2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Caution The 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV has a Complaint Index of 55, ranking 10th out of 21 model years, with a Caution verdict. NHTSA logged 15 complaints, 3 recalls (one do-not-drive), and the top problem area is Suspension, Wheels & Tires at 47% of complaints.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 55/100
- #10 of 21 Escalade ESV years
- Verdict
- Caution
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 15
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 3
- 1 Do Not Drive
- Crashes
- 2
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- Top issue
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires
Top 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires7 (47%)
- Transmission & Powertrain5 (33%)
- Electrical System3 (20%)
- Other3 (20%)
- Brakes1 (7%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Left rear wheel can separate from the vehicle after wheel lock and axle bar failure, in one case causing a rollover.
- Front upper control arms wear out and cause uneven tire wear, sometimes flagged by mechanics as unsafe for alignment.
- Torque converter shudder and vibration appear between 45 and 65 mph, with only partial improvement after tire and wheel service.
- Transmission exhibits delayed, hard, or abrupt shifts, including a hard clunk shifting from 2nd to 1st gear.
- Transmission slipping was reported by one owner at the point of failure noted in the data.
- Instrument cluster failure occurs intermittently while driving, and dealers have been unable to duplicate it.
- Front and rear collision sensors give false forward-collision warnings with no vehicle nearby.
- A vacuum pump failure reduced braking ability, requiring repeated pumping of the brake pedal to stop.
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV recalls
3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 17V437000Jul 10, 2017Seat Belts40,683 vehicles
Seat belts:pretensioner
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.
- NHTSA 16V651000Sep 8, 2016Airbags3,640,162 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
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.
- NHTSA 16V256000Apr 28, 2016Suspension, Wheels & Tires3,738 vehiclesDo Not Drive
Suspension:front:control arm
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the control arm bushing.
Risk: Inadequate welds may allow the control arm to separate from the bushing, compromising steering and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 42190.
2016 compared with other Escalade ESV years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2016 Escalade ESV carries a Complaint Index of 55 and a Caution verdict, ranking 10th out of 21 model years for this model.
- What are the most common problems with the 2016 Escalade ESV?
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires issues make up 47% of complaints, followed by Transmission & Powertrain at 33% and Electrical System at 20%, according to NHTSA data.
- Does the 2016 Escalade ESV have a recall?
- NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2016 Escalade ESV, including a do-not-drive recall covering the suspension's front upper control arms, plus recalls for seat belts and airbags.
- At what mileage do problems typically show up on the 2016 Escalade ESV?
- NHTSA data shows a median mileage at failure of 37,000 miles overall, with suspension complaints centered around 60,617 miles and transmission complaints around 26,925 miles.
- How does the 2016 model compare to other Escalade ESV years?
- The 2016 model's Complaint Index of 55 is worse than years like 2005 (25) and 2018 (45), but better than 2007 (75), 2017 (85), and 2023 (100), which are rated Avoid.