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U.S. public vehicle records

2013 Cadillac ESCALADE: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

18 owner complaints analyzed

4 distinct recall campaigns

76,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2013 model year. Data snapshot: . 13 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 4 of 18 complaints (22.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Transmission and shifting316.7%
Steering behavior316.7%
Electrical and battery issues211.1%
Engine operation15.6%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System
4
Power Train
4
Air Bags
3
Engine
2
Seat Belts
2
Steering
2
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)
1
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings
1
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Electrical System4
Power Train4
Air Bags3
Engine2
Seat Belts2
Steering2
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)1
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings1

Electrical System: 4; Power Train: 4; Air Bags: 3; Engine: 2; Seat Belts: 2; Steering: 2; Electronic Stability Control (Esc): 1; Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
2
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
4
75,000 to 99,999
5
100,000 to 149,999
1
150,000 and above
1
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0002
25,000 to 49,9990
50,000 to 74,9994
75,000 to 99,9995
100,000 to 149,9991
150,000 and above1

Under 25,000: 2; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 4; 75,000 to 99,999: 5; 100,000 to 149,999: 1; 150,000 and above: 1

75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (5). 5 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2014
2
2017
3
2018
2
2019
1
2020
4
2022
2
2023
1
2025
1
2026
2
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20142
20173
20182
20191
20204
20222
20231
20251
20262

2014: 2; 2017: 3; 2018: 2; 2019: 1; 2020: 4; 2022: 2; 2023: 1; 2025: 1; 2026: 2

Pattern summary

Electrical System leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 3 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 3 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10573754 · 2014-03-20 (March 20, 2014)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CADILLAC ESCALADE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED MAKING THE VEHICLE VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT DID NOT RECTIFY THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 14,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10573754 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10668962 · 2014-12-30 (December 30, 2014)

WHILE ACCELERATING AWAY FROM A STOP LIGHT INTERSECTION FROM CURRENTLY BEING STOPPED, AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH - THE PASSENGER AND I HEARD A LOUD BANG. WE IMMEDIATELY BRAKED THE VEHICLE TO A STOP AND DUCKED, THINKING A GUN OR SOMETHING HAD GONE OFF. WE LOOKED UP ONLY TO FIND THAT OUR SUNROOF HAD BURST INTO A THOUSAND SHARD PIECES ABOVE US WITH NO EVIDENCE OF IMPACT. SMALL SHARDS OF GLASS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE, HOWEVER, MOST OF THEM REMAINED STUCK TO THE TINT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WE FOUND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER AND CALM DOWN, AS THE…

Owner-reported narrative. 17,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10668962 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10945238 · 2017-01-14 (January 14, 2017)

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND DEALER STATED IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE SEAT BELT (DIVER SIDE) ALSO THE CADILLAC ESCALADE FROM THE PAST AND PRESENT YEARS HAVE A AIRBAG AND SEATBELT ISSUE AND I BELIEVE MY VEHICLE HAS THE SAME ISSUE. BUT NO ONE WILL LISTEN PLEASE LOOK INTO THE ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE PLEASE HELP.

Owner-reported narrative. 76,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10945238 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11003064 · 2017-07-05 (July 5, 2017)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CADILLAC ESCALADE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST ACCELERATION AND A GRINDING METAL NOISE EMERGED FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT HAD TO COAST TO THE NEAREST EXIT AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAS SHUT OFF BY THE CONTACT. THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE AGAIN, BUT IT STILL DID NOT ACCELERATE AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN VERY SLOWLY TO THE DEALER (MICHAEL CADI…

Owner-reported narrative. 88,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11003064 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11030222 · 2017-09-27 (September 27, 2017)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CADILLAC ESCALADE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, IT FAILED TO START WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO COURTESY CHEVROLET OF SAN DIEGO (750 CAMINO DEL RIO NORTH, SAN DIEGO, CA 92108, PHONE NUMBER: [phone removed]) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MAIN ELECTRICAL FUSE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V614000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE…

Owner-reported narrative. 55,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11030222 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11120013 · 2018-08-15 (August 15, 2018)

ON 5/12/18 VEHICLE LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED OF 16 MILES ON WESTWIND, EL PASO, TX 79912. TURNED TO OPEN AREA LOT VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL LOCK UP SHUT DOWN.TOWED IT TO BRAVO CADILLAC GENERAL MANAGER WAS RUDE STATED NOTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE MADE ME PAY FOR TOWING. SINCE, THEN I HAD VEHICLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND CURRENT HAVING VALVETRAIN DTC P0300 TICKING NOISE. RECALL DEC. 23,2016, RECALL # 12331 NHTSA ID: 14V614000, RECALL #12331 NHTSA ID # 13V001000, RECALL # 14515 NHTSA ID# 14V614000, BRAVO CADILLAC DOES NOT WANT TO FIX THE RECALL IS…

Owner-reported narrative. 74,995 miles reported. Look up ODI 11120013 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11150780 · 2018-11-11 (November 11, 2018)

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, A COMPLETE STOP WAS MADE AT A STOP SIGN ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TUN FROM THE STOP, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN AND THE VEHICLE HAD A LOSS OF POWERTRAIN WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS DEPRESSED. THE POWER STEERING DID NOT COME BACK AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS PLACE INTO PARK, SHUTDOWN COMPLETELY AND RESTARTED. THE POWER STEERING AND ACCELERATION RETURNED. THE CAUSE IS UNKNOWN TO ME.

Owner-reported narrative. 96,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11150780 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11290619 · 2019-12-21 (December 21, 2019)

SEAT HEATER CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED A HOLE IN THE SEAT

Owner-reported narrative. 94,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11290619 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

4 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

13V001000 · Power Train:Automatic Transmission | Steering:Column Locking:Anti-Theft Device

Reported: 2013-01-02 (January 2, 2013)

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, and Tahoe; and GMC Savana, Sierra HD, Sierra LD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles, manufactured between November 7, 2012, through December 18, 2012, for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect", and FMVSS No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention." The vehicles may have been built with a fractured park lock cable or a malformed steering column lock actuator gear in the lock module assembly.

Consequence: As a result, the vehicle may shift from Park with the ignition key removed or the ignition key in the OFF position. The vehicle may also shift out of Park without application of the brake pedal while the key is off. Either of these scenarios may cause the vehicle to roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible vehicle crash and/or injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the steering column as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 21, 2013. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
14V614000 · Electrical System

Reported: 2014-10-01 (October 1, 2014)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.

Consequence: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM’s number for this recall is 14515.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
21V053000 · Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module

Reported: 2021-02-05 (February 5, 2021)

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
21V054000 · Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module

Reported: 2021-02-05 (February 5, 2021)

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.

NHTSA campaign record ↗