RoadVitals

2011 Cadillac CTS Driver assistance Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Driver assistance reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest Dec 20, 2016
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
9%
of 101 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2011 Cadillac CTS submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming driver-assistance

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Driver assistancePowertrain (other)
Filed Dec 20, 2016

VEHICLE ENTERS A MODE AT RANDOM THAT ABRUPTLY REDUCES AND INHIBITS OR STOPS THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS THIS CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS THAT CAN LEAD TO ACCIDENTS. AS IN MY CASE, I WAS INMOST STRUCK BY SEVERAL VEHICLES BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF ACCELERATION AND FORWARD MOMENTUM AS I INITIATED A TURN AT AN INTERSECTION FROM ONE MAJOR ARTERY ONTO ANOTHER DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS HAZARDOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION WOULD NOT HAVE EXISTED OF NOT FOR THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND ACCELERATION BY THE VEHICLE ENTERING THIS MODE. ON ANOTHER INSTANCE AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE LANES TO OVERTAKE A VEHICLE, THE CAR ENTERED THIS SAME MODE, AND WAS ALSO ALMOST STRUCK BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN DECELERATION AND LOSS OF POWER. THIS ALSO OCCURRED ON A MAIN ARTERY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AS WELL, AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED IN THIS INSTANCE AS WELL DUE TO THE OTHER VEHICLES ABILITY TO BRAKE AND VEER AWAY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10936624
Incident
Dec 19, 2016
Mileage
55,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceSteering
Filed Apr 10, 2015

DRIVING TO WORK WENT TO STOP AND VEHICLE PULL TO THE SIDE AND WOULD NOT STOP NORMAL. I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THE REPORTED RIGHT REAR HUB NOT SENSING SPEED SIGNAL AND NEEDED TO REPLACE AND NOT COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY. I SEE GM AND CADILLAC HAS HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS WHEEL HUD AND HAVE RECALLED ON OTHER MODEL YEARS. THESE ARE $600.00 PER WHEEL TO REPLACE AND THINK THAT THEY SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 39,000 MILES. WOULD NOT WANT TO HAVE BEEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THIS FAILS.I CONTACTED CADILLAC AND THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR WITHOUT CHARGE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10704972
Incident
Mar 16, 2015
Mileage
37,960 mi
Driver assistanceEngineSteering
Filed Feb 22, 2015

ON 21 FEB. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING "SERVICE STABILITY TRACK CONTROL, ENGINE POWER WILL BE REDUCED. I SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND LUCKILY, THE 18 WHEELER THAT WAS BEHIND ME SWERVED TO OTHER LANE TO AVOID REAR END COLLISION. I IMMEDIATELY PUT ON MY HAZARD INDICATOR AND WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE MEDIAN. LUCKILY, I WAS NOT KILLED!. ON SEARCHING, I HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON COMPLAINT THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS WELL AWARE OF BUT REFUSES TO CORRECT THE ISSUE...THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET REGARDING NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES BECAUSE OF THIS SIMILAR ISSUE. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE, A DEATH? *TR

NHTSA ID
10689805
Incident
Feb 21, 2015
Mileage
61,000 mi
Driver assistanceEngine
Filed May 2, 2014

WHEN GETTING ONTO THE HIGHWAY 2 MILES FROM MY HOME EVERY MORNING, I ACCELARATE FROM 45 MILES AN HOUR TO ABOUT 65 AND 70 MILES AN HOUR. CAR STARTS SHAKING VIOLENTLY (FEELS LIKE YOU ARE DRIVING WITH 2 FRONT FLAT TIRES) AND ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. MOST OF THE TIME IT FLASHES FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND THEN GOES OFF, AND SOMETIMES ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. CAR LOSES POWER MOMENTARILY FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. I TOOK CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP THE FOLLOWING DAY, AND THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER ABOUT 6 WEEKS LATER ON APRIL 27TH 2014 WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS HAPPENING ON A DAILY BASIS EVERY MORNING ONLY. DEALERSHIP KEPT CAR FOR 2 DAYS AND SAID THEY RESOLVED PROBLEM. EXACTLY 2 DAYS LATER SAME THING HAPPENED. PROBLEM CONTINUES TO THIS DAY BUT NOT ON A DAILY BASIS. NOT SURE IF THAT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE WEATHER NOW THAT IT IS NO LONGER WINTER. I WILL BE MAKING MY THIRD TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP IN THE NEXT WEEK FOR THIS SAME ISSUE :SHAKING CAR, ENGINE LIGHT ON AND MOMENTARY LOSS OF ACCELERATION POWER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10586247
Incident
Feb 27, 2014
Mileage
27,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Mar 26, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE DRIVER'S FOOT SLIPPED OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO INDICATED THAT THE PEDAL WAS EQUIPPED WITH A RUBBER RESISTANCE AND COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,932. UPDATED 9/29/14*CN

