2017 Cadillac XT5 Owner Complaints

I purchased the car on XXX. The car has been returned to the service department within the first 3 days. Sold to me without getting fully inspected. Service department did put new brakes and rotors on and I was told (no paperwork given to me) an oil change was done. On XXX in traffic on a dangerous highway, the car cut off. The car was not able to be jumped with AAA, was towed to [XXX]/GMC Service department. I was told by the Asst Svc Manager, on XXX the Tech told him My car was the starter. The part would have to be ordered and would not be ready to the following week. On July 7th I received a call from the SVC Mgr that the engine blew. I had to pull teeth to get the Mgr to pay for the engine of $8500 and yet he wants me to pay $1500.00. With having a car less than 21 days regardless if I went over the 3k miles and as -is, there was a 90 day warranty when everything should be covered. He has now rescinded because I reported this to BBB, Atty Gen office, NHTSA. This car was never inspected. I requested the On-star reports, Inspection reports for the last year and the Tech's findings and nothing has been provided except one. I requested several times the service report and the General Manager/owner is so upset, he submitted nothing.I have felt intimidation throughout this entire process. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11751756

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

My passenger side, dashboard bowls up in the heat and doesn’t seat properly. My fear for safety is that if I’m in an accident that airbag will not come out due to the dash bubbling because of the defect.. It seems to be an only problem with the platinum editions of the Cadillac XT5’s. There’s no warning lamps and it has not been inspected.

NHTSA ID

11751374

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

I had P0128 Code with a warning message " Steering assist is reduced, drive with care". My local mechanic told I need a new thermostat. I have replaced my thermostat and it cost me 700 dollars out of pocket.

NHTSA ID

11749125

Incident

Dec 3, 2025

2017 cadillac XT5 Platinum. Seatbelt CHIME does not activate if the seatbelt is off while driving. Dealer says it is working as it is supposed to in this model year.!!!! Please note that at the dealer we test drove for 3/4 of a mile, and the CHIME went off only after driving 4 blocks and making a right hand turn. It went off again seconds later and 1/2 mile later as we entered the parking lot, as we hit a bump into the parking lot, the chime went off again. My point is that the CHIME should go off at the beginning of the drive to remind the driver that the belt is off, not at the end of a 3/4 mile drive. Their answer is that they tested the seatbelt and no codes were detected. Since the CHIME did go off sometime during the drive, then there is no problem!!!! They CLAIM they tested another 2017 XT5 and it was the same!!! It worked for 8 years, but in the last 2 months, it started to fail with on the driver side. The passenger side later also started to fail, sometimes it will activate if no seatbelt was used, other times it did not. Today June 11, 2026 I tested the car and no chime was active. I also tested the rear seat and buckled & unbuckled while driving - NO CHIME. I tried bouncing up and down on rear seat, and the CHIME went off! So the CHIME works but the car is not sensing when the seatbelt is unbuckled. I have grand children that ride in the rear using a car seat, if one of the seatbelts was unbuckled while driving, the CHIME would warm me that they took the belt off. We drove the car for 5 miles home and bucked and unbuckled the and passenger and the driver side belts at different times, and the CHIME did not go off. The light in the front panel does flash when the seatbelt is unbuckled!. Prior to the belt CHIME giving us problems, the same week the seatbelt on driver side tighten so hard while driving, that my wife got scared & even was afraid it would break her clavicle! We could not reproduce, but reported to dealer.

NHTSA ID

11743530

Incident

Apr 15, 2026

I had to replace the thermostat which is a well known, documented defect/issue for this vehicle/Cadillac. I would like reimbursement from Cadillac.

NHTSA ID

11725089

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

While driving down the freeway at approx. 65 miles per hour, I heard a very loud sound like an explosion, or a huge balloon exploding, and then heard crackling of glass. It was very scary and dangerous. I had to slow down immediately, and was able to get off the freeway. I pulled into a gas station, and tried to figure out where it came from. I realized that my sunroof was either hit with something or just simply exploded. There was a hole in the center, and the glass was cracked throughout the front sunroof. I could hear the glass pieces moving around on the sunroof shade that was thankfully closed. I bought duct tape and covered the hole and all of the cracks so I could drive it home. I took side streets and drove slowly home.

