There are 14 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2019 Cadillac Escaladein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Loud engine knocking heard after starting vehicle at grocery store, vehicle was driven 25 miles to get to store so was 'warm', check engine lite on dashboard came on during knocking, was able to drive vehicle to dealership for diagnosis (approximately 3.1 miles), dealership diagnosis after engine teardown was roller lifter failure causing damaged camshaft, instead of repairing defective parts in this engine opted for new engine replacement, cost approximately $15,000 for repairs and labor out of pocket, vehicle is 2019 Escalade, less than 110,000 miles on engine, purchased in 2022 with approximately 9000 odometer miles from cadillac dealership, professionally maintained at Cadillac dealership since purchase. GMC has a NHTSA recall (EA25007) for 6.2L V8 engines (which this vehicle particular has), for the years 2021-2024. Model years 2019-2021 with these type of engines has an active investigation (no recall yet) for the same issue of 'loss of motive power due to engine failure'. We were fortunate that the failure occurred in town at low speed driving and not on the freeway with truck traffic at 75 mph, a sudden loss of power due to engine failure would greatly have increased the risk of a crash.
Loud knocking sound in the engine appeared out of nowhere. This is the same engine as what exists in the 2021 year models which does have a recall on them, but for some reason the 2019 models like I have are not included in the recall. I cannot drive the car for fear of the engine seizing up.
The engine valvetrain is suspected, specifically an AFM (Active Fuel Management) lifter or related lifter/oil control component. The vehicle and affected components are intact and available for inspection upon request. An unresolved internal engine malfunction presents a risk of sudden power loss, engine damage, or stalling while driving, which could increase the risk of a collision, particularly at highway speeds or in traffic. The issue has been reproduced consistently by the vehicle owner. Diagnostic work has been performed by independent parties, including inspection of the exhaust system, belts, and valvetrain components. Further confirmation by a dealer has not yet occurred. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Independent mechanical inspection and repairs have been performed. No warning lamps or messages were displayed. Symptoms include a delayed chirping/ticking noise beginning approximately 20–30 seconds after engine startup, which is repeatable and changes with engine load and cylinder deactivation behavior.
The engine has an Active Fuel Management system that has frequent failures of the lifters which causes the push rods to bend. This causes a misfire and the check engine light to illuminate. A broken piece of material entered the lower portion of the engine which could have caused an engine failure while on the highway. I had the vehicle towed to a dealership before a catastrophic failure occurred. Cadillac refuses to warranty this defect when the engine reaches 70k miles. The dealership sees this often and replaced the lifters on only one bank (head) at the cost of $4,000. This occurred on my 2018 Escalade which was under warranty at the time. They had to replace the camshaft and all the lifters on that vehicle.
Lifters failed and needed repaired. $2,000 mechanic bill
I was on the highway with my family going about 60 mph and my vehicle shut completely off on the interstate. We were almost rearend by a tractor trailer. It did not crank back up either. My 2019 Cadillac Escalade has the same current issues as the 2021 - 2024 6.2 engines that are being recalled right now.
I was traveling on the interstate with no problems, then my vehicle lost power and I smelled smoke. I pulled into a gas station to see what the problem was. It appeared the starter had went out. I got it towed to a mechanic shop and it was determined another engine is needed. There is a recall on these engines from the year 2021 thru 2024. This year needs to be included due to the same issues as the newer engines.
I currently own a 2019 Cadillac Escalade with a 6.2L V8 gas engine problems. We have issues with knocking or banging sound from the engine, the check engine light turns on and other engine performance issues like abnormal shifting, hesitation or reduced propulsion it has caused engine failure to my vehicle and it cannot be driven so it has been sitting up and I am still payment a note on the vehicle that I cannot drive or fix because of the cost. My vehicle has been sitting in my garage for 2 years with this issue due to it costing over 10,000 to fix. There has been a recall on the engines in the 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalades but not a 2019. I hope someone can please help me with resolving this issue. Please feel free to contact with us: [XXX] at [XXX] or [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- The engine malfunctioned. Started making noises on cold start that quickly turned into noises when driving and rough idling. It is at the Cadillac dealership being inspected right now. Car is available for inspected upon request. - The safety was put at risk with the potential of complete engine failure. - I received a call from Cadillac yesterday that the camshaft is faulty and they will need to replace it. - Cadillac has reached out to my warranty company to inspect it further. - The only warning was the noise, I noticed it in March, the noise got much very quickly.
At around 70,000 miles the engine light came on and a strange noise was coming from the engine. I immediately took it in for inspection. The mechanic said he knew right away what it was because its a common failure with this engine. He said the lifters had gone bad and the entire top half of the engine had to be repaired. This was at a cost of $8,500.00. This is clearly an issue with GM motors with a 6.2 liter engine. I will be joining a class action lawsuit to get compensated for the repairs and my time without a vehicle.
As what appears to be happening with a lot of these, it dropped the push rod on cylinder 2, damaged the camshaft, and the truck immediately lost power while on the highway.
Active Fuel Management system is starving the lifters of lubrication. Push rod got snapped in half and lifters needed to be replaced. Then the headers had to be fixed because of all of this. With a complete repair done, the push rod has again malfunctioned one month after the new one was put in. My certified mechanic has informed me I’m going to continue to have an issue while GM isn’t concerned with addressing the issue of the AFM system.
The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate a failure. Recently, the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
2019 GM Cadillac Escalade 6.2-liter L87 engine rod/bearing knocking noise for second time causing fear of driving and long range usability because of catastrophic failures reported. GM says out of warranty and not their problem and not part of the issued recall years for bad L87 engines. Vehicle engine repaired under warranty 03/07-2024 for bad camshaft and lifter failure at a cost of $8776.63.
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