Problems · NHTSA complaints
2013 Cadillac Escalade problems
Owners filed 19 complaints about the 2013 Cadillac Escalade with NHTSA between Mar 2014 and Sep 2026. The most-cited component is power train (5).
Complaints
19
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Power train5
- Electrical system4
- Engine3
- Air bags3
- Vehicle speed control2
- Seat belts2
- Steering2
- Fuel/propulsion system1
- Forward collision avoidance1
- Electronic stability control (esc)1
- Visibility1
- Other / unknown1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
0
0
3
2
1
4
0
2
1
0
1
3
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 3 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Power train
5 reports
“The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at highway speeds, the "Engine Power Reduced" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder of the highway. The contact stated that his wife was panicked due to the abrupt failure and refused to drive the vehicle. Due to the ongoing failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer on three separate occasions; however, the dealer failed to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.”
Electrical system
4 reports1 fire1 related recall
“I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 65MPH AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TURNING OFF AND ON. PUSHED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE ENGINE JUST REVVED UP. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME IT HAS DONE THIS.”
Engine
3 reports
“The L87 in our Escalade had a catastrophic failure at 97,088 miles. We were told that the right cylinder head had failed which caused the lower main bearings to fail. We had the engine replaced with a newly rebuilt L87 on XXX (invoice date). The engine was rebuilt by GM. Our local shop procured it through Weisner GMC in [XXX]. The cost to us was $11,428.22. Fortunately, we were able to limp the car into our local shop. Now, this newly rebuilt engine has 11,056 miles on it and we are experiencing the same symptoms as the last. Those are: ticking during acceleration and very rough idling and a growling noise at low speeds.”
Air bags
3 reports2 related recalls
“2013 CADILLAC ESCALADE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TAKATA AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER HAVING THE AIRBAG RECALL COMPLETED, THE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE AIRBAG FAILURE TIMING WAS A COINCIDENCE AND REQUESTED AN INSPECTION/REPAIR FEE.”
Vehicle speed control
2 reports
“The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving approximately 72 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. The driver discovered that the accelerator pedal adjustment button had been inadvertently depressed by the wallet, causing the pedal position to change and resulting in the unexpected acceleration. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 250,000.”
Seat belts
2 reports
“All three seatbelts in the third row don't lock. I just got this car with only 100k miles on it and when installing my kids' car seats I found that none of them have the needed safety feature. They don't lock when pulled quickly or when pulled all the way out. Cadillac won't cover the repair.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.