Cadillac / Escalade ESV / 2023
2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems
Owners have filed 119 complaints about the 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV with NHTSA. Engine accounts for 44.5% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of power train at 15.1%.
Complaints119
Crashes5
Fires0
Injuries0
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine 44.5% · 53
Power train 15.1% · 18
Electrical system 7.6% · 9
Fuel/propulsion system 7.6% · 9
Unknown or other 5.0% · 6
Engine and engine cooling 4.2% · 5
Forward collision avoidance 2.5% · 3
Service brakes 2.5% · 3
Severity
Of those complaints, 5 describe a crash.
Reading the numbers
Filings are rising — 112 in the last three years against 7 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 28,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The engine failed on I-17 while driving 75MPH on 2/14/2026. The car shifted into neutral and was able to coast on to the berm of the interstate. The car was towed to Flagstaff Chevrolet and was determined to have engine failure and is waiting for a replacement engine. When the engine failed a warning message came on warning of severe engine overheating and shut down and the car automatically shifted into neutral. Engine
I was on the highway while cruising with a speed of 65 to 70 mph all of a sudden vehicle started to shake and lost control speed went down to 20mph on the highway check engine light came up foward collision, Stability, traction control and engine died started again stall, had to tow the suv to the dealership Engine
While driving approximately 50 mph on a busy road, the vehicle unexpectedly shifted into neutral and stalled, leaving it unable to restart in the roadway. The car was towed to the dealership, where a new battery was installed and the engine seized. Engine
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…