2021 Cadillac Escalade: owner complaints and recalls

54% of everything owners report about the 2021 Cadillac Escalade points at a single system: engine. That is 41 of 76 complaints on file.

76
Complaints
9
Recalls
2
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
2
Injuries
47.4
Severity index

Severity index 47.4 - Medium. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 47.4p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2021 Cadillac Escalade sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 90 2021 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2021 Cadillac Escalade ranks 52 of 90 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 42% of its model-year peers. See the full 2021 ranking.

What actually fails

EngineEngine: 41 complaints (53.9%)41 54%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 10 complaints (13.2%)10 13%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 9 complaints (11.8%)9 12%Power TrainPower Train: 8 complaints (10.5%)8 11%Forward Collision Avoid…Forward Collision Avoidance: 7 complaints (9.2%)7 9%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 6 complaints (7.9%)6 8%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 4 complaints (5.3%)4 5%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 4 complaints (5.3%)4 5%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE4153.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1013.2%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING911.8%
POWER TRAIN810.5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE79.2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER67.9%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING45.3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM45.3%

Complaints filed per year

018362020: 12021: 82022: 32023: 62024: 32025: 362026: 19 (partial year)2021222324253626
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
20201
20218
20223
20236
20243
202536
2026 (year to date)19
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 3.8x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
21V73900023/09/2021FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULEGeneral 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 eng
22V03600027/01/2022POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFTGeneral 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 in
21V42100010/06/2021AIR BAGS:SRS MALFUNCTION WARNING LAMP/LIGHTGeneral 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 diagn
21V19000018/03/2021SEAT BELTSGeneral 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 mechani
22V61700011/08/2022SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERSGeneral 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 b
22V82700003/11/2022EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWAREGeneral 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 compl
24V79700024/10/2024POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWAREGeneral 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 val
25V27400024/04/2025ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICALGeneral 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
25V61900018/09/2025FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLYGeneral 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 to
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.