2021 Cadillac XT5 Owner Complaints

I took my SUV to Heritage Cadillac in Lombard, IL for a revving sound while accelerating, specifically from 0-35mph and then acceleration on the highway at higher speeds. It sounded like I was revving the engine even when I wasn't accelerating and stay at a constant speed. There were not any service lights or notification of any issues in my vehicle. The car is at 59,000 miles, I paid $230 for a diagnostic run only to be told it was a "Faulty Muffler" and needed replacement for $1479.66 as it was not covered in my extended warranty. When I took it for a competing bid at a national-brand muffler shop, I was told parts were very hard to get for it as the car was "so new" and that he had another customer bring in for the same problem, but he couldn't find the muffler in his national data base. This lead me to research further why this would happen to a car only 5 year in. This led me down a rabbit hole researching this issue on other Cadillac forums. I'm seeing a recurring pattern among 2020-2021 XT5 owners with the 3.6L engine: a whiny noise when accelerating at low speeds, peaking around 3,000 RPM, traced to loose baffles inside the muffler or a restriction in the exhaust system. Several owners report first noticing it as early as 2,000 miles, with it getting louder over time - which lines up closely with what I experienced. More notably, multiple owners with this exact symptom got their full exhaust systems replaced under warranty, including vehicles with comparable or higher mileage than mine. I've also confirmed there are no open NHTSA recalls on my vehicle, so I know this isn't a recall issue. But given how consistently this specific failure shows up across other XT5s of the same model year and engine, it looks less like isolated wear and more like a known defect pattern.

NHTSA ID

11748010

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while an oil change was being completed, an oil leak was discovered. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an internal leak in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ID

11743461

Incident

Jun 11, 2026

Mileage

30,000 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the infotainment screen was touched but went black and failed to respond. The vehicle was turned off and restarted at the next traffic light, and the infotainment screen was touched and remained black and failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was not provided. Due to the failure, the HVAC system, GPS, Bluetooth, Back Over Prevention, and Lane Keep Assist features became inoperable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,240.

NHTSA ID

11722196

Incident

Feb 16, 2026

Mileage

113,240 mi

When braking — both at low speeds and when slowing from highway speeds (40+ mph) — vehicle feels like engine revs and is still pushing against the brakes. Requires very firm pedal pressure to hold car in place; if brake pressure is eased, vehicle surges forward until it finally settles after several seconds. Concern is intermittent but repeatable. I had a near collision on 10/3/2025 due to this issue. I have been in constant contact with the dealership on this, including the service manager, as well as Cadillac Care. The dealership has test driven the vehicle several times and has been unable to replicate the problem. However, I do have an audio recording of the engine’s idle speed at various points during one incident.

NHTSA ID

11691365

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Car exhaust was making vibration sound brought into dealership and the muffler is broke on the inside. Cadillac repair said it’s not a common occurrence and was not covered under any warranty. Stated it could have broke on the inside due to vibrations. The muffler shouldn’t have just broke inside due to vibrations if the integrity of it has to of been compromised especially if the car isn’t that old and there’s no damage.

NHTSA ID

11683501

Incident

Aug 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle in front of her kicked up a rock off the roadway and cracked the windshield. The vehicle was taken to Safelite, and the windshield was repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11649813

Incident

Jan 15, 2025

Mileage

60,000 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the sunroof glass exploded without impact. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown object had fallen from the sky and impacted the glass. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11640555

Incident

Feb 1, 2025

Mileage

22,000 mi

FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE HAS FAILED TWICE. FIRST TIME VEHICLE WAS STRANDED IN MIDDLE OF 6 LANE HIGHWAY. SECOND TIME WAS NOT AS SERIOUS LOCATION. THIS PART FAILS WITHOUT ANY NOTICE AND VEHICLE CAN NOT BE PUT IN NETURAL TO BE PUSHED OR TOWED WITHOUT A LOT OF DIFFICULTY. SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THEY CHANGE UP TO 15 OF THESE MODULES A MONTH. SAME PART FOR CADILLAC MODLES XT5,XT6 AND ESCALADE. AND STATED HE IS AWARE SOME VEHICLES HAVE BEEN DISABLED IN VERY SERIOUS CONDITIONS

NHTSA ID

11636362

Incident

Nov 14, 2024

The cameras just stopped working, when I went to put the car in reverse, blank screen comes on.

NHTSA ID

11627991

Incident

Nov 29, 2024

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ID

11576845

Incident

Jan 3, 2023

At a red light in traffic, it suddenly shut off the engine, emergency brakes went on, multiple warning lights were on (Low Bat, Low fuel {full of fuel}, lower passenger window, etc..), totally immobilized itself by not being able to start the car or push it with the brakes on! 81 year old female driving and if the car did this at highway speed it could have been a catastrophe! It appeared everything else in the car was working but had 'self immobilized'!

NHTSA ID

11532274

Incident

Jul 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera intermittently failed to operate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V709000 (Back Over Prevention) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ID

11506928

Incident

Nov 1, 2022

Mileage

10,000 mi

Update - Original event was the power steering automation system failure which left the vehicle with no power steering system. When car rested over night the system operated properly. Took it to dealer today and they could not find any mechanical failures or wiring failures. A software update for the power steering module was available and they did the software update. Loss of power steering when driving is a very serious event, as the vehicle is almost impossible to steer. A woman or weak elderly person could not move the wheel at all, which could easily result in a serious accident if driven at high speed or on a windy road when the system failed. Since Cadillac had already developed the software update, why was that not made a recall. Why wait until it fails and results in an accident? Cadillac clearly knew that was a possibility. I think NHTSA should demand a recall to update all the 2021 XT5 vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11457819

Incident

Mar 19, 2022

The power steering suddenly shut down while driving, making steering almost impossible. Luckly I was on a straight part of the road and close to my house. It would have been disastrous if it occurred at high speed. I understand there is a recall to replace software on some 2021 Cadillac vehicles but mine is not in the list. I think my vintage of vehicles needs to be added to the recall list

NHTSA ID

11457475

Incident

Mar 19, 2022

My new car has a serious lag issue. The car is not responsive to the gas pedal. You have to press the gas a lot to get moving. Once moving a lot lag. If I press it fast. Completely non responsive. My car is slower than any other car I have driven. Although this is 310 HP. Feeels like 150 HP. And I get only 12-15 miles to the gallon. Regular driving in suburbs and highway.

NHTSA ID

11430561

Incident

Aug 25, 2021