30 problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 2019 Cadillac Escalade. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2019 Cadillac Escalade based on all problems reported for the 2019 Escalade.
Loud engine knocking heard after starting vehicle at grocery store, vehicle was driven 25 miles to get to store so was 'warm', check engine lite on dashboard came on during knocking, was able to drive vehicle to dealership for diagnosis (approximately 3. 1 miles), dealership diagnosis after engine teardown was roller lifter failure causing damaged camshaft, instead of repairing defective parts in this engine opted for new engine replacement, cost approximately $15,000 for repairs and labor out of pocket, vehicle is 2019 Escalade, less than 110,000 miles on engine, purchased in 2022 with approximately 9000 odometer miles from Cadillac dealership, professionally maintained at Cadillac dealership since purchase. GMC has a NHTSA recall (ea25007) for 6. 2l v8 engines (which this vehicle particular has), for the years 2021-2024. Model years 2019-2021 with these type of engines has an active investigation (no recall yet) for the same issue of 'loss of motive power due to engine failure'. We were fortunate that the failure occurred in town at low speed driving and not on the freeway with truck traffic at 75 mph, a sudden loss of power due to engine failure would greatly have increased the risk of a crash.
Loud knocking sound in the engine appeared out of nowhere. This is the same engine as what exists in the 2021 year models which does have a recall on them, but for some reason the 2019 models like I have are not included in the recall. I cannot drive the car for fear of the engine seizing up.
The engine valvetrain is suspected, specifically an afm (active fuel management) lifter or related lifter/oil control component. The vehicle and affected components are intact and available for inspection upon request. An unresolved internal engine malfunction presents a risk of sudden power loss, engine damage, or stalling while driving, which could increase the risk of a collision, particularly at highway speeds or in traffic. The issue has been reproduced consistently by the vehicle owner. Diagnostic work has been performed by independent parties, including inspection of the exhaust system, belts, and valvetrain components. Further confirmation by a dealer has not yet occurred. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Independent mechanical inspection and repairs have been performed. No warning lamps or messages were displayed. Symptoms include a delayed chirping/ticking noise beginning approximately 20–30 seconds after engine startup, which is repeatable and changes with engine load and cylinder deactivation behavior.
The engine has an active fuel management system that has frequent failures of the lifters which causes the push rods to bend. This causes a misfire and the check engine light to illuminate. A broken piece of material entered the lower portion of the engine which could have caused an engine failure while on the highway. I had the vehicle towed to a dealership before a catastrophic failure occurred. Cadillac refuses to warranty this defect when the engine reaches 70k miles. The dealership sees this often and replaced the lifters on only one bank (head) at the cost of $4,000. This occurred on my 2018 Escalade which was under warranty at the time. They had to replace the camshaft and all the lifters on that vehicle.
It had a rough idle and took it to the dealer. Cam shaft failure most likely due to faulty lifters and engine replacement needed. Similar to known issues on this year and on years that are involved in recall. This could lead to engine failure and loss of propulsion like the newer years. Car has been properly maintained and serviced at dealer.
I was driving on the freeway on cruise control going 80 mph. All the sudden my speedometer dropped and I had no power. My transmission light started blinking cruise control stopped working and my car started shaking violently and sounded clunky. I had to pull over to the shoulder immediately. I called my mechanic and he told me not to drive it any further so we towed the vehicle to his shop. There was absolutely no warning signs. This was the only sign something was wrong.
Had all of my lifters replaced and cam shaft 6 months ago because of the faulty engine gm has started to recognize. I spent $7500. 00 yesterday 10/28/2025 I was driving and my car started shaking and shutting down in the middle of a busy intersection. Luckily I got it off the road safely before be hit. Traction control light was on and the check engine light goes from blinking to solid and then back to blinking. Its now back at the shop for he second time this year for what will likely be another very expensive fix.
