Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 32 safety complaints
about the 2017 Cadillac ATS with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the steering.
The most complained-about system is the steering,
named in 12 complaints, 38% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 27,700 miles,
the median across the 8
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers January 2018 to May 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
32 complaints on file
32
Complaints
1
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
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
STEERING 12 · 38%
12 38%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 19%
6 19%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 19%
6 19%
POWER TRAIN 5 · 16%
5 16%
ENGINE 3 · 9%
3 9%
AIR BAGS 2 · 6%
2 6%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 6%
2 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 3%
1 3%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 · 3%
1 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 3%
1 3%
STRUCTURE 1 · 3%
1 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 3%
1 3%
0815
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 32.
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 2019 at 12.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2018 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 crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2017 Cadillac ATS, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
4 DR AWD
4 DR RWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
10.1%
10.1%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed.
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, 2017-2018 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist may fail.
The risk
A loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2025. Owners may contact Cadilac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252497020.
General Motors, LLC · up to 934 vehicles across all model years covered
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
19V086000 · February 7, 2019
The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, and 2017 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist system may fail.
The risk
Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. GM' number for this recall is N182182760.
General Motors LLC · up to 26,772 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.
SERVICE BRAKES
crash · towed · 2,414 miles
UPON BRAKING CAR SHAKES AND MAKES A LOUD NOISE BUT EVENTUALY STOPS. ABOUT 8 DAYS LATER WHILE PARKING THE BRAKES FAILED TO OPERATE RESULTING IN A COLLISION.
NHTSA complaint 11064482. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
towed · 34,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CADILLAC ATS. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER (LES STANFORD CHEVROLET, 21711 MICHIGAN AVE, DEARBORN, MI 48124). THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE, BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF THE RESULTS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,000.
NHTSA complaint 11089664. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
towed · 50,098 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH and attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was very stiff and hard to depress causing the braking distance to be extended. The contact drove off the roadway to avoid a collision and activated the parking brake and shifted to park(P) causing the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop. During the failure the “Service Brake Assist" message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,098.
NHTSA complaint 11464773. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
Transmission fluid temperature sensor in the 8 speed automatic 8L90 transmission from GM is a known issue. Causes vehicle to shift/jerk erratically especially in stop and go traffic.
NHTSA complaint 11740000. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
Driving home message came up on the dash, saying, power steering problem. Next thing you know, it was extremely hard to turn the wheel left or right.
NHTSA complaint 11733798. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
WHEELS
I have replaced two brand new tires on the back right. I then saw that there was a TSB for the very issue im having with my vehicle. A slow loss of air from the back right tire. The TSB link is Its a slow.loss of air that eventually ends you up with a blown tire on the side of the road which has happened twice to me now. There is no location on the vehicle for a spare tire coincidentally. I still have the tires with damage to them for proof . My brakes and rotors have been. Changed because the mechanic said that could be the issue. I never thought of it being the tire and rim until I saw the TSB for this which is exactly what it feels like when the air does get in the rim and begins to naw …
NHTSA complaint 11721871, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
My Que Screen has webbed and makes it impossible to view my screen, important vehicles warnings and my maps for directions. This has been a recall in the past. Prior to me owning my vehicle. I can’t believe Cadillac installed junk in their vehicles. A third party is a direct extension of YoUR business. Do better. This is horrible. I demand a recall repair. If this was known and you all didn’t want to fix these vehicles should be pulled off the roadways. Right your wrongs.
NHTSA complaint 11687205. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
In center console there is a dual USB port for either charging or data for CarPlay. When two phones are plugged in and charging, and one phone is in passengers hand, while vehicle is in motion or stopped, the airbag warning light will illuminate. When the phone is removed from passenger seat, airbag warning light turns off. This will happen any number of times and is very easy to reproduce issue. This problem is only occurring more often now that I have a passenger in the car. But it will happen if any phone is plugged in and sitting on the seat. It went to the dealer with this issue a couple years ago but they couldn’t get it to happen again because the phone wasn’t on the seat plugged in. …
NHTSA complaint 11665197, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
1. The transmission shudders at high speeds and at low speeds it either hesitates to shift gears or it lurches forward causing a rough shifting of gears. 2. I feel as though when I am braking and my car lurches forward, sometimes I have to brake even harder just to get the car to stop in time. This has caused me to almost hit pedestrians and/or other car. At high speeds, when the transmission shudders, I feel as though I have to slow down in order to stop the aggressive shaking, making others driving behind me have to slow down. 3. A former family mechanic has tried to resolve the transmission issue for me and he was unsuccessful in doing so. I have not taken it to a dealer or a big name …
NHTSA complaint 11663588, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed March 20, 2025.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst