2013 Cadillac Escalade problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (4) · Steering (2) · Seat Belts (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 (4)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V053000 · 692,526 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles 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
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 24, 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. G
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 2014-10-01 · campaign 14V614000 · 106,307 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
Risk: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GMs number for this recall is 14515.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2013-01-02 · campaign 13V001000 · 54,686 vehicles
Defect: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, and Tahoe; and GMC Savana, Sierra HD, Sierra LD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles, manufactured between November 7, 2012, through December 18, 2012, for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braki
Risk: As a result, the vehicle may shift from Park with the ignition key removed or the ignition key in the OFF position. The vehicle may also shift out of Park without application of the brake pedal while the key is off. Either of these scenarios may cause the vehicle to roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible vehicle crash and/or injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the steering column as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 21, 2013. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463.
Service bulletins (1,663)
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 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,663 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-21 · Power Train · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 cadillac escalade. the contact stated that while his wife was driving at highway speeds, the "engine power reduced" message was displayed on the instrument panel. the contact stated that the vehicle lost power while depressing the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder of the highway. the contact stat…”
2026-08-26 · Engine“the l87 in our escalade had a catastrophic failure at 97,088 miles. we were told that the right cylinder head had failed which caused the lower main bearings to fail. we had the engine replaced with a newly rebuilt l87 on xxx (invoice date). the engine was rebuilt by gm. our local shop procured it through weisner gmc in [xxx]. the cost to us w…”
2026-04-14 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 250,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 cadillac escalade. the contact stated that while driving approximately 72 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. the driver discovered that the accelerator pedal adjustment button had been inadvertently depressed by the wallet, causing the pedal position to change and resulting in the unexpected acceleration. no warning …”
2025-03-14 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i am currently experiencing a concerning issue with my hybrid car, which has been stalling unexpectedly and shutting itself off while driving. this alarming behavior poses a significant safety risk, as it could potentially lead to a crash in critical situations, especially if it occurs during high-speed travel or in heavy traffic. despite regular…”
2023-03-21 · Power Train · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 cadillac escalade. the contact stated while driving 60 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle downshifted unintendedly, and the vehicle shut off. the contact was able to veer to the side of the road. the check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. the contact turned off and restar…”
2022-06-21 · Seat Belts“all three seatbelts in the third row don't lock. i just got this car with only 100k miles on it and when installing my kids' car seats i found that none of them have the needed safety feature. they don't lock when pulled quickly or when pulled all the way out. cadillac won't cover the repair.…”
2022-02-23 · Air Bags“2013 cadillac escalade. consumer writes in regards to takata airbag safety recall. the consumer stated after having the airbag recall completed, the warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer to have it repaired. the dealer advised the airbag failure timing was a coincidence and requested an inspection/repair fee.…”
2020-11-23 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“i'm providing my vehicle information for a recall concerning tamara air bags…”
2020-02-28 · Vehicle Speed Control · 55,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2013 cadillac escalade. the contact stated that the driver had trailer hitched wood to the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed and became stuck causing the engine rpms to increase. the driver was able to shift into neutral and stop the vehicle from accelerating. the vehicle was then shifted into reverse but the accel…”
2020-01-27 · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · 87,500 mi“i was on the highway going about 65mph and the vehicle started turning off and on. pushed on the gas pedal and the engine just revved up. this isn't the first time it has done this.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.