Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Cadillac Escalade - part 1

Engine failure shortly after recall remedy performed by dealer. Recall 25v-274 / n252494000. Sudden loss of propulsion while driving at highway speeds with no warning. Engine stalls and will not restart. Vehicle cannot be shifted into neutral without engine running making it impossible to get vehicle to safety and out of traffic. Dealer confirmed that engine seized as part of recall and will need to be replaced, despite having recall oil change remedy performed. Cadillac case file #98347975.

See all problems of the 2023 Cadillac Escalade 🔎.

Complete engine failure. Car stalled out at highway speeds and nearly caused collision. Would not turn over to be moved off freeway.

My vehicle doesn’t even have 66k miles on it and the lifters have gone bad. The check engine came on and the vehicle has stopped working.

See all problems of the 2020 Cadillac Escalade 🔎.

Vehicle died and will not start. Call on star for tow truck 8 hrs no tow truck ! vehicle is super dangerous and unreliable. It’s going to get somebody killed.

Motor damaged. Needs new motor. Crank shaft, seals, bottom end all damaged.

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Engine seized up.

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.

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On Sunday April 19th at approximately 12:00pm. I was driving on NJ’s garden state parkway when the car had catastrophic engine failure at highway speeds. I lost full power, including power steering, and brakes. This SUV could have killed my family and I if I was unable to use brute force to control it into the right lane. While I understand that any vehicle can experience warranty-related issues, a catastrophic engine failure at highway speeds is not a typical or acceptable occurrence. The severity of this incident has significantly impacted my confidence in both the vehicle and the brand. I am particularly concerned about the safety implications associated with the l87 6. 2l v8 engine, which has been widely reported as affecting a substantial number of vehicles. Given what occurred, I no longer feel safe operating this Escalade. My wife is unwilling to drive it, and I am not comfortable having my child in the vehicle under any circumstances.

See all problems of the 2024 Cadillac Escalade 🔎.

Subj: vehicle safety complaint – 2023 Cadillac Escalade sudden loss of power I am reporting a safety issue involving a 2023 Cadillac Escalade esv (VIN: [xxx] ). On April 19, 2026 (late evening into early April 20), while traveling approximately 70 mph on [xxx] , the vehicle suddenly and completely lost engine power without warning. This created an immediate safety hazard, nearly resulting in a collision. I was able to exit the highway, but the vehicle lost all acceleration and became disabled in the middle of a dark off-ramp with oncoming traffic approaching from behind. Onstar was contacted and virginia state police responded due to the unsafe location. A trooper remained on scene with emergency lights to redirect traffic and prevent a collision. Due to the hazardous conditions, the trooper arranged an emergency tow. I incurred $389. 61 in out-of-pocket towing costs. The vehicle was taken to a tow yard, and my aaa premier coverage then towed it 189 miles to miller brothers Cadillac in ellicott city, MD. The dealership diagnosed catastrophic engine failure requiring full engine replacement at approximately 53,000 miles. There were no meaningful warning indicators prior to the sudden loss of power. This vehicle was purchased from sons Chevrolet / Cadillac in columbus, GA in December 2025 as a certified pre-owned Cadillac and had already required multiple repairs shortly after purchase. The vehicle is currently at miller brothers Cadillac awaiting complete engine replacement and is available for inspection. This sudden loss of power at highway speed presents a serious safety risk and could have resulted in a severe accident or loss of life. Given the absence of warning and catastrophic failure at relatively low mileage, I am concerned this may indicate a broader safety defect rather than an isolated incident. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

I am filing a safety complaint regarding repeated engine and drivability issues with my vehicle, which began shortly after purchase and have continued despite service visits. I purchased the vehicle on 03/04/2023. Within approximately one month (03/26/2023), I began experiencing abnormal engine behavior, including ticking noises and instances where the vehicle would shut off and require restarting. I immediately brought the vehicle to the dealership. At that time, the issue was not properly diagnosed and I was told after a test drive that the noise was “normal. On 12/18/2025, I was later notified of an engine recall involving the same type of engine problem I had been reporting since 2023. I brought the vehicle in 12/19/2026 and the engine failed 3 times. I was informed that an engine replacement was necessary, and the vehicle was left at the dealership. It was ready for pickup on 01/14/2026 after the engine replacement was completed. On 04/15/2026, the vehicle began making knocking noises and would not shift into drive or reverse. I had to turn the vehicle off and restart it in order to regain drivability. On 04/16/2026, while driving, the vehicle began making a loud revving noise without accelerating and started to slow down and lose power. I was forced to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle would not respond properly until I turned it off and restarted it again in order to continue driving. These ongoing issues present a serious safety concern due to repeated loss of power and drivability while operating the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving 69 mph with the cruise control set, the vehicle started driving sluggishly and failed to maintain the set speed. The vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 62 mph. The ‘high oil temperature” warning light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated unintendedly to 55 mph. The vehicle then lost automotive power, stalled, and shut off unexpectedly. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with complete engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,400.

