Most common 2009 Cadillac Escalade problems
Share of the 58 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Cadillac Escalade complaints by model year
Best Escalade years: 2013, 2014, 2012. Years to avoid: 2023, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025. Compare all years →
2009 Cadillac Escalade recalls (5)
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.
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.
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:
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 owners say
Air bags all 24 →
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the passenger side air bag deployed without impact which resulted in the contact losing control of the vehicle and crashed into a pole. No further details were available in regaurds to the crash. The contacts wife who was seated in the front passenger side sustained whiplash and did not seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to (whitmore's wrecker services inc 600 w greenwood ave, waukegan, il 60087 [phone]). Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 21V052000 (air bags) however the VIN was not included. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
We have been receiving letters about the Takata airbag recall & I also have the carfax app that states the recall & also the airbag light came on. We took the car to the local dealer after they took our appointment to repair the airbag then they kept the car all day to get a call that there is no fix for the airbag therefore they can't turn the airbag light off either. We really need to sell this car as we have a high payment & we need to reduce our monthly payments. This is hard to do when the airbag light is on. My husband had been dealing with many many people, supervisors, GM etc & nobody seems to want to help. (interesting that my brother has the same recall on his Lincoln & he's in a rental car). We are taking a life threatening risk every time we drive this car as there is someone always in the passenger seat whether it's one of our kids, ourselves or another friend etc.
Electrical system
The contact owns a 2009 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the battery was drained. The contact called AAA, who had installed the battery incorrectly. The battery was replaced. While driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started to shake. The vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that the system needed to be reset, and the vehicle was working as designed. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the cylinder head was cracked, and the air compressor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
For approx. the past 6 months, the radio has been cutting out several times during my daily commute. On occasion, a message would appear saying Stabilitrack is off. Saturday, it cut out and stayed off for more than 30 minutes and did it several more times. Everytime the radio cuts out, the door locks started locking and unlocking on their own, the air conditioning, cooled front seats, and defrost turns on and the seats the airbag off light came on, and a warning message saying service stability system came on, plus the engine was revving without power and I was worried I was going to lose all electrical and control, so I pulled off the We have ran several diagnostic but found no error code messages and nothing wrong with the vehicle. When I was talking to them, the system was acting normally. I have taken the car to the dealership and my local family mechanic shop. …
Engine & cooling
The contact owns a 2009 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the battery was drained. The contact called AAA, who had installed the battery incorrectly. The battery was replaced. While driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started to shake. The vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that the system needed to be reset, and the vehicle was working as designed. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the cylinder head was cracked, and the air compressor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering with an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was notified of an engine misfire due to a faulty camshaft sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
2009 Cadillac Escalade engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0L 8-cyl hybrid | CVT | RWD | 20 / 21 / 20 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 19 / 15 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 12 / 19 / 14 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Cadillac Escalade a good car?
Based on 58 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Escalade rates average: 16% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Escalade 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?
The air bags — 24 complaints, 41% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the electrical system (14) and engine & cooling (10).
How many recalls does the 2009 Cadillac Escalade have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2009 Cadillac Escalade, 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?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2013, 2014 and 2012. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2023, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. See the full Cadillac Escalade years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 Cadillac Escalade problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 100,000 miles; 18% 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.