RoadVitals

2013 Cadillac CTS

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
72
Latest Mar 11, 2025
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
2
Latest Oct 1, 2014
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
10
8 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 72 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2013 Cadillac CTS, most frequently naming the electrical, powertrain (other) and airbags categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 1,654 manufacturer communications are on file.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
14V614000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Oct 1, 2014
106,307 units potentially affected
The 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.
The risk: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: 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). GM’s number for this recall is 14515.
General Motors LLCManufacturer number 14515View on NHTSA.gov
14V394000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

Jul 2, 2014
554,328 units potentially affected
The 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, 2003, to August 11, 2006. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
The 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.
The 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. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14172.
General Motors LLCManufacturer number 14172View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 72
ElectricalSuspension
Filed Mar 11, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID
11647538
Incident
Feb 25, 2025
ElectricalEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Feb 28, 2025

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 probably could not have fit between us. I did eventually safely get off the highway, had the car towed to a service center. There was 14 different codes.(low voltage, engine running lean, low voltage and more. battery was checked and was 95 %, Alternator fine. was told it was the ECM. After looking on google some sites say there is a recall for 2013 cts some say there is not. there are multiple complaints on this issue and it is not safe. I called Cadillac gave my vin number and was told there was not a recall. Cadillac/GMC really need to issue a recall before something tragic happens, as it almost was me. Thank God that it wasn't.

NHTSA ID
11645666
Incident
Feb 24, 2025
Airbags
Filed Dec 29, 2024

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 need. I was not given any assistance on how to replace this safety feature in the car, nor was I notified by the manufacturer that airbag was discontinued.

NHTSA ID
11632917
Incident
Dec 16, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Apr 22, 2024

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 vehicle was driven to the residence; however, on arrival the transmission fluid level was abnormally low. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.

NHTSA ID
11584526
Incident
Aug 15, 2023
Mileage
31,000 mi
Body & structureSuspension
Filed Mar 23, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID
11579082
Incident
Mar 15, 2024
Body & structure
Filed Jan 5, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID
11563838
Incident
Jun 20, 2019
Airbags
Filed Dec 1, 2022
Crash reported

Air bags didn’t come out

NHTSA ID
11495714
Incident
Nov 22, 2022
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 19, 2022

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; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ID
11448072
Incident
Dec 20, 2021
Mileage
87,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIT3271Q

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

PIP4902V

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIP6104

This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.

PIP4902U

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIT5214G

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does not correct the customer complaint, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support. For any vehicles that remains unrepaired after being at the dealer for three days or more and a related bulletin or PI is not found, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support.

13598

New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Cadillac CTS by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2019100032.8
2018820—
2017262053.2
2016314049.6
2015463047.8
20141446051.8
2013Viewing722050.1
2012652049.5
20111012050.3
2010673047.1
20091675049.4
20081752047.5
20072176263.3
20062696360.9
20052776362.1
20042246260.8
20033134053.5

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.