IllustrationMy 2013 has only 75k miles on it and all the dash lights flash and the car fails every couple of days. It has a brand new battery but the gauges on the dash continue to dance. I’m not sure what the problem is but it’s a huge safety factor in drivability.
2013 Cadillac Cts
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2013 Cadillac Cts do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 101.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cts 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
250–25K
1425–50K
650–75K
775–100K
2100–150K
0150K+
54 reports with mileage · 19 unknown
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports0 fire reports7 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
26 reportsdriving to work on very busy highway. The engine light and Service Battery charging system came on, then went to battery saver almost instantly. Radio cut off, heat cutt off and the Car cut off in the middle of the highway before I could safely get over. this caused me to fear for my life as the cars behind me barely had time t…
Read full complaint
driving to work on very busy highway. The engine light and Service Battery charging system came on, then went to battery saver almost instantly. Radio cut off, heat cutt off and the Car cut off in the middle of the highway before I could safely get over. this caused me to fear for my life as the cars behind me barely had time to stop. a hair probably could not have fit between us. I did eventually safely get off the highway, had the car towed to a service center. There was 14 different codes.(low voltage, engine running lean, low voltage and more. battery was checked and was 95 %, Alternator fine. was told it was the ECM. After looking on google some sites say there is a recall for 2013 cts some say there is not. there are multiple complaints on this issue and it is not safe. I called Cadillac gave my vin number and was told there was not a recall. Cadillac/GMC really need to issue a recall before something tragic happens, as it almost was me. Thank God that it wasn't.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHILE THE ENGINE WAS IDLING WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECM WIRING WAS DEFECTIVE…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHILE THE ENGINE WAS IDLING WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECM WIRING WAS DEFECTIVE. THE WIRING WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR AND ECM. THE FAILURE WAS REMEDIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,000.
EVAPORATING SYSTEM AND LIGHTS AND ELECTRICAL
THE ENGINE CONTINUES TO RUN EVEN AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND REMOVING THE KEY, THE ENGINE HAS JUST STARTED TO ACCELERATE IN THIS POSITION IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. THE BACKUP CAMERA HAS STOPPED WORKING AND THE REVERSE LIGHTS ARE ON AT ALL TIMES (EVEN WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD). AS OF YESTERDAY THE POWER SEATS TO BE LAGGING, SOM…
Read full complaint
THE ENGINE CONTINUES TO RUN EVEN AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND REMOVING THE KEY, THE ENGINE HAS JUST STARTED TO ACCELERATE IN THIS POSITION IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. THE BACKUP CAMERA HAS STOPPED WORKING AND THE REVERSE LIGHTS ARE ON AT ALL TIMES (EVEN WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD). AS OF YESTERDAY THE POWER SEATS TO BE LAGGING, SOME OF THE BUTTONS TAKES SEVERAL TRIES TO WORK.
INTERMITTENTLY THE DASHBOARD AND INTERIOR TRIM LIGHTS ARE OUT AND WILL RESUME AT UNFORESEEN TIMES
BOTH THE HEATED SEAT OPTION AND SEAT/MIRROR MEMORY SETTINGS STOPPED WORKING SUDDENLY.
AIR BAG LIGHT HAS CAME ON. WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE PASSENGER REAR WINDOW CAME DOWN ON IT'S OWN AND WOULD NOT ROLL BACK UP. MY CAR ONLY HAVE 60,000 MILES.
THE VEHICLE STALED ON THE STREET AND THE TWO SIGNS POPPED UP ABOUT STABILITY CONTROL AND TRACTION. CARS HAD TO ACT QUICKLY SO THEY WOULDN'T HIT ME FROM BEHIND
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT OF RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY FROM DEAD STOP, CTS ACCELERATED ON ITS ON TO AND UNKNOWN AND UNCONTROLLABLE SPEED. CAUSING COLLISION TO NEIGHBORS VEHICLE IN OPPOSTITE DRIVEWAY DRIVEWAY DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM WHERE CTS WAS PARKED. VEHICLE ALSO HAD POWER FAILURES AS WELL, DOORS NOR WINDOWS WOULD WORK. HAD TO EX…
Read full complaint
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT OF RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY FROM DEAD STOP, CTS ACCELERATED ON ITS ON TO AND UNKNOWN AND UNCONTROLLABLE SPEED. CAUSING COLLISION TO NEIGHBORS VEHICLE IN OPPOSTITE DRIVEWAY DRIVEWAY DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM WHERE CTS WAS PARKED. VEHICLE ALSO HAD POWER FAILURES AS WELL, DOORS NOR WINDOWS WOULD WORK. HAD TO EXIT VEHICLE BY CRAWLING OUT ON THE WINDOW. CAUSE DAMAGED TO BOTH VEHICLES AND PROPERTY DAMAGES FROM NEIGHBOR VEHICLE PUSH BY CTS INTO GARAGE AND STRUCTURE.
Official recalls
214V614000 · Electrical System
Oct 1, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GMs number for this recall is 14515.
14V394000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jul 2, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 2, 2014 that they are recalling 554,328 model year 2003-2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured August 16, 2001, to April 28, 2014, and 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX vehicles manufactured March 20, 2003, to August 11, 2006. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 15, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14172.
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.