IllustrationMy 2017 Cadillac Escalade AFM lifter fail and cause complete engine failure while driving on the highway. It was terrifying to happen on the highway. This could have cause as a major accident.
2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
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There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
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Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Escalade Esv years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
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When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 17 of 38 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
Engine complaints
10 reportsP0306 misfire. Flashing check engine light. Ive replaced all spark plugs. Ive replaced the ignition coil. Still has not fixed problem. While doing research on how to replace fuel injectors came across an article stating special coverage N102291660 for fuel injectors extending the warranty to 10 years, 150,000 miles but thi…
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P0306 misfire. Flashing check engine light. Ive replaced all spark plugs. Ive replaced the ignition coil. Still has not fixed problem. While doing research on how to replace fuel injectors came across an article stating special coverage N102291660 for fuel injectors extending the warranty to 10 years, 150,000 miles but this is not showing for my VIN. My vehicle has the 6.2L engine so Im not sure what this is covered for some but not others when this is a known problem. I bought this vehicle a year ago because my wife and I took in custody of our 3 nieces all under age 2 thinking this would be a reliable vehicle. Id like to understand why my vehicle os not covered for this known issue, but others Cadillac ESVs are.
Lifters went out in January 2024 Paid thousands and thousands to repair and now having more issues again. Same issues the recalled 2021-2025 gym 6.2L have
With only 78k miles on my 2017 Escalade the same issue happened with the lifters like in the 2021-2025 models. We had to pay out 14k to replace the motor. GM has known about this problem for almost a decade and it’s not fair that we had to pay out this much money to replace an engine with them knowing the problems. Had they told…
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With only 78k miles on my 2017 Escalade the same issue happened with the lifters like in the 2021-2025 models. We had to pay out 14k to replace the motor. GM has known about this problem for almost a decade and it’s not fair that we had to pay out this much money to replace an engine with them knowing the problems. Had they told us years ago to change to a heavier oil or whatever we would have done so and maybe our factory engine would have lasted like so many previous year models up to 250k miles.
The engine is a 8 cylinder 6.2 liter. It starts out using 8 cylinders and progressively drops to 4 at highway speeds. The lifter failed, seized and gouged and ruined the block and camshaft. This preventable repair necessitated an entirely new engine. This happens to thousands of GM vehicles of a similar year, but GM only acknow…
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The engine is a 8 cylinder 6.2 liter. It starts out using 8 cylinders and progressively drops to 4 at highway speeds. The lifter failed, seized and gouged and ruined the block and camshaft. This preventable repair necessitated an entirely new engine. This happens to thousands of GM vehicles of a similar year, but GM only acknowledges years 2021-2024. They made a defective product, knew about it and refused to adress it
Engine is stalling as if its choking and whole car is shaking. Vehicle has been up to date in maintenance with 26000. Miles. Now Check engine light is on along with traction control light .
Subject: Engine Lifter Failure in 2017 Cadillac Escalade - Manufacturer-Acknowledged Defect Component/System Failure: My 2017 Cadillac Escalade has experienced a critical engine malfunction specifically related to the Active Fuel Management (AFM) lifter system. The lifters are causing multiple engine misfires. This issue direct…
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Subject: Engine Lifter Failure in 2017 Cadillac Escalade - Manufacturer-Acknowledged Defect Component/System Failure: My 2017 Cadillac Escalade has experienced a critical engine malfunction specifically related to the Active Fuel Management (AFM) lifter system. The lifters are causing multiple engine misfires. This issue directly matches the manufacturer-acknowledged problem detailed in GM Service Bulletin 15-06-01-002M. Safety Risks: The lifter failure creates significant safety hazards, including: Potential sudden loss of engine power while driving Risk of unexpected vehicle stalling in traffic Compromised engine performance and vehicle control Potential complete engine failure The manufacturer's service bulletin recognizes these systemic issues across multiple vehicle models, including my Escalade. Problem Confirmation: General Motors has explicitly documented the problem in Service Bulletin 15-06-01-002M, which covers 2015-2020 Cadillac Escalade models. This indicates a known, widespread manufacturing or design defect. Despite GM's explicit recognition of this critical engine defect, customers must pay for repairs out of pocket when the warranty expires. This places an undue financial burden on vehicle owners for a problem that is clearly a manufacturing defect.
Transmission failing. The transmission has had hard shifts and was serviced to try and fix this issue. No fix and now the transmission is slipping.
The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while the vehicle was idling and while making left or right turns. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle after waiting…
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The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while the vehicle was idling and while making left or right turns. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle after waiting for several minutes. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
CAR IS VIBRATING WHEN YOU STOP IN TRAFFIC LIGHTS IT FILLS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE . I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING AND 2ND PROBLEM IS STEERING WHEEL IT GIVES METAL KNOCKIN NOISE ON THE ROAD BUMPS
Official recalls
116V651000 · Air Bags:frontal; Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE ; Seat Belts:pretensioner
Sep 8, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Seat Belts:pretensioner
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Air Bags:frontal
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.