2018 Cadillac Escalade Esv

2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum, 6.2L V8 L86 engine, under 100,000 miles. Engine seized and was towed to an authorized GM dealership. Teardown confirmed a spun and twisted rod bearing resulting in complete crankshaft seizure, documented by the dealer as non-serviceable per GM, requiring full engine replacement. Component is available for inspection. Prior to seizure, the vehicle experienced a highway stall preceded by a harmonic balancer failure, belt system failure, and charging system collapse. The vehicle lost propulsion at highway speed, creating a crash risk to myself and other drivers. The failure mode, spun rod bearing with crankshaft damage, is physically identical to the defect documented in GM Safety Recall 25V-274, covering connecting rod and crankshaft manufacturing defects in 6.2L V8 L87 engines in 2021-2024 vehicles. The L86 and L87 are variants of the same Gen V small block architecture with the same bottom end design. I contacted Cadillac Customer Care and requested a Field Technical Specialist review. GM instructed the dealership to delay filing a technical assistance case until my third party warranty determination was made. GM subsequently refused to file any technical case, stating the L86 is not included in the recall and they have no plans to include it. The failure has been confirmed by an authorized GM dealership. I am requesting NHTSA evaluate whether the recall scope should be expanded to include 2018 L86 engines, and whether GM's refusal to conduct technical investigation while directing a third party warranty to absorb a potentially recall-related repair constitutes inadequate recall handling.

Engine started making strange noises and i had to pull over due to it not driving correctly. I was stranded two hours from home. There were no warning lights. I have a video of the noise it was making. Upon getting it towed back to a local mechanic I was told I have the 6.2 GM engine that has been recalled on other vehicles. I found out that the lifters and cam shaft were bad along with the bearings in my engine. I also had to replace the timing chain. My vehicle only has less than 170,000 miles on it. The car was serviced regularly. A local mechanic has already repaired the problem.

There was an internal failure in the engine causing loss of power, misfire, and loud knocking from inside the engine. Check engine light came out and the car was shut-off and towed to a repair facility. The facility found metal shavings in the oil filter and said the engine needs to be replaced. I became aware of an open recall (25V-274) on the same engine for model years 2021-2024, and think the same manufacturing defect may be responsible for the failure in my 2018 model year. My mechanic tells me his small shop has seen this problem with four other vehicles with the same engine.

The contact owns a 2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was stiff, and the vehicle lost automotive power and failed to exceed 35 MPH while driving. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle failed to properly shift to driver(D) from park(P). The contact stated that the check engine, low oil pressure, and TPMS warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,107.