2016 Cadillac Ats: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 32 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (23% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 1 new complaint in the last 90 days · latest recall May 2026
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 32 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“On 3rd differential in 2 years. Dealer won't fix without us paying ANOTHER $4,700. There is NO way a differential goes 3 times in 2 years. Something is wrong. Help!!”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2026
“When driving at around 40-50mph you can feel that the car has a shudder vibration. Took the car into Cadillac where they are informing me that it is the torque converter that needs replacement. No warning lights. If not fixed can lead to transmission failure.”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2024
“The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that the message "Service Air Bag" was displayed, and the passenger's side seat belt warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2024
Show 7 more owner reports
“When driving, I accidentaley hit a curb on the front left rim and the side air bags deployed. There was no damage to vehicle other than hitting the rim. I want to know if there is a recall on this or if there has been any other incidents of this kind. The only deployed air bags were the side ones by the windows The front air bags did not deploy. I need answers to why the car deplyed air bags when it was a curb check and no physical damage to the car? Is there any recalls on this?”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2021
“Transmission drags. When stopping the car jerks bad and sometimes proceeds to accelerate. When at a stop auto start has a hard jerk I reported this problem to Cadillac dealership when I first got the car. They claim they couldn't find an issue. The touch pad goes out frequently.”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2021
“Drove my car on the highway and the brakes failed. I applied all of my force to get the car to stop. This is the second time the brakes failed while driving on the highway in less than 14 months. Had it repaired the first time. It had no brake assist and a cracked pcv valve. The vacuum pump and hose to booster was replaced. 14 months later it happened again.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jan 2021
“While arriving at stop lights the caddillac roughly shifts down jolting the whole vehicle. Around 1500 rpms whether its sitting or just passing 1500 rpms the whole vehicle shutters and vibrates aggresively until around 2000 rpm. Rpms jump up and down between 1000 and 3000 rpms”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2020
“The vehicle has an issue with loss of power steering. It has happened and returned but it gone out totally now and I believe it should be part of the cadillac power steering recall, but my VIN is not listed as vehicle that is affected.”Owner report · Steering · Oct 2020
“The radio screen is cracking from the inside of the screen I'm getting a spiderweb effect that is not allowing me to see the screen. Can't see the speed of my ac fan becasue I can't see the screen, can't change to bluetooth because I can't see the screen, can't use my navigation system that I paid extra for because I can't see the screen due to the spiderweb effect. This is a defect as I have used the radio under normal use and it should not crack from the inside. I can't use any of the radio features due to this issue.”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2020
“When operating my vehicle into drive many times when turning the front wheels the car loose it power and stalls. This can be very dangerous when turning vehicle into other cross sections or smiply turning. Please look into this before something serious happenhis. This incident occurs when stationary or moving forward slowly. I was moving forward out of my driveway and into on going traffic. Luckly I was able to bagback into driveway .”Owner report · Wheels · Mar 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS sedan vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to September 2, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the coil antenna module that powers the rear defogger system may generate excessive heat due to excessive cycling or continuous operation.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the Electronic Climate Control module to remove the automatic rear defogger "on" function, free of charge. The recall began on October 16, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15299.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front-driver air bag module, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 19, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N262555870. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to June 25, 2015. The affected vehicles may experience the roof panel closing automatically when the non-recessed switches are pressed and the roof panel is open. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."
Remedy: GM will notify owners and dealers will replace the roof console accessory switch trim plate, free of charge. The recall began on August 19, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15568. Note this recall supersedes 15V-106.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2016 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Ats by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2016 Cadillac Ats reliable?
NHTSA has 32 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2016 Cadillac Ats. The most complained-about area is power train (23% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2016 Cadillac Ats problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 25,750 miles or less.
Does the 2016 Cadillac Ats have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.