I bought this 2019 Cadillac Escalade for family safety in November 2024 for 2000 miles from ken garfield dealership in America fork utah. Four months ago he had a mechanical failure which costed $13,000 to repair to which Cadillac covered 90% of the cost. I got it back an 1000 miles later the engine had complete engine failure. Now they are saying they will only cover 60% of the coverage to fix the repair. I have six children and this is our only car. I need my engine repaired. This is a huge burden and we just took a loan out to pay the last repair. Please I beg of you help me.
The engine developed a ticking noise followed by loss of power. Mechanic diagnosed lifter and camshaft failure, which may be related to the active fuel management system. This caused metal contamination and requires complete engine replacement. This appears to be a widespread issue on gm 6. 2l engines. ”.
My wife was driving our 2019 Cadillac Escalade to work when the vehicle check engine light came on and started to smoke and shake violently. She avoided injury but the car was not drivable. A local independent service center said that the car's cylinder #1 was full of fuel, the spark plug was wet, reported loud bottom end engine noise and that we replace the engine. This appears to be the same issue that sparked the recall of 2021-2024 models. We have proceeded with ordering a replacement engine as a result. The old engine will be available for further inspection if necessary. There were no warning signs prior to this incident.
Lifters failed and needed repaired. $2,000 mechanic bill.
I was traveling on the interstate with no problems, then my vehicle lost power and I smelled smoke. I pulled into a gas station to see what the problem was. It appeared the starter had went out. I got it towed to a mechanic shop and it was determined another engine is needed. There is a recall on these engines from the year 2021 thru 2024. This year needs to be included due to the same issues as the newer engines.
I was on the highway with my family going about 60 mph and my vehicle shut completely off on the interstate. We were almost rearend by a tractor trailer. It did not crank back up either. My 2019 Cadillac Escalade has the same current issues as the 2021 - 2024 6. 2 engines that are being recalled right now.
Engine has low oil pressure at idle.
My 2019 Cadillac Escalade esv experienced a major engine failure that required a complete engine replacement. Before the failure, the vehicle showed warning signs including rough running and loss of performance. My certified mechanic later explained that the cause of the failure was consistent with engine defects that have led to gm’s recall on later-model Escalades. However, the 2019 model year is excluded from that recall. The failure was severe enough that it posed a safety risk had it occurred at highway speed, and it required over $20,000 to replace the engine plus thousands more in related repairs. Multiple other major components failed around the same time (suspension components, thermostat, and a/c compressor). I am filing this report because the failure pattern appears identical to what gm has acknowledged on recalled Escalade engines, and I am concerned that the defect may affect more vehicles than currently included in the recall. My mechanic confirmed that the failure is reproducible and consistent with the known defect on later models.
- the engine malfunctioned. Started making noises on cold start that quickly turned into noises when driving and rough idling. It is at the Cadillac dealership being inspected right now. Car is available for inspected upon request. - the safety was put at risk with the potential of complete engine failure. - I received a call from Cadillac yesterday that the camshaft is faulty and they will need to replace it. - Cadillac has reached out to my warranty company to inspect it further. - the only warning was the noise, I noticed it in March, the noise got much very quickly.
Lifters and camshaft went bad even though I'm fully on top of maintenance. My engine began to seize up luckily I was not out on the expressway. Took it to a reputable mechanic who confirmed the problem all the repairs cost me $6,700. No warning light or check engine came on even though there was a serious issue.
At around 70,000 miles the engine light came on and a strange noise was coming from the engine. I immediately took it in for inspection. The mechanic said he knew right away what it was because its a common failure with this engine. He said the lifters had gone bad and the entire top half of the engine had to be repaired. This was at a cost of $8,500. 00. This is clearly an issue with gm motors with a 6. 2 liter engine. I will be joining a class action lawsuit to get compensated for the repairs and my time without a vehicle.
The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac Escalade esv. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was shifting rough. While at a stop light, the vehicle jerked abnormally. There was a hard acceleration while driving the vehicle. The contact stated while driving 55 mph on the highway, the transmission was shifting hard. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign: 24v797000 (power train). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was related to the automatic transmission valve body. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall coverage on the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 149,050.
