2016 Cadillac CTS problems and recalls

Owners have filed 31 complaints on the 2016 Cadillac CTS, and NHTSA has issued 4 recalls. The most cited component is the Electrical System (10 complaints).

31
Complaints
4
Recalls
0
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
1
Injuries
57.2
Severity index

Severity index 57.2 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 57.2p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Components cited in complaints

Electrical SystemElectrical System: 10 complaints (32.3%)10 32%Power TrainPower Train: 9 complaints (29.0%)9 29%SteeringSteering: 4 complaints (12.9%)4 13%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 4 complaints (12.9%)4 13%SuspensionSuspension: 4 complaints (12.9%)4 13%EngineEngine: 4 complaints (12.9%)4 13%StructureStructure: 3 complaints (9.7%)3 10%Air BagsAir Bags: 2 complaints (6.5%)2 6%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1032.3%
POWER TRAIN929.0%
STEERING412.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER412.9%
SUSPENSION412.9%
ENGINE412.9%
STRUCTURE39.7%
AIR BAGS26.5%

Complaints filed per year

0362016: 12017: 62019: 22020: 62021: 42022: 42023: 12024: 22025: 51617619202122232425
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20161
20176
20192
20206
20214
20224
20231
20242
20255
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.6x those in 2020 to 2022 (8 against 14).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
18V59500007/09/2018SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLERGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Cadillac CTS vehicles, equipped with heated front seats. The flexible heating mats in the front seats may be damaged over time, resulting in the seat heaters producing excessive heat.
19V08600007/02/2019STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEMGeneral 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.
25V17500020/03/2025STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEMGeneral 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.
26V32900021/05/2026AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULEGeneral Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.

Other Cadillac CTS model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 6 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.