general problems of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade - part 1

On the day I was driving my 2021 Escalade had completely stopped in the middle of traffic , the vehicle was looked over by a certified mechanic and stated that it was at the full level of oil 0w-20 as stated to be put in by gm on the oil cap he stated that the motor l87 which is in my vehicle is under recall for this reason it the motor has put I and my child in complete danger in the middle of a busy street with the vehicle unable to move at all I stay on top of all vehicle maintenance and all recalls and was not informed that this motor was under recall for seizure I would like for the nhsta to place this vehicle motor and others that are not informed of this information to please notify and rectify the issue because this has put me and my child and me being a pregnant mom in complete danger due to gm . I had no symptoms or problems or lights messages on my dash board the vehicle just abruptly stopped and scared me and my child .

Bought a 2021 Escalade and at 50,000 miles it turned off at the middle of intersection while riding with my kids taking them to basketball. I had it towed to Cadillac they said it needed a new battery I left with new battery and broke down on the interstate while trying to pick up kids from school. I then had the car towed back to shop where they then said two days later I needed a new motor and that my warranty would not cover that and I’d have to pay 25,000-30…. Even though I just bought the car for 100,000…. I towed it to rk Chevrolet where I waited for over a year. I had to buy a used car because I was never offered or able to use a loaner. My cadilliac then got hit at the shop by a uber driver and the whole front in had to be fixed. I got my car back in November 2025 it’s now August 2026 9 months later it is back in the shop for motor and transmission issues with check engine light on. I am a hard working mother and I have spent more money on a car in my life. As a mother with kids to not have a car is a problem but the worst is the lack of help I have received. I would love any help in what I should do as this has been a nightmare. Please send or give me any advice I would greatly appreciate it.

On xxx I had been driving my vehicle with no issues. I had drove from [xxx] to [xxx]. My vehicle had no warnings or issues prior and my vehicle has been properly cared for and all oil and maintenance has been done through the Cadillac dealership in [xxx]. On my way to [xxx] I stopped at the local gas station and filled my gas tank fully up, when I started my vehicle there was a horrible sound and my car began to shake and all the electronics began coming up. I went to work less than 5 minutes down the road and the vehicle was horrible acting. I called my husband and began thinking maybe I had put bad gas in the vehicle because like I mentioned earlier there was nothing wrong with my vehicle prior to this. We contacted the dealership in [xxx] and they told us to bring the vehicle in, I had to drive my car back to [xxx] where I was petrified my vehicle was going to blow up or just die in the road. I made it to the dealership and explained what happened and that I thought it was bad gas, they let me know they would look at the vehicle and let us know. They contacted my husband later in the day and let him know the good news was that it was not bad gas, unfortunately my engine blew up. He said my engine has done what the recall engines have been doing, unfortunately my vehicle is not in the recall and that it would be $12,000. 00 to fix it. When my husband called me, I had him three way the dealership and explained we have taken very good care of our vehicle with all maintenance and oil changes done there. He explained to me that it was nothing we could have done and I wanted to know why then the engine blew without warning and he continued to explain it was like the other vehicles in a recall. He kindly explained that there was nothing he could do but we could try and contact gm if we could get ahold of them and we could file a complaint reguarding our vehicle. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

2021 Cadillac Escalade esv equipped with l87 6. 2l v8, subject to NHTSA recall 25v-274 / gm n252494000. The recall inspection was completed and the vehicle passed, so gm performed the 0w-40 higher-viscosity-oil remedy rather than engine replacement. The vehicle has a history of unexplained oil loss with no obvious external leak, including a prior low-oil warning. At a recent oil change after approximately 5,000 miles, no oil registered on the dipstick before service. The engine was then filled to the full mark. Using the same repeatable checking method, the level was approximately 3/4 at 227 miles and approximately 1/2 at 1,300 miles. I am concerned that a progressive internal engine condition may not have been detected by the recall inspection and that the oil-only remedy may be inadequate. Nhtsa currently has recall query rq26001 open regarding engine failures after recall 25v-274 remedies. I am also concerned because gm special coverage n252494003 excludes an engine presenting with low/no oil as neglect even if unresolved mechanical oil consumption caused the low level. I am requesting this complaint be associated with recall 25v-274 and rq26001. Please advise. I just bought the car less than a year ago and can’t a new engine.

My 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv with the 6. 2l l87 engine received the remedy for safety recall 25v-274 (gm recall number n252494001) on July 30, 2025. The dealer inspected the engine, passed it, and performed the higher viscosity oil remedy. The engine was not repaired or replaced. On [date], while driving, the vehicle hesitated and lost power under acceleration. Engine noise then increased progressively until I pulled over on the side of the road. The engine stopped running and would not restart. The dash displayed a message to press the start button again. The check engine light illuminated at the time of failure. There were no warning lights prior to that day. My family, including my children, were in the vehicle when it lost power. We were stranded on the roadside until the vehicle could be towed. The battery and electrical system are functioning normally, but the engine would not start. The vehicle was towed to a Cadillac dealership. At the dealership, a start attempt produced a loud knocking noise from the engine along with a fuel/oil odor. I believe the connecting rod bearings have failed. These symptoms — hesitation, loss of power, and knocking noise — are the exact pre-failure indicators gm identified in recall 25v-274. This was a loss of motive power while driving on a public roadway, creating a serious crash risk for my family and surrounding traffic. The recall remedy performed on this vehicle was inadequate. Gm inspected this engine, passed it, and it failed approximately one year later in exactly the manner the recall was intended to prevent. Date of incident: 08/08/2026 mileage at failure: 66,000 recall remedy completed: July 30, 2025 vehicle was towed. No crash, fire, or injury occurred.

Bad motor.

On 7/14/26, I scheduled Escalade to be serviced at local dealership (mt) when a/c went out on drivers/middle vents and I noticed a faint ticking noise under hood. Was told engine lifters were damaged & needed to be replaced. Service was completed 7/21 and I picked it up that evening. On [xxx] my husband and I departed for san diego; stayed overnight in st george ut. On [xxx] around [xxx] pm, I was driving in second from left lane on [xxx] san bernadino area. I braked quickly as traffic from far left lane merged right to avoid debris from a refrigerator that had shattered all over the highway. The Escalade engine failed and shut off without warning or any indicators. I tried several times & could not restart the vehicle; therefore I could not shift the vehicle into neutral so it could at least be pushed off the highway. My husband immediately called 9-1-1 and requested assistance. I frantically searched the internet for a way to shift to neutral when there is no power to the vehicle, and discovered the manual neutral override is under the vehicle. It was impossible for us to attempt that in this situation. All we could do was sit in the middle of the freeway with our hazard lights on and pray while we waited for law enforcement to arrive while heavy fast-moving traffic flew around us, honking and cursing at us to "get out of the way". This was a very perilous situation and our lives were endangered. We were helpless until chp officers arrived on scene, followed by a tow company. The vehicle was towed to the closest dealer service center. We were told four days later that the entire engine needed to be replaced. It remains at the CA dealership while we fight with gm warranty to have it shipped to mt. If the engine failure recall was dealt with appropriately as promised by gm, this would have been avoided altogether. **note: Escalade passed engine recall inspection 10/9/25; was 'upgraded' to 40w oil. Regular service/oil changes completed 1/23/26 and 6/8/26. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of inf.

Following a recent oil change, I started the vehicle back up to drive approximately an hour to another city and the engine was making a horrible “knocking” sound. Took the vehicle back to the dealership and it was confirmed catastrophic engine failure which fell under gm’s known 6. 2l engine issues. My safety and my children’s safety were put at risk because had I not drove directly to the dealership instead of getting on the highway as planned, the vehicle could have died at highway speeds posing a serious safety risk. No warning signs, no engine light, nothing prior to the failure.

While driving out of state the engine started knocking- I took it to the dealer before it left me stranded on the road. I was told the engine had failed and needed to be replaced.

