What breaks most · 2013 to 2018 model years
Cadillac ATS problems by year
Owners have filed 163 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Cadillac ATS across model years 2013 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2013 for engine complaints, 2014 for engine complaints and 2017 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2013, 2014, 2017
- Fewest complaints: 2015
- Complaints on file
- 1632013 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 201395 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 141 fires · 15 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 13kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 21Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 6 | 6 | Engine (37) | |
| 48 | 6 | 4 | Engine (11) | |
| 6 | 1 | 4 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (1) | |
| 8 | 1 | 2 | Steering (6) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 2013 Cadillac ATS
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 39% |
37 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2013 Cadillac ATS |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 31% |
29 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2013 Cadillac ATS |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 22% |
21 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 18% |
17 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2013 Cadillac ATS |
| Unknown or other | 9% |
9 | 3 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 8% |
8 | 2 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2013 Cadillac ATS |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
8 | 2 | Shop brakes parts for the 2013 Cadillac ATS |
| Wheels | 4% |
4 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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2013 cadillac ats 6mt stalls when decelerating with an ensuing loss of power steering. Cadillac has come up with a software fix for this issue. Software written to protect the flywheel was modified to eliminate this problem.
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Upper and lower control arm bushings steering knuckle defective from factory and blown piston number 1 at 6350 miles and many recalls.
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Upon braking car shakes and makes a loud noise but eventualy stops. About 8 days later while parking the brakes failed to operate resulting in a collision.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Cadillac ATS years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2013, 2014, 2017 carry the most filings on the Cadillac ATS. The 2013 alone has 95 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Cadillac ATS problem?
On the 2013 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 37 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Cadillac ATS problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Cadillac ATS complaints that include mileage is about 13,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.