2016 Cadillac Escalade Esv: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 15 owner complaints on record; most reports concern suspension; the 2015 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jul 2017
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle and the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.”Owner report · Suspension · May 2025
“The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that the passenger's side rear upper control arms had separated from the vehicle and that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V256000 (Suspension). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 71,695.”Owner report · Suspension · Mar 2023
“06/14/2019 I was driving my cadillac to escalate esv traveling from baltimore to washington dc 95 south band. 12:04 pm my vehicle flip over. I almost lost my life. After the accident, I inspected the vehicle. I found that left the rear wheel of the car; come out of the vehicle. Wheel locks and axle bar of the tire cut off and broken. This caused flipping of the vehicle.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jun 2019
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“Vacuum pump deterioration or failure caused reduced stopping of vehicle. Backed up vehicle in driveway and could not stop until I pumped brake petal several times. And finally stopped. Placed vehicle in neutral and set hand brake. I checked accelerator and stop petals for obstruction and found none. Placed vehicle in drive and slowly moved forward. Applied brakes about ten foot from wall and vehicle struct brick wall between garages. Could not stop vehicle with the brake applied. Damage to garage $14,940 and vehicle $4,984.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Mar 2019
“Shudder / vibration between 45 - 65 mph. Cause was torque converter. 85 - 90% of vibration was mitigated. Continue to have steady vibrations 65 -70mph and above. Dealer also installed new tires / wheels and I have had a road force balance.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Oct 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2016 cadillac escalade esv. The contact stated that the front and rear collision sensors provided incorrect information. The contact stated that false warnings provided by the sensors signaled an imminent crash when there were no vehicles in close proximity. The vehicle was taken to fremont cadillac (5939 auto mall pkwy, fremont, ca 94538, (510) 686-8969) where it was diagnosed that the sensors needed to be re-calibrated and the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired three times, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 15,462.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2018
“The transmission has multiple malfunctions. Delayed shifts, hard shifts both when shifting up or down, very large clunk or hard shift when going from 2nd to first. Very unpleasant transmission and multiple ways. Dealer keeps telling me that the transmission is adaptive to the driver and it needs to learn habits. I have had the vehicle for over a year. Sounds like a cop out to me. Not very happy with gm!”Owner report · Power Train · May 2018
“Front right and left upper control arms are bad and eating my tires from inside. I went to get my alignment done but my mechanic told me the front right and left upper control arms are bad and he can not do the alignment and then I went to the cadillac dealership but they said everything is good because on that time I already had 49,540 miles on the vehicle and they are waiting for the 50000 miles so they can tell me you are out of warranty and you have to pay for that.”Owner report · Suspension · Mar 2018
“Transmission started slipping at 50k miles. Since I am in the transportation service industry, I know many people that have transmission issues on escalades.”Owner report · Power Train · Feb 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2016 cadillac escalade esv. Several times, while driving various speeds, the instrument cluster failed. The vehicle was taken to harrys on the hill (819 patton ave, asheville, nc 28806, (828) 252-3821) to be diagnosed, but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact stated that the failure began after a module behind the dashboard was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
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, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
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 welds near the control arm bushing.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 42190.
How other years compare
Check your exact Escalade Esv by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2016 Cadillac Escalade Esv reliable?
NHTSA has 15 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2016 Cadillac Escalade Esv. The most complained-about area is suspension.
Does the 2016 Cadillac Escalade Esv have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.