Most common 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems
Share of the 6 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Cadillac Escalade ESV complaints by model year
Best Escalade ESV years: 2014, 2013, 2012. Years to avoid: 2023, 2021, 2022, 2019, 2017. Compare all years →
2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida,…
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 24, 2021.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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,…
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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…
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.
Electrical system
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…
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…
Fuel system, gasoline
GM is recalling 27,188 my 2009 Cadillac escalade, escalade hybrid, escalade esv, and escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, suburban, tahoe, tahoe hybrid, and colorado; and GMC yukon, yukon hybrid, yukon xl, and canyon vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new fuel system control module free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2009. Owners May contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC at 1-866-996-9463 or at…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV:
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 to burn too quickly when ignited.
What 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV owners say
Air bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV. While driving approximately 60 MPH, a tractor trailer crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact's vehicle was pushed into the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was injured and was transported to a hospital by ambulance. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard to be evaluated for damages. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 47,000.
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V381000 (air bags). The part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Fuel & propulsion system
Initially my fuel gauge stopped working. I assumed it failed and was going to have it replaced. The following day when I started the car the engine light came on, and I thought it might have something to do with the fuel gauge issue. I was on my way to drop the car off at the dealer the same day and while driving a warning message stated that the traction control was inoperable, it then went into limp mode. I barely made it off the highway. When I pulled into a safe location I heard a pop under the car and everything started shutting down. The engine started sputtering, eventually quitting. I looked under the car and after crawling around I noticed the wiring clips holding the wire loom above the front drive shaft had failed. The wiring loom has enough slack in it to then wrap itself around the front drive shaft, finally snapping the wires. A total of 9 wires snapped. …
Stuck throttle at 4000+ rpms: while passing a car on a straight two lane highway, the engine stayed at 4000 rpms or greater after the throttle pedal was released. No carpet or floor mat was impeding the throttle pedal. The pedal was pressed hard and release several times to try to disengage the throttle but rpms stay above 4000 rpms. The transmission was placed into the manual position but rpms continued to stay above 4000 for approximately 3.5 miles and 2.5 minutes with the vehicle uncontrollably going in excess of 90 MPH. The brake pedal was applied throughout the stuck throttle event but the brakes became overheated and ineffective. Eventually the vehicle gear shift selector was moved into the neutral position and the vehicle coasted to a stop with the rpms still at 4000+ prms. While stopped the ignition was turned off and only then did the rpms go from 4000+ to zero. …
2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 19 / 15 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV a good car?
Based on 6 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Escalade ESV rates average: 33% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Escalade ESV at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
The air bags — 3 complaints, 50% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the fuel & propulsion system (3) and engine & cooling (2).
How many recalls does the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV, the most recent from February 5, 2021 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Cadillac Escalade ESV?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2013 and 2012. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2023, 2021, 2022, 2019 and 2017. See the full Cadillac Escalade ESV years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 Cadillac Escalade ESV problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 79,000 miles; 25% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.