What 119 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Cadillac Escalade

The vehicle shut off while cruising at 70-75 mph on the highway. A "Press Start Button" message appeared, followed by the Check Engine Light. I pulled over to the shoulder and had the vehicle towed to shop.

NHTSA ODI 11647297

A very loud clicking noise from the engine was being produced and rapidly intensifying. It triggered an anxiety attack since I was on the freeway. Luckily, I was near my dealership otherwise I would’ve called emergency services. Turns out my engine was confirmed to be on the verge of a complete shutdown

NHTSA ODI 11647265

The vehicle shut off while cruising at 70-75 mph on the highway. A "Press Start Button" message appeared, followed by the Check Engine Light. I pulled over to the shoulder and had the vehicle towed to shop, engine has locked up!

NHTSA ODI 11646337

Engine failure with less than 30k miles.

NHTSA ODI 11645486

My vehicle went in to the dealer for a routine engine oil change at 34k miles. I let them know that my vehicle was having a tugging sensation when I would press the gas. That same day(2/15/25) I was told that I would need a new engine. It is 2/28/25 and the dealership still doesn't have a time frame of when they will receive a motor to replace. By the way I bought my vehicle brand new and have always maintained they oil checks in their due time.

NHTSA ODI 11645553

Engine Bearings went bad per the dealer at 14K miles; the Car was purchased 13 months prior. New engine required. The car has been in the shop and is unusable. no warning lights ever displayed. The engine died without notice. The dealer has given us a loaner, smaller than said vehicle, and we have had to spend 5k renting cars so far.

NHTSA ODI 11645242

I was driving down the interstate going about 80mph, and the gas pedal stopped working. It slowed to a complete halt and put itself in neutral. Could not be restarted, would not even turn over after that. Engine just died with only 25,300 miles or so on the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11645363

2024 [XXX], Engine failure on [XXX] ) Car shifted automatically in neutral, telling me to turn off the vehicle and restart it on the dash. I pull over to restart it and it does not come back on. Fast-forward 9 months later, another engine failure [XXX] At what point will Cadillac be responsible for these defective vehicles coming from manufacturing. I spent over $120,000 on this vehicle and to have two engine failures before 45,000 miles is absolutely unacceptable. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11644348

I am expressing my complaint on engine problem with my vehicle. I have an engine knocking or clicking noise that started last week. I had it evaluated by my mechanic, and we were told metal fragments were found in the oil pan…Indicating internal engine failure. I am angry now seeing all the info online about the failure of these 6.2 liter engines. My mechanic said he wouldn’t drive it for safety reasons because it will definitely get worse. I called the GM hotline. They were not very helpful. They said I needed to schedule with a dealer to have it diagnosed. She didn’t offer any more information. Shame on GM

NHTSA ODI 11644260

The vehicle has approx. 28,000 miles on the odometer. Always serviced at Cadillac on a regular maintenance interval called for by the vehicle and manufacturer. At highway speeds, the vehicle lost all power and came to a stop in moving lanes of traffic putting my family at risk of being rear-ended on a highway at highway speeds (greater than 65 mph). The vehicle was later towed by OnStar / roadside assistance. The Cadillac dealership that received the Escalade determined this was a failed motor. The Service Advisor at the Cadillac dealership mentioned this was a common issue on L87 blocks / engines. They've already seen a few at their dealership and GM had confirmed to them this is a known issue (motor failure on the 6.2 liter V8 L87s). There were no warning lights or other symptoms leading up to the motor failure.

NHTSA ODI 11643643

Complete engine shutdown without warning. Vehicle at Cadillac of Las Vegas in Nevada for inspection purposes. Vehicle came to stop in 45 to 50 mph traffic with strong possibility of rear end collision. Vehicle was being driven in inner lane of four lane highway with no way to get to far right lane. No shoulders on [XXX] and close to [XXX] to get off of highway. Rush hour traffic with rear end collision possibility. Onstar called Las Vegas Metro police department for assistance. Policemen parked there squad vehicle behind ours with their lights flashing to prevent a rear end collision. Vehicle has been diagnosed by dealer with a seized engine. New engine ordered on January 13 2025. Engine on back order with no expected delivery date. No warning lights or messages that engine was malfunctioning in any manner prior to shut down. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11641731

While my wife was driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, her vehicle suddenly shut off without warning. Since there was no shoulder, she had to coast to find a safe place to pull over. All the dashboard lights came on, indicating what appeared to be an electrical issue. She attempted to restart the vehicle several times, but only received a message stating, “Battery low, needs charge.” She contacted OnStar, expecting prompt assistance, but the experience was far from what’s advertised. She waited a total of 45 minutes just to speak with someone, only to be transferred to another representative. Despite having paid for OnStar services when we purchased the vehicle, they refused to cover the towing charges because she was on a private highway, forcing her to pay out of pocket for a service we had already purchased. During this time, it was extremely cold and windy. My 5-year-old daughter and wife waited about an hour and a half for the tow truck to arrive, and then an additional two hours while the driver secured the vehicle onto the flatbed. Since the car was completely dead, they had no heat the entire time. When they stepped out of the car so the tow truck driver could load it, they discovered they couldn’t get back inside—the doors wouldn’t open due to the lack of power. This entire ordeal was not only frustrating but incredibly unsafe for them. Having the vehicle shut down without warning on a busy highway, especially with our young child in the car, was terrifying for them. After our vehicle was at the dealership for a week, we were informed that the engine needs to be replaced. We were shocked to learn that this is a common issue with GM’s 6.2 engines. To make matters worse, there is no estimated timeframe for the repair because the engine is on backorder. For reference, the truck only has 24,000 miles on it and has been exclusively serviced by authorized Cadillac dealers. This experience has been both disappointing and deeply concerning.

NHTSA ODI 11640754

pulled up to a gate and was waiting for it to open, no warning at all, the engine died while in drive. I restarted it, pulled up to a stop sign, waited my turn, the engine died again. I was on my way to get my daughter from school, but didn't feel like my Escalade would have made it. so I drove it to the shop to check the battery. It wasn't the battery so we took it to the dealership. So thankful it didn't happen while I was driving in traffic, without any warning, it could have ended badly. took it to the delearship, same thing happened to the mechanic when he was test driving it. He said it is a problem with the engine, and we will have to wait for at least a month for a complete engine replacement. No warnings at all before this happened. This incident happened on 1/29/25. The escalade has approximately 16k miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11640220

I own a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. I was traveling on Interstate 75 to Tampa from Naples on Wednesday evening (01/29/25) when, at approximately 9:30 p.m., the check engine warning light illuminated. My vehicle suddenly lost power in the middle of the interstate and decelerated quickly. Thankfully, I was able to safely maneuver my vehicle from the fast lane to the shoulder of the interstate. I tried to re-start my vehicle as speeding traffic zoomed passed me. I was stuck on the interstate and afraid to get out of my vehicle for fear of being struck in the darkness. There were no warnings. My vehicle just shut off. I had my vehicle towed to a local Cadillac dealership. The mechanic who diagnosed my vehicle determined the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The local dealership stated the replacement engine is on backorder, and it may take weeks before my vehicle can be repaired. I now have a rental vehicle while I await for my vehicle to be repaired. Upon researching this issue online, I found NHTSA Investigation PE25001, where the manufacturer is investigating this engine failure issue. My vehicle mileage is approximately 28,000.

NHTSA ODI 11639890

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The check engine warning light was occasionally illuminated. The contact stated that after attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer informed the contact that the parts for the repair were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated the vehicle was towed to the dealer on several other occasions. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Investigation: PE25001. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11638220

While driving on the interstate at 80 mph, my vehicle switched to neutral and began to decelerate. I could not shift back to drive. Thankfully I was able to maneuver through the busy interstate to pull over to the median. We almost triggered an accident due to the deceleration while in the fast lane. Once we were able to stop in the median, I had to turn off the vehicle because it would not change gears. The engine would not start and we were stuck in Park mode. The vehicle had to be towed from the median of the interstate.

NHTSA ODI 11638229

I was driving my 2024 Escalade on the interstate at 80 mph when the vehicle started jolting and acting as if it was going to stop. My speed dropped from 80 to 55 while the screen started flashing "press start button", all while the vehicle was still running. Luckily I was able to cross 4 lanes of traffic and pull over on the shoulder. I was fortunate that I was not hit. I turned off the vehicle and then started it back up. Two days later, the vehicle was once again acting as if it didn't want to start/go. After a 40 minute trip, the vehicle died as I pulled into my driveway. It did start back up but the engine was making horrible sounds. I had to be towed to the dealership. I had no warning lamps prior to the flashing "press start button". The problem has been confirmed by the dealership. Engine failure. I need a completely new engine. This will soon be 8 weeks ago that my vehicle was towed. I have been in a rental since that day. The dealership says they have no updates as to when the engine will arrive. After tests done at the dealership, they did confirm that the problems were happening on longer trips. Most of my driving is around town, hence why I noticed the problems when I had been driving for 30 plus minutes.

NHTSA ODI 11637899

I was driving home from getting groceries when all of a sudden the vehicle starts to make a loud noise from the engine (no warning lamps/lights or any messages popped up.) I proceeded to go home and call my husband and ask for his help with the problem. I recorded a video of the car and sent it to him, and he said that it sounded like the engine is knocking and told me to shut the car off and call the dealership to further discuss the situation with them. After calling the dealership they towed my car to get it diagnosed. It has been a month or so now since leaving my car with them and they still cannot diagnose the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11638050

My Escalade stopped running while on the highway at 70 MPH. There was no warning lights on at the time. The engine shut down and the truck stopped in a live lane. My entire family of 6 were stopped in the left live lane with traffic passing us on either side at excessive speed - it was very dangerous. Truck was towed to dealer - where it was diagnosed as a bearing issue requiring a full engine replacement. That was over 2 months ago - GM cannot even tell me when a replacement engine will be available. Please note I am in Toronto Canada and was made aware of your investigation online.

NHTSA ODI 11637706

Was driving on the highway and the engine completely died on me. Towed it to the dealer only for them to tell me that the engine needs to be replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11637454

The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the following day while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started to stall with a high-pitched squeaking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light flashed on the instrument panel moments before the vehicle shut off. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact stated that the engine was replaced under warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. Despite the repair, the contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

NHTSA ODI 11637462

My 2023 Escalade Sport that was purchased new has had two engines seize up while driving. The first time happened was July 17th, 2023, when we were traveling for vacation. It had 10,697 miles on it. We were driving 70 down the highway with the cruise set and it just died. No warning at all. There was no shoulder, the side of the road was steep and muddy so my husband had to time it to get it in someone’s driveway safely. We were pulling a 14ft trailer. We were NOT close to the max weight, so that had nothing to do with it. How it happened was not safe at all. It was scary having that happen with no warning and we were not close to a city. We had to call family to come offload our car as we had suitcases for vacation. We also had to have another family member bring a truck to pull the trailer home. We lost days of vacation over this. The car was towed to our cadillac dealer and we were told it needed a new engine. Making another claim for the 2nd engine that failed in this same car.

NHTSA ODI 11636982

I had a 2023 Escalade that was purchased new and it had TWO motors seize up in it. I filed a separate complaint for the 1st one. This will have to do with the 2nd time. The 2nd motor that seized up happened also on vacation, with a trailer. These new 6.2’s don’t like a trailer or any type of load. We were NOT even at 1/2 of the max trailer amount. We have had the 6.2 engine for 12 plus years in different vehicles pulling the same trailer and never had an issue until this 23’. So we were traveling in the panhandle of OK, in July, not close to a town, doing 68 mph and a warning light came on for 5 seconds saying something about engine oil hot, we couldn’t even read it before it went away and the engine died. Doing 68mph down a highway pulling a trailer. We got it safely to the side of the road. I had to leave my husband and son on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere, in the hot as hell Oklahoma panhandle to drive back to our hometown with the family that was traveling with us to get our truck. My husband and son had to wait for 4 hours on the side of the highway. It was super dangerous. Not close to a city, in July when it was super hot. There was not enough room in the car I road in for my son and my husband had to stay with all our stuff so it didn’t get stolen! It took me 4 hours to get back to them and the tow truck showed up at the same time as me…4 hours later. It was awful. And this was the 2nd time!!!! This 23’ Escalade now has it’s 3rd motor in it before 30K miles!

NHTSA ODI 11636984

[XXX] driving on the freeway in AZ when had the motor completely fail with only 10,000 miles on it putting my family in harms way at 70mpg trying to get to right side of the road during rush hour traffic with no power. Complete failure due to a lifter I was told by dealer 55days later it was fixed and have still issues. Currently doing a lemon law buyback that’s now over 90days with no responses from GM. Now having to take them to court to get rid of this unsafe vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11636887

On [XXX] My wife and son were driving down [XXX] in passing lane running 70mph and the suv just started slowing down and had no power at which she started panicking due to trying to get all the way over to median with no power. thank god they made it without getting hit. At this time we called dealership and explained issue and they told us the motor has locked up (very known issue) Fast forward until now january 19,2025 they have verified it is locked up and they can't get another motor and have no eta on new motor(motor on national back order) So now we're paying a car payment and a rental $2200 a month and they(cadillac) keep telling us they will get a loaner (after countless calls and hrs on phone)so were not having to pay for a rental but have yet to receive one. only thing we have received is a $100,000 vehicle broke down with no eta on repairs, a rental bill of $2200 a month,and a bunch of broken promises. very disappointed customer really thought cadillac was way better than this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11636907