Cadillac CTS Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Cadillac CTS model year from 2003 to 2019, benchmarked against each other with 3,103 federal complaints, 27 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 2003–2007. These years top the CTS's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2010, 2012, 2015–2017 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the CTS's own worst year — full methodology.

3,103Complaints on file
27Recall campaigns
17Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Electrical tops the Cadillac CTS file with 500 complaints, concentrated in the 2003, 2006 model years, most often reported around 71,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2019 Few reports 16 0 — 2
2018 Few reports 10 2 — 2
2017 Better year 33 2 — 5
2016 Better year 47 4 Electrical 8
2015 Better year 65 3 Transmission & drivetrain 12
2014 Typical 197 6 Transmission & drivetrain 34
2013 Typical 106 2 Electrical 29
2012 Better year 81 2 Electrical 19
2011 Typical 148 2 Electrical 32
2010 Better year 101 3 Electrical 19
2009 Below average 222 5 Engine 49
2008 Below average 252 2 Electrical 47
2007 Avoid 314 6 Airbags 74
2006 Avoid 371 6 Airbags 79
2005 Avoid 396 6 Transmission & drivetrain 97
2004 Avoid 294 6 Transmission & drivetrain 67
2003 Avoid 450 4 Electrical 100

Technical service bulletins

Beyond complaints and recalls, 20,553 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Cadillac CTS. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

Browse the Cadillac CTS TSB list by year →

Questions buyers ask

What Cadillac CTS years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 2003–2007 as the Cadillac CTS years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Cadillac CTS problem?

Electrical tops the Cadillac CTS file with 500 complaints, concentrated in the 2003, 2006 model years, most often reported around 71,000 miles.

What are the best Cadillac CTS years to buy used?

The quietest Cadillac CTS years in federal records are 2010, 2012, 2015–2017 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Cadillac CTS only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.