YearToAvoid

2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

47/100

#9 most-complained of 16 Escalade ESV years

The 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV has 15 NHTSA complaints and a complaint index of 47, ranking 9th worst of 16 model years with data. Its verdict is 'Good' relative to other Escalade ESV years, with suspension issues being the top concern.

Complaints
15
Recalls
3
incl. Do Not Drive
Crashes / fires
2 / 0
Injuries / deaths
2 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
—

Top 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Suspension, Wheels & Tires7 (47%)
  2. Transmission & Powertrain5 (33%)
  3. Electrical System3 (20%)
  4. Other3 (20%)
  5. Brakes1 (7%)

What owners report

  • Owners report reduced brake stopping power, requiring multiple pedal pumps before the vehicle would slow down.
  • Rear wheels have separated from the vehicle, with axle bars and wheel locks reported broken or cut off.
  • Front upper control arms wear out and cause tires to be eaten from the inside, sometimes triggering an alignment refusal at the dealership.
  • Instrument cluster failures occur intermittently while driving at various speeds.
  • Transmissions surge, buck, shudder, or slip, with symptoms including torque converter vibration between 45 and 65 mph and slipping reported around 50,000 miles.
  • Front and rear collision sensors have given false imminent-crash warnings with no vehicles nearby.
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV complaints: complaints filed per month4Feb 2017Feb 2018Aug 2018Oct 2018Mar 2019Apr 2023
19 complaints filed with NHTSA from Feb 2017 to May 2025; peak Jun 2019 (4).

2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2014No verdict00215
2015Good2786 !17
2016Good47153 !—
2017Caution73381—
2018Good33151—

All Cadillac Escalade ESV years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV reliable?
NHTSA lists 15 complaints and a complaint index of 47 for the 2016 Escalade ESV, and it ranks 9th worst out of 16 model years, earning a 'Good' verdict relative to other years.
What is the top problem area for the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
Suspension, Wheels & Tires is the top problem area, accounting for 7 of 15 complaints (47%), with a median failure mileage of 60,617.5 miles.
Does the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV have any recalls?
Yes, NHTSA lists 3 recalls, including one do-not-drive recall (campaign 16V256000) covering front upper control arm replacement, plus recalls for airbags and seat belts.
How does the 2016 Escalade ESV compare to the 2021-2023 model years?
The 2016 model's complaint index of 47 is much lower than the 2021 (93), 2022 (87), and 2023 (100) model years, all of which carry an 'Avoid' verdict.

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.