2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Escalade ESV years
- About as many complaints as other years 11th of 24 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 15 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV. That ranks 11th out of 24 Escalade ESV model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (7 complaints, 47%), typically at around 60,618 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 2 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 15owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 7 | 47% | 60,618 | — | — |
| Power Train | 5 | 33% | 26,925 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 3 | 20% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 20% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 7% | 22,851 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 7% | 45,200 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:front:control armDo not drive
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Brake Vacuum Pump Failure (PE18012) — opened Nov 20, 2018, closed Apr 10, 2022, led to recall 19V645000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle and the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, no failure was found. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at…
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that the passenger's side rear…
06/14/2019 i was driving my cadillac to escalate esv traveling from baltimore to washington dc 95 south band. 12:04 pm my vehicle flip over. I almost lost my life. After the accident, i inspected the vehicle. I found that left the rear wheel of the car; come out of the vehicle. Wheel locks and axle…
Vacuum pump deterioration or failure caused reduced stopping of vehicle. Backed up vehicle in driveway and could not stop until i pumped brake petal several times. And finally stopped. Placed vehicle in neutral and set hand brake. I checked accelerator and stop petals for obstruction and found…
Other Cadillac Escalade ESV years
← 2015 Escalade ESV · 2017 Escalade ESV →
See all Cadillac Escalade ESV problems by year, every Cadillac model, or the Cadillac VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
Owners most often report suspension, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 7 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Escalade ESV model years, the 2016 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.