MODELYEARINDEX

Cadillac Escalade

1,000 complaints across 9 scored model years and 31 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Cadillac Escalade Full report
F
Grade 2012–2021
2021 vs model median 3.0×
Model median3× median
Engine 53
Drivetrain 17
Electrical 11
Avoid

2016 · 2021

Best

2018 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2012
0.47× 14 B
2014
0.56× 12 B
2015
1.40× 63 D
2016
1.90× 71 F
2017
1.70× 57 D
2018
0.32× 10 A
2019
0.49× 14 A
2020
1.00× 20 B
2021
3.02× 109 F
2022 P
5.49× 183 F
2023 P
7.57× 295 F
2024 P
2.45× 92 F
2025 P
1.03× 40 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

Combined MPG16.5
City / Highway14.5 / 18.5
Engine6.2L, 8 cyl
DriveRear-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost$4,600

Recalls

31 campaigns on record, 2 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
16V651000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 2015–2017 3,640,162
19V645000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM 2015–2017 3,456,719
21V054000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2012, 2014 1,778,128
18V586000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2015 1,015,918
22V903000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE 2022, 2023 740,108
25V274000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL 2021–2024 597,571
22V617000 SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS 2021, 2022 484,155
24V797000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE 2021 463,295

+ 23 further campaigns

Others in Full-Size SUVs

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Model Years to avoid Grade
BMW X7
none flagged
C
Buick Enclave
20102011
C
Chevrolet Suburban
20152021
C
Chevrolet Tahoe
20152021
C
Ford Expedition
20202021
C
GMC Yukon
20152021
C
GMC Yukon XL
20162021
C
Infiniti QX56
none flagged
C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Escalade
Complaints in window
109
Severity-weighted
178
Model median (weighted)
59
vs model median
3.02×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
9
Open investigations
2
Score 3.3 F