2023 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV Engine Problems

On December 19, 2023, when pulling out of a parking lot onto the street, pressing the gas vehicle jerked and would not accelerate. No lights on dash. Drove less than 1 minute and turned down a side street, to get out of traffic while going slow/no power. Stopped at stop sign, went thru intersection. Went to next intersection, at stop sign, vehicle shut off, in the middle of traffic. Still no dash lights. Vehicle would not start. Turned on hazard lights. While waiting for tow truck, tried cranking several times. After about 3 hours check engine light came on, with a red light to the right of check engine light. At the same time as the check engine, I received an alert via the Cadillac App 12V error, please crank vehicle. Each crank try, dashboard would light up/cycle but vehicle never started once it shut off. Tow truck driver thought it may be battery. Tried getting vehicle to crank. No joy. Towed to dealership which replaced Transmission in August 2025, 3395 miles ago to find my engine seized up after recall N252494000 PERFORMED, Picoscope test and oil type changed. NOW THIS. Patience is really being tried. Another month without vehicle. Payments are continuing.

In March 2025, my 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV experienced a sudden engine failure. The engine began running rough, the check engine light turned on, and the vehicle became unsafe to drive. The Cadillac dealer diagnosed the engine with #8 exhaust push rod bent and metal debris in the engine oil. This matches the defect described in GM Recall N252494000 (connecting rod/crankshaft internal engine defect). I paid $10,000 out of pocket for a full engine replacement at Crestview Cadillac before GM mailed the recall notice. I submitted a reimbursement package to GM’s Recall Reimbursement Center by USPS certified mail. USPS Tracking Number: XXX Delivered on 07/17/2025 at 11:02 AM in Detroit, MI 48226 (“Left with Individual”). GM has refused to reimburse me and will not provide a written explanation. Two other Escalade owners with the same engine and similar failures have already received reimbursement from GM. I believe GM is not complying with the recall reimbursement requirements.

on 18 June 2025, i was on I95 driving highway speeds and the engine shut down and transmission shifted to N. i was able to coast to a left shoulder (we were in a construction zone so right shoulder was blocked off). Alert on digital dash said to press start engine again...nothing. i tried a second time and the vehicle started. i was able to drive about .5 miles and the engine shut off again and it shifted to neutral. i was able to coast to the right shoulder this time. Engine would not restart. Vehicle was towed to Cadillac dealership on 501 in Myrtle Beach, SC. I was notified about a month ago about a recall. I went into the dealer the next day and they confirmed my vehicle had a recall for potential loss of propulsion. I asked how to get it fixed and they said i would have to wait until they had a way to fix it and i would be notified. I had one warning lamp about the supercruise no longer working and to see owners manual. no other warnings.

On multiple occasions I have felt rattling/shaking/rumbling within the vehicle engine area. It began within the first 3 months of having the vehicle in my possession (we purchased the vehicle in January 2024). I also had an occasion sometime around March or April of 2024 where I was accelerating after a red light and the vehicle was lagging. I pressed on the gas harder but it wouldn't get up to speed like it normally does--RPMS were going up, up, up, but the speed of the car did not match. There was another red light right so I braked to stop and upon that light turning green everything was back to normal. I reported this to my service provider when I went in for my first oil change, the dealer was unable to duplicate the issues and I was told the car was inspected and appeared to be ok. I have since experienced the same rattling/shaking/rumbling on several occasions.

I am the owner of a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV equipped with the 6.2L V8 (RPO L87) engine, which is now subject to NHTSA Recall Number 25V274 and GM Manufacturer Recall N252494000 due to a known defect in the connecting rod and/or crankshaft components. This defect can lead to catastrophic engine failure, sudden loss of propulsion, and significantly increases the risk of a crash. Despite my VIN being actively flagged under this recall and the serious safety implications involved, the authorized GM dealership has repeatedly refused to perform the required inspection outlined as the first phase of the official recall remedy. Their justification is that the “remedy is not yet available.” However, GM’s official NHTSA filing explicitly states that the recall remedy includes initial inspection, and that vehicles passing inspection will receive a higher viscosity oil change, new oil cap, oil filter replacement, and owner’s manual insert. I have expressed my safety concerns directly to dealership management, stating that sudden engine failure poses a severe risk to myself and my two young children, especially during highway operation. Despite these concerns, I was denied service, told inspections cannot begin, and informed that no timeline for inspection is available. I am requesting NHTSA intervention to ensure GM and its authorized dealerships comply with the recall remedy procedures immediately, including the inspection phase outlined in GM’s public filings. This refusal to inspect my vehicle under an active recall, while knowingly acknowledging the risk of propulsion loss, presents an unacceptable safety hazard to my family and other drivers. Please escalate this issue and require GM to take immediate corrective action.

