Electrical complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 10% | — |
| 2018 | 3 | 38% | 7,000 miles |
| 2017 | 2 | 7% | 15,000 miles |
| 2016 | 10 | 32% | 12,000 miles |
| 2015 | 4 | 8% | 40,000 miles |
| 2014 | 13 | 9% | 24,000 miles |
| 2013 | 26 | 36% | 17,000 miles |
| 2012 | 10 | 15% | 28,000 miles |
| 2011 | 20 | 20% | 45,000 miles |
| 2010 | 16 | 24% | 45,000 miles |
| 2009 | 26 | 16% | 65,000 miles |
| 2008 | 39 | 22% | 74,000 miles |
| 2007 | 41 | 19% | 99,000 miles |
| 2006 | 43 | 16% | 90,000 miles |
| 2005 | 39 | 14% | 69,000 miles |
| 2004 | 34 | 15% | 93,000 miles |
| 2003 | 56 | 18% | 90,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? From 2018. The uauto start/stop system has failed 3 times. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? These components failing subjects the driver and surroundings to a stalled car that may not start again. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Inspection by vehicle dealer only. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No.
Cue display panel suddenly has strange web-like defects in right side of panel. Vehicle has been mostly parked in shaded driveway due to covid-19 closures and restrictions. Driven 2 -3 times a week on grocery trips.
Center console screen again has stopped working, no access to settings for the car nor any way to correct settings at this point. Many of the settings can be critical to safe driving of the car and have no manual alternative. This is the second screen in 50k miles.
The car caught on fire while driving in nyc at speeds of 10-20 MPH first the car started to smoke in the front hood while turning left on 5th avenue. I got out of the car and the car was on flames. I have a dash camera and iphone footage of the incident. I bought this car from an authorized Cadillac dealership in June 2019 and the car caught on fire on christmas day 2019
April 4, 2018 to whom it May concern: this is my recollection at discovering that my Cadillac CTS 2015 got on fire at my friends home in shelby michigan on March 25th, 2018. On March 24th my wife (lourdes robles) and I arrived at our friends home at 48307 red oak in shelby michigan to celebrate our friends birthday. At the party there were approximately 10 couples from whom 5 where still there and witnessed the event. The majority of them work for the auto industry and some are general motors employees, including artemio cortez who is a global business director for GM. At 2:20 am we where preparing to leave and I used the OnStar application to remotely turn on the vehicle so it would warm up before leaving. After saying goodbye to our friends at 2:32 am (according to the motion camera) we are walking out of the home and immediately noticed that my Cadillac was on flames. …
Florida resident, but a spend summer in wyoming. I leave my 2 cars in my florida garage for the summer. Garage is not A/C so it gets hot. This year when I returned, I noticed my Cadillac cue system was not responding when I touched the screen. The cue system controls almost all functions of the car. The cue system would be operational for a few seconds when the car is first started and then it would freeze or lock up. When this happened it would change various functions of the car. For example it would; 1) program current radio station on additional presets, 2) change preset driver settings such as seat, steering wheel and mirror locations, etc., 3) turn off automatic headlight functions, 4) turn off automatic door locking functions. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Cadillac CTS. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning causing the contact to crash into a curb. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the body shop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that the vehicle's cue screen, which was the main control panel for many functions in the vehicle, suddenly froze without warning. On other occasions, the screen controls for the different features would move without the contact's consent. The contact called richard karr motors (located at 900 w loop 340, waco, tx 76712, [phone]) and Cadillac of arlington (located at 2001 north collins street, arlington, tx 76011, [phone]) and was informed that the failures were well known; however, there was no recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 57,978.
Related recalls (3)
Electrical system
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014.
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 system
GM is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Buick, lucerne; Cadillac dts; Hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 Buick enclave; Cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 Cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; GMC acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; Saturn outlook; and model year 2009…
Remedy: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently…
Frequently asked questions
Which Cadillac CTS years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2003 (56), 2006 (43), 2007 (41), 2005 (39) and 2008 (39) model years. Electrical complaints make up 18% of all complaints for the 2003.
Is there a recall for Cadillac CTS electrical problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 14V-614 (electrical system, Oct 1, 2014); 14V-394 (ignition, Jul 2, 2014); 10V-240 (electrical system, Jun 4, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Cadillac CTS electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles; 40% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the ignition (8 mentions), followed by the instrument cluster/panel (7).
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.