2015 Cadillac ESCALADE: complaints, problems and recalls

SPONTANEOUS EXPLOSION OF SUNROOF WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY SENDING A SHOWER OF GLASS ALL OVER THE OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR. DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WITH NO OVERPASS - THIS WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF A ROCK OR SOMETHING HITTING. SUNROOF SIMPLY SHATTERED FOR NO REASON.

Owner-reported narrative. 14,350 miles reported. Look up ODI 10787615 at NHTSA ↗

MY 2015 CADILLAC ESCALADE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 130+ DAYS IN THE FIRST CALENDAR YEAR FOR DEFECTIVE BRAKES, TRANSMISSION, SUSPENSION, ELECTRICAL, AND HVAC. I HAVE CONTACTED GM AND THEY DON'T WANT TO REPURCHASE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS CONSTANTLY IN THE SHOP FOR PROBLEMS AND IT IS NOT A VEHICLE THAT SHOULD BE OPERATED ON PUBLIC ROADWAYS. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE BEFORE DUE TO DEFECTS IN DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY. THE TRANSMISSION HOW CAUSES THE CAR TO TAKE OFF IN 4TH GEAR RATHER THAN IN 1ST GEAR WHICH MEANS THE CAR FEELS A…

Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10795343 at NHTSA ↗

ENGINE NOISE AND VIBRATION ON COLD START. VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. HAD IT LOOKED AT 2 TIMES. DEALER SERVICE MANGER JIMMIE STATES ITS NORMAL. THEY ALL MAKE THAT NOISE. I AM 54 YEARS OLD OWNED MORE THAN 15 CARS IN MY LIFE . THIS IS NOT NORMAL. THEY DO NOT WANT TO FIX IT.

Owner-reported narrative. 20,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10817761 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A HILL IN TOWN, MY VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. ONLY COMPONENT STILL WORKING WAS THE RADIO. NO FLASHERS, NO TURN SIGNALS. WAS ABLE TO GLIDE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR. DASH LOOKED DIFFERENT AFTER RESTART, INFO MISSING. DROVE A FEW MORE BLOCKS, STOPPED AND SHUT CAR DOWN. WHEN I RESTARTED AGAIN THE VEHICLE WAS BACK TO NORMAL.

Owner-reported narrative. 7,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10846392 at NHTSA ↗

THE VEHICLE HAD VIRTUALLY NO BRAKES TO STOP IT AND 11,215 MILES. GENERAL MOTORS ALREADY HAD SERVICE WARNINGS OUT TO DEALERS DATED 7/17/2015, GM DOCUMENT ID #4242788. THEY SAY THEY REPLACED PADS AND ROTORS. AT 23,589 MILES THE VEHICLE NEEDED BRAKES AGAIN. SERVICE MANAGER TELLS US THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AT GENERAL MOTORS. THEY HAVE EVEN ISSUED A NEW WARNING FOR 2016 MODELS. I CONSIDER THE VEHICLE TO BE UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN THAT THE BRAKES CAN GO OUT WITHOUT ANY WARNING.

Owner-reported narrative. 11,215 miles reported. Look up ODI 10852756 at NHTSA ↗

AT 15000 MILES AND ORIGINAL OWNER WHILE TOWING OUR BRAKES COMPLETELY GAVE OUT. NO WARNING SIGN, NO LEAKAGE, ONLY 1 SYMPTOM A FEW MONTHS PRIOR WHERE THE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS MUSHY. DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS FINE. EVERYTHING WORKED FINE DRIVING IT THROUGHOUT DAY. STOPPED FOR DINNER JUST BEFORE WE ENTERED MOUNTAIN PASS. GOT IN SUV TO LEAVE FOR HOME AND HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL. EMERGENCY BRAKE WON'T EVEN KICK IN TO BE USED FOR EMERGENCIES. THE VEHICLE GAVE NO WARNING SIGNS, ENGINE OR BRAKE LIGHT WARNINGS. NO CHANGES IN BRAKE PRESSURE, NO LEAKS UNDER V…

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10891627 at NHTSA ↗

AUTO BRIGHT HEADLIGHTS, HIGH BEAMS RANDOMLY FLASH ON COMING TRAFFIC BLINDING THEM. VEHICLE AT DEALER BUT DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE. FACTORY NOTIFIED AND REPORTED THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO ENGINEER A FIX. VEHICLE AT CADILLAC DEALER LAS VEGAS. SECOND TIME IN SHOP.

Owner-reported narrative. 38,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10894630 at NHTSA ↗

BRAKES COMPLETELY FAILED. I PULLED INTO TRAIN PARKING SPOT AND THE CARS WOULD NOT STOP. I HAD TO KEEP PUMPING THE BRAKES AND EVENTUALLY IT JUST STOPPED. I TRIED IT GAIN AND THE BRAKES WERE HARD AND COULDN'T PUSH THEM DOWN. I AM SO LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT ON A HIGHWAY GOING FAST WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR. ADILLAC SAID I NEEDED THE HYDRO BOOST REPLACED.

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10896962 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2014-01-13 (January 13, 2014)

General Motors is recalling certain 2014 model year Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, and 2015 model year Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV; Chevrolet Silverado HD; and GMC Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL, equipped with a 4.3L engine or 5.3L engine.

Consequence: The overheated exhaust components may melt nearby plastic parts and may result in an engine fire.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the engine control module, free of charge. The recall began on January 16, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 and GMC at 1-800-462-8782. General Motors' number for this recall is 14008.

Reported: 2014-05-16 (May 16, 2014)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles manufactured April 6, 2014, through May 13, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the air bag module is secured to a chute adhered to the backside of the instrument panel with an insufficiently heated infrared weld. This may result in only a partial deployment of the front passenger air bag in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence: In the event of an accident, an air bag that only partially deploys increases the risk of occupant injury.

Remedy: GM sent the owners an interim notification letter on May 16, 2014 to advise owners of the recall, and will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. When the parts are available, dealers will replace the instrument panel right side upper trim panel, free of charge. The recall began on June 9, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14220. Note: Owners are advised that until the vehicle has been remedied, occupants should not sit in the front passenger seat position.

Reported: 2014-10-06 (October 6, 2014)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles. The passenger side instrument panel top cover on the affected vehicles may have been manufactured using an incorrect spacer fabric, causing a reduction of adhesion between the spacer fabric and the vinyl show surface. This reduced adhesion may result in inconsistent passenger air bag deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence: Inconsistent air bag deployment increases the risk of personal injury in the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel top cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 11, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14686.

Reported: 2016-09-08 (September 8, 2016)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.

Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

Reported: 2017-07-10 (July 10, 2017)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.

Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.

Reported: 2018-09-07 (September 7, 2018)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade vehicles. Electric power steering (EPS) assist may be lost momentarily, followed by a sudden return of EPS assist.

Consequence: If EPS assist is lost and then suddenly returns, the driver may have difficulty steering the vehicle, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the EPS module software, free of charge. The recall began October 12, 2018. 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 18289.

Reported: 2019-09-06 (September 6, 2019)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.

Consequence: As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.

Reported: 2026-05-07 (May 7, 2026)

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with four-wheel (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), and certain 2015-2020 Suburban, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Tahoe vehicles. A component missing from the drivetrain transfer case may cause the front and/or rear wheels to lock up without warning to the driver.

Consequence: Front or rear wheel lockup increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transfer case assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 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 N262557620. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 7, 2026.

Reported: 2026-05-21 (May 21, 2026)

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.

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

Remedy: Dealers will replace the front-driver air bag module, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 19, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N262555870. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026.