Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Cadillac CTS owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Service airbag light on dash is on. No one ever sits in the passenger front seat. The rear view mirror indicates that the passenger seat airbag is off. I dont know how to turn it on just to see if the RVM will indicate an on position. I took the car in for a diagnosis and it it indicated that the PPS Module needs replacement. ($1280.79) Even if I do find out how to turn it on I would be afraid to turn it on if it's going to explode that's my problem what should I do
The contact owns a 2006 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the airbag warning light illuminated. The contact called a local dealer who informed her that the cause could be an electrical failure or a defective airbag. The contact was informed to bring the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. ir
I am deaf and the "service Air Bag" and the symbol came on several times and I took it to a certified mechanic who spent two days checking. This is the what he said upon diagnosis, " The part you need for the air bag light has been discontinued not available anymore." I met him in person and he said the same thing. This is a safety issue. Please help! Thank you!
Thank these things i feel cadilac should consider fixing due to milage before and after i purchased the cadilac due to the miles before and after purchase. Due to being 100% disabled since 2009, Air bag & safety belt system light comes on when i have onstar diagnose the problem they said it has something to do with my seat belt system on passenger side which mind you isnt used often at all and cadilac will not help with the cost and was told by onstar it needs repairs asap because it could cause air bags to pop out while driving or not come out during a crash. Im afraid some times driving it. In the 7yrs of owning this i maybe put around 40,000 miles on the car its in good condition. Which lead me to the other problem due to miles. …
I was number 6 of persons to have a severe rollover wreck in the same spot. In a curve, my right front tire caught t the lip of a 3 foot deep concrete culvert in a driveway. It was 9 inches from the road edge. It flipped over front to on roof. I was trapped in car.my front airbag partially opened but not enough to keep my face and chest area from hitting and breaking the steering wheel. No other of 7 airbags deployed at all. Every window, including sunroof was totally broken out. Both front seats were crushed into the floor and too hot to touch.. Since it occurred in the country, I was saved by the neighbors calling for help.OnStar failed to notify anyone and the fire/emt man said car was 5 minutes away from going up in flames. My implants were both ruptured by hitting steering wheel and face cut up and bruised by glass and lack of full employment by driver airbag. …
I was driving the vehicle and was hit from behind and went into a curb. My airbags did not deploy and the car would not restart. The engine completely shut off. The car continue to have problems with the engine and smoking after it was repaired by a GM dealer. We had to turn the car in and file bankruptcy after it stopped working.
The accident occurred as a result of evasive action to avoid striking an animal (believed to be a large coyote) that suddenly appeared from the left of us97n north of klamath falls, oregon, a two lane roadway. This action caused the right front wheel to travel to the road shoulder. The shoulder was covered with an accumulation of cinder material used by the state to provide traction on ice and snow. It was built up due to the action of snowplows. (the road was clean and dry at the time of the accident). The wheel sank into the accumulated cinders causing the vehicle to enter a spin and subsequently to roll down an embankment. None of the front or side air bags deployed. GM's Cadillac division was made aware of this fact and conducting an investigation of their own. They since advised that they were unable to determine a cause for the failure. …
I had just exited the highway and waited at the end of the ramp for the traffic signal to change. I was proceeding into the intersection after waiting for light to change. I began to accelerate and another car ran the light and hit my car on passenger side. The responders said I was t-boned. When I got hit the car steering wheel locked up, the car came out of gear, the gear mechanism inside the car came apart, the brakes didn't work. I had no control of the car, it shut down. The only thing that stopped me from hitting the metal guardrail was the car ended up on the curb on left of road in the bushes. The passenger window shattered and windshield on passenger side was damaged. The passenger door was pushed into the car and neither of the airbags deployed. The responder's commented that they were surprised that the airbags didn't deploy as hard as I was hit. …
The airbag warning indicator dash & radio appeared 6/24/2015. I took the vehicle to the service department at bayview Cadillac, ft. Lauderdale. Fl on 6/27/2015. I was advised that problem was that airbag sensor in passenger set needed to be replaced at price of $800. Further that the problem was that the air bag sensor, which the service tech described as "pillow like," probably had a kink in it. There was a recall (NHTSA campaign number 10V105000), however, both baview Cadillac and GM recall center advised that my vehicle was not included. I spoke to GM recall center and was assigned case number 71-1494438978. I was told that GM would offer no relief on repair cost. I cannot afford to spend $800 on a non mechanical, warning light issue. I will most likely attempt to disable the warning light. …
I had a 2006 Cadillac CTS. The air bag light came on three times in the first 18 months, it was a brand new car. I took it to dealer service dept, and they said they reset or fixed the problem. I had a car wreck a few months later following an ambulance with my daughter who was having chest pains. Someone started to come over in my lane and I swerved. Lost control and hit a bridge 4 times. Almost every panal was hit on my car as the bridge threw my car around. Not one air bag deployed. I was shaken up and sore, but not bleeding, so assumed I was okay. Now I am having back and neck problems and headaches. I have since learned that other CTS's had same problem but have not heard anything in news. I believe there should have been a recall. Why is the media not picked up on this like it is Toyota and Honda. Even though my crash did not result in death. …
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
General motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 Cadillac cts vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which repeated flexing of the passenger sensing system mat in the front passenger seat May cause the mat to kink, bend, or fold. This flexing can break the connections in the mat.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger sensing system free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about March 15, 2011.
NHTSA investigations
IEE Passenger Sensing System Mats
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 passenger seat that may flex causing the mat to kink, bend or fold.If this flexing causes the connections in the mat to break, the passenger…
Airbag complaints in other CTS years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2006 Cadillac CTS?
NHTSA has 87 complaints about the air bags of the 2006 Cadillac CTS, 32% of the model year's 269 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Cadillac CTS airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-644 (sensor/control module-inactive, Dec 17, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Cadillac CTS airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 0 fires and 11 injuries to air bags 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.