Owners have filed 76 complaints on the Cadillac XLR, covering 2004–2009. The system named most often is Structure (22 reports). Worst years by volume: 2004, 2005, 2006; cleanest: 2009, 2007, 2008. 3 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 10.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Cadillac XLR
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 76 XLR complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Structure 22 Read
Automatic trunk mechanism would lift the trunk but immediately settle back to the closed and locked position. It nearly caught my fingers and I can see a small child losing fingers or having his/her head caught
2005 cadillac xlr. Wind noise near the seal between the windshield and the closed convertible top.*cw the dealership stated it was probably a worn, old seal where the top closed and no action other than applying some silicone caulk at some point in the future would reduce the wind noise. The next day, while traveling…
Xlr roof flew off - very dangerous since the roof could kill someone
Exterior Lighting 8 Read
The contact owns a 2008 cadillac xlr. The contact stated that a portion of the brake lights would no longer illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair. The technician informed the contact that the part was no longer being manufactured. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who confirmed that the…
The contact owns a 2005 cadillac xlr. While driving at 40 mph, the daytime running lights melted without warning. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a faulty lighting, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate…
The turn signal in the left rear tail lamp assembly which is a sealed LED based system is not working. I reached out to cadillac dealers and the part has been discontinued. This renders the vehicle unsafe as it cannot be legally driven and neither can it be repaired or resold as there is not a substitute part. Gm used…
Fuel System 8 Read
The contact owns a 2005 cadillac xlr roaster. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle stalled without any warnings. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the fuel modular was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact mentioned that two years later, the failure…
The contact owns a 2005 cadillac xlr. The contact stated that the fuel gauge was not displaying accurate fuel readings. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 42,300
I currently own the above cadillac vehicle which I purchased privately in august 2010 with less than 40,000 miles registering on the odometer,I now have 44,500 (aprox) during the time I have owner it,,,the engine has shut off 17 times under various conditions. I am a licensed mechanic so I have the background to be…
Power Train 7 Read
When car is stationary in our garage, the gasoline vapors are way too strong! Literally can knock you over as you open the door between the house and closed-up garage. Doesn't seem to matter if it's recently been filled with gasoline or if it's depleted some. *took our car to the local cadillac dealer for the worst…
While backing out of a parking spot I placed car in reverse and it backed up as it should. When I placed gear in forward and stepped on accelerator the car still went rearward almost striking another vehicle. At that point vehicle only had reverse and needed to be towed for shift cable replacement. This same thing…
Driving at 45mph then the car surged to the left. I got control then in service stable traction warning and traction control off light appeared
Electrical System 5 Read
Traveling 65mph on a freeway, my cadillac xlr suddenly was uncontrollable; it then started to spin; was hit b a semi and continued to spin. I have had electrical problems with this car from day one. The morning before the accident the read out said wait for stabilitrak. I know there was a malfunction that caused the…
2006 cadillac xlr roadster. Consumer writes in regards to defective electric door release buttons. *ld
Opened car with key fob, but it would not start. Upon pressing the start button the dash readout stated 'no key fob detected', or something similar. Tried to exit vehicle and could not. I was locked in! Continued to try and start vehicle, unlock door, roll down window, all to no avail. Dash readout then stated 'low…
Fuel/propulsion System 4 Read
Gas tank leak - strong gas/fuel odor/smell coming from inside and outside the vehicle. Check engine light coming on (dating back to 2009; was told then by cadillac service advisor that my gas cap was loose). Problem has gotten worse over time to the point where I can no longer park the car in my garage or ride in the…
Fuel gauge is problematic, fuel gauge reports 3/4 when full and needle points halfway between 1/4 and 1/2 when empty. The low fuel indicator light does not engage in this condition and the distance to empty still shows about 200 miles in which the driver will have no idea he is low on fuel. My car stalled during rush…
Fuel sending unit keeps failing can't tell how much fuel is in tank. Had first one replaced at cost of around $2300.00 replacement lasted around 18 months then it failed . Never know when whole unit will shut down and leave me vulnerable to a rear end or stall
Service Brakes 3 Read
The contact owns a 2004 cadillac xlr. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated on its own to approximately 55 mph. The contact attempted to engage the brakes, but was unsuccessful. On november 6, 2006, the contact's vehicle crashed into nine parked vehicles. All of the vehicles were damaged. There were no…
Brake were dragging I came to a stop .Checked the parking brake. Then after releasing the parking brake. The car wouldn't move until I pushed the traction control button. Drove 1/2 mile stopped and again the brakes were locked up. Call [XXX] Thanx INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA),…
I have a 2004 cadillac xlr that has the exact same problem as the 2005-2009 corvettes have. The service stabilitrak message and traction control light comes on and the cars brakes light do not work when this comes on. Your case numbers for this are pe08056 and ea09-002 my car pulled to the right suddenly when this…
Steering 3 Read
The contact owns a 2004 cadillac xlr. The contact stated that the steering wheel would emit an abnormal noise when turned in either direction. Also, the contact was traveling approximately 40 mph when the stability control warning light illuminated. The contact applied the brakes for a traffic stop and the brakes…
The contact stated the electric windows slid up and down on their own. This continuously occurred, but the service dealer could not duplicate the issue to fix the problem. The consumer had difficulty accessing the trunk, it would not unlock. The power steering failed, however the dealer was unable to duplicate the…
While driving my 2005 cadillac xlr on the interstate highway at approximately 70 mph, dry highway my car dipped to the left with instantaneous stabilitrack active flash. Then a few seconds later dipped left again and pulled severally to the left. The car was out of control. I could feel the ABS pulsating in the brake…
XLR 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2008 | Electrical System,latches/locks/linkages,electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | — | |
| 2007 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2006 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2004 | Electrical System,structure,unknown Or Other | 2 | — |
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 | 32 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.4 |
| Worst single series | 6 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 10.4 years |
A model average of 2.4 hides a worst series at 6. 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
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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 XLR?
By complaint volume, 2004, 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 XLR years are the cleanest?
2009, 2007, 2008 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Cadillac XLR have?
76 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2004–2009. Of those, 3 describe a crash and 1 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.