RecallMyCar

2021 Cadillac Escalade Recalls, Complaints & Specs

9 safety recalls list the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, and owners have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

9
safety recalls
73
owner complaints to NHTSA
2 / 1
complaints citing a crash / fire
16–23
MPG combined (EPA)

9 safety recalls for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Tank assembly (fuel system)

    NHTSA 25V619000 Reported 12 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, 2021, 2023-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, and 2022 and 2024 GMC Yukon vehicles equipped with a 6-cylinder diesel engine. The original fuel tank may have been replaced with an incorrect fuel tank, which can allow fuel to leak in a rollover crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect for the correct fuel tank and replace it, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 5, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223,…

  2. Hard parts internal/mechanical (engine and engine cooling)

    NHTSA 25V274000 Reported 597,571 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with a 6.2L V8 gas engine. The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage…

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine, and as necessary, repair or replace the engine. For vehicles that pass inspection, dealers will add higher viscosity oil, install 6 oil fill cap, replace the oil filter, and update the…

  3. Valves/valve body (power train) and software (power train)

    NHTSA 24V797000 Reported 463,295 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.

    Remedy: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a…

  4. Software (exterior lighting)

    NHTSA 22V827000 Reported 338,735 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety…

    Remedy: Dealers will provide an over-the-air (OTA) update for the Body Control Module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 15, 2022. Owners may contact GM customer service at…

  5. Critical fasteners (seat belts)

    NHTSA 22V617000 Reported 484,155 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors, LLC (M) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may have been improperly formed.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rivet head formation on both the left and right side third-row seat belt buckle assemblies and replace seat belt buckle assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification…

  6. Driveshaft (power train)

    NHTSA 22V036000 Reported 1,789 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, and Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles. The rear wheel driveshaft assemblies may have internal components that were not heat-treated properly, possibly resulting in driveshaft failure.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and/or right rear driveshaft assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 14, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac…

  7. Fuel system, gasoline: control/drive module

    NHTSA 21V739000 Reported 14,939 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump power control module may cause the fuel pump to fail or operate intermittently, which can interrupt fuel flow to the engine, and cause an unexpected engine stall.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump power control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 14, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer…

  8. Srs malfunction warning lamp/light (air bags) and software (electrical system)

    NHTSA 21V421000 Reported 285,622 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag malfunction…

    Remedy: The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer…

  9. Seat belts: rear/other and seat belts

    NHTSA 21V190000 Reported 94,641 vehicles potentially affected General Motors, LLC

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles with third-row seating. The third-row outboard seat belts may have been entrapped or misrouted behind the outboard seat-folding mechanism, which could result in damaged seat belts.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third-row outboard seat belts, replacing any damaged seat belts, and rerouting them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2021. Owners may…

73 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA; 2 describe a crash and 1 describe a fire. Reports cite 2 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 50,156 miles. Complaints peaked in 2025 with 36 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“With just over four years of service, backup camera driver assistance system began to fail, with it working intermittently and eventually going completely dark. This being a safety feature, the warran”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, October 6, 2026 · Unknown or other

“On Saturday August 16, 2026, my family and I were in Laredo Texas and when we were driving on the freeway the motor blew out on my 2021 Cadillac escalade. One month before this occurred the dealership”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, September 20, 2026 · Engine

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade (Escalade 2WD, Escalade 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Combined16–23 mpg
City / Highway13–21 / 19–27
FuelDiesel, Premium
EPA classStandard Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD, Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
Engine6/8 cyl, 3/6.2 L
TransmissionAutomatic 10-spd

Compare Cadillac Escalade model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Cadillac Escalade model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1999 Cadillac Escalade239
2000 Cadillac Escalade171
2001 Cadillac Escalade03
2002 Cadillac Escalade1115
2003 Cadillac Escalade481
2004 Cadillac Escalade269
2005 Cadillac Escalade243
2006 Cadillac Escalade219
2007 Cadillac Escalade4230
2008 Cadillac Escalade4136
2009 Cadillac Escalade558
2010 Cadillac Escalade338
2011 Cadillac Escalade649
2012 Cadillac Escalade320
2013 Cadillac Escalade419
2014 Cadillac Escalade220
2015 Cadillac Escalade998
2016 Cadillac Escalade489
2017 Cadillac Escalade251
2018 Cadillac Escalade121
2019 Cadillac Escalade025
2020 Cadillac Escalade214
2021 Cadillac Escalade973
2022 Cadillac Escalade485
2023 Cadillac Escalade4141
2024 Cadillac Escalade250
2025 Cadillac Escalade120
2026 Cadillac Escalade336

Checking a specific 2021 Cadillac Escalade

How do I know if my 2021 Cadillac Escalade has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 9 campaigns currently list the 2021 Cadillac Escalade; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Cadillac dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 21V190000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Cadillac models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.