•purchased the 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv premium luxury on xxx, at roughly 68,000 miles. •within roughly 300 miles of ownership, the 6. 2l engine suffered a catastrophic failure involving a rod and ultimately required a complete engine replacement by gm. •the incident involved a loss of propulsion while the vehicle was being driven, making the event more significant than an ordinary mechanical repair. •the incident occurred while transferring from the xxx north to the [xxx] on the turn with 7 people in the car (including 4 children ranging from [xxx]) no lights or warning signs prior to the event. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Driving my 2021 Escalade on interstate and engine began emitting sudden, loud metallic tapping. Oil pressure dropped off and a reduced power warning came on hud. Acceleration dropped off, forcing him to coast dangerously across three lanes of traffic to the shoulder. Coasted to dealership—-somehow the VIN didn’t fall within the 2021-2024 recall despite exhibiting the exact same failure. Catastrophic engine failure needing full engine replacement.

I purchased a 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv and shortly thereafter experienced an engine malfunction. The vehicle developed a misfire, rough idle, loss of power, and produced significant blue/white exhaust smoke. The check engine light illuminated and the vehicle began running abnormally. An independent repair facility inspected the vehicle and reported oil-related issues affecting a cylinder and spark plug. The repair facility also observed excessive exhaust smoke during diagnosis. The condition raises concerns about potential engine failure while driving, which could result in loss of power and create a safety hazard in traffic. The vehicle is currently undergoing diagnostic testing, including a leak-down test, to determine the cause of the failure. The problem has been confirmed by a repair facility and occurred shortly after purchase.

Accelerated onto a 4-lane major highway and lost most engine power and many warning lights came on. I lost most vehicle power merging onto a 4 lane highway around other vehicles. I was able to get the car stopped car safely on side of the road and cut off for one minute. There was a noticeable rattlling noise in the engine compartment and severly reduced power. No lights regarding engine were previously available. Got the vehicle to dealer service center. Below is their report. "engine misfire detected. Checked misfire data, all cylinder has recorded misfires with cylinder #4 being the most at 23,316. Will have to remove bank 2 valve cover for inspection of rocker arms along with push rods. After removing valve cover no visible issues. Started vehicle and the scraping/ticking noise is very audible. All rocker arms are moving. When touching cylinder #4 exhaust valve rocker arm can feel the roughness of the noise. Which is indication of failed valve lifter or camshaft lobe. Estimate provided. Labor op 4067490 engine replacement 18. 4 add 1. 2 evacuate and recharge r1234yf a/c system. Old engine #n1203011cu8x0269. New engine #19420611 007507775 1110000000000x. Service completed. ".

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with special coverage program: n252494003 (engine loss of propulsion); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Engine failure while driving on highway at 70 mpg.

See attached document for complaint.

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Several dealers were previously contacted for recall inspection appointments, and the contact was informed that the manufacturer had denied the request to perform the service. A dealer was recently contacted and agreed to schedule the recall repair appointment. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle would remain with the dealer in the event that the vehicle failed the inspection, and the vehicle would be repaired in 3-4 months because the part was on backorder. The contact was informed that vehicle rental assistance might not be provided. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

My family and I were returning from a trip, and the engine just died in the middle of the street at 2 am. No noises from engine or anything, but it just stopped out of the blue.

On 4/17/2026 in tomball texas I experienced a sudden loss of engine propulsion while driving on a 4 lane road. The battery had voltage, hazard lights and radio worked normally. The car rolled to a stop in a traffic lane as this road has no shoulder and was put into park. The push button ignition was pressed but no restart of engine. The car was towed to the dealer that same day and told me the engine was "seized" and they have seen many of the same engines with the same problem. This car is not under the current recall for the l87 but those a few months to years from the recall lot have a current NHTSA investigation ongoing.

82. 826 miles sounded like a idler pully making dinging noise got louder driving in city went to get on highway sudden lost of power and rattling noise and jerking and lunging got off first exit pulled into parking lot and shut it off. Called dealer they sent tow truck diagnosed it as bad motor 4/6/26 got remanufactured motor on 4/17/26 waiting to see how long this one lasts.

