2012 Cadillac Escalade: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 22 owner complaints on record; most reports concern electrical system.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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 they didn't have parts available to correct this issue. I have children that ride in the front and I'd hate for this to explode while driving down the road on them or anyone for that matter. When will there be a solution? How will we know the part is available? Please fix asap!!”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2021
“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 stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 124,000. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2020
“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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Nov 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“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 breakage. The vehicle is more than difficult to try to steer. This is a very unsafe situation and has been noted to be happening in quite a number of these limited production vehicles. *tr”Owner report · Steering · May 2020
“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”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 cadillac escalade hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went over a bump in the roadway and loss power steering functionality without warning. The contact pulled over, turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to brotherton cadillac located at 215 sw 12th st, suite 101, renton wa 98057, but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.”Owner report · Steering · Jun 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 cadillac escalade. While driving 30 mph, both headlights blew out without warning. The vehicle was taken to bill gatton chevrolet (1000 w state st, bristol, tn 37620) where it was diagnosed that water was entering behind the lens of the headlights, which caused the bulbs to blow out. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 63,500. *tt *tr”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jan 2019
“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) where the mechanic stated that four new rims needed to be installed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,279.”Owner report · Wheels · Jan 2018
“Dash on my escalade has cracked in 3 different places and poses a hazard to occupants. Dealership says they are aware of dash cracks in that model as well as others but gm refuses to recall. This appears to be a manufacture defect in material used and should be addressed asap.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Dec 2017
“While traveling on the highway the vehicle randomly lost electrical power, lights, door locks, everything and the engine upshifted into second or third gear completely on its own, then refused to accelerate. The electrics would come back on and then go off again. The electronic went completely berserk and presented a huge safety issue for my wife, children and I.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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 vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: 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's number for this recall is N212328770.
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 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: 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 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.
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.
Remedy: 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.
How other years compare
Check your exact Escalade 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 2012 Cadillac Escalade reliable?
NHTSA has 22 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade. The most complained-about area is electrical system.
Does the 2012 Cadillac Escalade have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. 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.