Model year
2021 Cadillac Escalade
NHTSA lists 9 recalls and 78 complaints for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade (recall file dated Oct 23, 2026; complaint file dated Oct 23, 2026). NHTSA also lists 14 recalls and 91 complaints under ESCALADE ESV and ESCALADE NA. Those counts are separate from the numbers above. The components listed on the most complaints are ENGINE (46), ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING (10), POWER TRAIN (10). NHTSA lists 5 investigations, including 2 investigations with no close date in the file. NHTSA rated 4 variants 4 stars overall. EPA rates it 16–23 mpg combined depending on configuration (fuel economy file dated Sep 29, 2026). EPA's annual fuel-cost figures for these configurations are $4,150–$5,150, based on 15,000 miles and 55% city driving.
- 2000 71 complaints
- 2002 115 complaints
- 2003 81 complaints
- 2004 69 complaints
- 2005 43 complaints
- 2006 19 complaints
- 2007 230 complaints
- 2008 136 complaints
- 2009 58 complaints
- 2010 38 complaints
- 2011 49 complaints
- 2012 20 complaints
- 2013 19 complaints
- 2014 20 complaints
- 2015 98 complaints
- 2016 89 complaints
- 2017 51 complaints
- 2018 21 complaints
- 2019 25 complaints
- 2020 14 complaints
- 2021 78 complaints
- 2022 85 complaints
- 2023 143 complaints
- 2024 52 complaints
- 2025 20 complaints
- 2026 38 complaints
- 2027 0 complaints
Recalls
25V619000 · Sep 18, 2025
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, 2021, 2023-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, and 2022 and 2024 GMC Yukon vehicles equipped with a 6-cylinder diesel engine. The original fuel tank may have been replaced with an incorrect fuel tank, which can allow fuel…
25V274000 · Apr 24, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with a 6.2L V8 gas engine. The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components may…
24V797000 · Oct 24, 2024
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:VALVES/VALVE BODY; POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control…
22V827000 · Nov 3, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on. As such, these vehicles fail to…
22V617000 · Aug 11, 2022
SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
General Motors, LLC (M) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seat…
22V036000 · Jan 27, 2022
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, and Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles. The rear wheel driveshaft assemblies may have internal components that were not heat-treated properly, possibly resulting…
21V739000 · Sep 23, 2021
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULE
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump power control module may cause the fuel pump to fail or operate intermittently, which can interrupt fuel flow to the…
21V421000 · Jun 10, 2021
AIR BAGS:SRS MALFUNCTION WARNING LAMP/LIGHT; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing…
21V190000 · Mar 18, 2021
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER; SEAT BELTS
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles with third-row seating. The third-row outboard seat belts may have been entrapped or misrouted behind the outboard seat-folding…
Complaints
78 distinct complaints. Crash flag on 2, fire flag on 1, injury field 2, deaths field 0. A complaint can be counted under more than one component. The injury and death figures are the file's numbers (the highest value on each complaint, then added), not a separate verified count of people.
Other NHTSA names
These names matched the same EPA model but are not included in the headline counts above.
| Name | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| ESCALADE ESV | 10 | 74 |
| ESCALADE NA | 4 | 17 |
Investigations
| Action | Subject | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE21010 | Air Bag Malfunction · AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE; AIR BAGS:FRONTAL; AIR BAGS; AIR BAGS:SRS MALFUNCTION WARNING LAMP/LIGHT | Apr 9, 2021 | Aug 24, 2023 |
| PE25001 | Loss of motive power due to engine failure · ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL; ENGINE | Jan 16, 2025 | Oct 23, 2025 |
| EA25007 | Loss of motive power due to engine failure · ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL; ENGINE | Oct 23, 2025 | No close date in the file |
| RQ26001 | Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy · ENGINE | Jan 16, 2026 | Aug 20, 2026 |
| EA26005 | Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy · ENGINE | Aug 20, 2026 | No close date in the file |
Safety ratings
| Variant | Overall | Front | Side | Pole | Rollover | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESV SUV 2WD | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 · possibility 0.212 | — |
| ESV SUV 4WD | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 · possibility 0.219 | — |
| SUV 2WD | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 · possibility 0.212 | — |
| SUV 4WD | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 · possibility 0.219 | — |
Fuel economy
| Configuration | Fuel | City | Hwy | Comb | kWh/100 mi | Range | Annual fuel cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escalade 2WD · 6.2L · Automatic 10-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive | Premium Gasoline | 15 | 20 | 17 | — | — | $4,850 |
| Escalade 4WD · 6.2L · Automatic 10-spd · 4-Wheel Drive | Premium Gasoline | 14 | 19 | 16 | — | — | $5,150 |
| Escalade 2WD · 3L · Automatic 10-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive | Diesel · Diesel | 21 | 27 | 23 | — | — | $4,150 |
| Escalade 4WD · 3L · Automatic 10-spd · 4-Wheel Drive | Diesel · Diesel | 20 | 26 | 22 | — | — | $4,350 |
| Escalade 2WD · 6.2L · Automatic 10-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive | Premium Gasoline | 14 | 20 | 16 | — | — | $5,150 |
| Escalade 4WD · 6.2L · Automatic 10-spd · 4-Wheel Drive | Premium Gasoline | 13 | 19 | 16 | — | — | $5,150 |
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Check a vehicle
This page is not a VIN lookup. NHTSA's recall tool checks a specific vehicle: nhtsa.gov/recalls. NHTSA's page for this model year is 2021 Cadillac Escalade at NHTSA. Complaint narratives stay on NHTSA's site and are not copied here.