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What 85 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 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 (85)Crash / fire / injury (10)Engine (30)Brakes (20)Transmission & drivetrain (19)Electrical system (12)Body & structure (5)Speed control (4)Suspension (4)Steering (3)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (2)Lights (2)

1 of 85 complaints match · Suspension · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 23, 2021SuspensionBody & structure1 injury

I WAS RETRIEVING SOMETHING OUT OF THE TRUCK AND THE LIFTGATE FELL ON ME. I NEVER FELT SUCH EXCRUCIATING PAIN. I HAD TO LIFT THE LIFTGATE OFF OF ME. THERE WAS NO WARNING OR ANYTHING THAT GAVE ME THE INDICATION THE LIFTGATE WAS MALFUNCTIONING. WHEN I OPENED THE TRUNK OF THE SUV THERE WAS NO INDICATION SOMETHING LET THIS WOULD HAPPEN BECAUSE IT OPENED JUST FINE. THIS LIFTGATE HIT ME SO HARD THAT IT CAUSED MAJOR BRUISES ON MY BACK AND HIPS. I HURT MY SHOULDER BECAUSE I HAD TO LIFT THE LIFTGATE OFF OF ME. TO SAY THE LEAST I ENDED UP IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM. ME AND MY HUSBAND STARTED SEEING IS THIS AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THE LIFTGATES AND IT IS. SO MANY COMPLAINTS, YET NO RECALLS. WHAT DOES IT TAKE? SOMEONE TO BE KILLED BY THIS? SO MANY PEOPLE ARE BEING HURT, BUT GM DOES NOT RECALL THIS? SO SAD. ITS TIME GM PUT PEOPLE OVER PROFITS!!! THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED!!!

NHTSA ODI 11404462

Working with the data? Download all 85 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 2017 Cadillac Escalade verdict →