2025 Cadillac Escalade

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)

Reported

Jun 2026

Incident date

May 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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)

Reported

May 2026

Incident date

May 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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.

Reported

May 2026

Incident date

May 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

While driving the vehicle it lifts from the back and lowers in the front and the car while in drive malfunctions leaning to the right applying pressure on the front tire and cause the tread on the tire to come off which was stated as a defect with no way to fix or resolve at this time, I was told by the dealership that the tires are not under warranty and my question was if the car is malfunctioning causing tread wear only on the front passenger tire wouldn’t that be covered by the dealer to replace the tire. I was then told that they are having the same problem with the new hummers and that if the tread was worn in the first 12,000 miles of Owership that it was due to lifting the vehicle above the default setting and hard driving that caused damage to the tires but they stated that it had damaged both front tires in the hummer, so they said the Escalade had the same problem but here’s the issue we don’t have a button to raise the vehicle up and this was caused by the computer sensor lowering the car while driving which I have no control over when it lifts or lowers and it’s only damaging the right front tire which proves that it’s a defect and GM said they were not responsible for the tires and would not escalate this situation so that my car could be addressed because of this issue and the text at the dealership gave me a copy of the document stating about the hummer issue and agreed with me that my car has a defect but could do nothing without gms ok so now I’m left to drive a car that leans on its own and may blow out my passenger tire at any time and that is beyond my control.

Reported

May 2026

Incident date

May 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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.

Reported

May 2026

Incident date

Mar 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ GM issued a Customer Satisfaction Program (NHTSA ID 11017089, Manufacturer Communication N252492830-01) for 2nd and 3rd row outboard head restraints that may not lock in the upright position on 2025 Escalade IQ vehicles. My vehicle has this exact defect—both the 2nd and 3rd row head restraints were stuck in the down/forward position and could not lock upright. The safety consequence is serious: head restraints that cannot lock upright provide no head or neck support in a rear-end collision for any 2nd or 3rd row passenger. The defect was identified by Chevrolet Cadillac of Santa Fe, NM on Nov 12, 2025 (RO# 0081837). The dealer confirmed the recall applied and ordered replacement parts from GM. The parts were not available. No ETA was provided. I was forced to take the vehicle back with the recall incomplete because the wait was indefinite. The dealer's own notes state: "2nd and 3rd row headrest still malfunctioning." The replacement head restraints did not arrive until late March 2026. The recall was finally completed on March 30, 2026 (RO# 0086689)—over 4 months after the defect was identified and the parts were ordered. For those 4 months, I had a vehicle with a known safety defect that GM had already acknowledged via a manufacturer communication, but GM could not supply the parts to fix it. Any passengers in the 2nd or 3rd row were at risk of serious head and neck injury in a collision. This is not an isolated parts delay. The same vehicle waited 3.5 months at a body shop (Apr-Jul 2025) for routine OEM bumper and sensor parts, and 2.5 months at a dealer (Nov 2025-Jan 2026) for a radar module. GM appears unable to support the Escalade IQ with replacement parts, leaving owners with vehicles that have known safety defects and no available remedy.

Reported

Apr 2026

Incident date

Nov 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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.

Reported

Mar 2026

Incident date

Mar 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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.

Reported

Feb 2026

Incident date

Feb 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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

Reported

Jan 2026

Incident date

Jan 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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.

Reported

Jan 2026

Incident date

Sep 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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)

Reported

Jan 2026

Incident date

Dec 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

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.