NHTSA ID

11721532

Incident

Feb 25, 2026

I purchased this used car in the end of July 2025. Within the last month the service transmission light came on. Within a 24-hour period, the message changed to, "service transmission unable to shift Soon". Also alarm bells go off when I first start the car and sometimes during driving. The car feels like it drives correctly and smoothly with no shifting issues. Sometimes when that second message and check engine light icon being comes on, there seems to be a third message that is trying to pop up behind it but it does not. It seems like there is a glitch in the system. This was very concerning and scary for me. My research shows me that this has been a chronic problem for my make and model and year of car. I've also heard it can be even time to check and or change the transmission fluid. That needs to be a different message all together without causing alarm that the transmission itself is not functioning properly. I have not driven this for 10 days because many repair shops in dealerships are telling me not to risk it and of course want me to bring this in for a diagnosis. It is costly and hard to discern and trust who to go to for the correct information. The dealership should be responsible for a recall and replacing this sensor or modular so people do not have a cause for alarm if it is something as simple as needing to change the transmission fluid. There is also no dipstick on this vehicle so no local fluid fill station can check this. Many people have complained and are at a loss. I see there is a bulletin on this subject but no recall. Please take action and turn this situation into a recall once and for all to help. The little folks like me stay more safe and better informed about the health and longevity of our vehicles. Thank you for your time in reading this.

NHTSA ID

11720102

Incident

Feb 9, 2026

I have a 2017 Cadillac xt5 which the transmission is kicking and has a shattering issue car was just over the warranty and was told I have to pay for a replacement car had 70k miles and was told from a mechanic that there was a recall on these cars when I checked my vin the car is not under recall but is presenting the same issue as the ones under recall.. I took it to amoco replace fluid and car still has issue. Iam trying to see my options on how to go about it..

NHTSA ID

11714707

Incident

Mar 20, 2025

9/17/25 I purchased 2017 Cadillac Xt5 platinum from a dealership. It came with a dash mat which was concealing cosmetic damage to vinyl around air bag on passenger side, and was unglued throughout entire dashboard. I didn't have a vehicle inspection before buying car, nothing reported on Carfax. And I asked dealership why they used Velcro and dashmat to conceal damage. No response.

NHTSA ID

11699228

Incident

Sep 17, 2025

Catalytic Converter on my 2017 XT5 had weld crack Oct 2025. Causing loud noise and exhaust to enter cabin of vehicle. This was the second convertor to do this. In 2023 I had to have the other catalytic convertor on this same vehicle changed out by the Sewell Cadillac dealership for the same problem. That time I only had 50,000 miles on the car so the dealership did it for free (after I found that they had to cover up to 80,000 and they acted like they didn't know that and had quoted me $2000). This time in 2025 I had 80,805 miles so I had to pay $1010 to have it replaced by an outside repair shop. The technician says since we had to have them both replaced and the car is only 8 years old, it is probably a design flaw. He told me to report it. I see another complaint for the same thing and I see they did a recall on some from California vehicles for something with the catalytic convertor and a recall on some in 2022 and 2023 vehicles for an issue with the catalytic convertor. I expected better from GM and Cadillac. I wonder how many other Cadillac XT5 owners have had this problem but haven't known to report it. You should contact the Cadillac dealerships and see how many they have changed out.

NHTSA ID

11696335

Incident

Oct 27, 2025

Check engine code p0128. driver assistance, air conditioning and steering affect.

NHTSA ID

11686543

Incident

Dec 1, 2022

An issue is pipe cracking at the left catalytic converter mounting flange weld, causing exhaust noise, odor, and potential emission system failure. It just cost $2013.00 to have fixed.

NHTSA ID

11684477

Incident

Aug 28, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from underneath the vehicle while accelerating or decelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. While having the tires replaced, the contact was informed that the rear toe links were loose. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer two years prior for a toe link replacement, but the failure occurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ID

11668828

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

Mileage

15,000 mi

There is an open service bulletin on my car - 17128 Potential Loss of HVAC Control. This loss of control affects the defrost on the vehicle making it very dangerous to drive when it is raining out as it severally reduces visibility.

NHTSA ID

11668812

Incident

Jun 23, 2025

Steering reduced assist drive with care on the dash board . It states drive with caution not sure if this is dangerous or even driveable I am 8 months pregnant and now I don’t have a car I am scared to drive it. Thermostat stopped working & fan is running and won’t stop

NHTSA ID

11662143

Incident

May 19, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the power steering assist message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering assist had failed. The contact was informed that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 78,146.

NHTSA ID

11661404

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

Mileage

78,146 mi

The power assist steering goes out and you have to manually try to steer the car the part that has to be replaced is the power assist steering module which is located in the steering assembly I have found this to be a problem with Cadillac XT5 models from 2017 through 2019 also in a Chevrolet SUV MODEL of the same years an internal memo was sent out but not notified owners

NHTSA ID

11654335

Incident

Oct 12, 2023

I keep getting Steering assistance is reduced Drive with care” message. I got it scanned a couple of times through mechanic shop, code comes up with a thermostat cooling issue. I have paid 2 shops to run a cooling pressure test and all come up negative. How can a steering issue error lead to a cooling issue. Took it to the dealership, probably wiped the error, stopped for a month before came back. Love the vehicle but this is pissing me off.

NHTSA ID

11652531

Incident

Nov 18, 2024

In 2021, I took my car into a GM facility to be repaired bc the A/C kept going in and out. Car was under warranty, however, GM mechanic just did a “bandaid” fix and replaced the thermostat, when there was a service bulletin put out in 2017 for this very issue. 3 years later, my car is having the exact same problem, and since car isn’t under warranty, GM will not fix it, even though I have proof they didn’t fix it correctly the first time. The service bulletin is titled, “17128: Service Update - Potential Loss of HVAC Control- (March 30, 2017) This issue started in October 2021 the first time, was temporarily fixed. It started again in October 2024 and is ongoing.

NHTSA ID

11649092

Incident

Oct 1, 2024

While driving my vehicle, alert popped up on my dash stating "Steering Assist is Reduced Drive with Care" futhermore after that my Check Engine Light Turned on and my Engine Heater Stayed cold and would not warm up. Vehicle has been inspected by the Cadillac Dealer and they stated it is all due to the Sensor. However Sensor is on backorder and has taken them 3 week to get the part. They stated it is safe to drive even though all those alerts came up, since he said it appears to be stuck open, however they stated if it gets stuck in a closed state then the engine could overhead which would require having the vehicle towed in. They offer a "limited" warranty on this however since I just was past the warranty period they state you have to pay the full price. Warranty is for 85,000 miles and I am barely above it at 87675.

NHTSA ID

11639690

Incident

Dec 26, 2024

The straps on the seat loosen on their own when pulled, without pressing on the button to loosen them. This would be dangerous in the event of an accident because the straps could loosen and the child would not be secure. The car seat has always been installed in the car seat base (from the manufacturer). The car seat is available for inspection if needed. The car seat has not been inspected by a third party. I reached out to the company, Nuna, to let them know if the issue and they refused to inspect or replace the seat and the only solution they suggested was that I purchase a new seat.

NHTSA ID

11632193

Incident

Oct 20, 2024

The straps of the car seat loosen on their own, without holding down the button to loosen the harness. It’s unsafe to continue to use this seat as the straps will not stay tightened in the event of a car accident. The seat is available for inspection if needed. No the seat has not been inspected by any third party.

NHTSA ID

11632188

Incident

Dec 23, 2024

The tire air pressure gage on the dash is steadily illuminated but there is nothing wrong w the air in the tire.

NHTSA ID

11632059

Incident

Dec 20, 2024

My 2017 XT5 has a joy stick issue that at times has trouble going into gear. Service transmission warning comes on then unable to shift soon and then check engine light. Cadillac replace the modular for the shifter in August 2024 now months later mid November they say the shifter has to be replaced approximately November 4 to November 18. The service Transmission warning comes on. And then unable to shift soon and check the engine light comes on. Short drives the check engine light goes off itself, unable to shift and check engine light was 1175.00 $ for the modular August 13 and now they say the shift has replaced cost of, approximately $700. So now they’re doing double labor to replace the shifter. My replacing the shifter it will send signals not to have the check engine light come on. Has this ever been a problem reported in the past. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11626640

Incident

Nov 11, 2024

First it was adaptive shifting three days after having it, then it was the thermostat, now it’s needing a new right rear hub assembly but my main concern is the shuttering when I am accelerating. The ride is not smooth. there is a chatter happening when I drive it. It makes me very nervous. I have went to one mechanic to diagnose so far and he said to have the transmission flushed first but it may need the torque converter replaced.

NHTSA ID

11624436

Incident

Sep 1, 2024