Representative model. Photo: Elise240SX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recalls & complaints · NHTSA data

2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2011 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns: 4
Park-it warnings: 0
Complaints: 52
Latest campaign: Feb 5, 2021

Recall summary by component4

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

Component	Campaigns	Latest	Campaign IDs
Air bags	2	Feb 5, 2021	21V050000 21V054000
Electrical system	1	Dec 30, 2014	14V827000
Suspension	1	Jan 6, 2011	11V007000

Safety recalls4

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

0Park-it warnings

0Fixable over the air

Feb 5, 2021Latest campaign


Feb 5, 202121V050000	Air bags: frontal passenger side An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. DetailsHide details for campaign 21V050000 What's wrong 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 the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling. Risk 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 mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760. Campaign NHTSA 21V050000 · Feb 5, 2021
Feb 5, 202121V054000	Air bags: frontal passenger side An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. DetailsHide details for campaign 21V054000 What's wrong 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 A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling. Risk 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 mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800. Campaign NHTSA 21V054000 · Feb 5, 2021
Dec 30, 201414V827000	Electrical system: ignition 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… DetailsHide details for campaign 14V827000 What's wrong 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 key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position. Risk 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 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts. Campaign NHTSA 14V827000 · Dec 30, 2014
Jan 6, 201111V007000	Suspension: rear axle THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING. DetailsHide details for campaign 11V007000 What's wrong GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, COLORADO, EXPRESS, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; AND GMC CANYON, SIERRA, SAVANA, YUKON AND YUKON XL VEHICLES. THE REAR AXLE CROSS PINS WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND COULD FRACTURE AND BECOME DISPLACED WITHIN THE REAR AXLE. SHOULD THE PIN SHIFT OUT OF POSITION, IT COULD CREATE AN INTERFERENCE CONDITION AND CAUSE THE REAR AXLE TO LOCK. Risk THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING. Remedy DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW REAR AXLE CROSS PIN FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 11, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM. Campaign NHTSA 11V007000 · Jan 6, 2011

To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Cadillac recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Buying a used 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT? Recalls cover the model; a history report checks one car's title, odometer and accident records. VinAudit history report → Sponsored · disclosure

Owner complaints by component52

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h

52Complaints filed

0Involving a crash

0Involving a fire

0Injuries reported

Component	Complaints	%
Air bags	37	71
Unknown or other	4	8
Structure	3	6
Power train	2	4
Suspension	2	4
Electrical system	2	4
Service brakes	2	4
Seat belts	1	2
Traction control system	1	2
Electronic stability control (ESC)	1	2
Exterior lighting	1	2

An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number.

Latest reports

Power train
“The Transmission , the vehicle came to a sudden stop while driving, confirmed by a mechanic, no it has not been inspected by insurance or others accident was avoided, no warnings lights, transmission began to jump in…”
Filed 03/21/2025 · ODI 11649775
Power train
“The whole transmission kept jerking and finally went totally out. I only have 189,000”
Filed 03/18/2025 · ODI 11648933
Suspension
“Swaybar mount is ripped from the frame. Only on the passenger side”
Filed 08/21/2022 · ODI 11480393

Other Cadillac Escalade EXT model years

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2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT recall questions

How many recalls does the 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT have?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT. The most recent, 21V050000 (reported February 5, 2021), concerns air bags. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What are the 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT recalls for?

The largest group is air bags, with 2 campaigns. Others: electrical system (1), suspension (1). Each campaign below lists the defect, the risk and the free remedy.

What is the most common complaint about the 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT?

Air bags is the most-reported component, named in 37 complaints out of 52 filed with NHTSA (71%). Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Cadillac recall lookup. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised Cadillac dealer.

Check a specific Cadillac by VIN

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