2006 Cadillac Escalade Esv: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2006 Cadillac Escalade Esv
Only 5 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 2006 Cadillac Escalade Esv, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported master cylinder or brake booster failure.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master cylinder or brake booster failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 115k | — | 1.1 | $450–$2,200 | Critical |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 11k | — | 1.1 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 13k | — | 1.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 118k | — | 1.1 | $250–$2,000 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 37k | — | 1.1 | $400–$4,500 | High |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Parking brake failure
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 cadillac escalade esv. While driving 30 MPH up a very steep mountain with very steep switchbacks, the vehicle completely shut off. The power steering and power brakes stopped operating as well. The warning lights on the instrument panel illuminated. Five to ten minutes later, the contact was able to restart the vehicle after the computer seemed to reset. On july 8, 2008, while driving down a 6,000 foot mountain, the vehicle shut off again and experienced the same failures. He was able to stop the vehicle with the emergency brake. The contact noticed that the failure occurred at all altitudes, the first being approximately 5,000 feet. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure has not yet been determined. The current mileage was 12,034 and failure mileage was approximately 11,000. Updated 07/29/08. *lj updated 08/05/08
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash
Tl* - the contact owns a 2006 cadillac escalade esv. While driving at 45 MPH, the contact's vehicle b was involved in a car crash. The contact loss control of the vehicle and rear ended another vehicle, and hit a tree. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle sustained damage to the front end. The contact has a police report.
Recalls on the 2006 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2006 Cadillac Escalade Esv, affecting an estimated 890 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover equipment:other:labels. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
32,068 vehicles 2005-12-07- Defect
- Certain trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were shipped with tire and loading information labels listing an inacccurate vehicle capacity weight.
- Consequence
- A misprinted label could lead to improper vehicle loading specifications or tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Owners will be provided with corrected labels and installation instructions. At the customer's option, a dealer can install the label for them. The recall began on march 31, 2006. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, hummer at 1-800-732-5493, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
Every year of the Cadillac Escalade Esv
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2006-2011 generation, 2011 Cadillac Escalade Esv scores best at 66 and 2007 Cadillac Escalade Esv worst at 70.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2006 Cadillac Escalade Esv are master cylinder or brake booster failure (1 report, around 115k miles), parking brake failure (1 report, around 11k miles), airbag failed to deploy in a crash (1 report, around 13k miles), exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin (1 report, around 118k miles) and other powertrain problem (1 report, around 37k miles). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Other years of the same model do have enough: 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The mechanical parts are often shared across those years, so their pages are the better guide to what this one is likely to do, with the caveat that a shared part is not a shared production line.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed