Owners have filed 1,906 complaints on the Cadillac CTS, covering 2003–2019. The system named most often is Power Train (361 reports). Worst years by volume: 2003, 2005, 2006; cleanest: 2018, 2019, 2017. 157 reports describe a crash, 29 a fire, 7 a death. On average the car was 6.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Cadillac CTS
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,906 CTS complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 361 Read
The contact owns a 2011 cadillac cts. The contact stated while shifting gears it seized in reverse. The vehicle approached speeds up to 80 mph and only stopped after he crashed into a home. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not repaired nor was the failure diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the…
The contact owned a 2009 cadillac cts. The contact stated that the vehicle unexpectedly rolled backwards out of the driveway and crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree. Both the driver and passenger doors were bent. There were no injuries. Auto star (4395 buford hwy, peachtree corners, ga 30071, (770) 446-8772) towed…
07 cadillac cts was driven and parked. I minute later it was on fire, started on top of transmission in interior. Extinguished in another 2 minutes but damage exceeded $20,000. Gm product liability and esis dragging feet on warranty claim or relief for > 2 months, insurance says cigarette (don't smoke) dealer wont do…
Air Bags 280 Read
The airbag system failed to deploy during a single-vehicle accident in which the car left the service road and struck a tree. The vehicle sustained significant front-end damage. The driver lost consciousness or experienced disorientation and was unable to recall the events leading up to or immediately following the…
I was hit by a truck while parked with the car on and the airbags weren’t deployed the truck hit me going at least 45-60
The contact owns a 2013 cadillac cts. The contact was driving 15 mph when another vehicle crashed into her rear. The contact attempted to apply the brakes, but the vehicle did not respond. Additionally, the air bags failed to deploy. The contact also stated that she became pinned in the vehicle because the driver's…
Electrical System 277 Read
The car caught on fire while driving in nyc at speeds of 10-20 mph first the car started to smoke in the front hood while turning left on 5th avenue. I got out of the car and the car was on flames. I have a dash camera and iphone footage of the incident. I bought this car from an authorized cadillac dealership in june…
April 4, 2018 to whom it may concern: this is my recollection at discovering that my cadillac cts 2015 got on fire at my friends home in shelby michigan on march 25th, 2018. On march 24th my wife (lourdes robles) and I arrived at our friends home at 48307 red oak in shelby michigan to celebrate our friends birthday.…
The contact owns a 2014 cadillac cts. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning causing the contact to crash into a curb. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the body shop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…
Service Brakes 192 Read
The contact owns a 2011 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 -35 mph, there was a rattling noise detected from the front end of the vehicle. The brake pedal was applied but, failed to respond and crashed into a 2018 Ford. There were no reported injuries or fire. A police report was…
The contact owns a 2008 cadillac cts. While driving 2 mph with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated. The contact struck the preceding vehicle. The front bumper needs to be replaced. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The powertrain was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 1,500
I took the car in and they let me go with the ABS light on and the stability track light on. If I knew the that this car was undrivable with these safety fixtures out I would have never picked up the car
Steering 138 Read
The rear differential locked while driving at 45mph on a straight, four lane road. It made a loud thump and felt as if the brakes were slammed on. The car pull hard left and the rear tires were smoking. Managed to get the car back to the right and stopped after hitting the curb. Fortunately no other vehicles were…
Unintended acceleration; vehicle accelerated backing out of driveway after placed in reverse without stepping on accelerator; brakes would not stop vehicle; vehicle collided into neighbor's truck which was parked across the street. The driver and passenger sustained neck and back injuries
The contact owns a 2013 cadillac cts. The contact stated that while reversing at approximately 2 mph, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle stalled. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle rolled and crashed into a pole. The vehicle was able to restart. A police report was not filed and there were no…
Engine 107 Read
The contact owns a 2011 cadillac cts. The contact stated that while driving, the engine seized and the brakes failed. As a result the car crashed into an embankment. The contact sustained head and chest injuries that required medical attention. The contact received a notification for recall NHTSA campaign number:…
Oil leaks from unknown location. Also make a grinding noise when accelerating
The contact owns a 2003 cadillac cts. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the engine compartment emitted smoke. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that the valve cover gasket would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however,…
Suspension 90 Read
The contact owns a 2012 cadillac cts. While driving approximately 60 mph, a loud noise emitted outside of the vehicle. The front passenger side tire and lower control arm detached completely. In addition, the brakes, rotors, and other suspension support detached onto the road. The vehicle crashed into a concrete…
The contact owns a 2007 cadillac cts. While driving approximately 15 mph, the wheels locked causing the vehicle to spin completely around and strike a curb on the rear driver side. None of the air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the rear driver side wheel was bent inwards. They…
The contact owns a 2006 cadillac cts. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle began driving roughly. When the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle would rev as if it were attempting to accelerate. On october 9, 2007, while backing out of a parking space with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle lunged forward and made…
Engine And Engine Cooling 76 Read
While vehicle was under power smoke then fire was observed coming from the engine compartment. Vehicle was pulled to the roadside. Fire intensified burning a hole through the hood above the master cylinder
The contact owns a 2007 cadillac cts. The contact stated that the engine exploded. The contact was driving 78 mph when the cruise control inadvertently disengaged. A loud booming noise emitted from the engine while a flash of fire and smoke emitted from the rear exhaust. Smoke then began to rise from the engine. The…
2005 cadillac cts. Letter sent from an attorney on behalf of the consumers in reference to an accident relating to a potential defect in vehicle *tgw while driving, the vehicle began to smoke. When the consumer opened the hood he suffered serious burns which left him permanently disfigured. The vehicle was totaled
CTS years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Electrical System,seats,engine | — | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2015 | Electrical System | 2 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 9 | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 10 | 3 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 9 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 10 | 2 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 21 | 6 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 20 | 1 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 22 | 4 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 21 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 23 | 9 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 647 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.9 |
| Worst single series | 30 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.5 years |
A model average of 2.9 hides a worst series at 30. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the CTS?
By complaint volume, 2003, 2005, 2006 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which CTS years are the cleanest?
2018, 2019, 2017 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Cadillac CTS have?
1,906 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2003–2019. Of those, 157 describe a crash and 29 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.