2013 Cadillac Cts problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (15) · Steering (9) · Power Train (9)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Cadillac Cts model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
54 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Electrical System 2014-10-01 · campaign 14V614000 · 106,307 vehicles
Defect: 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. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
Risk: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GMs number for this recall is 14515.
Electrical System:ignition 2014-07-02 · campaign 14V394000 · 554,328 vehicles
Defect: 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. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 2, 2014 that they are recalling 554,328 model year 2003-2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured August 16, 2001, to April 28, 2014, and 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX vehicles manufactured March 20
Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14172.
Service bulletins (1,656)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-08 · PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,656 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-16 · Suspension“i went to get my car checked at the mechanic because the suspension was making noise. i thought it was the struts which i coudnt change because cadillac does not make the parts any longer. they found my frame is actually cracked and are charging $3k to fix! they told me to not drive it, imagine how scary it would be if it complete cracks while driv…”
2025-03-11 · Suspension“my 2013 has only 75k miles on it and all the dash lights flash and the car fails every couple of days. it has a brand new battery but the gauges on the dash continue to dance. i’m not sure what the problem is but it’s a huge safety factor in drivability. …”
2025-02-28 · Power Train“driving to work on very busy highway. the engine light and service battery charging system came on, then went to battery saver almost instantly. radio cut off, heat cutt off and the car cut off in the middle of the highway before i could safely get over. this caused me to fear for my life as the cars behind me barely had time to stop. a hair proba…”
2024-12-29 · Air Bags“i noticed that on the dash a message that service is needed on one of the airbags. i then scheduled appointment to have the problem corrected. i was informed by the dealership’ service department that i need a passenger airbag replacement on the passenger side of the car, and they also informed me that gm no longer manufactures the airbag that i n…”
2024-04-22 · Power Train · 31,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 cadillac cts. the contact stated that the transmission fluid was leaking, and the vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission fluid was significantly low. the transmission was topped off. the contact stated that the vehic…”
2024-03-23 · Suspension“found a crack along the tab of my subframe along the rear control arm pocket. searching for solutions and repairs, i found several hundred people who broke the tab while driving on ctsvowners, ctsvforum and various facebook groups this seems to impact both the base model and v series cts. …”
2024-01-05 · Structure:body“cracked subframe. the cts-v is known for this. many of the guys on the news groups have the same issue. i had mine welded and replaced the lower control arms as a result.…”
2022-01-19 · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · 87,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 cadillac cts. the contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the electronic stability control and an unknown warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. the vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic cleaned the transmission; howeve…”
2021-05-03 · Air Bags · 120,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owned a 2013 cadillac cts. the contact stated while driving at 55 mph, the contact crashed into a deer which caused an air bag deployment message; the air bags were not deployed. the contact stated only an odd smelling powder emitted from the air bag location. the contact sustained bruising in torso, and swelling in eyes due to powd…”
2021-01-08 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 89,000 mi“the nippendenso fuel pump neck is cracked and is leaking fuel. $3200 bucks for the dealer to replace. bought on line and replaced for $1256 bucks. every cts v has this issue. i cannot imagine that this is not a recall. pumping on the ground is a safety issue. check the forums and you will see all of these vehicles have a fuel leak problem.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.