2003 Cadillac CTS problems
Owners have filed 450 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Cadillac CTS. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 14% of complaints. After that come electrical system (13%) and brakes (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 450 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 46 and 19
- Injuries and deaths
- 34 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 320 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 43 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 42 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 37 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 65 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 37 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 39 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 28 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 21 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 6 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 320 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 72,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 73,000 miles (52 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 46 complaints mention a crash; 19 complaints mention a fire; 34 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Cadillac CTS with enough data (165 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
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.
My cadillac cts (2003) was hit directly in the drivers door at approximately 50-55 MPH and the side impact or curtain air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was pushed so hard, the witness thought it was going to flip over. Cadillac indicated that there was no problem, and the air bags didn't deploy because the sensor did not receive a direct hit. The sensor is located on the door frame between the driver and rear left passenger door.
While driving on the freeway consumer heard a noise under the vehicle. Consumer tried to control the vehicle and it began to swerve. While trying to keep it under control, vehicle flipped over, and the air bags failed to deploy. Vehicle was totaled. The consumer believes the steering shaft bolt became loose and caused the accident.
Dashboard went out intermittently. Consumer took vehicle to dealer and repairs were made. However, the problem kept coming back. On one occasion the consumer had to have the vehicle towed for uncontrolled acceleration. Dashboard problems and vehicle has died 3 times. Enclosed here with the customer claim form for details and the towed truck report and service documents from car dealer.
The contact owns a 2003 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds the vehicle would suddenly stalled and the instrument panel would illuminate. The message stating "starting disabled remove key" would display. The contact stated that they would be able to coast and restart the vehicle. Other times the contact would have to pull over to the side of the road and restart the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the vehicle.