NHTSA vehicle safety data

2021 Cadillac Escalade NA Recalls & Complaints

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade NA has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns and 17 owner complaints on file as of October 21, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Cadillac dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade NA. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

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2021 Cadillac Escalade NA owner complaints

Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Cadillac Escalade NA, describing incidents dated December 2, 2020 to October 30, 2023.

Most-cited components

Engine 7 complaints
Electrical System 3 complaints
Service Brakes 3 complaints
Exterior Lighting 2 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance 2 complaints
Unknown or Other 2 complaints

Of the 17 complaints on file, 1 reports a crash and 1 a fire (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

ODI #11554219 · Filed November 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the message "Service Transmission Now - Unable to Shift Soon" was displayed. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The…
ODI #11517768 · Filed April 19, 2023
On 2/21/23, at 1245, I hit the rear bumper of my 2021 Cadillac Escalade when I backed up after I had scraped the driver side of my door panel as I drive thru a gated parking area. I started driving forward, turned left onto the back row of parking area. Suddenly the car accelerated very fast like…
ODI #11515958 · Filed April 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V827000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable…

Read all 17 complaints

Power Control Module May Cause Fuel Pump Failure

NHTSA #21V739000 · Fuel System, Gasoline — Delivery — Fuel Pump — Control/Drive Module · NHTSA notice

Reported September 23, 2021 · General Motors, LLC

Potentially affected: 14,939 vehicles

Repair completion: 97.64% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)

Manufacturer campaign N212332040 · Owners notified October 14, 2021

Defect description

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump power control module may cause the fuel pump to fail or operate intermittently, which can interrupt fuel flow to the engine, and cause an unexpected engine stall.

Safety consequence

An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Dealers will replace the fuel pump power control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 14, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212332040.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Loss of Power Steering Assist

NHTSA #21V455000 · Steering — Steering Control Module · NHTSA notice

Reported June 17, 2021 · General Motors, LLC

Potentially affected: 26,847 vehicles

Repair completion: 98.94% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)

Manufacturer campaign N212333900 · Owners notified July 13, 2021

Defect description

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. A software issue may cause a loss of power steering assist at startup or while driving.

Safety consequence

Increased steering effort, particularly at lower speeds, increases the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

The power steering module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 13, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212333900.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Incorrect Bolts Used To Attach Seat Belts

NHTSA #20V811000 · Seat Belts · NHTSA notice

Reported December 23, 2020 · General Motors, LLC

Potentially affected: 470 vehicles

Repair completion: 93.83% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)

Manufacturer campaign N202322230 · Owners notified January 29, 2021

Defect description

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.

Safety consequence

If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Telltales may be Dim//FMVSS 101, 208

NHTSA #20V790000 · Electrical System — Instrument Cluster/Panel · NHTSA notice

Reported December 17, 2020 · General Motors, LLC

Potentially affected: 3,203 vehicles

Repair completion: 99.19% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)

Manufacturer campaign N202319980 · Owners notified February 1, 2021

Defect description

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles. The front passenger seat belt and airbag status telltale lights located in the overhead console in these vehicles may be set to "night mode" when the vehicle is started using remote start or when the vehicle is turned off and re-started after approximately ten minutes without opening the door. In daytime, if night mode is active, the telltale lights may not be visible, and fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Safety consequence

If the telltale lights are not visible, the driver and front passenger may not know that the front passenger is unbuckled or has a deactivated air bag, increasing the risk of passenger injury in a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

The body control module (BCM) software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. The recall began February 1, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202319980.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade NA. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

17 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade NA.

Power Train

ODI #11554219

Incident: October 30, 2023 · Filed: November 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the message "Service Transmission Now - Unable to Shift Soon" was displayed. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

Air Bags; Structure; Service Brakes

ODI #11517768

Crash

Incident: February 21, 2023 · Filed: April 19, 2023

On 2/21/23, at 1245, I hit the rear bumper of my 2021 Cadillac Escalade when I backed up after I had scraped the driver side of my door panel as I drive thru a gated parking area. I started driving forward, turned left onto the back row of parking area. Suddenly the car accelerated very fast like from 0-60 mph. I quickly tried to step on the brake but the car kept accelerating. I tried to steer the steering wheel away from a parked car that it was headed directly for. The steering wheel locked & wouldn’t turn. The car proceeded to hit a Hyundai. It knocked the Hyundai out of its way & continued to surge forward where it hit another parked dodge ram double cab truck. That’s when the Cadillac stopped. The air bag partially deployed just slightly past the steering wheel. I had absolutely no control of the car.

Exterior Lighting

ODI #11515958

Incident: February 1, 2023 · Filed: April 7, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V827000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN tool showed no present recall.

Service Brakes

ODI #11509670

Incident: February 23, 2023 · Filed: March 1, 2023

My wife pulled out of a parking lot and was driving down the road at approximately 30mph when the brakes stopped working entirely. There was no response when she pushed on the brake pedal. The car displayed 3 warnings on the driver display: BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE 62 MPH TOP SPEED SERVICE STABILITRAK SERVICE TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM My wife was able to coast into the next parking lot and go uphill to bring the car to a stop. If this had happened on the highway, this brake failure could have killed my wife and children because the BRAKES ENTIRELY STOPPED WORKING. This is a critical safety issue. Reporting it to NHTSA now to work with Cadillac to get this fixed before someone dies driving a 2021 Cadillac Escalade.

Engine

ODI #11509063

Incident: December 2, 2022 · Filed: February 25, 2023

As far as the findings from the diagnosis, the dealer advised that inspection found crank bearing failure. The engine has been ordered but does not have an ETA at this time.

Engine

ODI #11502081

Incident: January 14, 2023 · Filed: January 16, 2023

I was driving with my family of five on I-15 in Utah County, UT, on 01-14-23 when the ability to accelerate was impacted. We noticed a strange noise from the engine compartment too. After about ten seconds of the strange noise and as I was attempting to cross four lanes of traffic to pull over, the car gave an oil pressure problem reading and shut off as we were in the process of coming to a complete stop. My wife and three kids were traumatized by the incident and I was rattled too. After a few hours, I was able to get towed with the help of State Farm (my insurance company) at my expense (my portion was $143.75 paid by my Visa card). The vehicle was towed to Jerry Seiner Cadillac in SLC, UT. I am now without a family vehicle and no loaners were available, according to the service writer. He said that I will likely have to rent a car while I wait for a new engine. He also said that there are two Cadillac's at the dealership that have been waiting on new engines since May 2022. My family cannot bear the expense of this engine failure, the depreciation of the vehicle while it sits waiting for a new engine, the trauma and danger the incident put us through, and the time I am spending to try to resolve the issue. I'm worried that other will have a similar experience and am writing about this incident to ensure that it's documented.

Engine

ODI #11496037

Incident: December 2, 2022 · Filed: December 5, 2022

Friday evening I was left stranded on the side of the road in my 2021 Cadillac Escalade with less than 30k miles that I actually purchased brand brand new about a year or so ago. The vehicle slowed to a crawl in the fast Lane of I65 as cars and semis whipped past me as I attempted to use any last moment to get the shoulder. I finally get to the shoulder and contact Cadillac customer service to get a tow who after approximately 2 hours of supposedly searching for tow technical they come back and tell me they can't find someone to accept the contract. When I say that that is unacceptable I guess they expand the search and come back and tell me that a tow truck that is 2 hours away is coming. At that exact time I got on google myself myself and found a tow truck that got to me in 15 minutes. That then takes me to this morning where I called the service department myself and was informed by John that its is on the batter charger and I will hear back in an hour as I informed him at that moment that I had no vehicle, but he informed me that he couldn't do anything till after they found the issue. Fast forward to the call I receive at 12:20 multiple hours later where I'm informed that it is an issue with the engine of a 2021 Cadillac Escalade with less than 30k and the best that could be done is get me a rental car in Lafayette an hour away from me I contacted the dealership today and have been informed since i intend to consult with an attorney they can no longer speak with me.

Seat Belts

ODI #11480188

Incident: August 11, 2022 · Filed: August 19, 2022

Hello, I own two 2021 Cadillac Escalades that I brought into my local Cadillac dealership to get the recent "Third Row Seatbelt Retention" remedied. They both return with no repairs needed after a thorough inspection was completed. May I ask how long does it take for my vehicles to be cleared/remedied on the website? My dealership has already sent in the paperwork to NHTSA to get it evaluated. VIN: [XXX] VIN: [XXX] Thank you INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Electrical System; Service Brakes; Engine

ODI #11467100

Incident: June 1, 2022 · Filed: June 2, 2022

4/24/2022 Vehicle locks in neutral in major roads as your driving And motor seized I have several videos last night as of 5/01/2022 vehicle locked into park as I was going 50 miles with oncoming traffic I was in fear of danger thank god was able to pull off into side ditch

Exterior Lighting

ODI #11441002

Incident: November 19, 2021 · Filed: November 19, 2021

2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE. CONSUMER STATED THAT THE TAIL LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE WERE INTENSELY BRIGHT.

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