Cadillac CTS reliability by year
15 recalls and 1,629 owner complaints across 15 model years. Best year to buy: 2017. Year to avoid: 2007.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 2 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 15 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the CTS aggregated across 15 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Cadillac CTS?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2017 Cadillac CTS scores 8.4/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2019 range. 26 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Cadillac CTS year should I avoid?
The 2007 Cadillac CTS scores 6.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 218 owner complaints with NHTSA, 5 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2007 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Cadillac CTS should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2007 (high-risk ownership — brakes: 42 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 26,900–95,000 mi); 2006 (high-risk ownership — brakes: 48 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 35,000–110,000 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Cadillac CTS are tracked?
15 model years (2005 through 2019) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 15 recalls and 1,629 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Cadillac CTS?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 336 complaints across 14 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.