2016 Cadillac Escalade: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 103 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 4 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
103
Complaints
4
Recalls
4
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
5
Injuries
71.8
Severity index
Severity index 71.8 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ranks 59 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 58% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 31 | 30.1% |
| POWER TRAIN | 21 | 20.4% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 18 | 17.5% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 17 | 16.5% |
| SUSPENSION | 15 | 14.6% |
| STEERING | 7 | 6.8% |
| AIR BAGS | 6 | 5.8% |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 4 | 3.9% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 31 of 103 complaints (30.1%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 10 |
| 2019 | 17 |
| 2020 | 11 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 9 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V645000 | 06/09/2019 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM | 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. |
| 16V651000 | 08/09/2016 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 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 |
| 17V437000 | 10/07/2017 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 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, Chevrole |
| 16V256000 | 28/04/2016 | SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM | General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms may have inadequate we |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.