FaultScore

2003 Cadillac Escalade stability control problems

10 of the 111 complaints about the 2003 Cadillac Escalade are about the stability control — 9% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 74,000 miles.

A

10

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Electronic Stability Control (Esc) 6 60.0%
Automatic (Asc) 3 30.0%
Traction Control System 1 10.0%

Stability & Traction Control across every Cadillac Escalade year

2002 10 27.8%
2003 10 27.8%
2007 16 44.4%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

Belton, MO

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WHILE DRIVING I LOST ALL USE OF BRAKES IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON DRIVING 45MPH ON A CITY STREET. WHILE DRIVING THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AND CAR SHUT OFF 60MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. ON ANOTHER OCCASION STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AND STEERING COLUMN LOCKED UP WHILE TURNING. T/C LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH ON A CITY STREET AND IMMEDIATELY LOST RESPONSE FROM THE GAS PEDAL. DASH LIGHTING SYSTEM FLASHES DIFFERENT INDICATOR LIGHTS, DISPLAY RANDOMLY GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA complaint #11290631 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 53,000 miles Florence, MS

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

TAKA TA RECALL, I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE HIT A SPEED BUMP AND MY AIRBAG IN MY STEERING WHEEL CAME OUT AND INFLATED AND MY STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT HAS BEEN A PROBLEUM. AT THIS TIME I DIDN'T NO WHAT TO DO, SO I CALLED ROADSIDE FOR A TOW TRUCK. MY SENSORS HAVE BEEN COMING ON EVERY SINCE.CAN SOMETHING BE DONE TO HELP WITH MY SITUATION.

NHTSA complaint #11045973 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 95,000 miles Espanola, NM

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL PROBLEM ON THE 2003 CADILLAC ESCALADE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON, ABS LIGHT COMES ON, SERVICE STABILITY CONTROL ALARM COMES ON. WHEN IT IS NOT ONE ALARM OR THE OTHER IT IS ALL. REPLACED HUBS, SHOCKS, SENSORS, COMPRESSOR SEVERAL TIMES, WORKED ON SYSTEM GROUNDS FOR ELECTRICAL, ETC. PROBLEM SOMETIME WILL GO AWAY FOR A FEW THOUSAND MILES THEN RETURNS. CADILLAC MECHANICS STUMPED.STARTED WHEN VEHICLE HAD ALMOST 80,000 MILES NOW HAS 146,000 AND IT IS CONSTANT PROBLEM AND LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY. SEEMS PROBLEM CANNOT BE FIXED AND I DO NOT WANT TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON IT.....

NHTSA complaint #10712395 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 140,000 miles Brookfield, NH

TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

IN STARTING TO ACCELERATE, THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CAR LOOSES POWER SIGNIFICANTLY.

NHTSA complaint #10596892 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 130,000 miles Irvine, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CADILLAC ESCALADE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE STABILITY CONTROL AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER WARNING MESSAGES ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE DECELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THE CAUSE FOR THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.\

NHTSA complaint #10524178 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 125,000 miles Sunnyside, WA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE BATTERY IN MY ESCALADE HAD BEEN DYING ON ME FOR A WHILE. ONE DAY, MY GAUGES ALL STAYED STUCK AS IF I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I DROVE IT FOR A WHILE UNTIL I WAS TIRED OF JUMP-STARTING IT ALMOST EVERYDAY AND I FINALLY REPLACED THE BATTERY.THE GAUGES ALL STAYED THE SAME. A FEW DAYS WENT BY AND THE BATTERY STARTED TO DIE AGAIN. I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS MORE THAN JUST A BATTERY PROBLEM. I DROVE IT 5 MILES AWAY FROM MY PLACE ON THE FREEWAY AND AS I WAS COMING BACK HOME IT STARTED TO DECELERATE ALL ON IT'S OWN. IT MARKED "SYSTEM STABILITY DISABLED" AND WOULD NOT LET ME GO OVER 25 MPH. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT SINCE NOVEMBER AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS. I READ ABOUT A RECALL BUT THIS PROBLEM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED SINCE 2002 WHEN THE RECALL NOTICE WAS SENT OUT. AS I HAVE READ THE DESCRIPTIONS ON WHAT PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS WITH THIS SAME TYPE OF VEHICLE WAS, I NOTICE THAT IT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY VEHICLE. (BCM RECALL 2002 #02066) .

NHTSA complaint #10451490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Southboro, MA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ELECTRONIC CONTROL STABILITY SYSTEM HAS NOT WORKS SINCE VEHICLE WAS NEW. I HAVE TAKEN TO THE DEAL UNDER WARRANTY OVER 15 TIMES. UNABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10209261 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 600 miles Dravosburg, PA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC)

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LEFT FRONT ANTI-LOCK BRAKE LOCKED UP WHEN A LEFT TURN WAS MADE WHILE TRAVELING 15 MPH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM LIGHT ILLUMINATED ONCE A WEEK. THE VEHICLE CAME EQUIPPED WITH HYDRAULIC BRAKES. THE LEFT FRONT ANTI-LOCK BRAKE LOCK UP OCCURRED ON A DRY PAVEMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DOES NOT LOCK UP EVERYTIME A LEFT TURN IS MADE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION SEVERAL TIMES. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 09/05/06.

NHTSA complaint #10160427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 100 miles Laguna Beach, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC)

STABILIZATION EQUIPMENT MAKES VEHICLE LOOSE ALL POWER FOR 5-10 SECONDS, MAKES A HORRIBLE NOISE AND SLIDES DOWN THE HILL WITHOUT ANY WAY TO CONTROL VEHICLE. I HAVE TEST DRIVEN WITH DEALER ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS AFTER REPAIRS. DEALER ADVISES A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. GM SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM JUST WAIT FOR NEW COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROGRAM TO BE RELEASED. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN A COLLISION EACH TIME DRIVING THE VEHICLE GOING HOME DAILY. THE DEALER IS STANDING BY ME BUT IS HAVING PROBLEMS; THE AREA REPRESENTATIVE LARRY MARVIN. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED ON 09/21/03 AND HAS LESS THAN 500 MILES.

NHTSA complaint #10041501 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 50 miles Fredonia, NY

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC)

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD SERVICE STABILITY TRACK MESSAGE WOULD APPEAR ON THE DASHBOARD MESSAGE CENTER. THAT WOULD THEN DISABLE THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM. AN AUDIBLE DING-DING WOULD SOUND ABOUT EVERY THIRTY-SECONDS AS YOU WERE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THE BUTTON ON THE DASH WAS INOPERABLE AND WOULD NOT SHUT OFF THE SYSTEM. CADILLAC ADVISED MY DEALER THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE 2004 MODELS TO BE RELEASED TO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. WHEN VEHICLE WAS IN THE SHOP TO BE FIXED IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT THE ABS MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT FUNCTIONAL. I HAD 50 MILES ON THE VEHICLE WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS FIRST NOTICED.

NHTSA complaint #10036951 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2003 Cadillac Escalade problems

← Full 2003 Cadillac Escalade report