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Recall

Cadillac Escalade do-not-drive recall: transfer case can lock the wheels

A handful of 4WD and AWD Escalades and other GM trucks got transfer cases built without an oil pickup tube. GM says park them and have them towed in.

4 min readDashbird NewsroomCadillacChevroletGMC

A dark blue 2025 Cadillac Escalade parked on a concrete driveway in front of a modern house
Photo: Cadillac

General Motors has told owners of a small number of four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV SUVs to stop driving them until a dealer replaces the transfer case. Some transfer cases left the supplier's plant without an internal oil pickup tube, and without lubrication the unit can seize and lock the front or rear wheels with no warning. The recall, NHTSA campaign 26V289, was filed on May 7, 2026 and covers 66 GM vehicles in the US, eight of them Cadillacs.

What failed and how GM found it

According to GM's Part 573 report, a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 locked its wheels in a parking lot. When GM engineers took its transfer case apart, the oil pickup tube was missing, which leaves the bearings inside without oil. An engineer reported the finding through GM's Speak Up for Safety program on April 14, 2026, and GM opened an investigation three days later.

The transfer cases come from Magna Powertrain's plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. GM says that while the supplier was changing its assembly line, its standard work steps and error-proofing checks were not followed, so incomplete units were not rejected. Magna's end-of-line torque data pointed to 68 suspect assemblies. Most went into new 2026 trucks and SUVs, and one was shipped as a service replacement part that could have ended up in an older vehicle. GM says the supplier corrected its process and added validation checks on April 2, 2026.

GM counts four field complaints that may be related and says it knows of no crashes or injuries. Its safety decision board approved the recall on April 30, the same day dealers received a stop-delivery and do-not-drive order.

Which Escalades are included

Only 4WD and AWD vehicles are involved; rear-drive models do not have a transfer case. The Cadillacs in the filing are:

  • 2026 Escalade: four vehicles built September 16 to November 5, 2025
  • 2026 Escalade ESV: two vehicles built September 13, 2025 to March 24, 2026
  • 2015 Escalade and 2015 Escalade ESV: one each

The two 2015 Cadillacs are part of a group of 21 older GM SUVs, from the 2015 to 2020 model years, that had a transfer case replaced at one of 54 dealers that may have received the single suspect service part. The rest of the population is made up of 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Suburban, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon and Yukon XL models.

The repair

GM runs the recall under two internal numbers. For 2026 vehicles (N262557620), dealers replace the transfer case. For the older vehicles (N262557621), a technician first reads the serial number on the transfer case label with a mirror or inspection camera and replaces the unit only if it matches the suspect part. GM's letter puts the job at about five and a half hours.

Owner letters went out from May 18, 2026. GM's October 7 quarterly report showed 42 of the 66 vehicles remedied, so some are still open.

Owner brief

What it means for owners

  • Do not drive it. If your VIN shows campaign 26V289 as open, leave the vehicle parked. GM's letter asks owners to call their dealer and have the vehicle brought in on a flatbed rather than driven, and says a courtesy vehicle will be provided if needed. The repair is free, and GM says it will help arrange the tow.
  • Check the VIN. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls. With only eight Cadillacs involved, most Escalade owners will see nothing, but the 2015 models make it worth checking even if your SUV is a decade old and had transfer case work done recently.
  • Warning sign. GM says drivers may hear a grinding noise before the wheels lock, though it can happen with no warning at all. A new grinding noise from the drivetrain of a 4WD Escalade is a reason to pull over and call the dealer, whatever the recall status.
  • Contacts. Cadillac customer service: 1-800-333-4223. GM recall numbers: N262557620 and N262557621.

This campaign is separate from GM's front wheel hub bolt recall for 2025 and 2026 Escalades on 24-inch wheels, NHTSA 26V304, so an Escalade can appear in one, both or neither.

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