What breaks most · 2003 to 2019 model years
Cadillac CTS problems by year
Owners have filed 2,216 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Cadillac CTS across model years 2003 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2003 for electrical system complaints, 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2006 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2017, 2016 and 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2005, 2006
- Fewest complaints: 2017, 2016, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 22162003 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2003313 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 18735 fires · 154 injuries · 6 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 62kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 61Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 313 | 29 | 4 | Electrical system (56) | |
| 224 | 25 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (52) | |
| 277 | 25 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (82) | |
| 269 | 23 | 6 | Air bags (87) | |
| 217 | 26 | 6 | Air bags (64) | |
| 175 | 12 | 2 | Electrical system (39) | |
| 167 | 10 | 5 | Engine (49) | |
| 67 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (16) | |
| 101 | 11 | 2 | Air bags (23) | |
| 65 | 6 | 2 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 72 | 10 | 2 | Electrical system (26) | |
| 146 | 4 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (84) | |
| 47 | 2 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (19) | |
| 31 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 27 | 1 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 8 | 1 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (3) |
What fails on the 2003 Cadillac CTS
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 18% |
56 | 4 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2003 Cadillac CTS |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 12% |
38 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2003 Cadillac CTS |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 12% |
37 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2003 Cadillac CTS |
| Air bags | 12% |
36 | 16 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
29 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2003 Cadillac CTS |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 9% |
28 | 3 | Shop steering parts for the 2003 Cadillac CTS |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
25 | 3 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2003 Cadillac CTS |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
25 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
The computer isn’t telling the alternator to charge the battery so the batteries are being all of the way drained without anything recharging them. Beans new batteries get ruined fast.
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The vehicle is equipped with a very weak rear differential that was used in the lesser horsepower v6 and when taking off hard the car begins to wheel hop and destroys the rear end the vehicle was in motion on a city street this has occurred twice in less then a year and a half
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Engine burns 1quart of oil, 100 miles. Brakes went to floor, brake lines had holes at 69,000 miles. Driver rear axel leaks. 2006 Cadillac CTS is a lemon!! Money Pit !!!
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 6, 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 CTS years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2005, 2006 carry the most filings on the Cadillac CTS. The 2003 alone has 313 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Cadillac CTS problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 56 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Cadillac CTS problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Cadillac CTS complaints that include mileage is about 62,000 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.