YearToAvoid

2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Avoid The 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV has a complaint index of 75, ranking 6th worst out of 21 model years, with 39 complaints and 4 recalls, earning an Avoid verdict. Airbags and structure/body issues dominate owner reports.

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
75/100
#6 of 21 Escalade ESV years
Verdict
Avoid
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
39
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
4
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
1
reported in complaints
Fires
2
Injuries
8
Top issue
Airbags
Best nearby year
2008
rated Good

Top 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags14 (36%)
  2. Structure & Body12 (31%)
  3. Engine11 (28%)
  4. Brakes9 (23%)
  5. Electrical System6 (15%)
  6. Transmission & Powertrain5 (13%)
  7. Other3 (8%)
  8. Suspension, Wheels & Tires3 (8%)
  9. Fuel System2 (5%)
  10. Seat Belts2 (5%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Front passenger airbags have deployed with excessive smoke and debris, sometimes during crashes.
  • Wiring harness and seat climate module connectors have melted, overheated, or caused a burning smell, occasionally leading to fires.
  • Steering has suddenly become unresponsive or completely disconnected while driving, in one case traced to a rusted heat shield falling into the steering mechanism.
  • Factory 22-inch wheels have caused severe vibration that dealers could not resolve after multiple visits.
  • Interior chrome door handles have peeled into sharp edges that cut hands.
  • Engine mounts and oil pan gaskets have failed, with owners told this was a common occurrence.
2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV complaints: complaints filed per month3Aug 2006Feb 2011Aug 2014Dec 2015Dec 2016Jan 2018Jan 2019
39 complaints filed with NHTSA from Aug 2006 to Jun 2019; peak Aug 2014 (3).

2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV recalls

4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 21V050000Feb 5, 2021Airbags2,641,272 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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.

  2. NHTSA 21V052000Feb 5, 2021Airbags557,023 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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.

  3. NHTSA 10V240000Jun 4, 2010Electrical System1,365,070 vehicles

    Electrical system

    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.

See all 4 recalls for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV →

2007 compared with other Escalade ESV years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2005Good2514113
2006Good205113
2007Avoid75394—
2008Good3017414
2009Good356515

All Cadillac Escalade ESV years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV reliable?
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2007 Escalade ESV ranks 6th worst of 21 model years with a complaint index of 75, giving it an Avoid verdict relative to other years.
What are the most common problems on the 2007 Escalade ESV?
Airbags account for 36% of complaints, followed by structure and body issues at 31% and engine problems at 28%, according to NHTSA data.
Does the 2007 Escalade ESV have an airbag recall?
Yes. NHTSA recall 21V050000 covers front passenger air bag inflator replacement on 2007-2011 Escalade ESV models, among other GM vehicles.
At what mileage do problems typically show up on the 2007 Escalade ESV?
Median mileage at failure across all reported problems is 74,000 miles, though airbag and structure complaints centered around 55,000 miles.
Are there other Escalade ESV years worse than 2007?
Yes. The 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 model years also carry an Avoid verdict, with 2023 having the highest complaint index at 100.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.