NHTSA Complaint #11669682 — 2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV

ENGINE issue reported to NHTSA

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Complaint Details

ODI Number 11669682
Vehicle 2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV
Component ENGINE
Date of Incident
Date Filed
Mileage N/A miles
Crash No
Fire No
Injuries 0
Deaths 0
Vehicle Towed No
State MN

Consumer Description

While on a family vacation in the Black Hills, I began to hear a knocking sound from the front right of the vehicle. Shortly after the engine began to sputter and multiple warning lights/ messages began to appear. Just prior to this, everything on the vehicle was functioning perfectly. We stopped operating the vehicle immediately when it began to malfunction and pulled over, leaving me and my young family stranded over an hour away from our rental cabin. The next day we were able to get a tow truck and find a dealership, Denny Menholt Chevrolet back in Rapid City, SD that was able to look at it right away. We were told by Denny Menholt later that day that there was a bearing failure of the rod and piston on cylinder #8 and that the entire engine block was destroyed resulting in the need of a whole new engine. We were also told by the dealer that our vehicle was not included in the recall of all the other 6.2 motors, however, GM was going to take care of everything including a brand new engine, rental car coverage, and shipping the vehicle back to us, all free of charge to us. Fast forward several weeks and we got a call from Denny Menholt stating that GM had gone back on their word and was not going to pay for any of the damages because we were 7k miles over the powertrain warranty. I have filed a complaint with GM customer service but have gotten nowhere after 3 weeks worth of phone calls and emails. The engine failure that I had is the exact same problem that all of the other 6.2 motors have been recalled for, so I don't understand why my vehicle is not also included in the recall. This issue left me in a very bad place being stranded with a [XXX] and [XXX]. As a lifelong GM customer, I'm severely disappointed in GM and the way that they have handled my case. This Escalade is supposed to be their top of the line vehicle, it only made it to 77,632 miles before it had catastrophic engine failure, and now GM will not stand behind their product. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO

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