Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 2008 Cadillac Escalade, assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its VIN to decode that exact car, its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment, alongside these records.
Open a VIN recordRecalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Cadillac Escalade year.
No EPA fuel-economy match for this model. Naming may differ, or it predates EPA records.
NHTSA lists 4 recalls for this make, model and year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car. A dealer can confirm from the VIN.
Issue: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles 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." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
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 March 1, 2021. 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 N212328760.
Campaign 21V050000
Issue: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
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 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. 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 N212328780.
Campaign 21V052000
Issue: GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.
Risk: THIS MAY CAUSE OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES TO MALFUNCTION, CREATE AN ODOR, OR CAUSE SMOKE INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .
Campaign 08V441000
Issue: GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.
Risk: IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Campaign 10V240000
3 open NHTSA investigations into this model. Investigations come before recalls, so these are potential defects not yet covered by one.
Rated configuration: 2008 Cadillac Escalade 4-DR. w/SAB
The parts named most often across 167 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this make, model and year.
4 crashes · 2 injured
1 fire
1 crash
2 fires
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so read this as where to look rather than as a defect rate.
Truck goes into limp mode, reduced power, stuck in second gear, stabilitrak and engine lights. Took it to the Cadillac dealership and after 3100 dollars in repairs the truck is still doing it. If the high level techs can’t figure it out after 2000 in labor it’s should be a recall item.
Oil pump car shuts off while idling
The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The infotainment display displayed a message indicating that the air bags were off, potentially compromising vehicle safety. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to provide a cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but was unable to assist. The failure mileage was 123,000.
Tire size 285/45r22 got into freeway this morning and the outer sidewall just separated on the lr tire no warning, tires looked good 7/32 tread left even wear and tire pressure was correct. The other tires look good on the outside but so did the one that came apart the car has tpms and the tires were never run low or had any repairs. The outside tread block at the sidewall peeled off the tire
Well driving, fuel indications went out and car started to do rough idling with poorer fuel economy. Upon inspection, wiring harness by driveshaft on the driver side got caught in the driveshaft and destroyed wiring.
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number 21V052000 (Air Bags) however, upon contacting the dealer, he was informed that the repair might cause the dashboard to crack. The contact was then informed that he would have to sign a waiver to ensure that the dealer would not be held responsible for any damages to the vehicle. The manufacturer was then notified of the issue and confirmed that the dealer would not be held responsible for any cracks or damages to the dashboard. The contact declined to sign the waiver and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer should cover the cost of the dashboard because of the recall. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Side Impact air bags did not deployed on side impact. Available for inspection. Got hit from the side and air bags did not deployed. Driver did not received protection from the crash. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Vehicle was seen by the police at the crash site. The component has not been inspected. There were no warning signs or messages or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Became aware of the air bag deployment failure after the side impact crash.
The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that since purchasing the vehicle, the "Service Traction Control" and "Service Stabili-trak" message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact was informed by the auction that the failure was due to the low air pressure on the driver’s side rear tire. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot, the steering wheel locked-up. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and stated that no issues were found. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated once. The vehicle was taken to another mechanic who diagnosed that the oil sensor and oil pressure switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 165,286.
I STARTED MY VEHICLE ONE AFTERNOON TO A TAPPING SOUND DINING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I CHECKED MY OIL, WHICH WAS GOOD THEN SCHEDULE TO HAVE MY TRUCK LOOKED AT BY A MECHANIC. HE STARTED THAT THE LIFTERS AND BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE OIL AND OTHER FLUIDS CHANGED REGULARLY SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE EXPENSIVE REPAIR. THE MECHANIC RECOMMEND A TREATMENT THAT WOULD GIVE ME TIME TO SAVE FOR THE REPAIR OF THE REPLACEMENT OF MY ENGINE. I NOW HEAR THAT ENGINE FAILURE IS COMMON IN THIS VEHICLE. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THESE MASSIVE BILL OF A PART THAT WAS PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF. MY VEHICLE IS STILL TAPPING AND IS NOW STARTING A SLIGHT JERK WHILE DRIVING AND A DELAY WHEN STARTING UP.
REMEDY FOR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG HAS TAKEN WAY TOO LONG BECAUSE OF GM FIGHTING IT. IT IS VERY UNSETTLING AND UNSAFE FEELING EVERYTIME I DRIVE MY AFFECTED VEHICLE. PLEASE REMEDY SOON!
THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, IT WAS TREMBLING FOR A MONTH PRIOR TO THE LIGHT. THEN PEPBOYS COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. RESET ELECTRICAL PANEL. A WEEK LATER BRAKE STABILIZER LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK TO OCEAN CADILLAC IN MIAMI. THE ENGINE WAS SMOKING, KNOCKING AND ABOUT TO GO ON FIRE. IT LOST PRESSURE AND I CALLED INSURANCE FLATBED.. AFTER FUEL PUMP REPLACED AND $1200 LATER.. PICKED UP AND DROVE OFF. 15 MINUTES LATER ENGINE VIBRATING & SMOKING AS SERVICE DEPT CLOSED. THEY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR, AND SAID FUEL PUMP BLOWN OUT FROM ENGINE MALFUCTION.. OTHER OWNERS, SAME MODEL, TOLD ,ME A COMMON PROBLEM THAT GM REPAIRS FOR FREE SINCE ON RECALL. THE DELEARSHIP NOW SAYS 4,000 BILL TO FIX THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY GM WHO DOES NOT ANSWER THE PHONE. TWO MONTHS GOING BACK AND FORTH THE DELEARSHIP AND NO MORE MONEY TO GIVE 4,000 TO THE ENGINE WHICH IS ON RECALL & RESPONSIBILITY OF GM MOTORS.
WAITING ON FOLLOWUP TO THIS RECALL SINCE 2016 BUT THE MANUFACTURER DOESN'T HAVE A REMEDY YET FOR THIS AIRBAGS THAT POSE A SAFETY RISK OF BURSTING OVERTIME. MY VEHICLE IS MY DAILY DRIVER SO I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. I SAW IN THE NEWS ABOUT THIS TODAY SO AM FOLLOWING UP ON THE RECALLS.
Showing 12 of 167 complaints.