Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Cadillac CTS owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
We have a 2003 Cadillac's CTS with about 77K miles. On 7-5-2010 as we were pulling into a parking spot in a shopping plaza at less than 5 MPH, all of a sudden the car went to full throttle, jumped the curb, thru bushes, and onto the hood of the car facing us. Within a few weeks prior to this, while sitting at a red light with our foot on the brake, we notice what seemed to be the engine revving up. The car is in the shop now.
Driving 70+MPH on freeway in fast lane. Car stop accerlating and no RPM the steeling wheel then locked on me while in the fast lane on freeway. I immediately pulled over restarted the car and was able to move safely off freeway.
I was driving home from work when this first happened. All of a sudden a loud screeching noise and the brakes would not stop in time. I had to pump the brakes to work. I took my car to Cadillac in arizona and they had it for 2 days and could not find an issue. I drove home that day with it and sure enough it did it while I was home. It had now began to jerk me to the right and left when I press on the brakes, scaring me thinking I am going to hit the car next to me. I took it to midas this time and they noticed a problem and said maybe its a wheel barring. They replaced issue duplicated itself shortly after. Since I did not have a second car or pay for a rental I had to take my car home to go back to work the next day. This problem is a safety hazard and I have even been pulled over because the cop asked why I was swerving while driving. …
We own a 2003 Cadillac CTS that we bought new back in late 2002. It currently has about 85,000 lightly driven miles. About 1 1/2 years ago, the engine become stuck at high revolutions. In other words, the car accelerated to high speed and would not slow down. Had to turn off the engine to regain control. We referred to this as a "throttle control" problem--although that May not be the correct terminology. It was repaired by the Cadillac dealer at that time (at considerable cost). Since then, the same problem has occurred two more times. It was repaired by the dealer about 6 months ago but the problem has now returned for a third time.the car is unsafe to drive as unexpected acceleration May occur at any moment. Most recently, the dealer claims that the problem is due to the engine control module (computer)--but it remains to be seen if that will indeed repair the problem. …
I purchased this vehicle in November 2011 with approx. 97,000 miles showing on the odometer. During a thanksgiving holiday trip of some 1600 miles, consisting mostly of highway driving with the cruise control engaged, and for no apparent reason, the asc (automatic stability control) would disengage the cruise control, "tug" the vehicle to the left or right slightly, seemed to have a slight braking effect (although it May have been the sudden deceleration that caused the sense of braking) and would display " stability control engaged". This occurred numerous times. Also, on this same trip, the "traction control" would engage, without warning or need, and disengage the cruise control causing sudden, unexpected, deceleration. This too happened numerous times. Although I did notice that the "traction control" seemed to engage when in a curve on rough or bumpy roads. …
When driving it would engage to stability mode and also service stability.. However the car would get out of control and it would be as if you put you brakes on when you were in water... But no water and I hadn't put the brake until I had to.. Because it went out of control for a quick (but more frequent) time...I took it in finally and asked if there were any recalls becausewhen I purchased it in 2003 new. I had to have the shaft bolt fixed ... Then I had to have the air bag serviced and they charged me for that another time. Then my seat motor went out. Etc. All within the 1st 5 years with low mileage too. So I've bee waiting to fix this since I am a widow and don't who to trust anymore... I was told this time it is leaking in the differential and that's why it runs rough and jolts when I put in gear...and the thermostat and 2 caps in front leaking ... Who knows.. …
I have a 2003 Cadillac CTS with 52,000. Miles ..I bought it new /demo with 4,000. Miles on it. In the last two years I have had the car in the repair shop at the dealership 4x. The stability engaged system light appears and the car pulls to the left and the accelerator pedal vibrates. They can not fix and have replaced several areas of front end. Sse light still appears and is now more frequent. Yesterday it happened 6x in 20 min. I got off at the next exit and then upon brake pressure, vibrating pedal, ABS engaged. I have been to many forums to try to find a fix for this problem to no avail. This problem is increasing and the car pulling and vibrating is going to cause an accident. Is that what it's going to take to demand this problem be repaired?you have to look into this problem. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH the reduced power warning message displayed on the LED screen. The contact stated that the vehicle had no throttle response and began to decelerate independently. The contact was able to stop the vehicle and turn the engine off. Once restarted, the engine and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired by an independent mechanic. The contact indicated that the throttle body was replaced. The contact indicated that the defect had recently recurred but had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The vehicle VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 70,000.
There needs to be an in-depth investigation regarding the number of CTS and CTS-v rear differentials that have been replaced. I have now been through 2 personally, and an online poll of 65 CTS-v owners showed this: 26% have had 1 replacement, 5% have had 2 or more replaced, and 8% have had 3 or more replaced. The link for this poll is: http://cadillacforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=305662&posted=1#post305662. Please contact me regarding any information learned. Thank you.!
While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The consumer managed to restart the vehicle. There was a loud noise inside of the vehicle, rough jerks at shifts, vibration at mid to high speeds, loud noise from back tires when riding over bumps, burning smell from under the hood along with smoking, water in the tail light, black exhaust dust/dirt in the tail pipe, the engine would shake. The jerking was as if the brakes were applied while in drive.
Acceleration complaints in other CTS years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2003 Cadillac CTS?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2003 Cadillac CTS, 8% of the model year's 313 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Cadillac CTS acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2003 Cadillac CTS, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Cadillac CTS acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.