CSR

Cadillac · NHTSA safety record

2017 Cadillac CTS

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

27

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2017 Cadillac CTS have filed 27 safety complaints with NHTSA between May 2018 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 9 of them (33%). The typical failure was reported at 36,124 miles, the median across the 12 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (2)

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

25V175000 · March 20, 2025

The defect
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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 27.

POWER TRAIN 9 33%
STEERING 8 30%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 15%
WHEELS 3 11%
AIR BAGS 2 7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 7%
ENGINE 1 4%
SEATS 1 4%
SUSPENSION 1 4%
TIRES 1 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 10.

2018 2025 2026
2018 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.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed · 15,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT THE RPM' S INCREASED, THE VEHICLE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. THE CONTACT STATED AS THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED HE TURNED OF THE VEHICLE, SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL, RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH NO MORE ISSUES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SUBURBAN CADILLAC OF TROY (1810 MAPLELAWN DR. TROY, MI) WHERE THE FAILURE WAS DIAGNOSED AS A THROTTLE BODY ISSUE. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, A YEAR LATER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HIS WIFE WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY ACCELERATED, JUMPING THE CURB BUMPER, CRASHING THROUGH A

NHTSA complaint 11246443, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

45,000 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The service power steering message was displayed. The failure had occurred while the contact was in the middle of traffic. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA complaint 11756795. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The airbag warning light appeared 45 days ago. I immediately took my 2017 Cadillac to the dealer (Sewell Cadillac of Houston). The vehicle is covered under a Sewell Extended warranty until 2028. The dealer performed troubleshooting and determined that the passenger seat sensors/module (part # 84567224 ) was defective. The Inspector for the Sewell Extended warranty confirmed that the replacement was covered by the warranty. The dealer advised after 30 days (completing other services- Brakes/rotors/front tires/spark plugs & wires etc) that the part # was “Back-ordered” and Sewell did not know when the part would be available, if ever. The consequence explained that the passenger seat which

NHTSA complaint 11706260, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
The power steering went out on the vehicle. I was not driving at the time. There was a recall on these vehicles pertaining to the EPS module.

NHTSA complaint 11701088. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Cadillac CUE screen cracks and becomes unresponsive. When driving this is effecting anything related to system including navigation, radio, hvac, phone and all other functions creating a distraction to the driver that could lead to an accident. This is not the first time that this has happened to me and I’ve noticed that each time the issue is created is during hot days in southern states. This has never happened during the winter. This is my 2nd Cadillac in a row that has had this problem repeatedly. Happens every 2 to 3 years. This might not seem like an issue but it poses a major safety hazard to all people in vehicles around them and an immediate recall and investigation should be

NHTSA complaint 11688654, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
I purchased this vehicle is certified preowned Cadillac and during the warranty time I had a transmission issue that was causing the transmission to jerk when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear and at highway speeds, it would start jerking nonstop. I took it to the dealer and as per a service bulletin, they flushed the transmission fluid and replaced the transmission fluid. This was only a temporary fix because 30,000 miles later the same issues started occurring again and have gotten worse to the point that you can smell the transmission clutches burning and the transmission overheating, possibly causing the number four piston rings to come apart, resulting in an engine replacement as well.

NHTSA complaint 11688656, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
OnStar is unable to communicate with my vehicle. When I bought the car 2 years ago, it connected fine. Not OnStar is unable to ping my car. Appears the. Module goes out on a lot of cars since I was told it is on back order and not sure if that was the true peoblem

NHTSA complaint 11685188. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Cadillac CTS

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2018 8 2
2016 31 4
2015 46 3
2014 144 6
2013 72 2
2012 65 2
2011 101 2
2010 67 3

Other 2017 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