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2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems

The most common problem on the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV is airbags. It has fewer complaints than a typical Escalade ESV model year.

Fewer complaintsAmong the best years of this model
Year score
85/100
Owner complaints
6
Recalls
5
Service bulletins
1,221
Worst area
Airbags

The worst 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Airbags
    3
  • Fuel system
    3
  • Engine
    2
  • Brakes
    1
  • Electrical
    1

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Airbags
    3
  • Fuel system
    3
  • Engine
    2
  • Brakes
    1
  • Electrical
    1

Recalls 5

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported February 5, 2021 · 2,641,272 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020; Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006; and GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.

Recall number 21V050000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported February 5, 2021 · 557,023 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006, and GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328780.

Recall number 21V052000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported February 5, 2021 · 692,526 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020; and GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.

Recall number 21V053000 · Recall details

Electrical systemReported June 4, 2010 · 1,365,070 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
Risk
It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Remedy
Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall number 10V240000 · Recall details

Fuel system, gasolineReported May 6, 2009 · 27,188 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Gm is recalling 27,188 my 2009 cadillac escalade, escalade hybrid, escalade esv, and escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, suburban, tahoe, tahoe hybrid, and colorado; and gmc yukon, yukon hybrid, yukon xl, and canyon vehicles. The fuel system control modules may have a condition in which an adhesive separation of the room temperature vulcanizing (rtv) seal between the seal and the housing may allow water to seep into the module.
Risk
Water in the module could cause a short or open circuit, illumination of the service engine soon lamp, setting of diagnostic trouble codes or the engine may be hard to start, may not start or may stall increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new fuel system control module free of charge. The recall began on may 18, 2009. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 and gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 or at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall number 09V154000 · Recall details

See all 5 recalls for the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV

Defect investigations

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpened September 17, 2021, still open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

EA21002

Technical service bulletins for the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV 1,221

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 1,221 bulletins for the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV

2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV crash test ratings

Government 5-star crash tests. Higher is safer. Each row is a body style and drivetrain that was tested.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
Cadillac Escalade ESV 4-DR. w/SABPhrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.3

What 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Nov 27, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 162,000 miles · GA

Initially my fuel gauge stopped working. I assumed it failed and was going to have it replaced. The following day when I started the car the engine light came on, and I thought it might have something to do with the fuel gauge issue. I was on my way to drop the car off at the dealer the same day and while driving a warning message stated that the traction control was inoperable, it then went into limp mode. I barely made it off the highway. When I pulled into a safe location I heard a pop under the car and everything started shutting down. The engine started sputtering, eventually quitting. I looked under the car and after crawling around I noticed the wiring clips holding the wire loom above the front drive shaft had failed. The wiring loom has enough slack in it to then wrap itself around the front drive shaft, finally snapping the wires. A total of 9 wires snapped. This is most likely only an issue for those with awd as it was the front drive shaft that the wires finally wrapped around and caused multiple systems to fail immediately. Luckily it was during the day in an area I was familiar with. Had this happened at night or on a trip, this could have turned into an entirely different issue. A much more dangerous one.

Filed Sep 1, 2020 · Airbags · VA

Airbag light stay on and it will not go away. I am unable to pass safety inspection because of that. 07/06/2016 manufacturer safety recall issued the federal safety agency #16v381 recall #2049151 passenger airbag inflators status: remedy not yet available

Filed Oct 6, 2016 · Brakes, Engine · 79,200 miles · WA

Stuck throttle at 4000+ rpms: while passing a car on a straight two lane highway, the engine stayed at 4000 rpms or greater after the throttle pedal was released. No carpet or floor mat was impeding the throttle pedal. The pedal was pressed hard and release several times to try to disengage the throttle but rpms stay above 4000 rpms. The transmission was placed into the manual position but rpms continued to stay above 4000 for approximately 3.5 miles and 2.5 minutes with the vehicle uncontrollably going in excess of 90 MPH. The brake pedal was applied throughout the stuck throttle event but the brakes became overheated and ineffective. Eventually the vehicle gear shift selector was moved into the neutral position and the vehicle coasted to a stop with the rpms still at 4000+ prms. While stopped the ignition was turned off and only then did the rpms go from 4000+ to zero. The cadillac dealer stated they removed the throttle body and replaced the throttle body sensor to repair the stuck throttle issue.

Filed Aug 4, 2016 · Airbags · AZ

Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 cadillac escalade esv. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v381000 (air bags). The part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Feb 18, 2015 · Fuel system · 60,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 cadillac escalade esv. After starting the engine, the vehicle shook, vibrated, and stalled. The dealer diagnosed that the fuel module and fuel pump were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Filed Nov 21, 2014 · Airbags · 47,000 miles · WA · crash · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 cadillac escalade esv. While driving approximately 60 MPH, a tractor trailer crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact's vehicle was pushed into the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was injured and was transported to a hospital by ambulance. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard to be evaluated for damages. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 47,000.

Compare the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV

Other model years

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Questions about the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV

Is the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV reliable?

Owners have filed 6 complaints about the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV, fewer than a typical Escalade ESV model year.

What is the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV year score?

The 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV scores 85 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Cadillac Escalade ESV: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV?

Airbags, with 3 complaints. Next is fuel system (3).

How many recalls does the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV have?

5 recalls, covering air bags, electrical system and fuel system, gasoline.

Is the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV safe in a crash?

The 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV was crash tested, but no overall score was published. Partial scores: rollover 3 out of 5.

Was there a recall on the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV airbags?

Yes, 3 recalls: 21V050000, 21V052000, 21V053000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Cadillac Escalade ESV have bad airbags?

The Cadillac Escalade ESV model years with the most airbags complaints are 2007 (14 complaints) and 2008 (12 complaints).

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