Owners have filed 467 complaints on the Cadillac DTS, covering 2004–2011. The system named most often is Electrical System (149 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006, 2007, 2008; cleanest: 2004, 2005, 2011. 30 reports describe a crash, 18 a fire. On average the car was 6.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Cadillac DTS
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 467 DTS complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 149 Read
The contact owns a 2009 cadillac dts. While driving various speeds, the vehicle suddenly shut off. On several occasions, the engine could not be restarted. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the rear fuse box located under the backseat was very hot and a burning odor was present. The contact replaced the fuel…
My 2008 cadallic dts was trying to start on its on. The keys were on the table and the spare key hanging on the key rack. In doing so it caused my car to catch on fire which caught my garage on fire. My family was all in bed when we were awoken by a person passing by the house and recognized that the light he was…
I started to smell smoke in the car, I shut the engine, the smoke was coming from under the back seat. I removed the back seat, and smelled the fuse box, and opened the fuse box cover, and I found that two relays were very hot, and one of them was burned, and melted all the way into the bottom of the whole fuse box…
Exterior Lighting 62 Read
The contact owns a 2008 cadillac dts. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the headlights were projecting too much heat and caused the plastic covers to burn and melt from the inside. The vehicle was taken to riley chevrolet buick gmc (2033 christy dr, jefferson city, mo 65101, (573) 298-6142) where…
(1) my 2010 cadillac dts is equipped with the factory optional chrome rims. The car was built the end of may, 2010, and by june, 2014, with approximately 54,000 miles, one rim was so badly corroded it would no longer hold air. One other rim was also corroding badly, but was still holding air before I replaced it. The…
Dash lighting is dimmed when ever headlights are on during daylight hours. Automatic system does not return panel light levels to daylight brightness. This makes the dash invisible in bright daylight. Condition exists until the sun is high in the sky. Dealer says this is a design issue! Owners manual says that "parade…
Steering 53 Read
The contact owns a 2008 cadillac dts. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized without warning, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact crashed into a cement wall but did not suffer any injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for further inspection.…
The contact owns a 2006 cadillac dts. The contact stated that a burning odor was emitted into the vehicle and the power steering failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the high pressure power steering hose was leaking and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware…
The contact owns a 2006 cadillac dts. While driving approximately 50 mph, the front passenger side tire blew out and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized, causing the vehicle to spin and crash into a fence. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and there were no…
Engine 47 Read
The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac DTS. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle there was smoke coming from under the hood. Upon inspection, it was discovered that engine oil had leaked onto the hot surface in the engine compartment. The leaking oil also caused damage to the alternator. The cause of the…
The contact owns a 2006 cadillac dts. The contact stated that engine oil leaked into the exhaust system and caused the exhaust to smoke. The dealer advised the contact that the oil pan cover and gasket needed to be replaced the manufacturer denied assistance with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure…
The contact owns a 2006 cadillac dts. While approaching a stop sign, an oil odor was coming from the engine. The contact noticed that gray smoke was coming from the hood of vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic where he was informed the oil pan gasket was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Air Bags 20 Read
I was driving sw on design and did not see a stop sign at the intersection of dragon, in dallas, texas. As a result, my 2011 cadillac dts collided into (t-boned) a 1995 or 1996 nissan maxima. I was traveling 25-30 miles per hour at impact and never saw the collision coming. Prior to the accident, my vehicle had not…
The contact owns a 2011 cadillac dts. While driving 55 mph, the contact's vehicle collided with another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. There were two injuries and medical attention was received. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 50,000.…
Subject vehicle read ended SUV that was stopped for a stop light. Vehicle sustained extensive front end damage and was declared a total loss by the insurance company. None of the air bags deployed. Driver was badly injured and is still in a coma. Passenger received minor injuries. Vehicle is still available for…
Service Brakes 18 Read
I was driving between 40-45 mph coming to an intersection. Traffic light was red and some cars waiting. I took my foot off the accelerator and put it on the brake pedal while approaching the stopped traffic. I tried to brake but the pedal went soft to the floor. I was driving a 2008 cadillac dts , and I hit the car…
I purchased my 2009 dts cadillac foley in nov. Of 2008. Presently I have about 35,000 miles on the vehicle. I serviced my brakes about a year ago. There has been no sign of brake fluid leaking. In driving from chicago north to highland park illinois on the expressway, I had to make a sudden stop when the traffic…
When traveling on highway my cruise control kept turning itself off and on. A driver traveling behind me let me know that my brake lights were staying on as if I were riding the brake (which I was not) and then would go off again - this kept repeating. It seemed this was why the cruise control was not working, as it…
Engine And Engine Cooling 15 Read
The contact owns a 2010 Cadillac DTS. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for an oil change and he was informed of an oil pan leak coming from a bolt-on undercarriage causing damage to the engine. The dealer offered to repair the oil leak however, the contact declined. The vehicle was not…
I have had a problem with my car for over a year. I keep getting fumes from the vent and several times I have had the car to cadillac on several ocassions. Had made several complaints to general motors and I always get a call back, most of the time it would be a different person but they all said the same thing, just…
The contact owns a 2007 cadillac dts. The contact could not turn the steering wheel while attempting to pull into a parking space at 5 mph. He was eventually able to park the vehicle and immediately called the dealer. A mechanic arrived at the scene and found the serpentine belt laying alongside the engine. The…
Vehicle Speed Control 12 Read
While turning into a parking space at a very low speed my engine by itself accelerated very fast and I immediately put my foot on the brake but this did not stop the car so I put it into reverse and kept my foot on brake the car continue to accelerate very fast but eventually stopped. My car was totalled as it hit the…
- the contact stated foot was getting stuck between the console and the gas pedal. The contact believed that foot was getting stuck because of the padding on the console, by the gas pedal. *ak updated 2/6/2007 -
2006 cadillac dts inadvertent acceleration problem
DTS 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 6 | 6 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 11 | 8 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2004 | Electrical System | — | — |
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 | 116 |
| Average complaints per series | 4 |
| Worst single series | 27 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.6 years |
A model average of 4 hides a worst series at 27. 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 DTS?
By complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2008 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 DTS years are the cleanest?
2004, 2005, 2011 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Cadillac DTS have?
467 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2004–2011. Of those, 30 describe a crash and 18 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.