RecallRepo

2012 Cadillac Escalade Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2012 Cadillac Escalade has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,146,965 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

AIR BAGS 21V051000 2021-02-05 284,645 affected
Defect

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,…

Consequence

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…

AIR BAGS 21V054000 2021-02-05 1,778,128 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

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 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14V827000 2014-12-30 84,192 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

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…

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
1crashes
ENGINE
3
SERVICE BRAKES
3
1crashes
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
AIR BAGS
2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
2
STEERING
2
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
1crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
2crashes
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1
Total complaints32

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“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 the passenger side frontal airbag inflator shortly after this started happening.…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2021-02-15

“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 recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2020-12-01

“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 · reported 2020-11-30

“Interior dash crack , onstar system stop working”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2020-08-01

“Interior dash crack , onstar system stop working”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2020-08-01

“Interior dash crack , onstar system stop working”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2020-08-01

“I hit and totaled a black man convertible I was at fault. Please help I was texting and driving. *tr”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2020-07-01

“My 2012 cadillac escalade hybrid electronic power steering has failed.while driving this vehicle. A service power steering warning light has illuminated in the dash and the vehicle almost went out of control while I was on a two lane dual highway. It appears that it is a motor that is manufactured…”

STEERING · reported 2020-05-20

Defect investigations

Investigation EA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…

Investigation EA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.