2025 Cadillac Escalade Complaints

SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 05/31/2026

I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2025 Cadillac Escalade, which experienced a catastrophic engine failure while being driven on a public roadway with approximately 13,000 miles on the vehicle. While traveling from [XXX] to [XXX] , the vehicle suddenly lost power while in motion. A warning message appeared stating “Press to Start Again.” The engine shut off completely while driving, causing an immediate loss of propulsion. The vehicle went into neutral, and I was forced to maneuver to the side of the road to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Once stopped, the vehicle would not restart. Multiple attempts were made using both the push-button ignition and key fob remote start, but the vehicle remained inoperable. The vehicle was towed and later diagnosed as requiring a complete engine replacement despite being less than one year old. I believe this is a serious safety defect because the vehicle lost power without warning while being driven. Had this occurred in heavier traffic, while crossing an intersection, merging, or traveling at higher speeds, it could have resulted in a serious accident, injury, or death. This was not the first major issue with this vehicle. Within weeks of taking delivery, multiple components required repair or replacement, including: • Complete replacement of the camera system due to defective cameras • Replacement of a defective lighting component • Transmission failure concerns • Cylinder #2 misfire issues The repeated failures of major vehicle systems, culminating in a complete engine failure and loss of propulsion while driving, raise serious concerns about the safety and reliability of this vehicle. Additionally, after the engine failure, the vehicle could not be placed into neutral and had to be dragged onto a tow truck, causing damage to the tires and raising concerns about emergency roadside recovery procedures. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ENGINE — Filed 05/23/2026

On XXX, I was driving my 2025 Cadillac Escalade (6.2L engine) on [XXX] , at 55 mph in a construction zone. The right lane had a cement barrier one foot from the yellow line, eliminating any shoulder, and the left side had only a narrow berm before the median. Without any prior warning, I heard a loud “pop” and felt a jolt. Immediately, the check engine light illuminated, the vehicle went silent, and it began to coast. A message appeared instructing me to press “start” to start the vehicle. The battery remained operational, but the engine was unresponsive. I had not struck any object. I activated my hazard lights and, because I could not pull to the right due to the barrier, I coasted across lanes into the median. I could not exit the vehicle to safety due to location of the vehicle and the construction on both the north and southbound lanes of the highway as well as concrete barriers. The vehicle would not restart and could not be shifted into neutral, requiring specialized towing. Police responded and positioned a patrol car behind me due to the dangerous location. I could not safely exit the vehicle. The tow truck had to block the left lane to remove the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to Medina Auto Mall. The service technician advised this is “more likely than not” the same 6.2L engine failure subject to recall in 2021–2024 GM vehicles. However, the vehicle cannot be diagnosed for 3–4 weeks due to backlog. If confirmed, an engine replacement may take several months. The vehicle has approximately 11,500 miles, has run perfectly with no prior issues, and was properly maintained, including an oil change performed by the selling dealer, VanDevere Cadillac (Akron, Ohio). This sudden loss of propulsion on a highway in a construction zone created a serious safety risk, including the risk of a high-speed rear-end collision resulting in injuries to myself and other drivers. It was a frightening situation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 05/18/2026

The driver-side headlight on my 2025 Cadillac Escalade failed while the vehicle was still under factory warranty. This is a critical safety component that significantly reduces nighttime visibility and creates a safety risk for both myself and other drivers on the road. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized GM/Cadillac service center, and the failure was confirmed. The warranty repair was approved; however, the replacement part has been placed on national backorder with no reasonable repair timeframe provided. I have now been dealing with this unresolved safety-related issue for nearly three weeks. Because the headlight assembly is a major safety component, the vehicle may not be safe or practical to operate at night or during poor weather conditions. Prior to the failure, there were warning/error messages related to the headlight system appearing on the dashboard. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealer. The failed component should be available for inspection upon request through the servicing dealership. My concern is not only the headlight failure itself, but also the inability of the manufacturer to provide timely replacement parts for a critical safety-related system on a nearly new vehicle. This creates an ongoing safety concern and prolonged loss of use of the vehicle.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM — Filed 03/27/2026

The contact owns a 2025 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPh, attempting to make a left turn in the snow, the vehicle prompted them to activate the skid protection mode. After activating the Skid Protection mode, the vehicle began to lose power and shut down. The contact placed the vehicle in neutral and coasted to the side of the road. The contact waited before restarting the vehicle and continued to drive. While driving, the contact noticed the speedometer showed 120 MPH; however, they were only going about 30 MPH—the warning for transmission failure and other lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the issue as the computer disconnecting due to the weather. The dealer had reported the issue to the manufacturer in an attempt to prevent the failure from occurring again. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 21,952.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 03/13/2026

The engine suffered catastrophic failure, piston number six 6and connecting rod broke in pieces and made a hole on the block. This is a L 87 engine 6.2 L.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE — Filed 02/01/2026

The contact owns a 2025 Cadillac Escalade. While driving 55 MPH on the highway, the vehicle experienced sudden and catastrophic engine failure. The contact was able to pull over safely onto the service road. The oil pressure and temperature messages were displayed at the time of the failure. Upon research, the failure was linked to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about a buyback; however, the manufacturer declined to buy back the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000. The VIN was not available.

ENGINE — Filed 01/06/2026

I PURCHASED A 2025 CADILLAC ESCALADE IN APRIL 2025 AND IGOT 9300 MILES AND THE LIFTER NOISE IS LIKE TYPE WRITER THAT SPEEDS UP WITH ACCELERATION AND THE TAPING IS LOUD I CAN NOT DRIVE IT ANYMORE BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO BE STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 09/01/2025

I am reporting serious and repeated safety defects involving loss of vehicle control in my 2025 Cadillac Escalade Sport Platinum. The vehicle has experienced multiple incidents of uncommanded braking (“phantom braking”) while driving at approximately 45 mph with no driver input and no obstacles present. The vehicle has also slammed on the brakes while reversing into a parking space, then became locked and would not move until shifted into PARK and reset, leaving me stuck in the roadway. In another incident, while stopped at a traffic light with the vehicle in DRIVE, the vehicle shifted itself into PARK without any driver input. Additionally, the vehicle has produced uncommanded system activity while powered off overnight, followed by a “Service 4 Wheel Drive” warning. These incidents represent loss of vehicle control and create a serious risk of collision, injury, or death. The issues have occurred multiple times, are intermittent, and have not been repaired despite dealer inspection. The vehicle is unsafe to operate.

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 12/30/2025

On Tuesday, [XXX] at approximately [XXX], my 2025 Cadillac Escalade (VIN: [XXX] ) experienced a sudden and complete failure of multiple critical safety and control systems while in motion. My wife was driving downhill toward a stoplight with our two toddlers in the vehicle when the incident occurred. Without warning, all dashboard alerts illuminated simultaneously, including brake, engine, collision, and steering warnings. At the same time, the vehicle lost braking capability, power steering assist, electronic gear shifting, and emergency brake functionality. The vehicle continued moving downhill with no functional means of controlled stopping. Because the vehicle was approaching an intersection at the bottom of the hill, a collision would have been unavoidable if the traffic signal had been red. The only way to stop the vehicle was to leave the roadway and pull into dirt, using terrain resistance to bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle became inoperable and required towing. This was not a degraded performance or warning condition; it was a complete loss of control over a moving vehicle. The failure placed the occupants, including young children, at immediate risk of serious injury or death. The vehicle was towed to North County Buick Cadillac GMC Service and remains under evaluation. A GM safety escalation case has been opened (GM Case #[XXX]). Due to the severity of this incident, trust in the vehicle’s safety is permanently lost INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 12/11/2025

Vehicle showed error on the dash for all various systems. It told me those systems required service. I parked the truck and it locked me out of it. OnStar could not open the doors, they kept telling me the truck was unlocked. My app could not open the doors. I called roadside and they showed me how to remove the cover on drive side handle and insert the manual key. The lock turned but the vehicle would not unlock due to the automatic doors. We had to insert an airbag and Jimmy open the door by hooking the interior door handle. The issue is this vehicle will lock you out of your car in an emergency. With the key you cannot unlock the doors. Luckily I only had dinner stuck in the car. I have little children and my fear is they will be locked in the truck if this happens. In the event of an emergency there is no way to get into the truck without smashing windows. The running boards in this mode disappear which makes it even more challenging to break the window and get over and inside. This is a very serious and dangerous design by Cadillac on the Escalade 2025.