I am submitting this complaint regarding Safety Recall No. N252494000 affecting my 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. In September 2024, the engine in my vehicle failed and required a full replacement. I paid $11,000 out of pocket for the repair. After learning of this recall, I checked my vehicle’s recall status and found that it was marked as “completed ” even though I never brought the vehicle to a Cadillac dealer for inspection or recall-related service. I believe the recall was improperly closed without any inspection or corrective action. I request that NHTSA investigate why my vehicle's recall status was marked complete without being serviced, and urge GM to provide reimbursement for the costs I incurred due to a defect now identified under this official recall. I have supporting documents, including the repair invoice and payment proof, and am willing to provide them upon request. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

I was driving my vehicle on the highway at approx 55 mph. Without warning my vehicle’s engine failed and the vehicle went into neutral. I had to coast until the emergency shoulder was available as power steering was dwindling. As I pulled into the shoulder the wheel locked. The vehicle’s engine could not be restarted and the vehicle was towed to the Cadillac Dealership. I feared for my life as cars were behind me at 55 mph or higher when my engine went out. I nearly didn’t make it into the shoulder before the vehicle stopped completely.

I was on the highway while cruising with a speed of 65 to 70 mph all of a sudden vehicle started to shake and lost control speed went down to 20mph on the highway check engine light came up foward collision, Stability, traction control and engine died started again stall, had to tow the suv to the dealership

Vehicle: 2023 Cadillac Escalade Mileage at Incident: Approx. 43,000 Date of Incident: April 1, 2025 I had my 2023 Cadillac Escalade serviced at the dealership to replace two tires and perform an oil change. After waiting over four hours, I left — only to have the vehicle completely lose power while driving at 60 mph on the highway, just 18 miles later. A message instructed me to restart the vehicle, but it would not crank. I was forced to pull off and pay for a tow. After returning the vehicle to the dealership, communication was virtually nonexistent. A technician called the next morning to ask why the vehicle was there. No one followed up until I called on April 8. After holding for 30+ minutes, I was told the starter fuse blew, the engine locked up, and it would need a full replacement, taking 2–4 months. I had just purchased a full set of four new tires, which were damaged during towing because the vehicle couldn’t shift into neutral. The dealership never offered towing assistance, and I had to wait hours for a loaner. Customer service was extremely poor — they were unaware of the vehicle’s status, misplaced keys, and were unprofessional in person. As of April 23, 2025, I have received no updates, communication, or timeline regarding the repair. I am still paying my car note and insurance on a non-operational vehicle. This incident raises serious safety concerns and potential product failure on a nearly new vehicle.

On Monday, [XXX], at [XXX] my husband and I were traveling down [XXX], in Selma, California, north bound, going approximately 75mph and the engine quit running. The transmission automatically went into neutral and I was able to coast into the center median of the freeway. We were very scared because we were in the fast lane and had to coast into the median lanes where traffic was speeding past us. I called Onstar and they called out a tow truck and CHP (California highway patrol). They had to tow the car to Giant Chevrolet in Visalia, CA. The vehicle was in the shop and we received a new engine. They repaired it under warranty and gave us a rental car. We received the vehicle back on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. There were no warning messages on the dash before this happened. It had 33,341 miles on the car when it happened. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

my 2023 Cadillac Escalade vehicle broke down while I was driving on the highway this past Wednesday. While driving at highway speeds, the transmission unexpectedly shifted from Drive (D) to Neutral (N), and after that, I was unable to shift back to Drive or start the vehicle. The car was then towed to Cadillac of Silver Spring in Maryland for further inspection. I was informed the engine may be locked, but other technicians suggest it could be an ECM or electrical issue. The vehicle is still under warranty and only has 12000miles.

