There are 5 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2015 Cadillac Escaladein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THIS IS THIRD TIME I HAVE NOTICED A SOLID ROCK HARD BRAKE PEDAL FEEL AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT APPEAR TO SLOW WHEN I WAS TRYING TO APPLY THE BRAKES.
I PULLED INTO THE GARAGE AND PUSHED THE BUTTON TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL IN DRIVE. ALL DOORS LOCKED WHEN THEY WERE CLOSED. I COULD NOT OPEN THE DOOR WITH THE BUTTON ON THE DOOR HANDLE EVEN THOUGH THE FOB WAS ON ME. I WENT TO THE BACK TO OPEN THE REAR HATCH. I COULD NOT. THE VEHICLE STATED TO ROLL BACKWARDS - THERE IS NO INCLINE IN THE GARAGE - IT IS FLAT. I USED THE FOB TO UNLOCK THE DOOR AND I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE CAR AND PUT IT IN PARK. I HAVE VIDEO FROM MY OUTDOOR CAMERA.
BRAKES COMPLETELY FAILED. I PULLED INTO TRAIN PARKING SPOT AND THE CARS WOULD NOT STOP. I HAD TO KEEP PUMPING THE BRAKES AND EVENTUALLY IT JUST STOPPED. I TRIED IT GAIN AND THE BRAKES WERE HARD AND COULDN'T PUSH THEM DOWN. I AM SO LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT ON A HIGHWAY GOING FAST WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR. ADILLAC SAID I NEEDED THE HYDRO BOOST REPLACED.
AT 15000 MILES AND ORIGINAL OWNER WHILE TOWING OUR BRAKES COMPLETELY GAVE OUT. NO WARNING SIGN, NO LEAKAGE, ONLY 1 SYMPTOM A FEW MONTHS PRIOR WHERE THE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS MUSHY. DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS FINE. EVERYTHING WORKED FINE DRIVING IT THROUGHOUT DAY. STOPPED FOR DINNER JUST BEFORE WE ENTERED MOUNTAIN PASS. GOT IN SUV TO LEAVE FOR HOME AND HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL. EMERGENCY BRAKE WON'T EVEN KICK IN TO BE USED FOR EMERGENCIES. THE VEHICLE GAVE NO WARNING SIGNS, ENGINE OR BRAKE LIGHT WARNINGS. NO CHANGES IN BRAKE PRESSURE, NO LEAKS UNDER VEHICLE OR ON ENGINE. IT WAS AN INSTANT GIVE OUT OF BRAKES AND COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING. FORTUNATELY THEY DID NOT GIVE OUT WHILE MOVING MORE THAN 3 MPH SO WE ARE STILL ALIVE. DEALERSHIP AND GM BOTH SAID IT WAS NORMAL FOR BRAKES TO GIVE OUT AND NOT HAVE ANY BRAKES WHEN THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER GIVES OUT. THIS IS NOT NORMAL! THEY REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND ALL WORKS FINE NOW. HOWEVER I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR VEHICLE SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT FOR A VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY LOSE ALL OF IT'S BRAKING ABILITY BUT NOT BE PREWARNED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IF WE DIDN'T STOP FOR DINNER THE BRAKES WOULD HAVE GIVEN OUT IN THE MOUNTAIN PASS AND ME AND MY FAMILY WOULD MORE THAN LIKELY BE DEAD AT THE BOTTOM OF A MOUNTAIN CLIFF! WE ARE EXTREMELY AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE NOW AND GM HAS NO INTEREST IN BUYING IT BACK OR HELPING US GET OUT OF IT. THEY JUST SAID "JUST WAIT TO SEE IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN" WHICH TO ME, MEANS, WAIT UNTIL YOU CAUSE A FATALITY. THEY ALSO SAID THIS ISN'T HAPPENING TO OTHER GM VEHICLES.
THE VEHICLE HAD VIRTUALLY NO BRAKES TO STOP IT AND 11,215 MILES. GENERAL MOTORS ALREADY HAD SERVICE WARNINGS OUT TO DEALERS DATED 7/17/2015, GM DOCUMENT ID #4242788. THEY SAY THEY REPLACED PADS AND ROTORS. AT 23,589 MILES THE VEHICLE NEEDED BRAKES AGAIN. SERVICE MANAGER TELLS US THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AT GENERAL MOTORS. THEY HAVE EVEN ISSUED A NEW WARNING FOR 2016 MODELS. I CONSIDER THE VEHICLE TO BE UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN THAT THE BRAKES CAN GO OUT WITHOUT ANY WARNING.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026