Airbag complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2022 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2016 | 6 | 7% | 43,000 miles |
| 2015 | 3 | 3% | 110,000 miles |
| 2014 | 5 | 25% | 10,000 miles |
| 2013 | 3 | 16% | 76,000 miles |
| 2012 | 2 | 10% | 124,000 miles |
| 2011 | 34 | 69% | 111,000 miles |
| 2010 | 21 | 55% | 168,000 miles |
| 2009 | 24 | 41% | 108,000 miles |
| 2008 | 74 | 54% | 93,000 miles |
| 2007 | 116 | 50% | 110,000 miles |
| 2006 | 3 | 16% | 110,000 miles |
| 2005 | 10 | 23% | 77,000 miles |
| 2004 | 7 | 10% | 120,000 miles |
| 2003 | 5 | 6% | 53,000 miles |
| 2002 | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2000 | 7 | 10% | 27,000 miles |
| 1999 | 1 | 3% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, turning off the engine, and removing the ignition key, the front seat passenger exited the vehicle and when closing the passenger's side door all airbags in the vehicle were erroneously deployed. The contact stated that the driver's and passenger's side frontal air bags along with both side curtain air bags, 2nd and 3rd row seats air bags were all deployed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 99,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving at 40-45 MPH, the driver-side air bag deployed without any impact. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact sustained injuries to his arm, neck, and back that required medical attention. The contact drove himself to the hospital. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that a module failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owned a 2015 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact fell asleep and rear-ended another vehicle causing a three-car chain reaction. The contact stated that the front end hit the other vehicle squarely on the rear bumper. The front bumper and hood were crushed back to both front tire wheel wells. The front passenger side tire had sheared off. The contact stated that both sets of air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that both her knees were bruised, also bruising on her chest, both arms, and a bruise under her right eye. Her passenger suffered bruising on his chest, both arms and knees. The contact had not received medical attention. The police were on the scene and filed a report. The vehicle was undrivable and towed to an impound lot. The contact was not aware of the condition of the other vehicles. …
I was driving on a two lane highway and I suddenly lost control of the steering wheel. The steering wheel became very hard to maneuver causing me to veer out of my lane causing a crash. The airbags also did not deploy fully causing me to have a dislocated shoulder and broken ribs. The car also caught on fire during impact and I had to be pulled from the vehicle. The recall regarding the steering wheel locking up on me is most likely the reason I lost control of the vehicle.
Cadillac sent a notice of the recall. The authorized Chevrolet dealership repair facility and Cadillac told me that they would not accept the risk that the dashboard would not crack in installation of authorized Chevrolet dealership repair facility defective part and that 'I' would have to sign a waiver saying 'I' accept the risk that they 'could' damage my car and would be 'my' responsibility if the dash is ruined and pay for the replacement. This is not my error/defective issue, but GM's. They have already indicated that people have been injured and died from this defective part. I believe Cadillac should accept the 'potential' risk should it be damaged. I am getting no where with Cadillac and would like to have the NHTSA to weigh in on their lack of support to mitigate this error. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that the vehicle unintendedly accelerated while pulling into the car port. The vehicle proceeded to crash into the wall, a pole, a fence, and the house. The contact suffered injuries to the neck and ribs, but did not require medical attention. The front driver side air bag failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who concluded that the failure was not caused by a manufacturer defect. A police report was filed. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 10,281.
Airbag light is on and dealer stated it has something to do with the seat belt (diver side) also the Cadillac Escalade from the past and present years have a airbag and seatbelt issue and I believe my vehicle has the same issue. But no one will listen please look into the issue with my vehicle please help.
2013 Cadillac Escalade. Consumer writes in regards to Takata airbag safety recall. The consumer stated after having the airbag recall completed, the warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to have it repaired. The dealer advised the airbag failure timing was a coincidence and requested an inspection/repair fee.
Related recalls (10)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front-driver air bag module, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 19, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available.
Air bags › SRS malfunction warning lamp/light
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag…
Remedy: The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 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.
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 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.
Show 5 more recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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 or "Zone…
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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, Georgia, Hawaii,…
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 › Sensor/control module-inactive
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge.
Air bags
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles. The passenger side instrument panel top cover on the affected vehicles may have been manufactured using an incorrect spacer fabric, causing a reduction of adhesion between the spacer fabric and the vinyl show surface.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel top cover, free of charge. The recall began on November 11, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006.
Air bags
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV vehicles manufactured April 6, 2014, through May 13, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the air bag module is secured to a chute adhered to the backside of the instrument panel with an insufficiently heated infrared weld.
Remedy: GM sent the owners an interim notification letter on May 16, 2014 to advise owners of the recall, and will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available.
NHTSA investigations
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.
Air Bag Malfunction
On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM).
Frequently asked questions
Which Cadillac Escalade years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2007 (116), 2008 (74), 2011 (34), 2009 (24) and 2010 (21) model years. Airbag complaints make up 50% of all complaints for the 2007.
Is there a recall for Cadillac Escalade airbag problems?
Yes — 10 recalls, including 26V-329 (inflator module, May 21, 2026); 21V-421 (srs malfunction warning lamp/light, Jun 10, 2021); 21V-050 (inflator module, Feb 5, 2021). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Cadillac Escalade airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles; 19% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (7 mentions), followed by the frontal › driver side › inflator module (1).
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.