Cadillac CTS

Cadillac CTS representative vehicle image
Representative editorial illustration of the Cadillac CTS.

Cadillac Sedan 2003–2019 · coverage building

Verify with official recall databases, service records, a mechanic inspection, and local market data before relying on this summary.

At a glance

Vehicle coverage snapshot

This snapshot uses the current page hierarchy, year-range meta, and vehicle taxonomy only.

Page roleModel Hub
Make
Cadillac
Model
Cadillac CTS
Year range
2003–2019 · coverage building
Generation
Coverage for this page is given by model year rather than a confirmed generation.
Vehicle taxonomy
CTS

Model-year and generation details come from structured catalogue data; confirm the exact vehicle from its VIN.

Vehicle coverage

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Coverage path

Choose a make, model, and supported year from the structured US/Canada vehicle database.

Model coverage

Coverage dashboard

Coverage at a glance

Model-year coverage for this vehicle is confirmed from the structured US and Canada dataset. Vehicle-specific problem evidence has not been published for it yet.

Known checks by year range

Published problem clusters for Cadillac CTS are still being built. In the meantime you can look up a fault code directly, or describe the symptom and work through it step by step.

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Buyer path

  1. Start with the model hub
  2. Use OBD and symptom pages for current issues
  3. Verify recalls by VIN and inspect service records.

Coverage status

This page carries confirmed model-year and powertrain coverage. Recall, complaint and fault evidence for this model is still being expanded, and this page updates as that evidence is published.

What is on the record for the Cadillac CTS

Owner complaints for this model most often concern:

  • Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)960 (15.5%)Official recall records for this system: 5, covering model years 2005–2014.
  • Air bags (restraint system)786 (12.7%)Official recall records for this system: 11, covering model years 2004–2016.
  • Electrical system772 (12.4%)Official recall records for this system: 9, covering model years 2003–2016.

Where a mileage was given (3,278 reports), it averaged 63,992 miles.

These are counts of records held, not a failure rate: no vehicles-in-service figure exists in this data, so no reliability score can be derived from it.

Explore Cadillac CTS problems by model year

Short answer

If you are checking a used Cadillac CTS, start here. This hub collects midsize luxury sedan buyer checks, future common-problem pages, OBD clues, and year-window risk notes as they are reviewed.

Key takeaways

  • This Cadillac CTS page is a vehicle hub, not a final reliability verdict. Verify open recalls by VIN, scan for stored codes before buying, and use sourced fault/year pages when they are available.

If you are checking a used Cadillac CTS, this hub is the starting point. It is built to gather the practical questions a buyer or owner actually has: what usually goes wrong, which year windows deserve caution, what warning signs matter, and what to check before money changes hands.

The Cadillac CTS is tracked here as a midsize luxury sedan coverage hub. This page is a researched coverage page, not a final reliability verdict. Specific defect claims should come from sourced child pages, not guesswork.

Before buying or ignoring symptoms, verify open recalls by VIN, scan for stored OBD codes, check service history, and use any linked CarFaultIQ fault or symptom pages to decide the next practical step.

Official evidence for this model

Coverage below spans the explicitly mapped model years. Records do not apply to every model year or configuration.

US safety recalls

27 distinct official identifiers · US

Campaigns matched to recorded model years. Only an official VIN check can confirm whether an individual vehicle is affected.

  • 26V329000 — model years 2015, 2016

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.

  • 25V175000 — model years 2016, 2017, 2018

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, 2017-2018 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist may fail.

  • 19V086000 — model years 2016, 2017, 2018

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, and 2017 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist system may fail.

Official NHTSA source

Manufacturer communications / TSBs

3,637 distinct official identifiers · US

Manufacturer service communications are not safety recalls and do not prove that every vehicle has the described condition.

  • 11035340 — model years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

    PI to help diagnose A/C concern

  • 11030974 — model years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

    This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

  • 11030091 — model years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

    This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

Official NHTSA source

US defect investigations

3 distinct official identifiers · US

An investigation records a regulator review of a suspected defect. It is not automatically a finding or a recall.

  • EQ11001 — model years 2005, 2006, 2007

    On December 17, 2010, General Motors (GM) notified the NHTSA that it had decided certain 2005 - 2007 model year Cadillac CTS vehicles contain a safety related defect.GM stated that certain CTS vehicles contain a passenger sensing system mat, manufactured by IEE, in the front…

  • EA07017 — model years 2004, 2005, 2006

    IN JULY OF 2007 THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED PE07-037 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL MAY FAIL CAUSING A LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER, AND IN SOME INSTANCES A LOSS OF CONTROL, IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 THROUGH 2006 CADILLAC CTS, CTS-V,…

  • PE07037 — model years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

    ODI EVALUATED TWO DIFFERENT ALLEGED DEFECTS INVOLVING REAR DRIVETRAIN COMPONENTS DURING THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.GM IS CONDUCTING A RECALL TO ADDRESS ONE OF THE DEFECT CONDITIONS AND ODI HAS OPENED AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO CONTINUE ITS INVESTIGATION OF THE OTHER ALLEGED DEFECT. ON DECEMBER 19, 2007,…

Official NHTSA source

Canadian recalls

27 distinct official identifiers · CA

Canadian-market records remain separate from US campaigns. Confirm applicability with Transport Canada and the manufacturer.

  • 2026246 — model years 2015, 2016

    Multiple source assertions are retained for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific details.

  • 2025144 — model years 2017

    Issue: On certain vehicles, a problem with the power steering system could cause it to turn off while driving. The power steering assist may return when the vehicle is restarted. Note: This is an expansion of recall N182182760 (Transport Canada recall no. 2019-056). Safety Risk:…

  • 2020291 — model years 2014, 2015, 2016

    Issue: On certain vehicles, the bolts that attach the electric power steering assist motor to the steering gear may corrode and break. This could cause a loss of power steering assist. Safety Risk: A loss of power steering assist may result in a sudden increase…

Official Transport Canada source

US owner complaint reports

2,216 distinct reports · US

Distinct ODI complaint identifiers, deduplicated across component and product rows. Reports are allegations, not confirmed defects, failure rates or reliability scores.

  • ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 355 reports
  • AIR BAGS: 330 reports
  • POWER TRAIN: 291 reports

A report can name several components. Do not add component totals together.

Official NHTSA source

Evidence is served from a locally stored official-source snapshot. No external API is called to render this page. These records do not replace inspection or diagnosis. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

Used-car checks

No structured used-car checks are verified on this model hub yet.

Recall/safety notes

No hand-written safety notes have been added to this hub. Official recall, bulletin and investigation records held for this vehicle are listed under documented evidence on this page — the absence of a note here does not mean no records exist. Always confirm by VIN.

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