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Cadillac · NHTSA safety record

2014 Cadillac ELR

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

Owners have filed 17 safety complaints about the 2014 Cadillac ELR with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the seats and electronic stability control.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 6 complaints, 35% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 14,366 miles, the median across the 11 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers June 2014 to June 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

17 complaints on file

17

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 35%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 35%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 12%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 12%
AIR BAGS 1 · 6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 6%
STEERING 1 · 6%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 6%
WHEELS 1 · 6%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 17.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 4.

8 6 4 2
14 15 16 18 20 22 24 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2014 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2014 Cadillac ELR. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

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

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

14V144000 · March 27, 2014

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Cadillac ELR vehicles not equipped with adaptive cruise control and manufactured September 26, 2013, through February 14, 2014, and equipped without adaptive cruise control. In these vehicles, the electronic stability control (ESC) system software may inhibit certain ESC diagnostics, preventing the system from alerting the driver that the ESC system is partially or fully disabled. As such, these vehicles fail to conform with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
The risk
If the driver is not alerted to an ESC malfunction they may continue driving with a disabled ESC system which may result in loss of directional control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM), free of charge. The recall began on May 20, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14087.

General Motors LLC · up to 656 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured · 11,300 miles

MOLD IN AIR CONDITIONING EVAPORATOR GOT ME SICK. TREATMENT BY DEALER SENT ME TO THE HOSPITAL COUGHING & SPITING-UP BLOOD! VERY SICK FROM EXPOSURES. GM TSB 99-01-39-004H CLEARLY SHOWS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER SINCE 3/24/2016 & THEY ARE DENYING CHEMICAL ODOR THAT TWO INSPECTORS HAVE ALREADY VERIFIED. NHTSA HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT THIS DANGEROUS TSB. WHY? UPDATED 04/03/2017*JS

NHTSA complaint 10872485. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · 20 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 CADILLAC ELR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED ON A SLIGHT HILL, THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED OUT OF PARK AND STARTED TO DRIFT DOWN THE HIL IN REVERSEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BRAKES FAILED TO STOP AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE WAS 20. THE VIN WAS NOT MADE AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint 10652668. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Component Affected: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM/ AIR BAGS: FRONT: PASSENGER SIDE Description of Safety Defect: The Passenger Presence System (PPS) Module / Occupant Sensor Module failed on my 2014 Cadillac ELR, triggering diagnostic code U0170 ("Lost Communication with Passenger Presence Module") And illuminating the "Service Airbag" warning light on the dashboard. Due to this electronic failure, the vehicles supplemental restraint system (STS) has completely disabled the front passenger-side airbag. In the event of a collision, the passenger airbag will not deploy, creating an immediate and severe safety hazard for any occupant in that seat. This error message appeared while in the dealerships

NHTSA complaint 11747536, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle lost all power while driving; this has occurred four times between August 2024 and November 2024. Without warning, the vehicle loses power, including brakes, steering, lights, warning flashers, doors, etc., all power goes away. This has occurred three times during the day and once at night, creating a hazard for myself and other drivers. The vehicle has been towed to the dealership three times, where it restarts. There are no codes to be found and GM is uncertain of what to do.

NHTSA complaint 11628984. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Loss of power and control: Twice over the past two months, the vehicle has died and lost all power and control functions while in motion. The first episode was while my spouse was driving during the day at about 30 MPH. She reports the vehicle made a loud "pop," and then all power to the vehicle, including steering and braking, was lost. After a few minutes, the car restarted and was towed to the dealership. They found no codes and could not replicate the incident, and GM could not provide them with any suggestions. After a month, the car was returned to us. Two weeks ago, I was driving at night, and except for the "popping" noise, the same thing happened while driving on a dark roadway.

NHTSA complaint 11622342, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Shift to park error message unable to turn off or exit vehicle. This is a hybrid vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11463637. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

82,000 miles

SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND ATTEMPTING TO TURN IT OFF BY HITTING THE POWER BUTTON, YIELDS A WARNING ON THE DIC SAYING "ACTION REQUIRED: SHIFT TO PARK", DESPITE THE SHIFT SELECTOR ALREADY BEING IN PARK. THIS PREVENTS THE VEHICLE FROM BEING TURNED OFF. REQUIRES MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS OF TURNING THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF, AND MOVING OF THE SHIFT SELECTOR TO GET THE CAR TO RECOGNIZE THE VEHICLE IS ACTUALLY IN PARK.

NHTSA complaint 11372718. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
SERVICE S R S LIGHT STAYS ON NO ACCIDENT IT JUST CAME ON ONE DAY NO ONE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSAGES

NHTSA complaint 11362731. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other 2014 Cadillac models

SRX 390 CTS 146 ATS 104 XTS 50 Escalade 20

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Cadillac on this site — 97 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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