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What 101 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Cadillac Escalade

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (101)Crash / fire / injury (9)Engine (29)Transmission & drivetrain (21)Electrical system (18)Suspension (15)Steering (7)Airbags (6)Brakes (4)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (4)Body & structure (3)Fuel system (3)

4 of 101 complaints match · Electronic Stability Control (esc) · clear filters

Jun 16, 2025Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)

The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while coming to a stop to park the vehicle, the vehicle turned off and restarted continuously, and the steering wheel straightened unintendedly. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle failed to restart after being turned off. The contact had to disconnect and reconnect the battery cables to start the vehicle. The contact stated that the message "Service Stabili-trak" was temporarily displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

NHTSA ODI 11667098

Oct 31, 2018SuspensionElectronic Stability Control (esc)

THIS VEHICLE IS ABOUT TO SHAKE ME OUT OF IT. THE SUN ROOF EVEN SHAKES AT ALL SPEEDS AND AT ALL TIME. A $50.000.00 PIECE OF JUNK. I'M EMBARRASSED TO LET SOMEONE RIDE WITH ME. IT'S UNSAFE!!!

NHTSA ODI 11144598

Jan 14, 2018Transmission & drivetrainBody & structureElectronic Stability Control (esc)

COLLISION ALERT ON WHILE IN PARK. THEY ALSO FLASH FAINTLY WHILE DRIVING WITH NOTHING IN FRONT. ALL SENSORS CLEAR OF DEBRIS. THIS IS A RECURRENT ISSUE FOR WHICH I WAS TOLD IT WAS CUE RELATED AND THAT REPLACING THE CUE WOULD FIX. (RECURRENT ISSUE) SERVICE PERSON WAS ABLE TO SEE THIS PROBLEM AS IT HAPPENED ISSUES WITH MY ESCALATE WHICH INCLUDE THE COLLISION ALERT DISPLAYING ( FLICKERING ) ONGOING. HARD TO TAKE PICTURES AS IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION BANGS LOW SPEED (RECURRENT ISSUES) VEHICLE LOCKED ITSELF WITH THE KEYS INSIDE. MY WIFE HAD TO CALL ME TO GET THE SPARE SET AND UNLOCK THE TRUCK. THEFT ATTEMPTED WARNING LIGHT THAT WAS TRIGGERED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND COLLISION LIGHTS WERE BEING TRIGGERED AS WELL I HAVE ADDITIONAL DOC I COULD SEND BU THIS SYSTEM ISN'T ALLOWING IT. THANK YOU FERNANDO

NHTSA ODI 11062654

Nov 2, 2017SuspensionElectronic Stability Control (esc)

I PURCHASED A NEW VEHICLE A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, PICKED IT UP AT 4PM, ON MY DRIVE HOME I NOTICED A VIBRATION WHEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS FROM 35 MILES PER HOUR PLUS. THE VIBRATION INCREASES WITH SPEED. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER THE NEXT MORNING ON SATURDAY AT 8AM. I WAS ASKED TO DROP IT OFF DURING THE WEEK, WHICH I DID. THEY REPLACED 4 TIRES. THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I BROUGHT IT BACK AGAIN A FEW WEEKS LATER, TWO TIRES WERE REPLACED A SECOND TIME. I STILL HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I BROUGHT IT BACK AGAIN, THE 3RD TIME THEY REPLACED ON TIRE. IT DID NOT CORRECT THE VIBRATION. I NOW HAVE MY VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE AGAIN, THEY REPLACED THE DRIVE SHAFT. I JUST RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE SERVICE MANAGER INFORMING ME THE DRIVE SHAFT REPLACEMENT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11042288

Working with the data? Download all 101 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Cadillac Escalade verdict →