IllustrationTransmission fluid temperature sensor in the 8 speed automatic 8L90 transmission from GM is a known issue. Causes vehicle to shift/jerk erratically especially in stop and go traffic.
2017 Cadillac Ats
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2017 Cadillac Ats do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 32.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Ats years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 8 of 32 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
Power Train complaints
5 reports1. The transmission shudders at high speeds and at low speeds it either hesitates to shift gears or it lurches forward causing a rough shifting of gears. 2. I feel as though when I am braking and my car lurches forward, sometimes I have to brake even harder just to get the car to stop in time. This has caused me to almost hit p…
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1. The transmission shudders at high speeds and at low speeds it either hesitates to shift gears or it lurches forward causing a rough shifting of gears. 2. I feel as though when I am braking and my car lurches forward, sometimes I have to brake even harder just to get the car to stop in time. This has caused me to almost hit pedestrians and/or other car. At high speeds, when the transmission shudders, I feel as though I have to slow down in order to stop the aggressive shaking, making others driving behind me have to slow down. 3. A former family mechanic has tried to resolve the transmission issue for me and he was unsuccessful in doing so. I have not taken it to a dealer or a big name mechanic. 4. The vehicle has not been inspected by insurance, police or the manufacturer. Only a family mechanic. 5. As far as I know, there was no prior indicating symptoms of the issue as I bought the car how it currently is. I was told upon purchase that the transmission has a shudder at high speeds and at hesitation of shifting gears at low speeds
Transmission causes car to shudder or shake/vibrate at lower speeds and lower rpm (auto shifting) It's been like this since it was purchased. If you perform manual shifting at 2500 RPM's or higher you don't experience the same shake/vibration. Ron Craft Cadillac says it's performing as expected.
AT MAJOR INTERSECTION WAS AT A STOP RED LIGHT. BEGAN ACCELERATING VEHICLE STALLED AND THE LIGHT ENGINE TURNED ON, TRANSMISSION STUCK AT FIRST GEAR AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 20MPH. THIS HAPPENED AS I TRIED PASSING A VEHICLE IN FRONT TO LATER MAKE A TURN. THE CAR HAS HAD THIS ISSUE SEVERAL TIMES. REPORTED TO CADILLAC THEY ASK…
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AT MAJOR INTERSECTION WAS AT A STOP RED LIGHT. BEGAN ACCELERATING VEHICLE STALLED AND THE LIGHT ENGINE TURNED ON, TRANSMISSION STUCK AT FIRST GEAR AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 20MPH. THIS HAPPENED AS I TRIED PASSING A VEHICLE IN FRONT TO LATER MAKE A TURN. THE CAR HAS HAD THIS ISSUE SEVERAL TIMES. REPORTED TO CADILLAC THEY ASKED THAT I REPORT AS A LEMON MEANWHILE THIS IS A LEASE VEHICLE.
TRANSMISSION SHUDDERS ON LIGHT ACCELERATION (WORST AT AROUND 50 MPH) GENERAL ACCELERATION FEELS SIMILAR TO AN ENGINE MISFIRE WITH INTERMITTENT DROPS IN POWER. SOME TIMES TRANSMISSION CAN SHIFT HARD AND HAVE A BANG, JARRING FEELING.
Official recalls
225V175000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System
Mar 20, 2025
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, 2017-2018 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2025. Owners may contact Cadilac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252497020.
19V086000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System
Feb 7, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, and 2017 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist system may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. GM' number for this recall is N182182760.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.