The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the variable valve timing, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 89,000.
The worst 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine3
- Electrical2
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Driver assistance1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine3
- Electrical2
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Driver assistance1
- Fuel system1
- Transmission1
- Visibility1
Recalls 6
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front-driver air bag module, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 19, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N262555870. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on May 21, 2026.
Recall number 26V329000 · Recall details
Power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive)
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with four-wheel (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), and certain 2015-2020 Suburban, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Tahoe vehicles. A component missing from the drivetrain transfer case may cause the front and/or rear wheels to lock up without warning to the driver.
- Risk
- Front or rear wheel lockup increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transfer case assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 18, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4223. GM's number for this recall is N262557620. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on May 7, 2026.
Recall number 26V289000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V‑651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, 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.
- Risk
- 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 August 4, 2017. 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 17287.
Recall number 17V437000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 16V651000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles. The passenger side instrument panel top cover on the affected vehicles may have been manufactured using an incorrect spacer fabric, causing a reduction of adhesion between the spacer fabric and the vinyl show surface. This reduced adhesion may result in inconsistent passenger air bag deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- Inconsistent air bag deployment increases the risk of personal injury in the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel top cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 11, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is 14686.
Recall number 14V624000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles manufactured April 6, 2014, through May 13, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the air bag module is secured to a chute adhered to the backside of the instrument panel with an insufficiently heated infrared weld. This may result in only a partial deployment of the front passenger air bag in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- In the event of an accident, an air bag that only partially deploys increases the risk of occupant injury.
- Remedy
- GM sent the owners an interim notification letter on May 16, 2014 to advise owners of the recall, and will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. When the parts are available, dealers will replace the instrument panel right side upper trim panel, free of charge. The recall began on June 9, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is 14220. Note: Owners are advised that until the vehicle has been remedied, occupants should not sit in the front passenger seat position.
Recall number 14V259000 · Recall details
See all 6 recalls for the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV
Defect investigations
Brake Vacuum Pump Failure
On November 20, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE18-012 to investigate instances of sudden onset of a hard brake pedal that could result in extended stopping distance due to an issue with the brake assist vacuum pump in model year (MY) 2014 through 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 series pickup trucks and MY 2015 through 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, and GMC Yukon SUVs.If the brake assist vacuum pump fails to operate as intended, the amount of brake power assist supplied to the driver can be significantly reduced, extending the subject vehicle stopping distance. GM stated that the root cause of pump failures was due to foreign debris such as oil sludge in the engine oil. GM stated that this debris can become trapped by the oil inlet filter screen. Under normal operation, this screen allows a small amount of oil into the brake vacuum pump. The foreign debris can, over time, clog the pump which can cause a loss of lubrication and a reduction in the amount of vacuum produced leading to a hard pedal and extended stopping distance.On December 13, 2018, GM issued a Special Coverage (N182202780) for the brake vacuum pump issue in MY 2014-2017 trucks and 2015-2017 SUVs on the K2XX platform for 6 years or 72,000 miles. Special Coverage repair includes the replacement of the vacuum pump and vacuum pump belt. Consumers received notification of the coverage via mail. On September 6, 2019, GM notified the federal safety agency that it was conducting safety recall 19V‑645 which reprograms the electronic brake control module (EBCM) and included approximately 3.5 million trucks and SUVs. In October 2019, GM extended the terms of special coverage N182202780 to 10 years or 150,000 miles as well as now including the entire scope of recall 19V‑645. In October 2020, GM expanded the scope of coverage N182202780 to include the MY 2018 Escalade and 2019 Tahoe.The remedy implemented in GM recall 19V‑645 appears to be sufficient in addressing the safety-related concerns of this issue. Loss of vacuum assist now occurs at a progressive rate as well as there being a more timely warning of a brake problem to the driver through the driver information center (DIC). In view of the recall action and revision to the special coverage, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. The ODI reports cited above are available for review online at under the identification numbers in the attached document.
PE18012
Technical service bulletins for the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV 2,068
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Unknown or other
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- This PI communicates the proper part numbers for transmission connectors and internal harness to prevent...
- Unknown or other
- PI to help diagnose A/C concern
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- This PI Communications information on an alternative product dealers can use to perform 19-NA-255: Wax...
- Unknown or other
2015 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.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac Escalade ESV SUV AWD | 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. | 5 | 3 |
| Cadillac Escalade ESV SUV RWD | 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. | 5 | 3 |
What 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Car at 56000 miles would not shut off. Reason was the chassis control,module was improperly designed and was left exposed allowing snow to corrode the module. Cadillac refused to pay for the repair that included $650 in diagnostic time
Exhaust gas enters cabin whenever stationary. Even at brief traffic signals, fumes quickly enter vehicle. Car is less than 4 years old.
My 2015 cadillac escalade has been in the shop for 50+ days since purchasing in 2015 for defective brakes, transmission, trim, technology, chassis, electrical, and HVAC. I have contacted gm and they don't want to repurchase the vehicle. The vehicle is constantly in the shop for problems and it is not a vehicle that should be operated on public roadways. Numerous parts of my transmission have been replaced/reprogrammed/rebuilt before due to defects in design and build quality. The transmission consistently vibrates, jerks and shutters when driving, pops and creaks when stopped and clunks when launching from stop or rolling stop. The transmission causes the car to take off in 4th gear rather than in 1st gear which means the car feels as if there is no power to propel the vehicle. The transmission slips and feels as if it is broken. I have taken it to the dealer at least 14 times and gm now does not want to replace the transmission even though the dealer has verified the concern and documented it. I feel that gm is not doing enough to ensure safe vehicles are on the road. This transmission issue is going to cause an accident one day. I have already put gm on notice all the way up to the executive level and they don't want to do anything about it. I feel that the federal safety agency should investigate the issues that plague 2015 full size gm SUV owners. There are a lot of us out there according to my research.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 cadillac escalade esv. While driving in the rain, the air conditioner condenser fractured and the air conditioner failed to work. The failure caused the windows to fog up and impaired the driver's visibility. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (cadillac of mahwah, nj) who stated that the part was unavailable. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that it was a known issue. The manufacturer provided the contact a rental vehicle for three days. The vehicle was repaired after seven weeks when the part was located. The cause of the failure and repair part were not provided. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.
There is a defect in this vehicle where the lower anchors (latch) for the 2nd row passenger seat are asymmetric - with the inboard anchor being both lower, and protruding farther out, than the inboard lower anchor. This vehicle has 2 captain's chairs in the 2nd row - both feature lower anchors (latch). A picture of the 2nd row driver's seat is also attached to show that these lower anchors are symmetrical as they should be. The picture of the 2nd row passenger seat shows these lower anchors to be asymmetrical. This vehicle has never been involved in a crash. In the past the clek foonf child restraint was attached using rigid latch in the 2nd row passenger seat of this vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 cadillac escalade esv. While the vehicle was parked with the air conditioning activated, the heat independently turned all the way up in the rear of the vehicle without warning. The heat caused one of the occupants to pass out. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an electrical failure and that the computer had to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,000.
Acceleration for no reason. I was backing out of a parking spot and I put the car in reverse. I was nearing the edge of the curb on my right front wheel so I stepped on the brake, stopped the car, and shifted into drive so I could move the vehicle forward to avoid hitting the curb while backing out . Once I shifted into drive, the car went to full acceleration for no reason and hit a pole at full acceleration approximately 5 feet away.
Compare the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV
Other model years
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Questions about the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV
Is the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV reliable?
Owners have filed 8 complaints about the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV, fewer than a typical Escalade ESV model year.
What is the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV year score?
The 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV scores 81 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 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
Engine and cooling, with 3 complaints. Next is electrical (2).
How many recalls does the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV have?
6 recalls, covering air bags, power train and seat belts.
Is the 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV safe in a crash?
The 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV was crash tested, but no overall score was published. Partial scores: side 5, rollover 3 out of 5.
What year does the Cadillac Escalade ESV have bad engine?
The Cadillac Escalade ESV model years with the most engine complaints are 2023 (74 complaints), 2021 (61 complaints) and 2022 (49 complaints).
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