2012 Cadillac Escalade problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (3) · Vehicle Speed Control (2) · Steering (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Cadillac Escalade model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V051000 · 284,645 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V054000 · 1,778,128 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-8
Electrical System:ignition 2014-12-30 · campaign 14V827000 · 84,192 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Risk: If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
Service bulletins (1,582)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-16 · PIT6400A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi communications information on an alternative product dealers can use to perform 19-na-255: wax coating on frame peeling, metal shows corrosion/rusting due to issue with getting product from current supplier listed in the bulletin.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-08 · PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,582 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2021-07-09 · Air Bags · 124,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 cadillac escalade. the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v051000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated that parts were not yet available. the contact …”
2021-03-20 · Air Bags“every so often my service air bag light will appear on the dash upon starting the vehicle. i thought it could have something to do with moving the seats back and forth and a wire issue. i received a safety recall for the passenger side frontal airbag inflator shortly after this started happening. when i called about repairing the recall they said t…”
2020-11-30 · Unknown Or Other“we have three cracks on our dash board. the car is garage kept and has never been in an accident and the cracks keep forming. we have had the car five years and every year another crack forms.…”
2020-08-18 · Unknown Or Other“interior dash crack , onstar system stop working …”
2020-07-20 · Structure:body · 100,000 mi · 💥 crash“i hit and totaled a black man convertible i was at fault. please help i was texting and driving. *tr…”
2020-06-04 · Steering · 82,000 mi“my 2012 cadillac escalade hybrid electronic power steering has failed.while driving this vehicle. a service power steering warning light has illuminated in the dash and the vehicle almost went out of control while i was on a two lane dual highway. it appears that it is a motor that is manufactured in japan that has a weak shaft that is known to br…”
2020-03-03 · Engine · 122,696 mi“the car loose power on the road the electronics in car go crazy these may lead to accidents or injuries code c0900 a lot of gm product have the same problem gm needs to do a recall this happen in the highway in rush hour please take action…”
2019-12-05 · Service Brakes · 94,339 mi“complete brake failure (brake pedal went to the floor) when exiting the freeway. simultaneously, the check engine list, service abs on led screen, and red brake light illuminated and warning chimes. no previous warning or indicator lights signaling a problem. had serviced at dealership who indicated it was caused by failing hybrid battery. aft…”
2019-10-20 · Engine · 78,000 mi“issue started by having the engine cutoff or go into low power mode. mechanic tried fining power issues, ended up replacing pcm board. issue remained. then oil pressure sensor check engine light came on, had a mechanic replace the oil pressure sensor and everything worked for a little while. next low oil pressure message came up, stating to shut of…”
2019-02-13 · Wheels:rim · 69,279 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2012 cadillac escalade. the contact stated that the factory rims were misshaped and caused the tires to deflate weekly and lose tire pressure daily. the tire pressure gauge was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the contact's home and then taken to naperville cadillac (1507 ogden ave, naperville, il 60540, (630) 355-2700) …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.