Reported

Dec 2025

Incident date

Dec 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Component/system that failed; availability for inspection GM 6.2-liter V8 (L87) gasoline engine and cooling system. At ~4,000 miles the engine suffered a catastrophic internal failure and the radiator failed concurrently. Dealer diagnosed “engine failure” and replaced the entire long block with an OEM unit and replaced the radiator. Repair orders and the vehicle are available for inspection at the selling/servicing Cadillac dealership; I can provide copies on request. How safety was put at risk The vehicle lost normal operation unexpectedly and required a tow. A sudden loss of propulsion and cooling can cause stalling in traffic, overheating, and loss of power-assist systems, which creates a crash hazard. My family member was stranded and unable to move the vehicle for approximately an hour, increasing exposure to traffic and environmental danger. We no longer feel safe driving a vehicle that already experienced an early engine failure and is being refitted with the same 6.2L design. Has the problem been reproduced/confirmed by a dealer? Yes. Cadillac dealer confirmed engine failure and completed engine and radiator replacement under warranty. Service Director acknowledged they have seen similar failures on prior model years that were subject to recall. Has the vehicle/component been inspected by manufacturer/others? Yes. Inspected and repaired by an authorized Cadillac dealer acting for General Motors. I can provide the service director’s email and repair documentation. Warning lamps/messages/symptoms prior to failure Prior to failure the vehicle exhibited overheating and loss of power; then became undriveable and required towing. Engine and coolant system faults were indicated at the time of the incident (exact DTCs not provided to owner). Context/known issues GM has recalled 2021–2024 vehicles with the same 6.2L L87 engine family for internal defects (connecting rod/crank/bearing failures). My 2025 Escalade experienced a substantially similar failure at very

Reported

Oct 2025

Incident date

Sep 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Ball Bearings upon purchase, was not able to drive off the lot. Sensors malfunctioning creating horn honking each day at a specific time Module currently needs replacement on new vehicle. Entire vehicle shut down without power. Passenger side blind spot in side mirror. Unable to see cars and blindspot sensor does not register vehicle. Is this due to the vehicle load or height? or the fact that the side mirrors are placed incorrectly. Was not able to access vehicle. dead. Vehicle has been at the dealer for 15 days No warning messages. Just complete failure.

Reported

May 2025

Incident date

Apr 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Purchased this vehicle brand new ( 3 miles ), just before Christmas 2024, from Bill Cramer Chevrolet in Panama City FL. We just hit the 7200 mile mark and took vehicle in for 1st service with 10% or so remaining on the oil indicator. This is my wife’s vehicle, so I do not drive nor hear it crank in the morning, or come home in afternoons very often. Since the service I noticed yesterday the engine sounding “different” than from initial purchase. Didn’t think much of it, just figured a new gizmo or gadget doing its thing that we weren’t aware of. Well this evening [XXX] I went to move it into the driveway. As soon as the vehicle started I knew instantly something wasn’t right. Had that classic “lifter tap” that eventually quieted down after 30-45 seconds but never fully went away. Previously there was no engine noise when starting, only the rumble of the exhaust and compressor kicking on for air ride. I let the truck go through its cold start/high idle sequence. Once at regular idle 5-700 rpm, I noticed a few sounds coming from the bottom end that really bothered me. I shut the truck off, let it sit for about 20-30 minutes and videoed the start up and noise. I just want to notate this, in case this now becomes the classic GM lifter failure. I will take another video in the morning with the vehicle truly cold start. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Reported

Mar 2025

Incident date

Mar 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Was on the interstate driving 75 mph, with my daughter, her friend, my wife. And the car cut off, and dealership said engine locked. 45 minutes prior i was on a snowy mountain road, and this vehicle has 939 miles on it, one month old. Now i am reading about the investigation, and feel this is negligence on gmc. This could have been a disaster and life changing for me. I dont care if its a 75k vehicle or 135k like mine, this is dangerous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the vehicle is currently at the dealership! Told my wife to start recording in case something happened.

Reported

Jan 2025

Incident date

Jan 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

The contact owns a 2025 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at approximately 77 MPH in the left lane, the vehicle lost motive power and shut down. The driver was able to move to the right lane and pulled over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called OnStar for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact about a buyback and the lemon law due to not being able to replace the engine in a timely manner. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 953.

Reported

Jan 2025

Incident date

Jan 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2025–2026 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban 1500, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with 24-inch wheels. Incorrect bolts may have been installed on the left and right front wheel hubs, which can result in the bolts loosening or deforming over time.

Risk: A bolt that loosens or breaks during vehicle operation can result in loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the front left and right wheel hub bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 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 N262554630. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 14, 2026.