I purchased used in Jan 2026 when starting the lifters were loud and I thought was normal engine operation. Since 2/17/2026 the engine vibrated or ran rough when idling. The auto/stop start feature failed randomly as the engine stalled when trying to start. The car passed the recall for the 6. 2 gm l85 engine issue, but is still having issues. The dealership val ward ft myers has the car now, and is replacing the lifters. My concern is that the lower engine issue was not properly diagnosed.

While driving approximately 55 miles per hour vehicle started making loud knocking noise then vehicle shifted to neutral. Vehicle was towed to dealership. Waiting for inspection to confirm engine failure. Vehicle has 32,000 miles.

Dealership stated they fixed recall ref# n252494000 on 9/24/25. But on 4/9/26 noticed engine noise (knocking), then a lose of power and then vehicle stalled on the highway.

Engine misfire, afm lifter collapse, defective afm/dod lifter technology. The three diagnosis I have had done to check for multiple opinions have all come back the same with a collapsed afm lifter causing camshaft damage, overall failure of an afm/dod deactiviating lifter in the 6. 2l l86 engine leading to engine damage. It is available for inspection. The problem has been confirmed by multiple independent service providers and confirmed to be an issue in ongoing litigation against gm. It was initially diagnosed by a mobile mechanic and then taken to a independent service mechanic who confirmed the initial diagnosis. It was then confirmed again by a third party independent mechanic. The engine light did not appear until the noise started and what I now know as when the lifters failed, at which after my vehicle alerted me with the engine light. When the problem first occurred, I was driving around 35 mph down a public road, I had to immediately slow down and pull over. I then limped the vehicle to a safe destination where the mobile mechanic was able to check it out. Luckily, I was not going high speeds and the public road I was driving on was not busy so I was able to pull over safely upon the issue the start of the warning lamp flashing. The engine component failure would have been a much higher safety risk for myself and others if I was driving on a busy road or highway. I have spoke with both gm and Cadillac, they are aware of this defect, yet refuse to provide relief. I have been quoted $13,000-$17,000 to begin repairs to the engine.

See all problems of the 2017 Cadillac Escalade 🔎.

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.

Engine started knocking and past half a mile completely lost power and stoped, towed to dealer, will wait till Monday for any info.

The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and failed to respond as needed, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure had recurred on several occasions, and the contact lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle became difficult to operate. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact expressed concerns that the vehicle posed a safety hazard and was unsafe to continue driving. The approximate failure mileage was 60,645.

The engine failed my check engine light came on, it was in the middle of traffic on 4/2/2026. The vehicle had a very rough idle it went away and then came back and then rough idle again I had 2 miles to go to reach my home and then it just shut off. I called the dealer immediately and then I call aaa I received a loaner from the dealer, and they said they would set up a meeting with the tech advisor and myself. My 2026 Cadillac escalate only had 3186 miles on it I was told by the dealership that it was a bearing issue.

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.

My engine started to make noise so I took it in for service and was told by Cadillac service it was a blown piston rod and it required a full engine replacement.

See all problems of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade 🔎.

2018 Cadillac Escalade esv platinum, 6. 2l v8 l86 engine, under 100,000 miles. Engine seized and was towed to an authorized gm dealership. Teardown confirmed a spun and twisted rod bearing resulting in complete crankshaft seizure, documented by the dealer as non-serviceable per gm, requiring full engine replacement. Component is available for inspection. Prior to seizure, the vehicle experienced a highway stall preceded by a harmonic balancer failure, belt system failure, and charging system collapse. The vehicle lost propulsion at highway speed, creating a crash risk to myself and other drivers. The failure mode, spun rod bearing with crankshaft damage, is physically identical to the defect documented in gm safety recall 25v-274, covering connecting rod and crankshaft manufacturing defects in 6. 2l v8 l87 engines in 2021-2024 vehicles. The l86 and l87 are variants of the same gen v small block architecture with the same bottom end design. I contacted Cadillac customer care and requested a field technical specialist review. Gm instructed the dealership to delay filing a technical assistance case until my third party warranty determination was made. Gm subsequently refused to file any technical case, stating the l86 is not included in the recall and they have no plans to include it. The failure has been confirmed by an authorized gm dealership. I am requesting NHTSA evaluate whether the recall scope should be expanded to include 2018 l86 engines, and whether gm's refusal to conduct technical investigation while directing a third party warranty to absorb a potentially recall-related repair constitutes inadequate recall handling.

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11/26/25 at 85,400 miles on the v8 6. 2l l86 engine, I began experiencing rough idle, loss of engine power and propulsion, a ticking/ knocking noise at idle and when rpms increased as well as blinking engine warning light. Diagnostics/repair work was done by reliable GMC/Cadillac of roseville to fix an ignition coil that was giving the engine error code. 2/24/26 at 86,697 miles, I began having rough idle worse than before, loss of power when accelerating and driving, knocking sounds that increased with acceleration in rpms as well as a blinking engine warning light. All spark plugs and wiring were changed by Cadillac which resolved engine error codes for misfire. Diagnostics/repair was done by reliable GMC/Cadillac of roseville. 3/30/26 at 87,246 (only 549 miles since the previous work up,) the car began to idle rough, and have a audible rhythmic tapping and knocking when accelerating and increasing rpms. During driving, I experienced flashing engine light, and then sudden loss of power and control of vehicle. 3/30/26 veh towed tothompson GMC, of placerville, CA diagnosed vehicle with full engine failure from broken connecting rods and crankshaft of engine. Dealership is recommending full engine replacement, costing approx $23,000. This engine failure occurred on xxx in [xxx] …a dangerous, steep and curvy 2 lane highway. The engine light and loud forceful knocking happened almost simultaneously, without warning. I was forced to perform a dangerous maneuver to exit the highway into a gas station. Had I not done so, the engine failure could have caused full control loss of the vehicle. Traveling approx 50-65mph with my wife, [xxx] son and 2 daughters, an engine failure put my entire family at risk of serious injury or death. Had I not acted quickly, the outcome would have been catastrophic if not fatal. The vehicle is currently at thompson GMC, [xxx] and available for further inspection. We believe this may be related to NHTSA ea25007. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia).

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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.

After the recall work was performed, the vehicle began consuming engine oil at an abnormal and excessive rate between oil changes. Most concerning, during a recent check, the engine oil level was found to be extremely low, with no oil registering on the dipstick. This condition presents a significant risk of engine damage or failure and raises serious safety concerns. Prior to the recall service, the vehicle did not exhibit any abnormal oil consumption. The issue has only occurred after the recall was completed, which strongly suggests a direct connection to the repair.

My Escalade had just been into the dealer because the battery died at only 4200 miles. I drove away and after 10 minutes, I was getting warning messages that the engine was overheating and to turn the vehicle off immediately. I had to pull over on the freeway while listening to my engine knock and click. I eventually got it back to the dealer where they were unable to turn the car on and unable to determine the issue other than telling me it’s something with the engine.

On [03/23/2026], while traveling at 79 mph in high-speed highway traffic, my 2022 Cadillac Escalade suffered a sudden, total engine seizure and complete loss of propulsion. This catastrophic failure occurred without any prior warning lamps or symptoms. The loss of motive power at highway speeds created an immediate life-threatening situation, forcing me to navigate through traffic to the shoulder with no engine power. This vehicle is currently at [parks Chevrolet charlotte] awaiting a full teardown and is available for inspection. Critical safety concern: this engine seizure occurred after recall 25v-274 was marked "completed" on June 18, 2025. This incident represents a direct failure of the recall remedy and is a documented escalation of the issues being investigated under NHTSA recall query rq26001. I am reporting this to provide evidence that the current remedy is insufficient to prevent high-speed engine seizures and loss of propulsion.

On March 21, 2026 while traveling at approximately 70 mph on a public highway, the vehicle experienced a sudden and total loss of propulsion. The vehicle stalled in active traffic, creating an immediate and life-threatening hazard. Following the stall, the vehicle’s system failed, and the vehicle would not engage any gear, including “park” or “neutral. ” consequently, the vehicle could not be towed by standard means and required a specialized car carrier to be transported to heritage Cadillac in morrow, GA 30260.

I’m using this car in poland (europe) my engine starts to make knocking noise due to bearings rods and lifters failure . N252494001 l87 engine loss of propulsion I called to european Cadillac authorized service and they refused to replace the engine because USA based manufacturer don’t wan’t to repair a car even is still on warranty.

Driving on freeway, engine starting knocking loudly and completely failed. I blew an engine on my 2023 Escalade esv as well. Seems like the recall might need to be extended to the 2026 models as well.

Purchased the vehicle 1 year ago and immediately it had oil consumption problems. Got low oil alarm after 2000 miles from the dealers oil change. Dealer told us it was within “specs”. 6 months ago we were told the 6. 2 engine had a recall and a different type oil will be used. 1 month ago the engine locked up and it is now at the dealer waiting for an engine. Asked another car dealership about trading it in and they would not accept it as a trade-in because it currently has a stop sale issued. This means the vehicle is now worth nothing! well, I have to hire attorney to get anything for this vehicle? we paid $75,000 for it a year ago.

While driving on a highway, my wife abruptly experienced warning lights, loud rattling from engine and loss of power. Check engine light indicated cylinder misfire. Troubleshooting revealed a bent push rod and later discover broken lifter. While researching the issue it was found to be a very common issues with vehicles using active fuel management. Issue is so widespread parts are replacement parts are unavailable. If more traffic were around situation could resulted in loss of control in traffic and collision.

On March 19, 2026 around 830am est, the vehicle turned off while I was driving around ~40mph. I lost all power while on a busy street and I was unable to move the car to the side of the road. The car would not shift into drive or neutral, and therefore remained in the middle of the road until a tow truck had to flatbed it to the Cadillac dealership. The l87 recall on this vehicle was performed in August 2025, however the Cadillac dealership said there were no issues found with the l87 recall. The symptoms of today's issue - vehicle turning off while driving and does not start back up, is similar to other reports of this l87 recall and demonstrates that this recall was not accurately performed and/or remedied during the service.