10 complaints reported

2017 Cadillac Escalade Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
10
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Aug 2025

Vibration on exceleration, dealer states transmission is bad.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2024
Apr 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking. Additionally, while coming to a stop, the vehicle jerked and shook abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the motor mounts were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who replaced the fuel injectors however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who replaced the spark plugs and ignition wires. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2020
Nov 2021 Crash

I parked my 2017 Cadillac in a parking spot put the car in park shut it off and put the brake on went in side the pharmacyand my daughter was in the passenger seat with the windows downwind the car went Forward and hit a pole then rolled back and wrecked in the two cars with the car shut off in park a man tryed to stop it and the brake pedal was hard as a rock and the car was still in park . I got in to move the car and it was still in park .. I had the keys in my pocket in side the pharmacy..

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Aug 2021
Dec 2020

REPAIR PLEASE

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Nov 2020
Nov 2020

*SAFETY ISSUE* ESCALADE WILL SHIFT VIOLENTLY INTO GEAR IN EITHER FORWARD OR REVERSE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY LURCH. CONDITION IS ESPECIALLY PRESENT WHEN STOPPING AT INTERSECTION ON AN INCLINE. FROM A STOP OR ROLLING STOP, THE VEHICLE WILL BE UNRESPONSIVE TO GENTLE ACCELERATION FOR A SECOND OR TWO, THEN BOLT INTO GEAR SCREECHING THE TIRES AND LAUNCHING VEHICLE VIOLENTLY FORWARD. LIKEWISE, FROM ROLLING STOP THEN SHIFTING TO REVERSE TO PARK, SAME LAG WITH SUDDEN BURST OF POWER. THE EFFECT IS VERY SIMILAR TO SOMEONE WHO IS LEARNING TO DRIVE A MANUAL TRANNY IN A MUSCLE CAR. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO DIFFERENCE WITH TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE, THE INTENSITY OF THE CONDITION SEEMS TO BE RANDOM, AND DIFFICULT TO INTENTIONALLY RECREATE. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SHOP TWICE, RECEIVED THE 18-NA-355 BULLETIN SERVICE, AND PROBLEM PERSISTS. DEALER INDICATES THAT TRANSMISSION IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. ADDITIONALLY, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARSHLY BOTH UP AND DOWN THROUGH GEARS 1-3 WHEN GENTLY ACCELERATING OR BRAKING. AGAIN, SIMILAR TO SOMEONE WHO IS LEARNING TO DRIVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I DONT CONSIDER THIS CONDITION A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT AN ANNOYANCE AND MAY WELL BE RELATED TO THE "LURCHING" CONDITION.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Nov 2020
Aug 2020

WE HAVE OWNED THIS CAR FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS. IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEGUN FEELING CLUNKY AT TIMES. WHAT I MEAN IS THAT SOMETIMES THE SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND OR 2ND TO 3RD THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD WITH A CLUNK AS IT SHIFTS. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE YOU COULD SLIDE INTO TRAFFIC WHICH THANKFULLY HAS NOT HAPPENED AS OF YET. WE TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE ON THIS AND WAS TOLD IT WAS TYPICAL OF ESCALADES OF OUR YEAR AND EARLIER(2017). THEY(EDDY'S CADILLAC IN WICHITA KS) SAID CADILLAC NEEDS TO DO A RECALL ON THIS BUT THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. WE HAVE A FEW OTHER FRIENDS WHO HAD THE SAME YEAR OR EARLIER AND ALL EVENTUALLY DEVELOPED THE ISSUE. OURS STARTED WITH THE ISSUE ABOUT 20K MILEAGE MARK. CADILLAC NEEDS TO FIX THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND LEAVES ME LITTLE DOUBT THAT WITH SHIFTS THAT HARD IN THE TRANSMISSION THAT A FAILURE IS LOOMING IN THE NOT TO DISTANT FUTURE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2020
Aug 2020

THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS EXTREMELY HARSHLY FROM 1-2 AND FROM 3-2-1 INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES THIS HAPPENS ROUGH SOMETIMES ITS ROUGH AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AT ALL. I AM SURE THAT THIS IS DAMAGING THE TRANSMISSION AND ONE DAY THE TRANSMISSION WILL FAIL AT AN INOPPORTUNE TIME AND CAUSE A POTENTIALLY SEVERE ACCIDENT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2019
Aug 2020

THE VEHICLE MAKES A LOT A WHINING NOISES WHEN DRIVING AND THEN LOUDER WHINING NOISES AND ODD NOISES THAT SOUNDS LIKE GRINDING WHEN YOU MAKE TURNS WHEN THEN TRANSFER CASE IS ON AUTO MODE. DEALERSHIP TOLD ME TO PUT CAR IN OFF MODE UNLESS THE ROADS ARE IN BAD SHAPE BUT THE OWNERS MANUAL DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. I THINK THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2019
Mar 2019

WHEN I AM DRIVING ON SMOOTH SURFACE STREETS SOMETIME THERE A FEEL OF INTERMITTENT JUTTERY RIDE WHICH FEELS LIKE YOU ARE RIDING OVER VERY SMALL SPEED BUMPS VERY CLOSE TOGETHER. I WAS TOLD BY TWO (2) MECHANICS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION THAT IS CAUSING THIS. I STARTED ABOUT TWO (2) MONTHS AGO AND CONTINUE DAILY.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Mar 2019
Oct 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SHUDDERING AND VIBRATION FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT INTO GEARS PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DALE EARNHARDT JR. BUICK/GMC (1850 CAPITAL CIR NE, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32308, (850) 270-1453) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS POSSIBLY DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THREE OF THE FOUR TIRES WERE ALSO REPLACED; HOWEVER, THE VIBRATION AND SHUDDERING PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000. *JS

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 CADILLAC ESCALADE, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2017

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2017 Cadillac Escalade has 10 Power Train complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.