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer with the assistance of a Police patrol. The dealer diagnosed that the engine was blown, and the engine was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled and was able to be restarted after 20-45 minutes. The contact was unable to pull to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Cadillac of Manhattan (646 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036) several times; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently and was rear-ended by another vehicle. The contact stated that the accident was a fender-bender. There was no injury sustained. No Police report was filed. The vehicle was able to restart after 20-45 minutes. The contact resumed driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

Mileage: 28,000

We were traveling on a highway trip, approximately 71 miles from home the engine made a brief grinding noise and then with in about 2 seconds the engine completely shut down and stopped running. After having the vehicle towed back to my Cadillac dealer, the dealer determined that the engine was completely damaged by an "outsourced" defective crankshaft installed in the initial engine installation. The dealer has had my vehicle for exactly 1 month and says it is waiting for a new engine with no idea when they will receive the new replacement. I need my vehicle.

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated while her husband was driving later, the vehicle failed to exceed 50 MPH. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with internal engine failure. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,000.

Mileage: 64,000

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine lost power and needs to be replaced. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was driving on the I35 at 75 mph when I had catastrophic engine failure. It caused high potential for myself to be rear-ended or a pile up. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? My local dealer confirmed this is a known issue for 6.2l LS motors. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Unknown Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no other signs immediately prior to the failure. Two weeks before the failure, I took the vehicle back to the dealer because of the oil use and the low oil engine light.

[XXX] driving down [XXX] in Delaware at 68mph, with no prior warning my Cadillac Escalade had a total power loss and shifted into neutral in the center lane of a 4 lane highway nearing causing a collision that could of took my life as well as my 3 children. We were stuck in the center lane of a dangerous highway for 2 hours. The dealership (Delaware Cadillac) has notified me that at 36,000 the entire engine has failed with no prior warning or issues. And is going to require a complete engine replacement. This is extremely dangerous. I also own two other Cadillac Escalade models and scared the same thing is going to occur. No lamps were illuminated, there was no driving issues or concerns prior to this happening. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When driving at 60 miles an hour in the interstate the engine stopped and the shift moved to N. The car was on, message on the screen “please start” and I could manage the car to go to the side of the road until complete stop. The car was towed to a Cadillac dealer and the engine had to be replaced. Very scary situation and than God nothing happened. GM offered to extend the engine warranty but would not provide a good explanation or confirm the issue was fixed and wont happen again.

Engine stopped working making left hand turn crossing traffic and then seized up on the freeway. Both times with no indication of an issue.

My 2023 Escalade started making a 'knocking" noise on Saturday 1/25/25. I called the dealership on Monday and they scheduled for a service appt. I let them know that it sounded like it was coming directly from the engine area. I have never had issues with the vehicle in any capacity previously. I did not drive the vehicle until thursday to the dealership because it sounded serious. On Thursday ON the way to the dealership the car completely broke down in the middle of the road with NO WARNING SIGNS or check engine lights coming on EVER. Not once did a light come on to tell me something was wrong. Upon the car being at the dealership for a week. They called to let us know that they found metal shavings in the oil pan, the oil in the car had almost completely drained and the car needs a complete new engine. An engine that is backordered through GM. And I have NO date upon which it can be fixed. My car was unable to be moved until the tow truck came. If I was in the middle of the interstate my life would have been at risk. I have since talked to 2 other people in my small city that have had the same issue. My dealership *also small, has a wait list of 4 other people for this same issue. This is a major safety concern and also a consumer issue. There is currently NO recall on the engine even though nation wide there is a major issue!

my wife was driving down the road late at night and the engine turned off and all the lights inside the car (dash lights, etc) and outside the car turned off...it was super scary. no warning lights came on before this happened...there was no warning given by the car that something was wrong. Got the car to the dealership and the dealer diagnosed it with a blown engine. this failure could have caused death or injury if there were other cars/people around.

My 2023 engine failed while traveling at highway speeds on the Taconic parkway. I was traveling with my entire family and the car lost all motor power. I was able to control the car to get it off the road but it was extremely dangerous. It could have caused a massive accident. After several hours and being left stranded without a vehicle the car was towed to Cadillac. A few days later they determined it was engine failure. The dealer had not been helpful at all and put me in a much smaller suv through hertz explaining it will be at least 3-5 months without the vehicle. The car has 14,799 miles on it

When the car reached approximatly 10,000 miles we had two cylinders drop causing the engine to fail and leave us stranded. We contacted Cadilac and they insisted there was no issue with the vehicle, we asked for them to buy the vehicle back or take it back and they insisted that there was no issue with the vehicle. We soon learned that there have been over a dozen other vehicles that have been brought into the same dealership with the same issue. They repaired the vehicle and said it was safe, but my wife still doesn't feel safe driving the vehicle for fear of it breaking down on long trips. I feel GM should take the vehicle back, but they won't do anything to help make the customer feel safe.

Traveling at high speed on major 5 lane highway. The engine shut off vehicle lost power went to neutral on shifter on it’s on would not shift . There was no warning no lights nothing that would have indicated a problem at all. Luckily my husband was able to get over 3 lanes and pull on shoulder which was very difficult and extremely dangerous in traffic. The vehicle would not start back up . There were 3 children and 2 adults in the vehicle at the time it was traveling 70mph and completely shut off we were almost struck by vehicles traveling at 70mph plus when trying to get vehicle to shoulder if we were unable to get this vehicle to shoulder this would have caused a multi vehicle pile up on major highway . We would have lost our lives and possibly others in other vehicles as well. Cadialic roadside assistance is picking up this vehicle and taking it to there closest dealership. This vehicle currently has 19,000 miles.

I was on highway and car all the sudden started slowing down and stopped completely and I wasn’t able to start it back. I had to tow it to closest dealership It happened [XXX] 9/16/2024 car was transferred to another dealership cadillac of Manhattan. And it had been there and as of today 1/21/2025 isn’t fixed. On a top dealership made me pay $440 out the pocket and I’m gonna have to pay $2590 for fuel tank even though car is still under manufacture warranty and should be covered bumper to bumper. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Back in April of 2024 when the truck only had about 16,500 miles on it the engine went out causing steering to become heavy and braking to become very hard. This happened on a highway going about 65-70mph. The should was very narrow causing the truck to kind of protrude into the roadway, almost got hit by several cars, trucks with trailer going by. Called the on star folks and they were very poor to respond quickly, they had the police come, however there was an accident that happened further up and he left to tend to that accident. The engine ended up having to be replaced and that took a very long time. Now I have 22k miles on the truck and have had nothing but constant issues with the air ride suspension. I have taken it to two separate Cadillac dealerships and neither fixed the issue, they said they fixed the issue but I keep having the issue. Now, what the truck is doing is basically and randomly going from over inflation to under inflation. When it over inflates the truck feels too heavy and like it wants to topple on the highway…so I have to slow way down. When the truck under inflates the ride becomes unbearably rough. This all happens randomly with no input from me while driving, a message simply pops up on the screen saying service leveling system vehicle either too high or too low. I now have taken the truck to a Chevrolet dealership to see if they can’t resolve the issue.

UNKNOWN. The car decelerated on the freeway from 80 mph by automatically going into N. Once we managed to pull over to the shoulder, the car would not turn on again or shift gears. The dealership thinks it's an engine failure and they have multiple escalades in the shop for the same issue.

1. 01/09/2024 engine failure on freeway No warning, no noise, just all of sudden 2. Pull back to Dealership One day later, they said engine would need to REPLACE, and saying they have engine in stock and can replace IMMD. *** Crestview Cadillac 3. Bodyshop mentioned 4 same type of vehicle has the same issue 4. I talked to CS with Cadillac, but they turned down the buy back 5. Then I submitted the complaint to BBB Autoline, they JUST called me today saying they won’t able to buy back Instead of offer some Cadillac point. *** I refused, I told her this is beyond normal, and Cadillac is aware safety issue on this engine. The rep said they did the recall last year, but I explained to her that even worse, after fixing the safety issue still existed I am lucky the engine failure was on sunny day, imagine it was in raining day I already dead.

engine failure on the freeway no warning, no noise just all of sudden engine failure went to body shop, and they immd found out need to REPLACE engine, and they have the engine in stock. meaning, GM is aware this can has engine problem, thats why they have engine in stock and NO recall or alert notified customers. imagine what happened if i was drivng 80 miles per hour and all of sudden lost control requested car buy back from Cadiallac, they refused without any reason provided.

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that a software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back 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 but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 700.

Mileage: 700