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Cadillac Escalade Maintenance and Repair

mars24mars24 Member Posts: 3
edited August 2018 in Cadillac
What should i look for when i pick my 2002 suv up any thing guys
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Comments

  • guerry1guerry1 Member Posts: 1
    No comparison in ride-- ( 4wd better) --- no way to tell difference--- we were demoed a 4wd that we were told was a 2wd--- dealer would not deal with us on price-- so we ordered a 2wd from another dealer --- now we have a mess-- the 2wd should not bear the cadillac name. All reviews i have seen talk about the 4wd escalade.
  • timcadtimcad Member Posts: 1
    Anyone with these kind of problems out there?
    My Escalade is beautiful and I still believe in all the hype but mine is eight months old and the first nite the power steering went out,then their was some kinda of noise in the rear underneath witch turned out to be a heat shield,and the rear hatch needed to be adjusted because in a turn it would turn on the interior lights,then the 02 censor needed to be replaced,now the awd has a drive line noise that they cannot fix,also the rattle in the dash (first they have to find it)!
    The driver side mirror won't adjust out enough to see down the side. Any one with these problems?
  • drbill50drbill50 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2002 Escalade with custom (GM) wheels that seem to lose their wheel covers easily. I've had the SUV for 1 year and have replaced 4 covers at about $45 bucks each. Anyone had the same problem? Any solutions?

    Bill
  • dmarin2dmarin2 Member Posts: 1
    Bought a 2003 Escalade EXT in September and the transmission makes a clunk just before the vehicle stops. This sound is the transmission dropping back into first gear after it has run up through the gears. I mentioned it to the service department and the lubed the transmission spline, but did not seem to help. Next time I go in for service I am going to test drive a new one to make a comparison. Does anyone else notice this or is it just me or my EXT?

    David
  • drbill50drbill50 Member Posts: 3
    My 2002 Escalade's transmission will occasionally make a low pitched grinding sound. I haven't been able to figure out when it will happen and I can't make it happen. My brother-in law's Denali does the same thing. Post an answer if you find one.
  • denali856denali856 Member Posts: 118
    Are you sure it's the transmission? My '02 Denali makes a sort of low-pitched buzzing/humming sound that occurs intermittently at low rpms, only after the truck has warmed up. I think it's either a heat shield or a baffle in one of the mufflers. I had our service manager test drive it with me and he agreed.

    I can get it to do it pretty consistently if I drive the truck long enough to warm up, then put it in drive, hold the brake and accelerate to about 1500rpm or so. More of a nuisance than anything,and something for which I originally made plans to have fixed, but I've decided just to wait 'til my next scheduled service.
  • drbill50drbill50 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks, I'll try it.
  • allan16allan16 Member Posts: 1
    ANYONE ELSE WITH THIS PROBLEM?Had growling noise in P/S in July 02,Dealer installed NEW STYLE pump & bracket.Nov. 02 pump is noisy again.I'm told all 02's are noisy.Dealer brings me another 02 to drive.It's not quite as noisy as mine.Dealer says he like to show me an 03 because their P/S isn't noisy.Noise getting WORSE.Called dealer today and he called the factory.Factory says 03 pumps won't fit 02.They say it"s a characteristic of the 02 Escalade and you have to live with it.ANYONE ELSE HAVE P/S PROBLEMS with 02 Escalade.Any suggestions?
  • jeff107jeff107 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 denali and I get the same clunk. It is the same engine and transmission. It is because the gear goes into 1st too eatly and you feel the hard downshift. They need to adjust the shift point for this car. I have called but they won't listen!!

    good luck
  • pescado2pescado2 Member Posts: 1
    I have an early 2002 Escalade 2wd with a noisy front end. Purchased new in August 2001, my vehicle is used as my wifes station wagon. It has never seen hard or off-road use, yet I get a clunk from the front end at low speed maneuvering. I have taken it to the dealership three times for this. Sounds like its in the left front suspension. Column has been tightened, suspension has been lubed and retorqued, steering column support e7638 has also been replaced...any one else with this problem?
  • rozupchurchrozupchurch Member Posts: 1
    Please, if anyone has had or heard of this problem contact me immediately, RozUpchurch@aol.com

    The heated seat inside my BRAND NEW 2003 Escalade caught on fire as I was driving. The fire department said that it had to have been smoldering for many days!
    I also noticed that the drivers heated seat is unusually hot. I am afraid to put my toddlers back in the car, repaired or not.
  • espinoza30espinoza30 Member Posts: 1
    Hello, I have a 2002 escalade with about 16000, and the parking brake is out. I was told it needed rear shoes. I am a master technician with infiniti, have been a technician for 14 years. I had never heard of a parking brake go out so soon,(unless it was left on while driving). I declined to have the work done and I am seeing if anyone has had the same problem. I would like to see if there is a problem with these shoes, and fight warranty.
  • l71934m2l71934m2 Member Posts: 3
    Reply to message #5: Mine does the same and Cadillac admits to the problem but states that there is no fix at this time. I am presently persuing the state lemon law.
  • brilesbriles Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2003 Escalade. Been in shop 3 times for noises underneath during turning. Now makes noise inside at steering column. Dealer said some models were not lubed properly. They re-did and it helped for a week, makes noise again. also, steering wheel does not rotate back after a turn, it stays. Dealer said they all do that and nothing they can do. Very dangerous when making steering maneuvers. We are reviewing lemon law.
  • erosenbrgerosenbrg Member Posts: 1
    When my wife and I test drove the 2003 Cadillac Escalade, the DVD Navigation System had a clock in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Yet once we took delivery, the clock had disappeared! Despite reading and re-reading the manual, calling the dealer, and trying to find online tech support, we have not been able to restore this clock! Since the Bulgari clock absolutely sucks, we really would like this clock to show up again! Has anyone had this problem and found a solution?? THANKS FOR ANY HELP! Send any advice to ERosenb510@aol.com :)
  • gdbrittgdbritt Member Posts: 1
    i bought a 2003 awd escalade august this year. i have the same cluck just before stopping. called 2 separate dealers they say it s just the make-up of an awd. has anyone had any luck in getting theirs repaired? please respond.
  • marxautomarxauto Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a 2003 EXT. It also clunks just before stopping. Did it from 1st day I received. Had only 12 miles on it. Tokk to dealer & demanded a different vehicle. They have run thru thier arbitration system. Service manager (very nice) checked out with tran. tech. He agreed with me that it is not what you would expect to get in a 50,000 dollar + vehicle. They have a service bulletin covering this issue. Bottom line says this is a normal condition & no repair is required. Am supposed to hear Friday the verdict, repair, replace or do nothing...better be replace. Am seriously considering getting my attorney involved. Vehicle has done this with only 12 miles on & its getting louder as time goes on, have 600 miles on it now. Anyone else having a problem with an positive resolution? My email address is: marxauto@aol.com. Thanks Steve
  • tgrimalditgrimaldi Member Posts: 1
    Slowing down at 15 mph hear two clunks. Like many of you Caddy says it's normal. My attorney says I'd lose using the lemon law but might win using the Caddy name against them. After all, It's a Caddy, It's 50,000+ and you don't expect to have that kind of problem for the money or the name.
  • brilesbriles Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2003 Escalade that I have had suspension problems, steering wheel noises and the steering wheel won't rotate back after making a turn. Been in the shop 7 times, I called Cadillac Corporation and they called me today to say the steering wheel problem is the way it is designed, no fix for problem. Because the noises don't occur every time I drive it, they can't fix. So!! I am trading the thing in this week! I hated it!
  • fontana2fontana2 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Cadillac Escalade.I've gotten 4 flats within the first 10 months of ownership. Three of the four flats required the stock Good Year tire to be replaced. Has anyone else experienced this problem?
  • markedimarkedi Member Posts: 1
    Anyone know the number of the Cadillac Complaint Department for the CLUNKING? Thanks
  • phattruk1phattruk1 Member Posts: 1
    The noise I am experiencing is a CLANGING noise once the truck warms up. This noise can be heard over the radio while driving or sitting and idling. It is not the usual oil pinging noise you hear when the truck is turned off and cooling down. The dealer has changed the straps and the muffler because they said it was a broken baffle. At arbitration the GM rep said it was due to a muffler design change and that was normal. This has been happening since approx 1500 miles. I now have 9100... Does anyone else have this problem and what was the fix???
  • thehamtheham Member Posts: 20
    Has anyone with the transmission clunk had any resolution of the problem or currently proceeding with the lemon law. Please post any information or stories here. I have a brand new 2003 denali with the same problem.

    thanks
  • scotthemiscotthemi Member Posts: 27
    We have a 03 Escalade and it has the clunk. It seems to happen shifting in and out of 2nd gear in stop and go traffic. For what it's worth, I had an 00 Chevy 2500, that did the same thing, only the sounds was MUCH worse. I mean to the point of being embarassing to have anyone in the vehicle with me. I had it in the dealer a few times, and as usual, I got the "it's normal" answer. The Escalade's clunking is not very noticable, so it doesn't bother me too much. I know the dealer is not going to do anything about it, so I won't even bother with them.
  • cobragmikecobragmike Member Posts: 21
    I just purchased a pre-owned 2002 Escalade AWD. I have around 27,000 miles on it. The only transmission noise is the occasional low speed 1-2 or 2-1 gear change. I asked dealer about it and like everyone else, say that is normal. Doors are a bit noisy and scrape when opening or closing. Also, when I turn the ignition on, I get ehat sounds like a noisy fan from the microphone above drivers head.

    I have been told the clunk is from the transmission moving out of gear when coasting and when the accelerator is pressed, it clunks back into gear. May not sound good, but believe this is a common feature for the 4L60E and 4L65HD transmissions. My fix: I am playing around with a Diablo Sport Predator Programmer. So far I have uploaded the performance program and will test this out for a while to see if the quicker shifts help eleminate the clunk. Next I will begin modifying the shift points. I just did this last night, no test drive yet. I'll keep you posted.
  • alan214alan214 Member Posts: 2
    In response to " muffler noise by phattruk1", I have an '03 Escalade that does the same thing. It started after about 500 miles and has gotten steadily worse. It's very embarassing as well as irritating as I, like you, spent over 50K for a vehicle that I am becoming very unhappy with. It appears there's no quick fix. Apparently there is a the TSB (02-06-05-005B) that I plan to ask my service advisor about and see if that applies and if so, whether it resolves the issue.
  • juan27juan27 Member Posts: 1
    i want to buy a used truck which one is better gmc,chevy , escalade or navigater
  • johnson845johnson845 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Escalade with 27,000 miles. Twice now the engine has shut down (not off but down)the message center displays that the stabilitrac system has been disengaged and the engine power has been reduced. We have followed the instructions in the manual and restarted the engine. The last time this happened it took several restarts to get the system to reset. It is now at the dealership as they wanted to "reprogram" the engine controller but have found some other readings that they do not understand at this time... Anyone else having this problem?
  • cad2003cad2003 Member Posts: 1
    Best vehicle I have every owned. A friend of mine has a toyota landcruiser but never wants to ride in it and would rather go in the escalade. No problems with vehicle, quality is great, has more features than any other luxury vehicles.
  • tenacitytenacity Member Posts: 1
    I am looking to buy a new (probably 2005) Escalade and I live in Florida and have no use for 4 wheel drive. Are you saying "there is no comparison in the ride"? Also, you said the 2wd should not bear the Cadillac name. Please elaborate.
  • rkzjrrkzjr Member Posts: 4
    I have an '04 Escalade which is 3 months old and has over 9,000 miles and counting. I'm happy with the overall performance of the vehicle and the creature features inside. I am however not happy with the clunking of the transmission between 1st and 2nd gears, and the hard downshifts. I'm headed back to my dealership for some relief. I guess I was spoiled by the seamless shifts of the 300HP DTS sedans I drove in the past.
  • rkzjrrkzjr Member Posts: 4
    I'm experiencing an intermittant problem with my AWD transmission in City traffic... After sitting at an extended red light, the light turns green and I step on the accelerator to proceed, but the vehicle acts like somebody slipped it into neutral...Step on the accelerator a second time and the trans takes a hard hit on 1st gear and moves forward. The fluiids are at the factory recommended levels. There are no warning lights or messages to flag the cause of the problem and it cannot be duplicated by dealership personnel. It will happen when the transmission is cold, warmed up or hot without warning.
  • malgfunk1malgfunk1 Member Posts: 1
    I just got my 2004 EXT AWD 9 days ago and noticed it a couple of times already, but I feel it minor and a characteristic of an automatic transmission with alot of torque.
  • 59cadillac59cadillac Member Posts: 5
    Hi David I also experienced the same problem with my truck.I took it to the dealer and they fixed the problem. It had to do with re programing the computer. They said that they received a memo from GM stating how to correct the problem. Now I have a problem when the truck is coasting and I step on the gas, it clunk.
  • 59cadillac59cadillac Member Posts: 5
    I have a engine knocking noise. I don't know if it is coming from the transmission. One of the cadillac mechanics said that it is a low end knock, which may be a bearing. Another mechanic said it maybe the flex plate that is cracked. Suggestions on what it may be. My car has 102k miles, and of coarse this noise started after the warranty expired at 70k.
  • 59cadillac59cadillac Member Posts: 5
    HAVE THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM? THEY HAVE A NEW PROGRAM FOR THOSE TYPES OF TRANSMISSIONS. RORDAJ@AOL.COM
  • 00escaguy00escaguy Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a 00 Escalade and found it to "slam" from 1st to 2nd gear upon slow acceleration! I have seen several TSB's regarding this problem. How is it fixed?

    Thanks!
  • patcodypatcody Member Posts: 1
    I bought a used Cadillac Escalade. It has been in the shop 4 times for the same thing ... everything dies on it. We thought it was the battery ... so we bought a new one. It has happened 3 times since and is currently in the shop again. Dealer says he thinks that this was a year that this model was recalled for a battery draw down problem. Does anyone know anything about this or has had that problem? If so ... what did you do to fix it?
  • rkzjrrkzjr Member Posts: 4
    My 2004 AWD Escalade is now six months old, has just over 18,000 miles and has a new set of electronic issues related to the memory package in the vehicle.

     

    Intermittantly on start up, the mirrors and driver seat reset to factory presets, not those programmed by the driver. What's even more bizarre is that driver's rear door window acts like you've activated the express down feature (not a factory installed feature on Escalades)According to dealership personnel, the memory chip located under the driver's seat, has a programming error which GM Engineers are working to correct. Until a solution is found, you just have to live with it and laugh!
  • epmomepmom Member Posts: 7
    I'm looking to purchase a new truck in the near future. Does anyone own 05? would like to know if the transmission clunking has been fixed before I buy
  • my namemy name Member Posts: 2
    hi every one

    when the car is still cold and slowley driving i hear like kick sound when the transmmission change from 1st gear to the 2nd , when the car temp come over the kick not come again ... is any one have idea about this .... thanks
  • rkzjrrkzjr Member Posts: 4
    Temporary Fix to #43 below

    According to Cadillac, GM engineers are looking for a programming patch to correct the problem. I'll probably be on my next Caddy by then, however, we have found a temporary fix to the gremlin power window... place your foot firmly on the brake, release the parking brake and start the vehicle. There's some electronic link between the active parking brake and the memory issue... problem solved, if only temporarily.

    If you have a Denali with the same issues, the same fix will probably work for you too!
  • stuart310stuart310 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 03 Escalade with the same hard shift sound from 2nd to 1st. The dealership tried to reprogram then came back and said that GM claims that its within their design specs. That is the usual catch-all response. GM knows that the hard shift will not take its toll on the transmition until after the warranty period is up so its not their problem.

    If someone can prove that it is a defective design, the issue can be forced. Aside from that, manufacturers will continue to use that same excuse.
  • melanie99melanie99 Member Posts: 1
    Hi there, I love my ride, but every now and then when I go to start it it turns over but wont start. It only did it 5 times since Ive had it ( 5 months) Iam dumb founded as to why it does that. I have to wait from 5min -- 10min's then it starts right up like nothing was wrong. WEIRD!!! And One more--When I drive it, like on the highway it feels like Iam hydroplaining all the time. Scares the poop out of me, to where I wont pass semi's. Please HELP.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Impressive...... Something has to be wrong with your tires. could they be overinflated? Have you checked the tire pressure in them lately? Should have about 35psi in them if they are standard size.....
  • acomsacoms Member Posts: 1
    My 99 Escalade is having the same problem. But before I had the problem of it cutting off, my alarm kept going off on it's own, my doors wouldn't lock when driving but all I got was a ding, ding, ding, and my dome lights wouldn't go off unless I used the override switch. Don't know what the problem is, but I have been doing research on it. The best I've found is that Cadillac has a program bug, which they are trying to get a patch for. Will try to find out more.
    Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
    P.S. Have also noticed that some people with 00 are having the same problems.
  • bobierbobier Member Posts: 1
    I've had my EXT for two weeks now. What a bargain this truck is. Far more ammenities than any other car or truck in this price range. I have a question about the DVD for the nav system though. Who makes the system and where can I buy DVDs for other countries?
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    A tv reporter is hoping to talk with someone who wants to purchase a Cadillac. Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info by May 31, 2005.
    Thanks,
    Jeannine Fallon
    Corporate Communications
    Edmunds.com
  • neptune36neptune36 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 EXT, never off road never used a trailer with it. $11,000 miles and has been in shop three times for front end thumping noise while turning. Seems to get worse the hotter the weather. Had the dealer last time re torque, lube etc, and out of the partking lot it thumped on the first turn. They said something about a problem with the body mounts to frame, and GM has set up a case # for me, but Dealer said this is all they can do. I don't know if it will get worse if I drive off road (Afterall it is a 4WD) or even worse pull a trailer. If the body is loose on the frame will stabiltiy be a problem? I will call the 800# and see what the case # can do for me. I am not thrilled with my first Caddy. Anyone else still having this problem?
  • corlt1corlt1 Member Posts: 29
    I have a 92 Vette that has the 4L60 (which is the same basic transmission used in the Escalade) transmission that had the same klunk between 1st and second gear. Due to a problem with the original tranny, the GM had the dealership install a new tranny back in 1996. Although the new tranny shifted as smooth as my Eldorado, their is still an ocasional klunk in the 1 to 2 and 2 to 1 shift. This is an inherent problem with the 4L60, 4L60E and 4L65 transmissions. The new 2007 Escalade has a new transmission with 6 speeds called the 6L80E and hopefully the klunk will be eliminated.
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