision or a pedestrian being injured. I contacted Cadillac and there is no fix for this and when i start my vehicle a blue hourglass appears on my center info screen

2/23/2023

Vehicle: 2023 Cadillac Escalade purchased in Oct 2022. At the time of new vehicle delivery the Dealer in Atlanta Peachtree Blvd, informs the Reverse Camera is not working completely - Has issues - 1.) Missing Gridlines 2.) Blue Hour Glass reducing the visibility while reversing the vehicle. Dealer states this is GM Cadillac issue and they cannot solve it. 3.) There is an irritating vibration sound while driving this 2023 Escalade above 70 mph ( like a flag on top of vehicle). The dealer in Atlanta, Peachtree Blvd cannot fix the problem even after 4 service center visits, and keeping the vehicle for more than 10 days . It is now almost 8 months since the new 2023 Escalade was purchased. Called up GM Cadillac Customer Support many times on 800 333 4223 since one month and registered the complaint case and even GM Cadillac does not know and does not have a clue on how to provide any solution. The customer support provided by GM Cadillac Customer support team is pathetic. No response to customer complaints !!!!! The GM Cadillac Customer Support team is not qualified to deal with customer issues / pain. It is pathetic to have companies like GM Cadillac to ignore problems with their premium vehicle like Escalade. I do not see any other solution, hence reporting the issue with NHTSA. Manufacturers like GM Cadillac should not sell vehicles with known issues, without informing customers.

5/15/2023

Please explain your complaint in detail: Every Cadillac dealership in the area is refusing to service my vehicle for a serious safety recall •GM #: N222384930
 Trailer Brake Control Switch. When I call the dealerships to set up an appointment, they tell me there is a note on my account to not service your vehicle. The vehicle is brand new and was purchased from Brotherton Cadillac. All of the Cadillac dealerships are working together to block any service of my vehicle.

3/21/2023

So I bought this Cadillac Escalade V 2023 with about 26k miles on it and I only had the vehicle for about 13 days and I got a light on my dash board and I had a mechanic check this for me and he told me that the whole entire break system was failing and needed to be replaced so I then took it back to the dealership I bought it from and they told me they had no idea since it was a certified pre owned and we where all confused about this situation and I was very unhappy that I paid 128k $ for a car and the dealer told me they could fix the issue or take the offer of 105k$ he offered me and of course because I did not want to have this problem I got rid of this vehicle as quick as possible I did not notice anything wrong with the car physically but I had that check engine light on with 13 days of owning

9/9/2025

System Failed: Back up lights are not working. Safety Concern: Cannot reverse in dark and putting self, family and others in danger. Problem reproduced at dealership: Fred Beans Cadillac in Bucks County Pennsylvania. Dealership Response to problem: They said GM is aware of the issue and it is related to software issue, no ETA of when it will be fixed however telling me it is safe to drive. No warning lamps however do have a blue hour glass in backup camera (not sure if that is related). "Cannot see anything when reversing as no reverse lights are working". Please see picture, driveway lights are on, front headlights are on, but no lights are working for reverse.

2/10/2023

When reversing this huge SUV, there is no visibility. Currently, I have to keep pressing my brakes to get the red light to see little however it is not enough. I have taken it to the 2 different Cadillac Escalade dealership and they keep giving it back to me that it is working properly. This has been a problem since I bought this car, unfortunately when we went to test drive it was in a very bright parking lot. During the day it is fine, however if I reverse at night and god forbid hit someone/something - GM will be liable as this should not be on the road and they refuse the fix this big safety concern. Please note this is a 7 passenger SUV- It is too big to lack reverse visibility.

12/7/2023

On [XXX] my 2023 Cadillac Escalade Super Cruise VIN: [XXX] with approximately 9600 miles failed to operate in a safe manner and has malfunctioned. The vehicle has been well maintained and follows all manufacturer specifications. It is a lemon. The engine seized while operating on the highway. The vehicle lost speed, there was a crashing boom sound, followed by extreme shaking as grinded to a halt. It was extremely challenging for the driver to maintain control. The dealership confirmed the engine will not turn over, they removed the oil filter and examined the oil sample from it. The sample showed signs of metal, a clear indication of an internal failure. The procedure now is to order a new engine, radiator, oil cooler lines and all one time use components of the fuel injection rails all seals, gaskets and bolts required by General Motors. In addition, the emergency braking system did not engage. The onstar system emailed me the night before a clean bill of health with their diagnostic app. There were also no check engine lights prior to using the vehicle. Our use of the vehicle has been impaired, the market value has dropped, and there are obvious safety concerns in placing my family in this vehicle. My research online indicates this is a known issue, however no safety recall has been issued. Police arrived on scene to assist in tow. Police station was Boxford, MA. A report has yet to be completed. I look forward to your prompt response and resolution to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

5/30/2024

Vehicle was running with the driver side door open and driver out of vehicle. The vehicle slipped out of gear and reversed quickly. Driver went to get back in while moving backwards to try and stop vehicle. The driver got smashed between the garage and vehicle door. The vehicle door hyperextended and caused damage/injury to driver. The emergency brake did not come on until after the accident. Prior to this happening recalls were not preformed due to GM advising us that our vehicle was not next to get it done. Throughout ownership the vehicle has slipped out of gear two other times. We took it in each time and were told it shouldn’t happen again and they could not replicate. GM did an inspection after and fixed recalls and told us they would not assist us with damage or any compensation.

12/16/2025

The tires that were delivered on my new auto were deflective and dangerous as reported by the dealer on 10/1/24. The tires were wearing abnormally. One of the tires was worn so badly that I was warned that it could have blown at any moment. The tires had less than 16,000 miles. The car was maintained at the dealer every 5,000 miles. I was not notified about the defect until a worker at my home noticed the severe wearing of the edge of the right rear tire. (photo attached). As a result of the warning from the dealership I had to replace all 4 tires as I was warned that all of the tires will end up with abnormal wear within a 5,000 mile period. The problem was inspected and confirmed by the dealer. There were no warning signs, alarms or other signs other than at the time the rotation of the tires at 16,248 miles. The cause in my opinion was defective tires from the manufacturer (Bridgestone ALENZA) TPC spec356ms 275/50R22 111HM+S. The dealer stated that the auto might have been out of alignment but did not find any malalignment. I was informed by the dealer that I was lucky not to have been in an accident. I have photos of the defective tires.

11/11/2024

The front upper control arm on the driver’s side snapped in half, resulting in the complete detachment of the wheel while the vehicle was in motion. The failed component is still in my possession and available for inspection upon request. This failure placed both my life and the lives of others at significant risk. The wheel detached while I was driving, which could have led to a catastrophic crash had it occurred at higher speeds or in heavier traffic. I was extremely fortunate that the failure occurred under conditions that allowed me to bring the vehicle to a stop without injury or collision. A suspension failure of this nature represents a critical safety hazard. The failure has been physically verified by both the service center where the vehicle was taken after the incident and by GM’s assigned third-party inspection service. A visual and mechanical inspection confirmed the fractured upper control arm and resulting suspension failure. A second opinion from an independent mechanic is being pursued as well. The vehicle was inspected by a third-party claims investigator assigned by GM, who reviewed the scene and the damage. I have not received a full report or documentation from GM or the inspector, but I am requesting it formally. The incident was also documented by my insurance provider. The police were not called, as there were no injuries or collision with another vehicle. There were no warning lights, messages, or error codes on the dashboard prior to the incident. I did not observe any unusual handling, noises, or vibrations that would have suggested an impending mechanical failure. The control arm failure occurred suddenly and without warning while driving under normal conditions.

7/2/2025

Please explain your complaint in detail: Every Cadillac dealership in the area is refusing to service my vehicle for a serious safety recall •GM #: N222384930
 Trailer Brake Control Switch. When I call the dealerships to set up an appointment, they tell me there is a note on my account to not service your vehicle. The vehicle is brand new and was purchased from Brotherton Cadillac. All of the Cadillac dealerships are working together to block any service of my vehicle.

3/21/2023

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH on the highway, there was an abnormal popping sound heard. There were no other vehicles nearby. The contact pulled over and checked the vehicle, and the contact became aware that the sunroof had cracked. There was a hole the size of his hand. There were no reported injuries. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was informed that the replacement glass was not in stock. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 18,200.

11/28/2023

When reversing this huge SUV, there is no visibility. Currently, I have to keep pressing my brakes to get the red light to see little however it is not enough. I have taken it to the 2 different Cadillac Escalade dealership and they keep giving it back to me that it is working properly. This has been a problem since I bought this car, unfortunately when we went to test drive it was in a very bright parking lot. During the day it is fine, however if I reverse at night and god forbid hit someone/something - GM will be liable as this should not be on the road and they refuse the fix this big safety concern. Please note this is a 7 passenger SUV- It is too big to lack reverse visibility.

12/7/2023

Was at red light my light turned green proceed threw the light, another vechile ran the red light hitting my car at 50 mph. Sending the car into a 360 air bags did not deploy and on star never called

3/11/2024

Engine failure with less than 30k miles.

2/28/2025

The front upper control arm on the driver’s side snapped in half, resulting in the complete detachment of the wheel while the vehicle was in motion. The failed component is still in my possession and available for inspection upon request. This failure placed both my life and the lives of others at significant risk. The wheel detached while I was driving, which could have led to a catastrophic crash had it occurred at higher speeds or in heavier traffic. I was extremely fortunate that the failure occurred under conditions that allowed me to bring the vehicle to a stop without injury or collision. A suspension failure of this nature represents a critical safety hazard. The failure has been physically verified by both the service center where the vehicle was taken after the incident and by GM’s assigned third-party inspection service. A visual and mechanical inspection confirmed the fractured upper control arm and resulting suspension failure. A second opinion from an independent mechanic is being pursued as well. The vehicle was inspected by a third-party claims investigator assigned by GM, who reviewed the scene and the damage. I have not received a full report or documentation from GM or the inspector, but I am requesting it formally. The incident was also documented by my insurance provider. The police were not called, as there were no injuries or collision with another vehicle. There were no warning lights, messages, or error codes on the dashboard prior to the incident. I did not observe any unusual handling, noises, or vibrations that would have suggested an impending mechanical failure. The control arm failure occurred suddenly and without warning while driving under normal conditions.

7/2/2025

UNKNOWN. Weather related - rain water incoming on floor board under steering column. Effecting electronics and vehicle driving safety. Vehicle has propulsion control issues as a cause.

9/1/2025