2008 Cadillac CTS electrical system problems
39 complaints about electrical system have been filed for the 2008 Cadillac CTS, which is 15% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 39 16% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 74,000 miles 21 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When electrical system problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 4 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 4 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 21 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 74,000 miles, and 33% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 3 fires.
What owners wrote
The car has had 7 batteries replaced. It has been towed three times to two different dealerships. When the failure occurs the door lock, the engine will not start, lights will not work, the car is completely dead. The last time my wife went one mile and the lights,radio, air conditioning and doors locked and would not open. She could not get the key out of the ignition. The door was opened and the car sat for two hours. When she went back to the car everything worked like nothing happened.
I was driving in a parking garage so my speed was about 5-10MPH when the whole system shut down. The car stopped moving and all of the system warnings popped off (ABS, stabiltrack,engine). The car would not turn back on. I had it towed to the shop where I was told that it was an electrical problem. The PCM was replaced and I was told that the problem was fixed. Cost was approx $200. After the original system shut down, I was driving on an exit ramp to the interstate when once again the whole system shut down.
Other problems reported for the 2008 Cadillac CTS
- Engine 29 complaints
- Fuel system 28 complaints
- Brakes 24 complaints
- Drivetrain & axles 18 complaints
- Body & structure 15 complaints