Table 1 shows one common electrical system related problems of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems |
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2025 Cadillac Escalade, which experienced a catastrophic engine failure while being driven on a public roadway with approximately 13,000 miles on the vehicle. While traveling from [xxx] to [xxx] , the vehicle suddenly lost power while in motion. A warning message appeared stating “press to start again. ” the engine shut off completely while driving, causing an immediate loss of propulsion. The vehicle went into neutral, and I was forced to maneuver to the side of the road to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Once stopped, the vehicle would not restart. Multiple attempts were made using both the push-button ignition and key fob remote start, but the vehicle remained inoperable. The vehicle was towed and later diagnosed as requiring a complete engine replacement despite being less than one year old. I believe this is a serious safety defect because the vehicle lost power without warning while being driven. Had this occurred in heavier traffic, while crossing an intersection, merging, or traveling at higher speeds, it could have resulted in a serious accident, injury, or death. This was not the first major issue with this vehicle. Within weeks of taking delivery, multiple components required repair or replacement, including: • complete replacement of the camera system due to defective cameras • replacement of a defective lighting component • transmission failure concerns • cylinder #2 misfire issues the repeated failures of major vehicle systems, culminating in a complete engine failure and loss of propulsion while driving, raise serious concerns about the safety and reliability of this vehicle. Additionally, after the engine failure, the vehicle could not be placed into neutral and had to be dragged onto a tow truck, causing damage to the tires and raising concerns about emergency roadside recovery procedures. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
The contact owns a 2025 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, attempting to make a left turn in the snow, the vehicle prompted them to activate the skid protection mode. After activating the skid protection mode, the vehicle began to lose power and shut down. The contact placed the vehicle in neutral and coasted to the side of the road. The contact waited before restarting the vehicle and continued to drive. While driving, the contact noticed the speedometer showed 120 mph; however, they were only going about 30 mph—the warning for transmission failure and other lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the issue as the computer disconnecting due to the weather. The dealer had reported the issue to the manufacturer in an attempt to prevent the failure from occurring again. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 21,952.
On Tuesday, [xxx] at approximately [xxx], my 2025 Cadillac Escalade (VIN: [xxx] ) experienced a sudden and complete failure of multiple critical safety and control systems while in motion. My wife was driving downhill toward a stoplight with our two toddlers in the vehicle when the incident occurred. Without warning, all dashboard alerts illuminated simultaneously, including brake, engine, collision, and steering warnings. At the same time, the vehicle lost braking capability, power steering assist, electronic gear shifting, and emergency brake functionality. The vehicle continued moving downhill with no functional means of controlled stopping. Because the vehicle was approaching an intersection at the bottom of the hill, a collision would have been unavoidable if the traffic signal had been red. The only way to stop the vehicle was to leave the roadway and pull into dirt, using terrain resistance to bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle became inoperable and required towing. This was not a degraded performance or warning condition; it was a complete loss of control over a moving vehicle. The failure placed the occupants, including young children, at immediate risk of serious injury or death. The vehicle was towed to north county Buick Cadillac GMC service and remains under evaluation. A gm safety escalation case has been opened (gm case #[xxx]). Due to the severity of this incident, trust in the vehicle’s safety is permanently lost information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Vehicle showed error on the dash for all various systems. It told me those systems required service. I parked the truck and it locked me out of it. Onstar could not open the doors, they kept telling me the truck was unlocked. My app could not open the doors. I called roadside and they showed me how to remove the cover on drive side handle and insert the manual key. The lock turned but the vehicle would not unlock due to the automatic doors. We had to insert an airbag and jimmy open the door by hooking the interior door handle. The issue is this vehicle will lock you out of your car in an emergency. With the key you cannot unlock the doors. Luckily I only had dinner stuck in the car. I have little children and my fear is they will be locked in the truck if this happens. In the event of an emergency there is no way to get into the truck without smashing windows. The running boards in this mode disappear which makes it even more challenging to break the window and get over and inside. This is a very serious and dangerous design by Cadillac on the Escalade 2025.
Component(s) involved: electrical system, visibility/wiper, structure: body: door: power access/locks. ?description of the defect: the front and rear center console "command centers" (touchscreens) have suffered a total electrical failure and are completely black. On the 2025 Escalade, these screens have replaced nearly all physical buttons. Consequently, there is no manual override or physical backup for the safety and visibility systems hosted on these modules. ?the vehicle's global b (vip) electronic architecture uses a shared high-speed data bus; a failure in these primary command modules creates a high risk of a "cascading failure" that could spread to the 55-inch pillar-to-pillar main instrument cluster, potentially disabling the speedometer and safety warnings while the vehicle is in motion. ?describe the safety risk (how this could cause an accident): the total failure of these center consoles creates the following immediate hazards: ?loss of visibility (defroster/defogger): there is no physical button to activate the windshield defogger. If the windshield fogs over due to humidity or temperature changes while driving, I have no way to clear it. This creates an immediate "driving blind" situation, which is an extreme safety risk at any speed. ?occupant entrapment & security: the controls for power door locks, window lockouts, and child safety locks are digital and hosted on these failed screens. In an emergency, I cannot verify or manage the locking status of the vehicle, posing a risk to passengers (especially children in the rear). ?driver distraction & system instability: the failure of these core modules causes significant system instability. Because these nodes are linked to the main 55-inch driving display via the serial data gateway, an electrical short or data loop in the center consoles could cause the main speedometer and driver assistance alerts to freeze or black out without warning.
I am reporting serious and repeated safety defects involving loss of vehicle control in my 2025 Cadillac Escalade sport platinum. The vehicle has experienced multiple incidents of uncommanded braking (“phantom braking”) while driving at approximately 45 mph with no driver input and no obstacles present. The vehicle has also slammed on the brakes while reversing into a parking space, then became locked and would not move until shifted into park and reset, leaving me stuck in the roadway. In another incident, while stopped at a traffic light with the vehicle in drive, the vehicle shifted itself into park without any driver input. Additionally, the vehicle has produced uncommanded system activity while powered off overnight, followed by a “service 4 wheel drive” warning. These incidents represent loss of vehicle control and create a serious risk of collision, injury, or death. The issues have occurred multiple times, are intermittent, and have not been repaired despite dealer inspection. The vehicle is unsafe to operate.
The contact owns a 2025 Cadillac Escalade esv. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact heard a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the headlights were inoperable. The contact stated that the headlights failed to function properly and turn on. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 5,200.