CSR

Cadillac · NHTSA safety record

2014 Cadillac ATS

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

103

Complaints

6

Crashes

2

Fires

10

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2014 Cadillac ATS have filed 103 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2014 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 29 of them (28%). The typical failure was reported at 38,000 miles, the median across the 76 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 4 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (4)

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM

15V558000 · September 3, 2015

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS sedan vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to September 2, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the coil antenna module that powers the rear defogger system may generate excessive heat due to excessive cycling or continuous operation.
The risk
If the coil antenna generates excessive heat, there is an increased risk of a fire.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the Electronic Climate Control module to remove the automatic rear defogger "on" function, free of charge. The recall began on October 16, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15299.

General Motors LLC · up to 96,145 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

15V463000 · July 24, 2015

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to June 25, 2015. The affected vehicles may experience the roof panel closing automatically when the non-recessed switches are pressed and the roof panel is open. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."
The risk
Because the switch is not recessed, the roof panel switch may inadvertently be pressed resulting in unintended auto-closure of the roof panel, increasing the risk of personal injury.
The remedy
GM will notify owners and dealers will replace the roof console accessory switch trim plate, free of charge. The recall began on August 19, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15568. Note this recall supersedes 15V-106.

General Motors LLC · up to 63,665 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

14V446000 · July 23, 2014

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore and Cadillac ATS; 2014 Cadillac CTS, ELR, Chevrolet Caprice and SS vehicles; and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Trucks. Due to an incomplete weld on the seat hook bracket assembly, the front seats in the affected vehicles may not stay secured in place during a high load condition such as a crash.
The risk
A seat that does not stay secured increases the risk of occupant injury in a vehicle crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat hook bracket assembly weld and replace the lower seat track, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14340.

General Motors LLC · up to 124,007 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

14V338000 · June 19, 2014

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to March 20, 2014, and 2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured June 10, 2013, to March 20, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable may detach from either the bracket on the transmission shifter or the bracket on the transmission.
The risk
If the transmission shift cable detaches while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the 'PARK' position, the transmission may not be in 'PARK.' If the vehicle is not in the 'PARK' position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure the cable is properly seated at the transmission and shifter brackets, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in early August 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14179.

General Motors LLC · up to 90,750 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 103.

POWER TRAIN 29 28%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18 17%
ENGINE 14 14%
STEERING 10 10%
AIR BAGS 7 7%
SUSPENSION 5 5%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 5 5%
WHEELS 5 5%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 3%
TIRES 3 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 20.

2014 2020 2026
2014 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

2 injured · crash · 7,000 miles

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

NHTSA complaint 10693529, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured · crash · 7,000 miles

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

NHTSA complaint 10700562, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES

2 injured · crash

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

NHTSA complaint 10701340, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured · crash · 7,500 miles

I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP (KATHERINE COLE WHO SOLD US THE RUN FLAT TIRES), TWEETED GM. NO ONE AT THIS POINT HAS BEEN THE LEAST BIT INTERESTED IN WHAT I HAD I TO SAY. AFTER MY CRASH, ON AUGUST 11, 2014, I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL OTHER ATS OWNERS THAT EXPERIENCE THE SAME EXACT ISSUE..MY DAUGHTER AND I SUFFERED TERRIBLE INJURIES, CRASH AND TOTALED MY CAR. I ALSO AM FINDING THAT THERE MAYBE A TIRE ISSUE BECAUSE OF FAST WEAR AFTER ONLY 7,000 MILES. WHAT, IS GM OR THE TIRE MANUFACTURE OR THESE SAFETY ORG. WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO DIE? I SENT IN A COMPLAINT IN ABOUT MY 2014 CADILLAC ATS CAUSING ME TO HAVE A NEAR FATAL CAR ACCIDENT. GM IS CLAIMING THAT THE TIRES WERE WORN AND SPEED CAUSED THE ACCIDENT,

NHTSA complaint 10744876, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
My 2014 Cadillac ATS experienced a transmission shift cable/linkage failure. After driving normally, I pulled into my garage and moved the shifter to Park. The physical shifter was in Park, but the instrument cluster continued to indicate Drive (D). The vehicle would not recognize Park, the shifter became stuck, and the vehicle would not restart because the transmission was still being detected as being in Drive. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Cadillac dealership for diagnosis. The dealership confirmed that the range selector lever cable had detached from the shift shaft. Their written diagnosis states that the plastic retainers securing the cable failed, causing the shifter to show

NHTSA complaint 11757509, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
service rear view camera message on randomly and then the camera goes blank. Independent service center diagnostic scan reported: FAULT B127B Rearview camera input signal circuit missing reference (Symptom 2B) - History DTC.

NHTSA complaint 11740633. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Vehicle transmission shift cable failed. This part is considered recalled, but GM is refusing to fix.

NHTSA complaint 11690110. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

128,555 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Cadillac ATS. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase of the vehicle. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 83,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 128,555.

NHTSA complaint 11683771. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

172,000 miles

The contact owns a 2014 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the "Power Steering Fault Drive with Care" message was displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact researched and was became aware of an undisclosed recall; however, the VIN was not included. A dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,000.

NHTSA complaint 11627586. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
My airbag system light has been on now for over two years. My exact vehicle the prior year and after has had a recalled and mine has been missed. GMC wants 2000.00 to replace my airbag situation and my car only has 66000 miles on it for god sakes. Please have my model vin on recall list so my passengers will be safe. This is the second time I have emailed you and no response was given yet. Please recall my airbags.

NHTSA complaint 11609233. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Cadillac ATS

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2018 21 2
2017 32 2
2016 32 3
2015 29 4
2013 160 6

Other 2014 Cadillac models

Every Cadillac on this site — 91 vehicles, 198 recall campaigns and 4 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst