2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv
On the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv, the failure owners report most often is other powertrain problem, with 8 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 30,000 miles. Overall it scores 69 out of 100, high risk for a 2017.
High risk for a 2017 — 200th riskiest of the 263 2017 vehicles we can rate. 50 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv
Owners have reported 22 named failure modes on the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv, and the three most-reported carry 38% of everything filed.
Other powertrain problem leads with 8 reports and about 0.2 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other brake problem follows with 7 reports, median 25,000 miles.
Other engine problem follows with 4 reports, median 105,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into brakes (10), transmission (9) and engine (7).
When these failures get reported
24 of the reports on the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 30,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 83% by 50,000 miles, 92% by 100,000 miles and 96% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 40,000 and 50,000 miles, which alone holds 25% of the dated reports.
58% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 22. The full list is in the table below.
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
- Dashed the median reported mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 5 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 5 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.04, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500, other brake problem at $300–$1,800, other engine problem at $300–$4,000 and other electrical problem at $250–$2,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
34% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 8 | 4 | — | 34k | — | 0.2 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 7 | 4 | — | 24k | — | 0.2 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 4 | 3 | — | 103k | — | 0.1 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 3 | 1 | — | 32k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Lifter, cam or cylinder-deactivation failure | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $1,800–$7,000 | High |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 2 | 2 | — | 23k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Master cylinder or brake booster failure | brakes | 2 | 2 | — | 18k | — | 0.1 | $450–$2,200 | Critical |
| Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure | body | 2 | 2 | — | 50k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,500 | Moderate |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 2 | 1 | — | 42k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 2 | — | 17k | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Excessive oil consumption | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $900–$6,500 | High |
| Transmission slipping | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $1,200–$5,500 | High |
| Differential or transfer case failure | drivetrain | 1 | 1 | — | 23k | — | 0.0 | $900–$4,200 | High |
| Fuel gauge or level sensor failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Backup camera failure | infotainment | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Other steering problem | steering | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 3 | 2 | — | 73k | — | 0.1 | — | Moderate |
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.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv draws about 1.3 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 74th percentile of complaint rates among 2017 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 37,527 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2017 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other brake problem
Tl* the contact owned a 2017 cadillac escalade esv. While driving approximately 35 MPH, a police officer abruptly made a left turn causing a chain reaction crash of four vehicles. The contact depressed the brake pedal and it traveled all the way down to the floorboard. The contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. The police and the fire department were present and a report was filed. There were no injuries. The contact also stated that the driver assist system was not working and the dealer made an appointment to have the vehicle diagnosed. The frontal air bags deployed. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was deemed destroyed by the insurance company. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,400.
Recalls on the 2017 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv, affecting an estimated 37,527 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 air bags:frontal. 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.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
3,640,162 vehicles 2016-09-08- Defect
- 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…
- Consequence
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
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.
How it ranks in the 2017 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2017 — 200th riskiest of the 263 2017 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 15 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2016 comes out best at 66 and 2020 worst at 84, with 2017 itself at 69.
If the model year is negotiable, 2016 and 2011 score lower than 2017 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2012–2017 generation specifically, 2016 is the strongest year at 66 and 2017 the weakest at 69.
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 2012-2017 generation, 2016 Cadillac Escalade Esv scores best at 66 and 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv worst at 69.
What this page cannot tell you
50 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 50 reports, 24 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 48% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv?
The most-reported failures are other powertrain problem (8 reports, median 35,000 miles), other brake problem (7 reports, median 25,000 miles) and other engine problem (4 reports, median 105,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv reliable?
It scores 69 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 200th riskiest of the 263 2017 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2017 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Cadillac Escalade Esv is best?
Within the 2012–2017 generation, 2016 scores best at 66 out of 100 and 2017 worst at 69. Same body, same engines, different luck.
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