2008 Cadillac Escalade Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 74 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2008 Cadillac Escalade, 54% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 92,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (42% of reports).
- 74air bags complaints
- 92,500median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 2related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 31 of 74 complaints (42%)
- Able confirm: mentioned in 11 of 74 complaints (15%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 20 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 74 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Cadillac Escalade air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Escalade | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2022 Escalade | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2021 Escalade | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2016 Escalade | 6 | 7% | 43,000 |
| 2015 Escalade | 3 | 3% | 86,000 |
| 2014 Escalade | 5 | 25% | 10,141 |
| 2013 Escalade | 3 | 16% | 76,000 |
| 2012 Escalade | 2 | 10% | 124,000 |
| 2011 Escalade | 34 | 69% | 109,049 |
| 2010 Escalade | 21 | 55% | 167,534 |
| 2009 Escalade | 24 | 41% | 104,600 |
| 2008 Escalade | 74 | 54% | 92,500 |
| 2007 Escalade | 116 | 50% | 105,000 |
| 2006 Escalade | 3 | 16% | 110,000 |
| 2005 Escalade | 10 | 23% | 77,000 |
| 2004 Escalade | 7 | 10% | 115,000 |
| 2003 Escalade | 5 | 6% | 53,000 |
| 2002 Escalade | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2000 Escalade | 7 | 10% | 27,000 |
| 1999 Escalade | 1 | 3% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Side Impact air bags did not deployed on side impact. Available for inspection. Got hit from the side and air bags did not deployed. Driver did not received protection from the crash. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Vehicle was seen by the police at the…
Remedy for the passenger airbag has taken way too long because of gm fighting it. It is very unsettling and unsafe feeling everytime i drive my affected vehicle. Please remedy soon!
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 cadillac escalade. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v381000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Hanlees davis chevrolet (4989 chiles rd, davis, ca 95618) was contacted and made aware of…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Cadillac Escalades have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 74 owner complaints about air bags for the 2008 Cadillac Escalade (54% of the 136 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Cadillac Escalade air bags?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 92,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2008 Cadillac Escalade?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 31 of 74 complaints, followed by “able confirm” (11).
See all 2008 Cadillac Escalade problems or air bags problems across all Escalade years.