As what appears to be happening with a lot of these, it dropped the push rod on cylinder 2, damaged the camshaft, and the truck immediately lost power while on the highway.
The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac Escalade esv. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking violently. No warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and contacted an independent mechanic. The check engine warning light was then illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, who diagnosed that there was a misfire in cylinder #5. The spark plugs were replaced, and the oil was changed, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, who discovered metal shavings in the engine and determined that the camshafts and lifters needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who also determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #5 and recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the year and VIN were not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,700.
I had taken my car in while it was under warranty for my motor the car wouldn’t move at all or start. They said it was a cylinder so they replaced the one cylinder and didn’t check any others. Just recently in January 2025 I took it back to the dealer for the same issues and they told me I need a whole new motor. Now the car is out of warranty. They charged me close to $1000 just to diagnose the car and tell me I need a they charge me close to $1000 just to diagnose the car and tell me I need a new motor. Apparently the other side of the motor they didn’t check had failed. Also my running boards were taken to the dealer for not working properly and they didn’t fix them while under warranty and now it’s still doing the same thing. Now my air condition isn’t blowing cold air I have taken it to the dealer. They claim I have different kind of freon, but I never replaced the freon. It’s original to the car when it was purchased. They are charging me $1100 just to diagnose the vehicle.
Rough running engine at idle. The vehicle also shows low oil pressure at idle 13psi. Took to several service technicians and was told this is unfortunately a flaw in the engine design and there is not a known current remedy. Also they are surprised that this model was not covered under the same recall campaign that later models are as they are nearly identical engines. The transmission also gave out on this same vehicle at 85k miles.
Active fuel management system is starving the lifters of lubrication. Push rod got snapped in half and lifters needed to be replaced. Then the headers had to be fixed because of all of this. With a complete repair done, the push rod has again malfunctioned one month after the new one was put in. My certified mechanic has informed me I’m going to continue to have an issue while gm isn’t concerned with addressing the issue of the afm system.
On December 13, 2024, my 2019 Cadillac Escalade esv experienced a critical engine failure, requiring it to be towed to the dealership. I had taken delivery of the vehicle just one month prior, on November 13, 2024. The dealership informed me that the engine required a rebuild, including replacement of the lifters. The mechanic who worked on the vehicle stated that the engine had undergone a previous repair for the same issue and that the camshaft was also damaged. This incident posed a significant safety risk. The engine failure occurred while the vehicle was in operation, potentially leading to a loss of control and an accident. [additional information] component/system failure: engine, specifically lifters and camshaft. The failed components are available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: potential loss of control of the vehicle due to engine failure. Confirmation of problem: the problem was confirmed by the dealership service center. Inspection: the vehicle and the failed components have been inspected by the dealership service center. Warning lamps/messages: flashing check engine light, brake system failure, emissions system failure, antilock braking system failure, and power train failure. [request] I request that the NHTSA investigate this matter to determine if there is a systemic defect with the 2019 Cadillac Escalade esv's engine. This is the second documented engine failure, indicating a potential safety hazard for all owners of this vehicle model.
Vehicle will stall when driving. Alarm sounds and engine will shut down. I can shift the car into neutral and it will re-start. I understand that this issue of stalling can damage the engine beyond repair. I believe this engine is under investigation by the NHTSA. The shop that serviced my transmission warned me about transmission failure due to what he called a garbage can. A cylinder that is prone to failure.
Lifters and camshaft replaced three times engine seized up electrical problems with the steering and crash warning systems been at the dealer for one year as of today it’s still there.
The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate a failure. Recently, the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
2019 gm Cadillac Escalade 6. 2-liter l87 engine rod/bearing knocking noise for second time causing fear of driving and long range usability because of catastrophic failures reported. Gm says out of warranty and not their problem and not part of the issued recall years for bad l87 engines. Vehicle engine repaired under warranty 03/07-2024 for bad camshaft and lifter failure at a cost of $8776. 63.
Vehicle caught on fire while owner was driving. Owner reported small puff of black smoke prior to fire.
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