Recalls
4campaigns
2 air bag · 1 electrical · 1 steering
Source: NHTSA
Complaints
19filed
Owner reports, 2009–2018 shown
Source: NHTSA ODI
Crash tests
4★overall
★★★★☆ Frontal 5★ · Side 5★ · Rollover 3★
Source: NHTSA NCAP
Fuel economy
21mpg combined
$3,110/yr at this week's prices
Source: EPA · EIA
Specs
6 L 8-cyl· CVT
4 engine and transmission configurations
Source: NHTSA vPIC
Recalls (4)
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2013 Cadillac Escalade. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗
Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.
Check on NHTSA ↗Listed for 2013 Cadillac Escalade. Not checked against your VIN.
Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode
Air bags · frontal · passenger side · inflator module
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- 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, 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 2010 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 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." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 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 Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."
- Consequence
- 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 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.
57% repairedof 692,526 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 21V053000
Listed for 2013 Cadillac Escalade. Not checked against your VIN.
Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode
Air bags · frontal · passenger side · inflator module
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- 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.
- Consequence
- 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.
63.3% repairedof 1,778,128 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 21V054000
Listed for 2013 Cadillac Escalade. Not checked against your VIN.
Contamination of the Chassis Electronic Module
Electrical system
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
- Consequence
- If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GMs number for this recall is 14515.
84.8% repairedof 106,307 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 14V614000
Listed for 2013 Cadillac Escalade. Not checked against your VIN.
Shifting out of Park/FMVSS 102/FMVSS 114
Power train · automatic transmission
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, and Tahoe; and GMC Savana, Sierra HD, Sierra LD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles, manufactured between November 7, 2012, through December 18, 2012, for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect", and FMVSS No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention." The vehicles may have been built with a fractured park lock cable or a malformed steering column lock actuator gear in the lock module assembly.
- Consequence
- As a result, the vehicle may shift from Park with the ignition key removed or the ignition key in the OFF position. The vehicle may also shift out of Park without application of the brake pedal while the key is off. Either of these scenarios may cause the vehicle to roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible vehicle crash and/or injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the steering column as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 21, 2013. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463.
Repair progress not yet reported54,686 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 13V001000
PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.
Owner complaints (19)
19 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The power train is mentioned most often.
0involved a crash
1involved a fire
0injuries reported
0deaths reported
As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.
Most-reported components
| Component | Complaints | % of 19 |
|---|---|---|
| Power train | 5 | 26.3% |
| Electrical system | 4 | 21.1% |
| Air bags | 3 | 15.8% |
| Engine | 3 | 15.8% |
| Seat belts | 2 | 10.5% |
| Steering | 2 | 10.5% |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 10.5% |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 5.3% |
| Forward collision avoidance | 1 | 5.3% |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 5.3% |
How 2013 compares with other Escalade years
Best and worst Escalade years →200958
201038
201149
201220
201319
201420
201598
201689
201751
201821
| Model year | Complaints | Recall campaigns |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 58 | 5 |
| 2010 | 38 | 3 |
| 2011 | 49 | 6 |
| 2012 | 20 | 3 |
| 2013 | 19 | 4 |
| 2014 | 20 | 2 |
| 2015 | 98 | 9 |
| 2016 | 89 | 4 |
| 2017 | 51 | 2 |
| 2018 | 21 | 1 |
This year (2013)Other yearsStill collecting reports
Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
Crash tests: 4 stars overall
Overall★★★★☆
Frontal crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 4★★★★★★
Side crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 5★★★★★★
Side pole★★★★★
RolloverRollover risk 22.8%★★★☆☆
Compare fairly. Compare stars only between vehicles of similar size and weight. Ratings apply to the tested configuration.
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), 2013 Cadillac Escalade suv awd, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
Fuel economy: up to 21 mpg combined
21
mpg combined
20
city
23
highway
- EPA annual fuel cost
- $3,200
- CO₂ tailpipe
- 418 g/mi
- EPA class
- Standard Sport Utility Vehicle
What it costs you to run
$3,110per year
$259per month
714gallons a year
Miles ÷ 21 mpg × $4.354 (EIA US average regular, week of Oct 5, 2026, all taxes included). Source: EPA · EIA.
EPA label estimates from lab tests; your mileage will vary.
Specs by configuration
| Engine · transmission | Drive | City / Hwy / Comb | EPA $/yr | CO₂ g/mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 L 8-cyl · CVT | Rear-Wheel Drive | 20 / 23 / 21 | $3,200 | 418 |
| 6 L 8-cyl · CVT | 4-Wheel Drive | 20 / 23 / 21 | $3,200 | 416 |
| 6.2 L 8-cyl · 6-speed automatic | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 / 18 / 16 | $4,200 | 570 |
| 6.2 L 8-cyl · 6-speed automatic | All-Wheel Drive | 13 / 18 / 15 | $4,450 | 581 |
Source: EPA fuel economy data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Configurations are listed when EPA and NHTSA records match.
Looking at a 2013 Escalade for sale?
Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.
Where to next
2013 Cadillac Escalade FAQ
How many recalls does the 2013 Cadillac Escalade have?
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns: 21V053000 (air bag), 21V054000 (air bag), 14V614000 (electrical), 13V001000 (steering). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.
What are the most common 2013 Cadillac Escalade problems?
Owners filed 19 complaints with NHTSA. Power train (5), Electrical system (4), Air bags (3) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.
What mpg does the 2013 Cadillac Escalade get?
EPA rates the 6 L 8-cyl · CVT version at 20 city, 23 highway and 21 combined mpg. Other configurations are listed in the fuel economy section.
What safety rating did the 2013 Cadillac Escalade get?
NHTSA rated the 2013 Cadillac Escalade suv awd 4 stars overall, with 5 stars frontal, 5 stars side and 3 stars rollover (22.8% rollover risk).
How does the 2013 Escalade compare with other years?
Among the 2009–2018 Cadillac Escalade model years at least five years old, the 2013 drew the fewest complaints (19) and the 2015 the most (98). The 2013 drew 19. Counts are owner reports, not failure rates.
How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes
Data sources
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - US DOT recall completion rates (data.transportation.gov)
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - NHTSA ODI owner complaints
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - NHTSA NCAP 5-Star Safety Ratings
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - EPA fuel economy data (licence confirmation pending)
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - EIA weekly retail gasoline prices
Weekly, all taxes included
Processing
- Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
- Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.
Limitations
- Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
- Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
- Recent model years are still collecting reports.
Review
Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.
Changelog
- 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
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