Cadillac VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
“Dare Greatly”
Cadillac is the luxury vehicle division of General Motors, headquartered in Warren, Michigan. Founded in 1902 by master machinist Henry M. Leland from the assets of the failed Henry Ford Company (the same company that became the Ford Motor Company a year later), Cadillac was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, founder of Detroit. GM acquired Cadillac in 1909.
Cadillac was the first American car to feature an electric self-starter (1912 Model Thirty), the first to use a V8 engine in a production car (1915 Type 51), and the first to win the Royal Automobile Club's Dewar Trophy for interchangeable parts manufacturing (1908). The Escalade SUV and CT5 sedan anchor today's lineup, while the Lyriq, Optiq and Celestiq battery-electric models represent Cadillac's migration to a fully electric portfolio by 2030.
General Motors trades on the New York Stock Exchange under GM. The Cadillac V-Series performance line, introduced in 2004, competes with BMW M and Mercedes-AMG. Recall data for every Cadillac VIN is reported to NHTSA, and EPA fuel-economy ratings, IIHS crash-test scores and J.D. Power studies provide independent benchmarks. ForCar.org decodes any Cadillac VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original MSRP.
Cadillac at a glance
- Founded
- 1902
- Founder
- Henry M. Leland
- Headquarters
- Warren, Michigan, USA
- Parent
- General Motors (NYSE: GM)
- Named after
- Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (founder of Detroit)
- First V8
- 1915 Type 51 (first volume V8 car)
- Bestselling SUV
- Escalade (luxury full-size leader)
- Performance line
- V-Series (since 2004)
- Basic warranty
- 4 years / 50,000 miles
- Powertrain warranty
- 6 years / 70,000 miles
Decode any Cadillac VIN
Enter a 17-character VIN below to retrieve the trim, factory options, original window-sticker MSRP and any open NHTSA recall affecting that specific vehicle. ForCar.org pulls the same dataset that Cadillac dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Cadillac technology
Cadillac heritage
Henry Leland founded Cadillac Automobile Company in 1902 from the remains of Henry Ford's failed second venture. Leland's 1908 demonstration — disassembling three Cadillacs, scrambling the parts and rebuilding three running cars — won the Royal Automobile Club Dewar Trophy and established interchangeable parts as a manufacturing standard. The 1915 Type 51 V8 made Cadillac the first volume manufacturer of a V8-engine production car. The 1949 Coupe de Ville defined post-war American luxury.
Market position
Cadillac competes in the luxury and ultra-luxury segments against Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus and Audi, with stronger US dealer presence and weaker European/Asian footprint than its German rivals. The Escalade dominates the full-size luxury SUV segment with a market share consistently above 30%. Cadillac's 2025-2030 product cadence shifts the lineup to fully electric, with the gasoline CT4 and CT5 sedans expected to be the last ICE Cadillacs.
New-vehicle warranty
CADILLAC VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick CADILLAC VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any CADILLAC VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Cadillac models (37)
Frequently asked questions
When was Cadillac founded and by whom?
Cadillac was founded in 1902 by Henry M. Leland and is headquartered in Warren, USA.
Where is the VIN on a Cadillac vehicle?
The 17-character VIN appears in four standard locations: dashboard at the windshield base (driver side), driver-side door jamb sticker, the engine bay (firewall or engine block stamping), and the vehicle's title, registration and insurance documents.
How many Cadillac models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 37 Cadillac nameplates. Any 17-character Cadillac VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Cadillac warranty?
Basic: 4 years / 50,000 miles. Powertrain: 6 years / 70,000 miles.
How to check Cadillac recalls by VIN?
Enter your VIN in the decoder above. ForCar.org queries NHTSA's open-recall dataset for that specific VIN and returns any safety recalls or Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that affect your vehicle.
Disambiguation: This page covers Cadillac, the GM luxury division — not Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (the historical figure) or Cadillac, Michigan (city named after him).
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