My 2017 Cadillac Escalade AFM lifter fail and cause complete engine failure while driving on the highway. It was terrifying to happen on the highway. This could have cause as a major accident.
- NHTSA ID
- 11763751
- Incident
- Apr 15, 2026
Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2017 Cadillac Escalade Esv submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
My 2017 Cadillac Escalade AFM lifter fail and cause complete engine failure while driving on the highway. It was terrifying to happen on the highway. This could have cause as a major accident.
P0306 misfire. Flashing check engine light. Ive replaced all spark plugs. Ive replaced the ignition coil. Still has not fixed problem. While doing research on how to replace fuel injectors came across an article stating special coverage N102291660 for fuel injectors extending the warranty to 10 years, 150,000 miles but this is not showing for my VIN. My vehicle has the 6.2L engine so Im not sure what this is covered for some but not others when this is a known problem. I bought this vehicle a year ago because my wife and I took in custody of our 3 nieces all under age 2 thinking this would be a reliable vehicle. Id like to understand why my vehicle os not covered for this known issue, but others Cadillac ESVs are.
Lifters went out in January 2024 Paid thousands and thousands to repair and now having more issues again. Same issues the recalled 2021-2025 gym 6.2L have
With only 78k miles on my 2017 Escalade the same issue happened with the lifters like in the 2021-2025 models. We had to pay out 14k to replace the motor. GM has known about this problem for almost a decade and it’s not fair that we had to pay out this much money to replace an engine with them knowing the problems. Had they told us years ago to change to a heavier oil or whatever we would have done so and maybe our factory engine would have lasted like so many previous year models up to 250k miles.
The engine is a 8 cylinder 6.2 liter. It starts out using 8 cylinders and progressively drops to 4 at highway speeds. The lifter failed, seized and gouged and ruined the block and camshaft. This preventable repair necessitated an entirely new engine. This happens to thousands of GM vehicles of a similar year, but GM only acknowledges years 2021-2024. They made a defective product, knew about it and refused to adress it
Engine is stalling as if its choking and whole car is shaking. Vehicle has been up to date in maintenance with 26000. Miles. Now Check engine light is on along with traction control light .
Subject: Engine Lifter Failure in 2017 Cadillac Escalade - Manufacturer-Acknowledged Defect Component/System Failure: My 2017 Cadillac Escalade has experienced a critical engine malfunction specifically related to the Active Fuel Management (AFM) lifter system. The lifters are causing multiple engine misfires. This issue directly matches the manufacturer-acknowledged problem detailed in GM Service Bulletin 15-06-01-002M. Safety Risks: The lifter failure creates significant safety hazards, including: Potential sudden loss of engine power while driving Risk of unexpected vehicle stalling in traffic Compromised engine performance and vehicle control Potential complete engine failure The manufacturer's service bulletin recognizes these systemic issues across multiple vehicle models, including my Escalade. Problem Confirmation: General Motors has explicitly documented the problem in Service Bulletin 15-06-01-002M, which covers 2015-2020 Cadillac Escalade models. This indicates a known, widespread manufacturing or design defect. Despite GM's explicit recognition of this critical engine defect, customers must pay for repairs out of pocket when the warranty expires. This places an undue financial burden on vehicle owners for a problem that is clearly a manufacturing defect.
Transmission failing. The transmission has had hard shifts and was serviced to try and fix this issue. No fix and now the transmission is slipping.
The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while the vehicle was idling and while making left or right turns. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle after waiting for several minutes. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
CAR IS VIBRATING WHEN YOU STOP IN TRAFFIC LIGHTS IT FILLS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE . I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING AND 2ND PROBLEM IS STEERING WHEEL IT GIVES METAL KNOCKIN NOISE ON THE ROAD BUMPS
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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