NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and consumer complaints for the 2026 Cadillac Escalade ESV.
| Overall Rating | |
| Frontal Crash | |
| Side Crash | |
| Rollover |
| Overall Rating | |
| Frontal Crash |
Component: EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
General Motors has decided that certain 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2025-2026 Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox EV, GMC Canyon, 2026 Buick Enclave, Envision, Cadillac CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade IQ, Escalade IQL, LYRIQ, VISTIQ, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Corvette Convertible, Corvette Coupe, Corvette Convertible E-Ray, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, Silverado EV, Suburban 1500, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Hummer EV Pickup, Hummer EV SUV, Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, Sierra EV, Terrain, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The radio may not have been set to the correct status to download the electronic owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Protection.”
Consequence: Without an owner's manual to consult, owners may not know how to safely use and operate the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-467-9700, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N252540430. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 26, 2026.
Engine lost power on steep grade hill with kids in the car on our way to Tahoe putting us all at risk
I had been traveling on the freeway for about 3 hours when I decided to exit for a quick stop. While on the exit ramp, I was stopped about six cars back from the traffic light. When the cars inched forward I went to do the same and noticed there was no movement when I took my foot off the break. I pushed on the gas a little bit more than I normally would have to, and the car eventually jerked forward causing me to have to slam on the brakes. I turned off the auto start-stop feature at this point. The other cars inched forward again a moment later and again my car did not move when I took my foot off the brake. This time I really had to press down on the gas quite a bit and the car jerked forward again causing me to have to slam on the brake to avoid the car in front of me. The light turned green shortly thereafter and all the cars went, but I could not accelerate because the engine completely died. The car still had power so I turned it off and attempted to restart. All I heard was squeaking from the engine and nothing else happened. I waited about 15 minutes and tried it again, but the same thing happened again where the engine wouldn't turn over but there was some squeaking noises. The vehicle was towed to a nearby Buick dealership and when scanned in the service department I was told the issue is with the crankshaft. I've not been provided any details since. There were no warning signs or lights prior to this happening. I was almost rear-ended during this.
The 2026 Cadillac Escalade ESV has 1 NHTSA recall and 2 consumer complaints on file. It received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA crash testing. For the most detailed information about a specific vehicle, decode its VIN using our free decoder above.
Enter a specific VIN to get the full report — specs, recalls, safety ratings, complaints, investigations, and technical service bulletins.
| Side Crash |
| Rollover |