2016 Cadillac Escalade Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Escalade years
- More complaints than other years 6th of 28 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 89 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Cadillac Escalade. That ranks 6th out of 28 Escalade model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (31 complaints, 35%), typically at around 75,000 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 3 fires, 3 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 89owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 Cadillac Escalade 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 31 | 35% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 17 | 19% | 47,755 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 15 | 17% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 14 | 16% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 8 | 9% | 4,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 7 | 8% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 6 | 7% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 4% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 3% | 11,048 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 3% | 91,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 3% | 12,550 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 2% | 13,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 2% | 54,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 2% | 30,775 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 1% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | 91,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 Cadillac Escalade recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Risk: As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.
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 transmission has experienced ongoing shifting problems, including extremely hard shifts at low speeds and difficulty shifting properly at higher/highway speeds. The hard shifting could cause the vehicle to jerk unexpectedly, and the difficulty shifting at higher speeds caused concern about the…
At highway speed, the engine lifters associated with the Active Fuel Management system failed and caused catastrophic damage throughout the engine. The sudden loss of power on the highway almost caused vehicles traveling behind me to collide.
The first engine failure occurred while my vehicle remained under warranty. While driving with my children and a couple of her teammates to an AAU tournament in [XXX], the vehicle just began emitting white smoke. We pulled to a gas station and were stranded until we could arrange transportation for…
While driving my 2016 Cadillac Escalade, the vehicle experienced a sudden mechanical failure associated with the engine and charging system. Upon failure, the vehicle displayed warning indicators including a âlow batteryâ warning and emitted a burnt smell. The engine subsequently failed…
While driving in rush hour traffic, engine completely stopped. We were stranded in traffic for 2 hours until the police came to help push us out of the street. It was 20 degrees and we sat for 4 hours to get towed. After much ado, the dealership stated the following; "Checked and found engine…
Other Cadillac Escalade years
← 2015 Escalade · 2017 Escalade →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Escalade | 37 | 3 |
| 2025 Escalade | 20 | 1 |
| 2024 Escalade | 52 | 2 |
| 2023 Escalade | 142 | 4 |
| 2022 Escalade | 85 | 4 |
| 2021 Escalade | 76 | 9 |
| 2020 Escalade | 14 | 2 |
| 2019 Escalade | 25 | 0 |
| 2018 Escalade | 21 | 1 |
| 2017 Escalade | 51 | 2 |
| 2016 | 89 | 4 |
| 2015 Escalade | 98 | 9 |
| 2014 Escalade | 20 | 2 |
| 2013 Escalade | 19 | 4 |
| 2012 Escalade | 20 | 3 |
| 2011 Escalade | 49 | 6 |
| 2010 Escalade | 38 | 3 |
| 2009 Escalade | 58 | 5 |
| 2008 Escalade | 136 | 4 |
| 2007 Escalade | 230 | 4 |
| 2006 Escalade | 19 | 2 |
| 2005 Escalade | 43 | 2 |
| 2004 Escalade | 69 | 2 |
| 2003 Escalade | 81 | 4 |
| 2002 Escalade | 115 | 1 |
| 2001 Escalade | 3 | 0 |
| 2000 Escalade | 71 | 1 |
| 1999 Escalade | 39 | 2 |
See all Cadillac Escalade problems by year, every Cadillac model, or the Cadillac VIN decoder.
Similar Cadillac models
Embed this 2016 Cadillac Escalade badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Cadillac Escalade?
Owners most often report engine, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 31 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Cadillac Escalade?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 Cadillac Escalade a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Escalade model years, the 2016 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.