Your vehicle report
2002 Cadillac Escalade
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 115
- Received Jun 2001 to Oct 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up18 complaints · 16% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines8 complaints · 7.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking6 complaints · 5.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #02V253000On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with rearward folding head restraints on the second row seats, two potential pinch points exist on each of the folding head restraints when the restraints are folded rearward as the seatback is folded down.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 12 crashes, 7 fires, 11 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 14 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
- Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up
- Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines
- Parking brake fails to hold or release
1 more problem
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 2004 | 13 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 9 |
| 2007 | 6 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2010 | 8 |
| 2011 | 4 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 8 |
| 2015 | 4 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 115 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 18 | 16% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 8 | 7.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 6 | 5.2% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 5 | 4.3% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 5 | 4.3% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 5 | 4.3% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 3 | 2.6% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 3 | 2.6% | – | |
| Heated seat overheats and burns occupants | 3 | 2.6% | – | |
| Parking brake fails to hold or release | 3 | 2.6% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 3 | 2.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #02V253000September 17, 2002558,904 vehicles affected
seats: front assembly: head restraint
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with rearward folding head restraints on the second row seats, two potential pinch points exist on each of the folding head restraints when the restraints are folded rearward as the seatback is folded down.
If a person were to insert their finger(s) into the pinch point when the head restraint folds, it could trap and pinch the finger(s) causing injury.
Remedy
Dealers will install protective covers over the pinch points. Owner notification began november 8, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, Gmc at 1-800-462-8782, or Cadillac at 1-800-458-8006.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2002 Cadillac Escalade.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN