2016 Cadillac Cts problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (7) · Suspension (4) · Electrical System (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Cadillac Cts model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2026-05-21 · campaign 26V329000 · 5,014 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front-driver air bag module, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 19, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N262555870. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2025-03-20 · campaign 25V175000 · 934 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, 2017-2018 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist may fail.
Risk: A loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2025. Owners may contact Cadilac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252497020.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2019-02-07 · campaign 19V086000 · 26,772 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, and 2017 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist system may fail.
Risk: Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. GM' number for this recall is N182182760.
Seats:front Assembly:seat Heater/Cooler 2018-09-07 · campaign 18V595000 · 52,867 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Cadillac CTS vehicles, equipped with heated front seats. The flexible heating mats in the front seats may be damaged over time, resulting in the seat heaters producing excessive heat.
Risk: In cold ambient temperatures, the seat heaters in these vehicles can turn on automatically when the vehicle is remotely started. If a damaged seat heater is turned on while no one is inside the vehicle, the damaged seat heater can overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the body control module, disabling the automatic activation of the heated seat when the vehicle is remotely started, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for the recall is 18286.
Service bulletins (1,576)
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 2026-09-21 · PIP5700H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi communicates the proper part numbers for transmission connectors and internal harness to prevent confusion when ordering
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 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,576 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-12-08 · Steering · 93,942 mi“the contact owns 2016 cadillac cts. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. a dealer was contacted. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact related the failure to nhtsa camp…”
2025-06-16 · Unknown Or Other“message "shift to park" even though the car is already in park, preventing shutting down the car. …”
2025-04-29 · Structure:body:door:handle:interior · 20,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 cadillac cts. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the carbon fiber-optic piece on the rear passenger door was fractured. the contact stated the occupant was exiting the rear passenger's door when the occupant was stabbed by the carbon fiber-optic piece. the contact stated that the occupant was stabbed in the ba…”
2025-03-01 · Air Bags“the passenger side airbag stays illuminated after the vehicle is started and continues to stay on as the vehicle is driven, never going off. general motors have not issued a recall on this safety problem with the 2016 cadillac cts. my [xxx] address [xxx] . my phone number is [xxx] . information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information ac…”
2025-02-26 · Air Bags · 49,790 mi“the contact's relative owns a 2016 cadillac cts. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side air bag inflator needed to be replaced. the dealer informed the contact that the vin was not…”
2024-08-29 · Electrical System“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.…”
2024-01-03 · Suspension“rear differential failed @ 44,600 miles. dealer said car was unsafe to drive. dealer unable to obtain replacement after 30 days. internet search shows this to be a known issue.…”
2023-01-13 · Suspension · 60,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 cadillac cts. the contact stated that while driving at highway speeds the rear end of the vehicle lowered. there was an abnormal roaring noise detected from the wheels. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that the failure was due to the run flat tires. …”
2022-10-03 · Power Train“torque converter shudders and jerks abruptly. there’s trouble slowing down at times and it has a difficult time shifting up or shifting down i gears. …”
2022-06-23 · Power Train“i have 2 complaints. #1 the transmission shifts extremely hard in and out of gear 1. this issue a known issue, but gm has no resolution. there is a bulletin. the problem is, my car is no shifting poorly in all gears and causing a serious safety issue at all speeds and gears. it won't go into gear causing safety concerns. i have reported the transmi…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.