Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Cadillac Escalade owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized and it felt as if she would lose control of the vehicle while driving at certain speeds. On occasion, the driver's seat belt tightened and loosened on its own. Furthermore, the emergency brake was faulty and needed to be adjusted, the check engine indicator illuminated, and the "rear door maintenance" message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home and then taken to kuni Chevrolet Cadillac (2449 fulton ave, sacramento, ca 95825, [phone]). The vehicle was repaired with the exception of the power steering and seat belt. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The contact planned to schedule another appointment for the steering and seat belt. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 100,000.
I was on I 75 passing under miller rd in flint, mi when traffic started to back up and slow down. I applied the brakes and the car stated to slow down, the brake peddle then went to the floor and I had no brakes. I was able to down shift to 1st gear and get to the side of the road. The car slowed down to where I could get it into reverse to stop it. We where so lucky! I got it to a Cadillac dealer in dearborn, mi and found out that the main brake line had rusted through. I had all the brake line replace. I have major concerns that there are thousands of GM vehicles with this problem still on the road. I have since been told that GM had a brake line material problem during the early 2000 that lead to rusting out of the lines. Please look into this for the safety of others. The dealer was les stanford Cadillac updated 10/9/15
Dt: consumer complained about a brake problem. Intermittently, while driving at 35 MPH or above and if needed to come to an immediate stop it won't stop like it should. Took vehicle to dealer, and they said brake pads were fine, and they did need not take apart the ABS system. Also, they checked a diagnostic machine, but it did not show any codes. Consumer's vehicle rear ended another vehicle due to brake failure. Noticed this around August 1, 2005.
Brakes have failed completely three times because of failure of hydraulic lines/components. Last time when brake failed I was on a freeway and I hit the brake to slow down the car to take an exit and lost complete control of the car. Thanks god no damage took place. I am having lot of rust/corrosion/chrome failure problem with this car.
Driving home from work on a slightly icy road, the car ahead of me was coming to a stop. I hit my brakes, but the ground was a little slick so the ABS kicked on. I pushed the pedal harder, there was a pop noise, and my brake pedal went to the floor. The brake warning chime came on, along with a message that said "service braking system" in the dic on the instrument panel. My brakes were no longer functional, and I narrowly avoided hitting the car in front of me. I had a dash cam running at the time, and captured a video of the incident, which I have put on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve6gqfiwq_a I was able to pull into a parking lot up the road, at which point I popped the hood and saw a puddle of brake fluid directly under the master cylinder. When a friend arrived to give me a ride home, I had him push the brake pedal so I could see where the fluid was escaping. …
After approximately 1 year the truck started releasing the brakes on its own while descending a mountain and had to reapply to engage for brakes to work this has happened at least 10 times since we bought the truck. Its was inspected at the dealership where it was bought and nothing was ever done . I was told it was normal for this to occur and nothing was wrong with the truck. Other issues are the electrical in the dash has shorts and sometimes the A/C does not work and comes on by itself. The gauges ,speedometer and fuel gauge do not work anymore and the air bag light stays on . This truck was purchased with zero miles on it and purchased for over $ 70,000 and now only has 103,000 miles on it.
I own a 2003 Cadillac Escalade purchased used from the original known owner last year. 27,500 original miles garage kept whole life and never driven in inclement weather by original owner or myself. Had vehicle in for pa safety inspection today, was told excessive corrosion was found on fuel and brake lines and undercarriage of vehicle. I was informed brake lines needed to be replaced asap. Repair garage suggested contacting NHTSA as a preliminary investigation was launched of January 26, 2011 at 10:34 am NHTSA action number : ea11001 it would appear many other owners are having the same issues as mine and I wanted to be on record with regards to the investigation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that, on different occasions, the accelerator and brake pedals seized and failed to release when needed. The failure presented the risk of a potential crash. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 04V045000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 02V224000 (electrical system); although, the failures were similar to the recall campaigns. The vehicle was also not included in NHTSA action number: ea11001 (service brakes, hydraulic). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Brake line corrosion caused rapid loss of hydraulic fluid . Steel line ruptured within a plastic retainer located on the left side of the car on the left frame rail directly behind the left front shock.. I have kept the exact ruptured part.. There were no signs of corrosion anywhere else on the vehicle in fact the rest of the line looks good.. The plastic retainer, for some reason accelerated the rate of corrosion in a small isolated area. I work in the automotive industry over 25 years experience.. I can assist in any information if needed...this problem will definitely injure someone....
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, she applied the brakes to avoid a vehicle pulling into her lane but the vehicle continued to move forward and then skidded. The vehicle finally came to a stop and the stability system disabled as the brake lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle home and once parked, she noticed there was puddle of brake fluid under the vehicle. Upon further inspection, the contact found that the brake lines suffered from severe corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 85,337.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic
Certain sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger vans fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, ?passenger car brake systems.? Some of these vehicles were produced with an out-of-specification brake hydro-boost housing relief valve bore.
Remedy: Dealers are to replace the hydro-boost relief valve. The recall began on June 18, 2004. Owners should contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339; Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; GMC at 1-866-996-9463; or Hummer at 1-866-486-6376.
NHTSA investigations
Brake line corrosion failure
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,…
Brake complaints in other Escalade years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2003 Cadillac Escalade?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the brakes of the 2003 Cadillac Escalade, 25% of the model year's 81 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Cadillac Escalade brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-045 (service brakes, hydraulic, Feb 4, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Cadillac Escalade brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.