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2019 Cadillac Escalade Esv

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 6 of 33 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.

  • Engine. Review the 19 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 →
  • Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports

Engine complaints

19 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jul 11, 2026
Engine

At 60,000 miles the lifter failed and bent a pushrod rod while driving 65mph on the interstate. I had to slow my driving to 40mph in heavy traffic and "limp" it to the dealership. When I drove it to the local Cadillac dealership, they confirmed what had happened. There were no warning lamps prior to this happening. This is a com…

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At 60,000 miles the lifter failed and bent a pushrod rod while driving 65mph on the interstate. I had to slow my driving to 40mph in heavy traffic and "limp" it to the dealership. When I drove it to the local Cadillac dealership, they confirmed what had happened. There were no warning lamps prior to this happening. This is a common failure due to the weak lifters in GM's AFM/DOD feature. If these engines had the same lifters/cam as the Corvettes and Camaros that don't have AFM/DOD, these engines would be a lot more reliable.

NHTSA ODI #11749695

Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2026
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

11/26/25 at 85,400 miles on the v8 6.2L L86 engine, I began experiencing rough idle, loss of engine power and propulsion, a ticking/ knocking noise at idle and when RPMs increased as well as blinking engine warning light. Diagnostics/Repair work was done by Reliable GMC/Cadillac of Roseville to fix an ignition coil that was givi…

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11/26/25 at 85,400 miles on the v8 6.2L L86 engine, I began experiencing rough idle, loss of engine power and propulsion, a ticking/ knocking noise at idle and when RPMs increased as well as blinking engine warning light. Diagnostics/Repair work was done by Reliable GMC/Cadillac of Roseville to fix an ignition coil that was giving the engine error code. 2/24/26 At 86,697 miles, I began having rough idle worse than before, loss of power when accelerating and driving, knocking sounds that increased with acceleration in RPMs as well as a blinking engine warning light. All spark plugs and wiring were changed by Cadillac which resolved engine error codes for misfire. Diagnostics/Repair was done by Reliable GMC/Cadillac of Roseville. 3/30/26 at 87,246 (only 549 miles since the previous work up,) the car began to idle rough, and have a audible rhythmic tapping and knocking when accelerating and increasing RPMs. During driving, I experienced flashing engine light, and then sudden loss of power and control of vehicle. 3/30/26 Veh towed toThompson GMC, of Placerville, CA diagnosed vehicle with full engine failure from broken connecting rods and crankshaft of engine. Dealership is recommending full engine replacement, costing approx $23,000. This engine failure occurred on XXX in [XXX] …a dangerous, steep and curvy 2 lane highway. The engine light and loud forceful knocking happened almost simultaneously, without warning. I was forced to perform a dangerous maneuver to exit the highway into a gas station. Had I not done so, the engine failure could have caused full control loss of the vehicle. Traveling approx 50-65mph with my wife, [XXX] son and 2 daughters, an engine failure put my entire family at risk of serious injury or death. Had I not acted quickly, the outcome would have been catastrophic if not fatal. The vehicle is currently at Thompson GMC, [XXX] and available for further inspection. We believe this may be related to NHTSA EA25007. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)

NHTSA ODI #11728347

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2026
Engine

Rough running engine at idle. The vehicle also shows low oil pressure at idle 13psi. Took to several service technicians and was told this is unfortunately a flaw in the engine design and there is not a known current remedy. Also they are surprised that this model was not covered under the same recall campaign that later models …

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Rough running engine at idle. The vehicle also shows low oil pressure at idle 13psi. Took to several service technicians and was told this is unfortunately a flaw in the engine design and there is not a known current remedy. Also they are surprised that this model was not covered under the same recall campaign that later models are as they are nearly identical engines. The transmission also gave out on this same vehicle at 85k miles.

NHTSA ODI #11727501

Mileage unknown · Jan 1, 2026
EngineForward Collision AvoidancePower Train

I was driving on the freeway on Cruise Control going 80 mph. All the sudden my speedometer dropped and I had no power. My Transmission Light Started Blinking Cruise Control stopped working and my Car Started Shaking Violently and Sounded Clunky. I had to pull over to the shoulder immediately. I Called my Mechanic and he told…

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I was driving on the freeway on Cruise Control going 80 mph. All the sudden my speedometer dropped and I had no power. My Transmission Light Started Blinking Cruise Control stopped working and my Car Started Shaking Violently and Sounded Clunky. I had to pull over to the shoulder immediately. I Called my Mechanic and he told me not to drive it any Further So we Towed the vehicle to his shop. There was absolutely no warning signs. This was the only sign something was wrong.

NHTSA ODI #11708217

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2025
Engine

It had a rough idle and took it to the dealer. Cam shaft failure most likely due to faulty lifters and engine replacement needed. Similar to known issues on this year and on years that are involved in recall. This could lead to engine failure and loss of propulsion like the newer years. Car has been properly maintained and servi…

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It had a rough idle and took it to the dealer. Cam shaft failure most likely due to faulty lifters and engine replacement needed. Similar to known issues on this year and on years that are involved in recall. This could lead to engine failure and loss of propulsion like the newer years. Car has been properly maintained and serviced at dealer.

NHTSA ODI #11708057

Mileage unknown · Dec 22, 2025
Engine

Engine has low oil pressure at idle

NHTSA ODI #11706451

Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2025
Engine

I bought this 2019 Cadillac Escalade for family safety in November 2024 for 2000 miles from Ken Garfield dealership in America fork Utah. Four months ago he had a mechanical failure which costed $13,000 to repair to which Cadillac covered 90% of the cost. I got it back an 1000 miles later the engine had complete engine failure. …

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I bought this 2019 Cadillac Escalade for family safety in November 2024 for 2000 miles from Ken Garfield dealership in America fork Utah. Four months ago he had a mechanical failure which costed $13,000 to repair to which Cadillac covered 90% of the cost. I got it back an 1000 miles later the engine had complete engine failure. Now they are saying they will only cover 60% of the coverage to fix the repair. I have six children and this is our only car. I need my engine repaired. This is a huge burden and we just took a loan out to pay the last repair. Please I beg of you help me.

NHTSA ODI #11699521

Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

My 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV experienced a major engine failure that required a complete engine replacement. Before the failure, the vehicle showed warning signs including rough running and loss of performance. My certified mechanic later explained that the cause of the failure was consistent with engine defects that have led t…

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My 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV experienced a major engine failure that required a complete engine replacement. Before the failure, the vehicle showed warning signs including rough running and loss of performance. My certified mechanic later explained that the cause of the failure was consistent with engine defects that have led to GM’s recall on later-model Escalades. However, the 2019 model year is excluded from that recall. The failure was severe enough that it posed a safety risk had it occurred at highway speed, and it required over $20,000 to replace the engine plus thousands more in related repairs. Multiple other major components failed around the same time (suspension components, thermostat, and A/C compressor). I am filing this report because the failure pattern appears identical to what GM has acknowledged on recalled Escalade engines, and I am concerned that the defect may affect more vehicles than currently included in the recall. My mechanic confirmed that the failure is reproducible and consistent with the known defect on later models.

NHTSA ODI #11699509

Mileage unknown · Nov 13, 2025
Engine

The engine developed a ticking noise followed by loss of power. Mechanic diagnosed lifter and camshaft failure, which may be related to the Active Fuel Management system. This caused metal contamination and requires complete engine replacement. This appears to be a widespread issue on GM 6.2L engines.”

NHTSA ODI #11699181

Mileage unknown · Oct 29, 2025
Engine

Had all of my lifters replaced and cam shaft 6 months ago because of the faulty engine gm has started to recognize. I spent $7500.00 yesterday 10/28/2025 i was driving and my car started shaking and shutting down in the middle of a busy intersection. luckily i got it off the road safely before be hit. traction control light w…

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Had all of my lifters replaced and cam shaft 6 months ago because of the faulty engine gm has started to recognize. I spent $7500.00 yesterday 10/28/2025 i was driving and my car started shaking and shutting down in the middle of a busy intersection. luckily i got it off the road safely before be hit. traction control light was on and the check engine light goes from blinking to solid and then back to blinking. its now back at the shop for he second time this year for what will likely be another VERY expensive fix

NHTSA ODI #11696318

Official recalls

1

18V673000 · Seat Belts:rear/other

Sep 26, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Cadillac CT6, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Volt, and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automatically lock when the seatbelt is fully pulled out of the retractor, possibly preventing a child seat from being properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the child seat is not properly secured in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seatbelt retractors and replace them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 7, 2018. Owners may contact 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 18315.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.