Escalade 24-inch wheel recall: wrong front hub bolts can work loose

General Motors is recalling 2025 and 2026 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV SUVs on 24-inch wheels because the bolts holding the front wheel hubs may be the wrong ones. The problem is not a factory defect. It came from GM's own parts catalog and an accessory brake kit, which led dealers to fit bolts that can loosen or deform over time. The campaign, NHTSA 26V304 (GM number N262554630), was filed on May 14, 2026 and covers 2,457 vehicles, of which 2,125 are Escalades.

How the wrong bolts got there

GM made 24-inch wheels available on the Escalade for the first time with the 2025 refresh, the biggest wheels the model had ever worn. According to GM's Part 573 report, a GM product investigator found in April 2026 that the dealer-installed accessory brake package for these SUVs, option code RPO 5JL, shipped without separate instructions or the special fasteners GM's own specifications call for on 24-inch-wheel vehicles. Dealers fitting the kit may simply have reused the original bolts.

The investigator also found that GM's electronic parts catalog did not show the correct bolt for jobs that remove or replace a front hub bearing on these vehicles. So a 24-inch-wheel Escalade could have ended up with the wrong bolts in two ways: through the brake upgrade or through a routine hub repair.

GM logged seven field complaints that may be related, the first in January 2025 and the latest in April 2026, and says it knows of no crashes or injuries. It corrected the parts catalog on May 1, 2026 and began pulling the 5JL kits for 24-inch wheels on May 8.

Who is affected

The recall applies only to 24-inch-wheel vehicles that either received the 5JL accessory brake package from a dealer or had a front hub replaced in service. GM's dealer bulletin identifies the brake kits by accessory part numbers 86560478, 86560479 and 86560480. The Cadillacs listed are:

• 2025 Escalade: 737 vehicles
• 2025 Escalade ESV: 411 vehicles
• 2026 Escalade: 642 vehicles
• 2026 Escalade ESV: 335 vehicles

The remaining 332 are Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL models with the same setup. GM's first filing counted 2,464 vehicles; an update on May 21 removed seven VINs that had been included by mistake.

What can happen

Each front hub is held by four bolts. If one breaks or backs out completely, the other three take the extra load, and GM says that can lead to a partial loss of vehicle control. The filing gives drivers one warning sign: noise or vibration coming from the affected front wheel hub.

Owner brief

What it means for owners

• Check the VIN. Use nhtsa.gov/recalls and look for 26V304. An Escalade on 22-inch wheels, or one on 24s that never had the brake upgrade or a hub job, is not part of this recall.
• If you bought the kit over the counter. GM tells dealers to search their parts sales for the three kit numbers and notify buyers, including independent shops. If you installed the brake package yourself or had a non-dealer shop do it, call a Cadillac dealer with your VIN.
• Warning signs. A new vibration, clunk or humming from the front of the vehicle deserves a prompt inspection; do not wait for the letter. NHTSA lists no do-not-drive advisory for this campaign.
• The repair. Dealers replace all eight front hub bolts, four per side, without replacing the hubs; on two-wheel-drive models the front brake bearing shield is also renewed. GM's letter estimates one to two and a half hours. It is free.
• Timing. Dealers received the repair instructions on May 29, and owner letters were mailed from June 18, 2026. By GM's October 7 report, 1,574 vehicles had been fixed, so roughly a third were still open.

Cadillac customer service can be reached at 1-800-333-4223. This recall is separate from the transfer case campaign 26V289, which affects only a handful of 4WD and AWD Escalades.