Reliable Auto DB

2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 34 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV over 8 years — 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Escalade ESV years here — under the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Rear or other.

2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

34

Per year

1

Recalls

1

Years on the road

8

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (20 of 34), then Powertrain (9) and Electrical system (5). The most filings arrived in 2025 (15 of 34). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 Escalade ESV has 15 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2020 has 22 complaints, 2 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (1)

Recall seat belts, rear or other 2018-09-26 · NHTSA campaign 18V673000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Cadillac CT6, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Volt, and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automatically lock when the seatbelt is fully pulled out of the retractor, possibly preventing a child seat from being properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seatbelt retractors and replace them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 7, 2018. Owners may contact 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 18315.

Complaints by component (34 total)

Engine
20
Powertrain
9
Electrical system
5
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Service brakes
2
Structure
2
Back-over prevention
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Seats
1
Speed control
1
Show 4 more Show less
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

3201912021120222202312024152025112026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Vehicle: 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV VIN: [XXX] Engine: 6.2L V8 L86 Mileage: Less than 59,000 miles I am reporting a serious premature engine failure involving the 6.2L L86 engine in my 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-17
  • "Subject: 2019 Cadillac Escalade - Delayed Engagement 1st/2nd Gear - Dealer Unable to Diagnose Vehicle: 2019 Cadillac Escalade VIN: [XXX] Mileage: 111,590 Date of incident: XXX to present Dealer: Mark Christopher Auto…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-15
  • "At 60,000 miles the lifter failed and bent a pushrod rod while driving 65mph on the interstate. I had to slow my driving to 40mph in heavy traffic and "limp" it to the dealership. When I drove it to the local Cadillac…"
    Engine · filed 2026-07-11
  • "2019 Escalade. During summer temperatures, unable to control pedal position adjustment and vehicle automatically moves the pedals all the way forward. When the pedal position button is pushed, the pedals make clicking…"
    Speed control · filed 2026-04-24
  • "11/26/25 at 85,400 miles on the v8 6.2L L86 engine, I began experiencing rough idle, loss of engine power and propulsion, a ticking/ knocking noise at idle and when RPMs increased as well as blinking engine warning…"
    Powertrain, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-03-31

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV SUV AWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 3 stars
2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV SUV RWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Specs and fitment

K2 generation, 2017–2020
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 full synthetic (6.2L V8) , 8 qt capacity
Tire size 275/55R20 (base), 285/45R22 (Luxury/Premium/Platinum)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V-837 covers certain 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles, and also Escalade and other GM full-size trucks and SUVs: the fuel pump may be missing a pressure regulator, allowing over-pressurization of the fuel system. Dealers replace the fuel pump. Recall 18V-673 covers certain 2018-2019 Escalade ESV vehicles among other GM models: certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelt retractors may not lock; dealers inspect and replace retractors as necessary.

Compare

Previous year 2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV Next year 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV See every Cadillac Escalade ESV model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV reliable?

Owners have filed 34 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV over 8 years — 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Escalade ESV years here — under the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Rear or other.

What are common problems with a 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (20 of 34), then Powertrain (9) and Electrical system (5). The most filings arrived in 2025 (15 of 34). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 Escalade ESV has 15 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2020 has 22 complaints, 2 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

Has the 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV been recalled?

The 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV?

Owners have filed 34 complaints about the 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV with NHTSA.

What oil does a Cadillac Escalade ESV take?

Gas 6.2L V8 models use 0W-20 full synthetic; the 2021+ owner’s manual lists about 8.0 quarts with filter for that engine. Diesel capacity differs—check the Duramax supplement.

What does recall 25V-274 cover on Escalade ESV?

Certain 2021-2024 Escalade ESV vehicles with a 6.2L V8 gas engine (and related Escalade/GM trucks): dealers inspect the engine and, as necessary, repair or replace it; vehicles that pass inspection receive higher-viscosity oil and related updates.

Which Escalade ESV generations does this site track?

K2 (2017-2020) and T1 (2021-on).