2009 Cadillac CTS problems
Owners have filed 222 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Cadillac CTS. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 23% of complaints. After that come drivetrain & axles (12%) and electrical system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 222 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 18 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 12 and 5
- Typical mileage
- 61,000 miles 165 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 | 39 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 21 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 19 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 26 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 26 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 23 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 165 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 61,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 86,000 miles (42 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 18 complaints mention a crash; 12 injuries reported; 5 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Cadillac CTS with enough data (99 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
Tl*the contact rented a 2010 cadillac cts. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH the vehicle accelerated rapidly and crashed into a guard rail without the air bags deploying. The contact called the police because the driver was not responding inside of the vehicle. The emt removed the driver from the vehicle and he was taken to the hospital. The driver died at the hospital due to blunt force trauma.
Driving at night my son hit ice and his cadillac went off the road hitting a mailbox with a support made from a telephone pole, a row of mailboxes that caused his car to go airborne. The car rolled 2 times. No airbags were deployed.the driver's side was intact. The front, drivers side,passangers side and sunroof windows were shattered. He died from massive, multiple injuries.
Driving down the interstate highway going about 65 - 69 MPH, the right wheel tire started shaking violently, and squealing then, it started wobbling but I was able to get it to come to a complete stop after it spun around a few circles. I got out of the car and noticed that the right rear wheel was sticking out and crooked. I took the car to the dealership right after that, and they replaced the knuckle, link, bolt and tire rod.
Key would not turn in ignition, could not shut vehicle off. This occurred after 9pm in the evening and there was no assistance available through the dealership or onstar to turn the vehicle off. Had to leave vehicle unattended and running in the driveway overnight risking an engine fire and could not shut off fuel supply or risking the vehicle popping into gear (or moving into gear by a child) and moving unattended.
My 2009 cadillac cts showed a check engine light. Took to a mechanic who pulled codes p0008, p0017, p0018 which are all related to timing chain failure. I became aware of tbs bulletin 11340c ' special coverage adjustment ' timing chain wear which was extended to include 2009 cadillac cts with less than 120k miles (my car has 107250) I made an appointment with local cadillac dealer who informed me that cadillac is only covering vehicles with certain vin's in which mine is not included.