Vehicle Data Hub

2003 Cadillac CTS engine problems

62 complaints about engine have been filed for the 2003 Cadillac CTS, which is 14% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
62 14% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
73,000 miles 52 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
1 and 6
Injuries and deaths
2 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When engine problems show up

Engine complaints by mileage, 2003 Cadillac CTS Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 73,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 4 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 6 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 5 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 17 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 6 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 5 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 3 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 5 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 1 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 73,000 miles
Based on 52 complaints that include mileage. 29% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles4
20k to 40k miles6
40k to 60k miles5
60k to 80k miles17
80k to 100k miles6
100k to 120k miles5
120k to 140k miles3
140k to 160k miles5
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles1
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 52 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 73,000 miles, and 29% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 1 crash, 6 fires, 2 injuries.

What owners wrote

2003 cadillac cts with 45852 miles - oil leaked from the engine cam/ valve cover seals due to extreme cold weather operations. I was merging onto a major highway and had just removed my foot from the brake to the accelerate when thick black smoke began pouring through the heating system into the car. Visibility was obstructed and breathing was impaired. Within seconds, I was forced to evacuate the car. Smoke began rolling out from beneath the hood.

Reported at 45,282 miles, December 2006 FireInjury

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 cadillac cts. While driving 60 MPH the vehicle shut off without warning. The failure has occurred on three separate occasions. The manufacturer informed the contact that there were no related recalls and that the call volume had not accumulated enough to issue a recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer should be responsible for the repairs. The failure mileage was 104,060.

Reported at 104,060 miles, March 2010

Other problems reported for the 2003 Cadillac CTS

Engine problems in other years

Engine problems across all Cadillac models