Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Cadillac CTS owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2011 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing a water leak. The contact noticed that the front driver's side seat, door arm rest and floor were significantly wet after rainfall. The contact stated that the failure later occurred on the front passenger's side of the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing electrical failures. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the infotainment system, the heating system, the A/C, and the engine failed to turn off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuse box and wiring needed to be replaced due to the electrical failure. The contact stated that upon disconnecting the battery and removing the fuse, the vehicle turned off. …
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 86,140 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 162,290.
Water leaking in car like raining in car. The car radio and air conditioner panel wouldn't turn off . It was draining batter after car would be turned off. Then after that water continues to leak. Took out fuse to stop from draining battery but had to buy new battery. Water continues to leak through car. Now ignition switch unable to turn off car . Unhooking the battery and fuse only way to turn off car. Take car to good year for diagnostics and was told water in car ( this I know cause I see raining in car.) This problem has been on going for a few years with the raining. I being unknowing that this would happen. Unable to give Goodyear 4000 dollars to fix problem with no guarantee it would fix problem. …
After a 45 minute drive and returning home I parked my car on the street in front of my home. The car drove perfectly normal as always and there was no indication of anything wrong with the car. There were no warning lights or anything else to indicate a problem with the car. I entered my house and as I walked pasted my kitchen window I could see flames coming out from under the hood on the driver side of the vehicle it was only a couple of minutes since from the time I entered my house. Within 5 minutes the entire car was engulfed with flames. After the fire department extinguished then fire I asked what could have cause the fire. I was told it was probably an electrical or a fuel malfunction.
Heated seat when turned on caught on fire, burned me & the seat has burned leather. No warnings or lamps came on. It is available for inspection upon request.
My CTS was in a non GM authorized mechanics shop having oil change and brakes done. While working in the car I asked to have them look at my rear assist camera. The camera and wiring to the camera were actually smoldering at this point. My mechanic also told me that the transfer case was leaking and that the central drive shaft was bad. My mechanic removed the smoldering rear assist camera, put the CTS back together and I drove it over to the Cadillac dealership to have the warranty work done on transfer case and drive shaft. My mechanic also replaced the smoldering camera and gave it to me in a bubble wrapped bag along with wire harness. You can see where fire occurred on the camera and the smoldering wires. The service manager at crown Cadillac gave me the product allegation phone number which I called and got a file number. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Cadillac CTS. While the vehicle was in park, the front driver side door failed to open electronically from the inside. The contact had to manually pull a lever to open the door in order to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the contact was unsure about what part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Due to the recent GM problems with ignition switch I wanted to file this complaint on my 2011 Cadillac CTS as I am not hearing my car mentioned for recall. Twice within the first couple months of owning the CTS I started to accelerate into traffic from a stopped position and the car completely shut off like a light switch flipping. No sound was made but simply everything lost all power and forced me to coast into traffic...twice!! I threw the car into neutral to try and restart it with no luck. It wouldn't even turnover. I had to come to a full stop (coasting to side of road after having traffic fly by me on a 3 lane highway) and then the car would restart like nothing happened. I took the CTS to ken dixon Chevy/Cadillac (now waldorf Cadillac) in waldorf, md and also to capitol Cadillac in greenbelt, md. …
I purchased a new 2011 Cadillac cts4 in August 2012 from herb chambers Cadillac in lynnfield ma. Since that time, I have driven the car approximately 60,000 miles. This problem affects virtually all (tens of thousands!) Cadillac CTS and srx vehicles built since 2008. After driving the car for a few months, I noticed that condensation appeared in the headlight assemblies after driving in or parking in the rain. The condensation would naturally evaporate during evaporate after the rain stopped. Over time, the low beams became dimmer and dimmer. They have become so dim that driving in other than well-lit areas is dangerous. I contacted the mike anagnos, service manager at herb chambers Cadillac. I presented the problem to him. Without inspecting the car, he stated that this was a common problem and that the headlights and headlight wiring harness needed to be replaced. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Cadillac CTS. While driving approximately 60 MPH with the radio in activation, the engine stalled without warning. During the engine failure, the radio remained in operation. The contact was able to restart the engine after two attempts. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where the technician was unable to locate the problem. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 1,747. Updated 02/15/12 the consumer stated all power to the dashboard, steering and brakes ceased during the failure. The service technician was unable to determined the cause of the stalling, but a software download had been performed that would probably take care of the problem. Updated 02/24/12 the consumer has since traded the vehicle. Updated 03/09/12
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 15, 2014.
Electrical complaints in other CTS years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2011 Cadillac CTS?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2011 Cadillac CTS, 20% of the model year's 101 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Cadillac CTS electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-394 (ignition, Jul 2, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2011 Cadillac CTS electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 36% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 3 fires and 1 injury to electrical system 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.