2005 Cadillac CTS problems
Owners have filed 396 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Cadillac CTS. Drivetrain & axles is the most reported problem area, at 21% of complaints. After that come air bags (19%) and electrical system (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 396 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 45 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 48 and 5
- Typical mileage
- 63,000 miles 322 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 | 87 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 37 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 27 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 56 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 37 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 26 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 20 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 12 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 7 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 9 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Among the 322 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 63,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 28,000 miles (74 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 45 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 48 injuries reported; 5 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 83% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Cadillac CTS with enough data (180 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 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.
Takata recall had wreck air bag did not deploy at the time it should have, rush in ambulance to hospital car was on highway going straight,
Per report tje suspension system and aorbag recall. When I purchased vehicle, information was warrant to me. I total loss my car due to suspension and axle malfuntion. It caused me to hit a curb. I could not gain control.
Several rear end differential failures. 1 at 4000 miles, the second at 8000 miles. And the third is loud and makes noises from the day I got it back. GM tried to void and not cover the rear end so I had to take it to another state for them to fix it for me. They just start out quiet and then get louder and louder and louder. The last one died with my family in the vehicle at 40 MPH durring regular driving. Rear locked up then broke up in half. It killed the driveshaft and several other parts when it locked up.