2003 Cadillac Escalade

Complaint history

When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.

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.

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 #05V163000April 22, 20051,359,824 vehicles affected

  seat belts: rear/other

  On certain crew cab pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the 2ND row center occupant seat belt routing may make it difficult to position the lap portion of the safety belt low around the hips of occupants, especially smaller occupants, seated in this position. Appropriate use of a child seat or booster seat, as recommended for small children, does improve the fit condition for this user group. In addition to instructions on proper infant and young child restraint (with child seats or boosters), special verbiage for restraining older child is included in the owner's manual. Also, the suggested seat belt fit/routing for adults, irrespective of seating position, is described in the owner's manual text.

  A lap portion of the seat belt routing that is not low and snug on the hips Can allow the lap belt to ride up on an occupant's abdomen instead of fitting low around their hipbones, and therefore, Can expose them to more risk of abdominal and internal organ injury.

  Remedy

  Dealers will cut open the guide loop, remove a portion of the loop, and then the remaining two sides should be folded over and secured with a retainer free of charge. The recall began on july 21, 2005. Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Gmc at 1-866-996-9463, or Hummer at 1-800-732-5493.

• NHTSA recall #04V045000February 4, 200468,875 vehicles affected

  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.

  Consequently, the valve o-ring seal may fracture. Steering efforts may be slightly increased while braking or parking. Under certain driving conditions, a fractured seal may require a slight increase in the applied brake pedal effort to achieve the same vehicle deceleration rate as prior to the seat fracture.

  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 recall #03V037000February 6, 2003107 vehicles affected

  structure: body: door: hinge and attachments

  Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 214, "side impact protection." these vehicles are built with four welds on the rear door upper hinge. On some of these vehicles, one or two of the welds may not be to specification.

  As a result, the door strength may be degraded during a side impact vehicle crash.

  Remedy

  Dealers will inspect the welds on the left rear door upper hinge. If a weld is found out-of-specification, a bolt will be installed to secure the hinge. Owner notification began february 17, 2003. 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 Cadillac at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, or Gmc at 1-800-462-8782.

• NHTSA recall #02V224000August 12, 2002649 vehicles affected

  electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery: cables

  Certain all-wheel drive sport utility vehicles were built without a power steering bracket to secure the positive battery cable, allowing the cable to come in contact with the steering shaft.

  This contact could cause a wear-through of the cable insulation, exposing the wire core and result in intermittent electrical shorting. If enough current is discharged at the point of contact, an engine compartment fire could occur.

  Remedy

  Dealers will inspect the positive battery cable routing and re-route, if necessary. No owner notification will take place since all vehicles were captured at the dealers.

Other model years

• 1999 39
• 2000 71
• 2002 115
• 2003
• 2004 69
• 2005 43
• 2007 230
• 2008 136
• 2009 58
• 2010 38
• 2011 49
• 2015 98
• 2016 89
• 2017 51
• 2019 25
• 2021 78
• 2022 86
• 2023 143
• 2024 52
• 2026 39