2006 Cadillac CTS Problems, Recalls & Reliability
371 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Cadillac CTS, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 79/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 64,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2006 Cadillac CTS sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2010, 2012, 2015–2017.
Avoid
Where 2006 sits among all CTS years
What owners report
“The air bad light on passenger side and on the review mirror it passenger airbag bag off that a safety issue it won’t work if in a accident need to be recalled”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 CTS
“The brakes on the cars leak fluid and the brake not working proper,want stop car after you apply brake stop a stop sign, and will try to go with brake down. Not safe. Had brake pad put on. Drake still having problem.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 CTS
“My back center brake light no longer works and since this was pointed out to me earlier this month, i have noticed at least four other cts cars with the same issue. They range from my year ('06) to at least 2009. And when quoted a price ($600+!) i balked at having it replaced. Anyone else notice…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 CTS
“The car revs up the rpm very high and the car will only be traveling at a low speed. The car was put on a diagnostic machine that returned the code p1793.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 CTS
“I was driving the vehicle and was hit from behind and went into a curb. My airbags did not deploy and the car would not restart. The engine completely shut off. The car continue to have problems with the engine and smoking after it was repaired by a gm dealer. We had to turn the car in and file…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 CTS
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 300 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 65,999 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 100,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V vehicles manufactured October 6, 2003, to March 15, 2007, and 2006-2007 Cadillac STS-V vehicles manufactured June 23, 2005, to March 15, 2007. In the affected vehicles, the…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel module and fuel tank jumper harness, free of charge. GM sent out interim notices in late October. The recall began on March 12, 2015.…
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.…
Fix: 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.…
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2007 CADILLAC CTS VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH REPEATED FLEXING OF THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM MAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MAY CAUSE THE MAT TO KINK, BEND, OR FOLD. THIS…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT MARCH 15, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT…
GENERAL MOTORS HAS NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A DEFECT IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003-2007 CADILLAC CTS VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN OR ORIGINALLY SOLD IN CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI,…
Fix: DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT BRAKE HOSE ASSEMBLIES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER…
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE REAR AXLE PINION SEAL DOES NOT MEET ALL OF THE SPECIFICATIONS AND MAY EXPERIENCE A FLUID LEAK.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PINION SEAL FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 1, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-800-458-8006 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR…
CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES MAY HAVE A CONDITION WHERE FUEL IS NO LONGER SUPPLIED TO THE ENGINE. THIS CONDITION OCCURS WITHOUT THE ILLUMINATION OF THE FUEL LEVEL LOW INDICATOR LIGHT OR THE WARNING CHIME.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WITH NEW SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS WERE NOTIFIED IN DECEMBER 2005 AND ASKED TO MAINTAIN AT LEAST 1/4 OF A TANK FUEL LEVEL TO AVOID…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 07V589000.
Technical service bulletins
714 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2006 Cadillac CTS. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2006 Cadillac CTS reliable?
The 2006 Cadillac CTS drew 371 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 79/100, scored against the model's worst year (2003).
What are the most common 2006 Cadillac CTS problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Cadillac CTS are airbags (97 complaints), brakes & stability (56), and electrical (54).
At what mileage do 2006 Cadillac CTS problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Cadillac CTS problems around 65,999 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 100,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Cadillac CTS have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Cadillac CTS. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.