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2010 Cadillac Escalade problems

The most common problem on the 2010 Cadillac Escalade is airbags. It has fewer complaints than a typical Escalade model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
80/100
Owner complaints
38
Recalls
3
Service bulletins
1,483
Worst area
Airbags
Fuel economy
15-22mpg

The worst 2010 Cadillac Escalade problems

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

  • Airbags
    21
  • Electrical
    5
  • Engine
    3
  • Brakes
    2
  • Lights
    2

Problems by type

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

  • Airbags
    21
  • Electrical
    5
  • Engine
    3
  • Brakes
    2
  • Lights
    2
  • Tires
    2
  • Wheels
    2
  • Body
    1
  • Driver assistance
    1
  • Locks
    1
  • Seats
    1
  • Transmission
    1

Recalls 3

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 · 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

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported February 5, 2021 · 1,778,128 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY 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 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. 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 N212328800.

Recall number 21V054000 · Recall details

See all 3 recalls for the 2010 Cadillac Escalade

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 2010 Cadillac Escalade 1,483

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

See all 1,483 bulletins for the 2010 Cadillac Escalade

2010 Cadillac Escalade 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 4-DR. Hybrid 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
Cadillac Escalade 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
Cadillac Escalade EXT 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

2010 Cadillac Escalade fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
6.0L 8‑cyl HybridRWD212222
6.2L 8‑cylRWD142016
6.2L 8‑cylAWD132015

What 2010 Cadillac Escalade owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 13, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · FL

Tubo problema en k a lus derecha delantera l

Filed Dec 18, 2023 · Electrical · 121,440 miles · TX

My son was driving home from work down Highway 288 in Houston and the car just died and did not start. The door locks were going up and down like it was trying to reset and lock the car. I had it fixed and they said it was the fuel pump was out. We had the fuel pump fixed and a new battery put in. Would this cause it to loose power immediately and the door locks to go crazy?

Filed Jul 7, 2023 · Tires · 9,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2010 Cadillac Escalade equipped with Uniroyal Tires, Tire Line: PAW Touring, Tire Size: 285/45/R22, DOT Number: (Unavailable). The contact stated that upon inspection, it was discovered that all four tires had experienced tread separation and the steel belts were exposed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 9,000.

Filed May 24, 2021 · Engine · 91,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2010 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated with an abnormal sound. The contact changed the spark plugs, wires and coils however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the lifters to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

Filed Mar 26, 2021 · Airbags, Transmission · CA

Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 cadillac escalade. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 21v050000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact notified imperial valley chevrolet buick gmc cadillac (602 wake ave, el centro, ca 92243) and was informed that they neither had the tools nor the procedure to repair the vehicle. The contact notified the manufacturer and was informed that they knew nothing about the recall. The contact was transferred to another number however, there was no response. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Mar 17, 2021 · Airbags · 242,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 cadillac escalade. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 21v050000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called michael cadillac (5787 n blackstone ave, fresno, ca 93710) where it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Dec 8, 2020 · Brakes, Driver assistance · MI

Sometimes while braking it needs much more force, meaning I have to push the brake all the way down. Also it feels like they stick at times. I saw there was a recall on the 2015-2018 for this issue but it may go back further.

Filed May 18, 2020 · Airbags · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 cadillac escalade. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v381000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. A local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Filed May 11, 2020 · Engine · 13,000 miles · IN

Exhaust manifold bolts shred off causing engine misfire. Leading to a very costly repair. Mech. Said that this happens on all the gm of a similar design, at highway speed don't notice the roughness. When you come to a stop and can really feel the cylinder miss firing. Fault code said number was mis-firing.

Filed Mar 19, 2020 · Airbags · AK

Says remedy still not available... When will the air bag be fixed or replaced? Vin: [xxx] year: 2010 make: cadillac model: escalade number of open recalls: 1 the federal safety agency recall number: opens new window takes away from VIN lookup section> 16v381 recall date: may 27, 2016 manufacturer recall number: 2049151 summary: takata corporation (?takata?) has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in 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 2500/3500 and gmc sierra 2500/3500 vehicles. This is based upon takata?s decision that front passenger airbag inflators it supplied to gm are defective. Gm has submitted to the federal safety agency a petition for inconsequential and the federal safety agency has granted gm until august 2017 to complete its investigation and to submit all data supporting the petition. If the petition is denied, gm will conduct a recall of the airbag inflators covered by takatas defect information report. For more information visit www.regulations.gov and search for docket no. The federal safety agency-2016-0124. Safety risk: the propellant in some types of takata airbag inflators can degrade over time, especially after long term exposure in hot and humid regions. If the propellant degrades to a certain level, the inflators may rupture during deployment, causing serious or fatal injuries. Remedy: the necessity of a remedy is dependent upon the federal safety agency's decision on gm?s petition for inconsequential. Additional information will be available following that decision. In the meantime, you can also check the status of this recall at my.gm.com/recalls. Gm considers your vehicle safe to drive. Recall status: recall incomplete. Remedy not yet available information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2010 Cadillac Escalade before you buy

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Questions about the 2010 Cadillac Escalade

Is the 2010 Cadillac Escalade reliable?

Owners have filed 38 complaints about the 2010 Cadillac Escalade, fewer than a typical Escalade model year.

What is the 2010 Cadillac Escalade year score?

The 2010 Cadillac Escalade scores 80 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Cadillac Escalade: 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 2010 Cadillac Escalade?

Airbags, with 21 complaints. Next is electrical (5).

How many recalls does the 2010 Cadillac Escalade have?

3 recalls, covering air bags.

Is the 2010 Cadillac Escalade safe in a crash?

The 2010 Cadillac Escalade was crash tested, but no overall score was published. Partial scores: rollover 3 out of 5.

Was there a recall on the 2010 Cadillac Escalade airbags?

Yes, 3 recalls: 21V050000, 21V053000, 21V054000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Cadillac Escalade have bad airbags?

The Cadillac Escalade model years with the most airbags complaints are 2007 (116 complaints), 2008 (74 complaints) and 2011 (34 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2010 Cadillac Escalade get?

Official estimates for the 2010 Cadillac Escalade range from 15 to 22 mpg combined. The most efficient version (6.0L 8-cyl hybrid, RWD) gets 21 city and 22 highway.

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