NHTSA ID
10574928
Incident
Mar 23, 2014
Mileage
18,932 mi
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Apr 24, 2013

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS MY REAR VIEW CAMERA WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO ENGAGE WHEN THE CAR IS IN REVERSE, HAS FAILED TO COME ON THUS CREATING A BLIND BACK-UP SITUATION. THE DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG YET THE PROBLEM CONTINUES AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. THE DEALER DID SAY OTHER CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID
10509391
Incident
Oct 25, 2012
Mileage
18,000 mi
Driver assistanceOther / unspecified
Filed Jan 1, 2013

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES INTO A 40-MILE TRIP, MY TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON. THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER (DIC) INDICATED "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, ENGINE POWER REDUCED." THE VEHICLE'S POWER WAS THEN REDUCED, AND I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN MY SPEED (APPROXIMATELY 52 MPH), AND MY CAR SLOWED DOWN DUE TO A LACK OF POWER, AND I WAS ONLY ABLE TO ACHIEVE 40 MPH. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT, TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. I THEN RESTARTED THE CAR. THE SAME WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE DIC SHOWED THE SAME INFORMATION: "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, ENGINE POWER REDUCED." WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE MY TRIP HOME, THE WARNING LIGHT CLEARED, AND THE POWER IN THE CAR RETURNED TO NORMAL. ON 12/22/12 IN THE MORNING, I BROUGHT MY CAR TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR NORMAL MAINTENANCE AND TO HAVE THE ABOVE PROBLEM INVESTIGATED. NOTHING CAME OF THE INVESTIGATION. ON 12/26/12, AGAIN ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK, ABOUT 39 MILES INTO A 40-MILE TRIP, THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON, AND THE DIC DISPLAYED THE SAME INFORMATION AS BEFORE: "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, ENGINE POWER REDUCED." I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO THE DEALERSHIP. I ENDED UP LEAVING THE CAR THERE FOR TWO DAYS AND PICKED THE CAR UP ON 12/28/12 EVENING. NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. LATER THAT EVENING, THE SAME EVENT OCCURRED, THIS TIME ABOUT 52 MILES INTO A 55-MILE TRIP. THIS SAME EVENT HAS OCCURRED ONCE MORE LAST EVENING (12/31/12), AGAIN ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK. THE MESSAGE CLEARED ONCE I PARKED THE CAR AND WAITED A LEAST A FEW MINUTES TO ALLOW THE COMPUTER TO RESET(?) THE SAME EVENT HAS OCCURRED FOUR TIMES SINCE 12/21/12, AND MY CONCERN IS THAT AT SOME POINT THE POWER MIGHT BE REDUCED AT A CRITICAL TIME DURING ONE OF MY TRIPS. I SEARCHED YOU DATABASE, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE NO OTHER REPORTS OF A SIMILAR NATURE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10490633
Incident
Dec 21, 2012
Mileage
60,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Oct 19, 2012
Crash reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT ONCE IT DID THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD AND CRASH INTO THE SIDE OF A BUILDING. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,100. ..UPDATED 12/11/12 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE WHEN THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD IT RAN INTO THE FRONT OF THE LOBBY'S GLASS WALL. THE CONSUMER THEN PUT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL, THEN REVERSE, AND BACKED UP. UPON PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE IT ACCELERATED AGAIN AND RAN INTO THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING. THE CONSUMER'S FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE AT ALL TIMES.THE CONSUMER TURNED THE IGNITION OFF, RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT PROCEEDED TO ACT NORMAL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE COMPUTER SHOWED THE ACCIDENT DID NOT HAPPEN THE WAY THE CONSUMER STATED. THE CONSUMER IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN VIDEO RECORDINGS OF THE ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. UPDATED 12/12/12 *JS

NHTSA ID
10481123
Incident
Oct 17, 2012
Mileage
2,100 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Oct 11, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS APPLIED BUT THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AT A RAPID PACE. THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND UNTIL THE CONTACT MERGED ONTO THE SHOULDER AND TURNED THE IGNITION OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED WITHIN MOMENTS BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND NO DEFECT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED WHO STATED HE SHOULD TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AGAIN FOR FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE FAILURE. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER BUT THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,500.

NHTSA ID
10429400
Incident
Oct 7, 2011
Mileage
10,500 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .