Reliable Auto DB

2012 Cadillac Escalade reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2012 Cadillac Escalade has 26 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Escalade years here — under the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator and Ignition.

2012 Cadillac Escalade
Photo by Baron Maddock, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0
Complaints

26

Per year

1

Recalls

3

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (12 of 26), then Air bags (4) and Engine (4). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Escalade has 19 complaints, 1 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

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 2012 Cadillac Escalade. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2021-02-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V051000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328770.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2021-02-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V054000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.
Recall electrical system, ignition 2014-12-30 · NHTSA campaign 14V827000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.

Complaints by component (26 total)

Electrical system
12
Air bags
4
Engine
4
Service brakes
4
Speed control
3
Steering
3
Structure
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Exterior lighting
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Powertrain
1
Wheels
1
Show 4 more Show less
Crash-flagged

3

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

120122201312014520152201722018420196202032021
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V051000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the…"
    Air bags · filed 2021-07-09
  • "TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V054000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT…"
    Air bags · filed 2021-04-29
  • "EVERY SO OFTEN MY SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT WILL APPEAR ON THE DASH UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE. I THOUGHT IT COULD HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH MOVING THE SEATS BACK AND FORTH AND A WIRE ISSUE. I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL FOR…"
    Air bags · filed 2021-03-20
  • "WE HAVE THREE CRACKS ON OUR DASH BOARD. THE CAR IS GARAGE KEPT AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE CRACKS KEEP FORMING. WE HAVE HAD THE CAR FIVE YEARS AND EVERY YEAR ANOTHER CRACK FORMS."
    Unknown or other · filed 2020-11-30
  • "INTERIOR DASH CRACK , ONSTAR SYSTEM STOP WORKING"
    Electrical system, Structure, Unknown or other · filed 2020-08-18

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV SUV AWD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV SUV RWD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars
2012 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid SUV AWD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2012 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid SUV RWD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2012 Cadillac Escalade SUV AWD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2012 Cadillac Escalade SUV RWD 4 stars 5 stars 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.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Escalade two-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 14 18 16 MPG $4050
Escalade all-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 13 18 15 MPG $4300
Escalade ESV two-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 14 18 16 MPG $4050
Escalade ESV all-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 13 18 14 MPG $4650
Escalade Ext all-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 13 18 14 MPG $4650
Escalade hybrid two-wheel drive 6L, 8-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Rear-wheel drive 20 23 21 MPG $3100
Escalade hybrid four-wheel drive 6L, 8-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Four-wheel drive 20 23 21 MPG $3100

Compare

Next year 2013 Cadillac Escalade See every Cadillac Escalade model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Cadillac Escalade reliable?

The 2012 Cadillac Escalade has 26 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Escalade years here — under the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator and Ignition.

What are common problems with a 2012 Cadillac Escalade?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (12 of 26), then Air bags (4) and Engine (4). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2012 Cadillac Escalade more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Escalade has 19 complaints, 1 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Cadillac Escalade been recalled?

The 2012 Cadillac Escalade has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Cadillac Escalade?

Owners have filed 26 complaints about the 2012 Cadillac Escalade with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Cadillac Escalade get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade is 16.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2022 Cadillac Escalade?

T1 generation (2021-on).

What oil does a Cadillac Escalade take?

US notes for the 6.2L V8 list 0W-20 full synthetic on both K2 and T1 generations here.

What tire sizes does a Cadillac Escalade use?

K2 Platinum pages often list 285/45R22; T1 trims commonly use 275/50R22 or 275/60R20.