This vehicle had its engine replaced at around 33,000 miles. Today, at around 43,000, the replacement engine failed. It's now at the dealer waiting for yet another engine replacement.

I purchased a used 2021 Cadillac Escalade in may 2025 with approximately 48,000 miles. While driving on highway 14 near acton CA at speeds exceeding 60 mph, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic engine failure (March 28th - 2026). The engine suddenly lost all power and shut off completely while in motion. Only electrical systems remained operational. At the time of the incident, I had my three children in the vehicle. This created a dangerous situation, as I was forced to maneuver across traffic and safely pull over without engine power. The vehicle could not be restarted and had to be towed to the dealership. The dealership replaced the engine with a refurbished unit April 14th - 2026. I was not informed in advance that the replacement engine would be refurbished rather than new. Immediately following the engine replacement, the vehicle began experiencing additional issues, including electrical malfunctions and air suspension problems, which required further repairs. After retrieving the vehicle, it is still not operating as expected. The vehicle is noticeably slow, sluggish, and noisy, raising concerns about reliability and the potential for another failure. Given the sudden loss of engine power at highway speed and the continued performance issues after repair, I have serious concerns about the safety of this vehicle.

I scheduled service a service appointment with rick hendrick Chevrolet in naples, FL. After leaving the vehicle as scheduled the service manager refused to perform the safety covered recalls and stated due to the issue of the vehicle having a branded title.

Gm issued a special coverage in bulletin n252508341 for the coolant control valve in my vehicle. This issue happened to my vehicle exactly as the symptoms are stated in the bulletin: check engine light, p1098 code, fan running at high speed with the engine on and off, and reduced acceleration. I took the vehicle to the dealer to be covered, and they say my vehicle is not covered by the bulletin. To be clear, the bulletin covers 2021-2023 Cadillac Escalades with the lm2 3. 0l duramax engine. My vehicle is a 2021 Cadillac Escalade with a lm2 3. 0l duramax engine. Which had all the issues and symptoms listed in the special coverage. Yet, they say it is not covered. This seems incredibly shady. And very wrong. Why in the world would they not be covering my vehicle? it seems unsafe to be driving a vehicle that has reduced acceleration, a fan constantly running at high speed, and a check engine light for malfunctioning parts. Faulty parts from gm which they have already acknowledged are bad.

On 2/21/26, while driving approximately 60 mph, my car experienced a sudden loss of propulsion. The vehicle unexpectedly shifted into neutral and began decelerating, displaying a prompt instructing me to press the start button. I was able to coast to the shoulder and avoid a collision, but the incident occurred in active highway traffic on a Saturday afternoon and posed a significant safety risk. The vehicle had completed manufacturer recall service related to engine propulsion concerns less than 90 days prior to this event and had passed the associated safety checks. Approximately 5,000 miles had been driven since that service without prior warning signs. Given the nature of the failure and its occurrence after recall completion, I am concerned that the recall remedy may not adequately address the safety defect. A loss of propulsion at highway speed could reasonably result in serious injury or death. Cadillac has now agreed to replace my engine, but they didn't replace it when they had the chance in November. The recall parameters failed me.

Rod/main bearing debris causing block damage engine needs rebuild/ replace.

Engine needs to be replaced or rebuilt also the fuel pump power control nodule failed.

In early February, 2026, a check engine light produced code p1098, engine coolant control valve position sensor performance. Code caused the cooling fans to run continuously when the engine reached a certain temperature and the vehicle had reduced acceleration, which posed a safety hazard when driving the vehicle due to prolongated times to get to the posted speed limit and posed a hazard to other drivers because of reduced acceleration. The vehicle was inspected by jerry seiner dealerships on north salt lake, utah and the check engine light code of p1098 was confirmed. I reviewed general motors bulletins and found that a special coverage n252508341 which covered lm2 coolant control valve replacement, dated September 16, 2025. The special coverage applies to Cadillac Escalade model year 2021 to 2023. When I asked the dealership about this coverage, I was informed that the coverage did not apply to my vehicle as the bulletin was VIN specific. I called Cadillac and opened a case with Cadillac as I found it unreasonable that general motors / Cadillac know there is an issue with coolant control valves, yet they refused to cover the cost of repairs for my vehicle because of the VIN was not part of the special coverage n252508341. I paid for the dealership to replace the coolant control valve as the vehicle was not safe to drive due to the reduced acceleration. My complaint is that general motor / Cadillac knows there is an issue with the coolant control valves for my vehicle model year, yet they refused the coverage for my vehicle due to the VIN. General motors offered to cover $216. 06. I paid $1,387. 40 + 3% credit card transaction fee for the repair, this repair would have been free under the special coverage bulletin. General motors should reimburse me for the expense of this repair as they know there is an issue with coolant control valves.

On 12/18/2025 at approximately 73,097 miles, while driving on I-75 near wildwood, florida at about 75 mph, the vehicle experienced a sudden powertrain failure. The engine became seized/locked, the vehicle progressively lost power, and there were abnormal/loud mechanical noises. I was able to avoid a crash, but the event created a safety risk due to loss of propulsion at interstate speed. No accident occurred. The vehicle later received an engine replacement at plaza Cadillac (leesburg, FL). Dealer paperwork indicates completion on 01/07/2026, and the vehicle was returned to me on 02/02/2026. After the engine replacement, the vehicle displays safety-related warnings including: “service transmission now – unable to shift soon” “service electric parking brake” because of these warnings, I am not driving the vehicle. The dealer plans to tow the vehicle in for inspection. In addition, the dealership has stated in writing that they typically clear diagnostic codes for test driving and that no post-repair/post-road-test diagnostic scan reports are saved or printed, meaning there may be limited retained documentation verifying that all modules were fault-free at release after the engine replacement. Cadillac case reference: Cadillac care center service request #88422536. I consent to sharing this complaint and vehicle details with the manufacturer.

My 2021 Cadillac experienced a catastrophic engine failure that is mechanically identical to a known gm engine defect currently under recall. Gm has denied coverage solely because my VIN is not included, despite the failure matching recall symptoms and diagnostics. This defect caused sudden loss of vehicle use and presents a safety and financial risk. Gm is excluding vehicles with identical failures from recall coverage based strictly on VIN rather than defect presence. I am requesting NHTSA review of recall scope and defect coverage.

My wife was driving my kids to their nana and papas house when the vehicle loss power. The vehicle started to have a knocking noise and started to vibrate towards the engine compartment. The dash lit up like a christmas tree. We took the vehicle to a local mechanic and he suggested that we might need a tune up. We purchased 8 brand new spark plugs, spark plug wires and 8 brand new coil packs. The local mechanic installed all of the new parts and the vehicle acted just like it was before the tune up. We then took the vehicle to boyd Cadillac in henderson,nc. Tim, who is our service provider, contacted us and told us that we had severe engine failure. His recommendation was a complete engine install. We have used boyd Cadillac, tim on several occasions. We had an alternator replacement done which was not under warranty. We had lifters replaced under warranty around the 50k mile mark.

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local service center for routine maintenance and after an oil change was performed, the vehicle was started but immediately shut off and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact related the failure to the recall. The failure mileage was 96,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was displayed on the instrument panel with an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced; however, the check engine warning light illuminated the following day. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle started to jerk abnormally while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle shut off in the middle of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed back to the dealer, where it remained unrepaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade esv. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the engine made ticking sounds. The check engine and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine consumed an excessive amount of oil and that engine oil was added every two to three weeks. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that because the vehicle was used as a limousine, the engine was consuming more oil than was normal. The dealer replaced the engine, but the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

See attached document for complaint. In gm recall n252494000 I received notice in may of 2025 that my 2021 Cadillac Escalade is involved in a recall. At first my dealer said the part to repair is not available? then in September we stopped by my dealer and he said the recall does not involve my Cadillac. So I will attach a copy of my notice so there is no question they notified me I have a defective Cadillac. Please someone tell me why this happened? I want a different automobile!!! by the way I find it very interesting that regina a. Carto,, vice president of global product safety and systems fails to provide her address?.