2010 Cadillac CTS: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 67 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (15% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jul 2014
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 67 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I took my car 1200 Moss St., bingo alignment, and two weeks after my alignment my steering wheel shipped and I bought it over to the shop and told them that they did not talk to the school down on my control arms and the lady told me to get off of her premises and get out and I think that's not right she did not on her warranty and I called the police to get an incident report and she just was belligerent and pull guns on me and do all kind of crazy stuff. I would like to have someone investigate her please”Owner report · Steering · Jan 2024
“Diag: DIAGNOSIS c/s service air bag error message on display. Code DTC B0014- Driver side air bag deployment loop- high resistance. Could not get repaired. Per Dealership the part needed is "discontinued". Non- working airbags are a huge concern. I think that parts for airbags should have to be produced if a vehicle needs serviced for such a problem! The vehicle is in excellent condition overall and should last many more years but this very much needed part for safety isn't even available! That is not right!!! No accident or incident has occurred but this issue is very much a concern.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2023
“A black bolt in my steering column fell out onto my floormat and a second bolt was very loose, getting ready to fall out. The steering column just needs to be adjusted - recalibrated. No parts needed, very little time. Foundation Cadillac, Denver Colorado is charging me for diagnostics for bolts. Having my steering column fall would have been a huge safety issue. I need some help getting Foundation to adjust the steering column at no cost to me. My Cadillac is Out of Warranty.”Owner report · Steering · Mar 2023
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“I have read many forums with this exact problem. My car will get out of gear when I'm at a stop. It will act as if it was in neutral. There are no codes that tell you what is wrong and so many people have found that the issue is that the automatic transmission clutch goes bad. I only have 88k miles on my car and so many people seam to have the exact se problem as I am.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2020
“2010 cadillac cts4 premium 3.6 wagon I replaced the rear prop shaft of the awd system in january 2018. I now am having issues with the rear prop shaft yet again, not 2 years later. I believe the driveshaft carrier bearing is failing again (same as before)! With approximately 49k miles on it. I cannot believe that I have to replace this same item again. After having to replace the rear differential twice on this vehicle, I now believe gm has no clue to make a reliable awd vehicle. Worst car ever.”Owner report · Power Train · Oct 2019
“Passenger presence module malfunction is intermittent. When the malfunction occurs there is a warning light plus "Service Airbag" on the instrument panel. Sometimes the light and warning go off after several minutes, sometimes stays on for days. In Virginia presence of this warning during an annual safety inspection is considered a failure. The vehicle in question is a 2010 Cadillac CTS-V with heated/cooled Recaro seats. Dealership has confirmed that the issue is the module but says the module is not available or on backorder (for years). Issue was first reported to dealer in 2018 and again in 2022 with no resolution. Estimated repair cost is in excess of $1500.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2018
“My car alarm keeps beeping for no reason when parked. As soon as I start the car, the airbag light goes on. The dashboard warning light says that my tire is flat; so, I changed all four tires, and it's still giving drastically inaccurate readings often. Sometimes it says that my tire is flat-- 0 pressure, and sometimes, it says that it has low pressure. My programmed radio stations keep deleting from memory. I took my car to a repair shop to find out what's going on, and they can't figure it out.”Owner report · Seat Belts · Sep 2018
“Takata recall. My psgr airbag light stays on saying psgr airbag off. I saw where certain vehicles were recalled for this. They all have the same problem. Will my vehicle get in the recall or will there be future recalls”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2010 cadillac cts. The contact stated that the service air bag indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to dale willey automotive (2840 iowa st, lawrence, ks 66046, (785) 727-1124) where it was diagnosed that the air bag module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. This is a known issue and not covered under recall. Safety concern with airbag concern with airbag failure. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 114,000.*jb”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2010 cadillac cts. The contact stated that the passenger seat air bag warning indicator failed to illuminate to notify the contact when the seat was occupied. The vehicle was taken to holiday chevrolet cadillac (543 2nd st, williamsburg, va 23185) where it was diagnosed that the seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.”Owner report · Seats · Apr 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CADILLAC CTS ALL WHEEL DRIVE AND CTS-V VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION."
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT ASSEMBLY AND, IN SOME VEHICLES MODIFY THE INSTRUMENT PANEL STRUCTURE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 20, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339.
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.
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.
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CADILLAC CTS VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH A WAX COATING ON THE REAR SUSPENSION TOE LINK JAM NUTS MAY ALLOW THE NUT(S) TO LOOSEN. IF A NUT SUFFICIENTLY LOOSENS, THE TOE LINK COULD SEPARATE AND THE REAR WHEEL WOULD BE ABLE TO TURN INBOARD OR OUTBOARD. OWNERS MAY HEAR A METALLIC CLANKING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE THAT MAY WARN OF A LOOSENING NUT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL CLEAN ALL WAX RESIDUE FROM THE REAR SUSPENSION TOE LINK AND INSTALL TWO NEW JAM NUTS. IF NECESSARY THE REAR SUSPENSION TOE LINK MAY BE REPLACED. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 24, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2010 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact CTS 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 2010 Cadillac CTS reliable?
NHTSA has 67 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2010 Cadillac CTS. The most complained-about area is air bags (15% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2010 Cadillac CTS problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 56,000 miles or less.
Does the 2010 Cadillac CTS have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning equipment. 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.