City and highway driving, lost power on acceleration. Engine started knocking. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Through a piston. This vehicle had all the described issues of 6.2 liter V8 2021 cadillac escalade ESV, but I have not received a recall. This vehicle has been out of service since April 2025 and no recall and no replacement parts (new engine)
2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV engine complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 61 of 61, newest first, as owners wrote them.
GM has a coolant control valve issue that impacts all Escalades and Suburban vehicles. Vehicle will maintain speed as a result of issue. This is a huge safety issue. All of a sudden the car drops to 45mph.
Engine failure
The vehicle experienced a catastrophic engine failure while it was being driven, according to the renter who had it through Turo. It broke down and stalled at a stoplight. I then had it towed to a Cadillac dealership in Cocoa Beach. After inspection, the dealership informed me that the engine had seized and provided a replacement estimate of over $16,000. Because of the high cost, I chose to take the vehicle to a reputable local repair shop (Fastlane Automotive). They quoted me a lower price of approximately $11,000. The engine is currently on order but is backordered at the moment and its currently parked up there. I firmly believe this engine failure is connected to an active recall affecting this vehicle.
My 2021 Cadillac Escalade experienced a sudden engine failure due to the L87 “Loss of Propulsion” recall. The vehicle has been undrivable since February 25, 2025, and has been at the dealership (Ocean Cadillac in Miami, FL) for over two months with no completed repair and no timeline for resolution. Despite repeated communication, GM and the dealership have failed to provide a loaner vehicle or reimbursement for transportation, even though this is a known safety-related recall issue. The extended downtime has caused significant business losses, disrupted transportation, and left me without safe vehicle access. I am requesting the federal safety agency’s assistance to ensure GM complies with their recall obligations and resolves this matter immediately. I am also concerned about ongoing unresolved vehicle quality issues reported during warranty service visits, but my primary safety concern relates to the engine recall and loss of propulsion.
Vehicle Purchased: [XXX] Incident Date: [XXX] •Engine Failure – Catastrophic Engine Failure •Yes, the unit is available for inspection at North County Cadillac - Escondido, CA. •Yes, safety for my family and others was put at risk – Unit stalled in the middle lane of [XXX] at 65mph with heavy traffic. •Catastrophic Engine Failure confirmed by North County Cadillac. •Yes, it was inspected by North County Cadillac and the engine is being replaced with new one under warranty. •There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms, unit just turned off and went into neutral by itself. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I get oil changed regularly. For the last several thousands of miles, I keep getting low engine oil warning approximately 2,000 miles before an oil change is due. When I go to add more oil, there barely any oil showing on the dip stick and when I open the cap to add more oil, there's smoke coming out.
Engine completely seized on [XXX] pulling a trailer and boat. Vehicle was equipped to pull weight. Was stranded with 4 kids with very little cell service for over six hours. Had to tow to nearest dealership (Prescott, az), and had to get a separate towing company to tow our boat to flagstaff, az (40 minutes away). The next business day it was found that something went wrong with the pistons which cussed the entire engine to seize and needed one replaced. I was just outside the manufacturer warranty, and was told it wouldn’t be covered by gm. I was initially quoted almost $20,000 for the new engine but Cadillac did offer a “good faith” repair. I still had to over $6000 to fix the issue and get it running again. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Was driving down [XXX] in Arizona when lost engine power pulled over and had towed to dealership. The engine needs replacement it has lifter problems the dealer said. Thankfully nobody was hurt but very scary. Car will need to be at dealer for months engine is on backorder. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine breakdown in middle of the road. Lifter valves failed and had to be taken in for complete Engine repair/replacement. Dealership is currently repairing. Vehicle is available to inspect after repair if requested. Lifter valves Engine failure confirmed by dealership. Safety was serious concern as Engine failed in middle road with family in vehicle during heavy traffic. Could have lost control of vehicle as Engine went haywire. 45,997 miles. No warnings signs before complete failure. Just completed a road trip day prior with no issues.
Car full of kids, going down the expressway in the fast lane the car completely shuts off with no warning. I had to merge four lanes to get to the side of the road and my kids and I could have been in huge trouble if I didn’t remain calm. Once parked the car would not go back into neutral and the town truck had to drag our car with brand new tires onto the truck. I’m livid. The dealership Al Serra Grand Blanc MI confirmed it was the motor and they are now on back order. It’s been there a month.
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power and decelerated before stalling. The vehicle was unable to be restarted and was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 25,000.
Car lost power all of the sudden Twice Good things did not happen while driving on the high way Has only 30000 mile Still at Cadillac dealer in California They found internal case defect They r replacing it It is fatal defect
I drive it from Gilbert Az to San Diego California The car lost power all of sudden Almost killed with my family I left at dealer in California and went back to Gilbert Arizona No diagnosis yet by dealer But I suspect gas pump failure Reported on Internet that Cadillac Recalled some 2021 Escalade For gas pump failure But there is no recall on my car It is now at Simpson GMC Cadillac dealer Buena Park California
2021 cadillac escalade esv. Consumer writes in regard to powertrain failure. The consumer stated having multiple issues with the engine and the vehicle is currently in for repair with no eta on needed part due to the part being on back order.
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated while her husband was driving 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the electrical system and engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
Back in August of 2022 my 2021 Cadillac Escalade started having severe engine roughness, a check engine light, and an error saying that most of the collision safety features had been disabled. I was able to limp the vehicle into a GMC dealer who informed me that Cadillac had received a bad shipment of lifters and that one or more of the lifters had broken. When the vehicle detects an engine problem, it apparently disables most systems in the car. The GMC deal had the car for weeks trying to repair. They told me that Cadillac only authorized replacing 1/2 of the lifters. Since that time, the vehicle has continued to idle very rough ; the RPMs fluctuate and power surges at idle and while driving. I have been attempting to reach the Cadillac customer service people, am routinely told that I'll receive a call back "within 2 business days" but never receive a call back. Last week the vehicle died due to a problem with the automatic software update (it completely drained the vehicle). The Cadillac Rescue service jumped the battery and told me I had to take it to an actual Cadillac dealer and not the GMC dealer who had performed the initial repair. The vehicle had multiple errors including one that said the ABS system needed service. I took the vehicle into the dealer and they charged me for an oil change and 15k mile service. They said there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and that the 6.2L V8 engine was known for having engine roughness and surging problems. A few days later (last Saturday). the check engine light came on and we received a diagnostic text message saying that the engine and transmission required serviced within "1 day." We called the dealer, and they said to bring it in. I called them this morning and apparently they haven't even looked at it and suggest they will not do so until an appointment they created for 12/30!? Is this car safe to drive? Can I get it back?
Bought one of only 4 available in the entire USA. Flew to Atlanta to drive it back to CA 11 weeks ago. Since then it’s been at dealership 5 times for a total of 9 weeks for an electrical ghost they can’t fix! Cost us over $60,000 in income this month and paying approx $1500 month insurance while it sits there in a workshop with no resolution. Now working with GM and the BBB. Summary below: ISSUE - only at low speeds, idling, or at start up the car suddenly throws on the heater, service lights going off like lights on the Vegas strip of warning to service just about everything, loses power steering, and won’t shift past 2nd gear even if you could keep driving…restart it and it’s fine except for check engine light if you drive freeways most days. But codes all informational and no real helpful error pinpointing. Dealer can’t find any problems and chasing a ghost so even after calling in top software engineers, they say manufacture won’t approve replacing parts other than one of the hubs. Then tell us they are working on it when we can clearly locate the vehicle through OnStar and see it parked for days at your offsite lot!! We beg them to just try changing battery and wiring since seems basic if it only happens at under 10 mph, idling, or at start up in the morning… all times where battery pull is the highest . But they say we test the simple things first like I’m dumb… ok we’ll explain my video of the battery voltage meter jumping all over the place like ghost hunter spectrometer at Area 51!! This is ridiculous for a 2021 flagship Premium Luxury Platinum ESV model.
On November 29th 2021, I cranked up my ESV headed to work. To my surprise, I heard which to me sounds like metal hammers clanking together. I immediately turn off the truck. In my experience it sounded like lifters and pistons out of sync. If I had been traveling to work this would have left me stranded on the freeway. I called roadside to set an appt to flatbed the truck to the dealership where I just purchased the ESV 8 months ago (11,100k mi). Currently, the last update was the upper half of the ESV engine has to be rebuilt due to damaged cam, lifters & piston rods. When asked, the service writer mention there have been 2021 Escalades along with Denali's with the same engine malfunction returned back to the dealership. Also, the tow driver informed me that he has responded to the same exact noise coming from 2021 Escalade models frequently approximately 3 or more monthly. That's a lot for a $100k vehicle of any luxury model. The inspection for these defective of back part has only been looked at by the dealership. I expect to also see these damage parts as well. No new engine was repaired the issue. The breakdown determined the bottom half of the engine was fine and only the top portion of the engine was in need of rebuild. Upon cranking the ESV, there were NO warning lights, symptoms, diagnostic prompts that alerted me of the noise. In conclusion, as of Jan 6th 2022, my Escalade ESV has been at the dealership now over a month. Shipping issues with damaged parts along with diagnostic issues post previous rebuilds has keep the ESV inoperable, yet Im left with the tag of paying the note for a vehicle I do not have in my possession.
At 3,000 miles on this new car, the motor began to rattle, shake, and then heat up to 240-260 degrees when the dashboard flashed and the vehicle and lights turned off. The brakes were not powered and because I was towing a trailer at night, I nearly crashed. My wife and 5 children were in the car with me. I have since learned that there is a major problem with these new Cadillacs, but if I would have know the motor was going to grenade and then turn off the car, I would not have spent $110,000 on this car.
2021 cadillac escalade. Consumer writes in regards t0 engine failure.
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