There are 14 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2003 Cadillac CTSin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
DRIVING 70+MPH ON FREEWAY IN FAST LANE. CAR STOP ACCERLATING AND NO RPM THE STEELING WHEEL THEN LOCKED ON ME WHILE IN THE FAST LANE ON FREEWAY. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER RESTARTED THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO MOVE SAFELY OFF FREEWAY.
WHEN THE CAR IS DRIVING AT 50 MPH OR HIGHER A MESSAGE IS SENT ACROSS THE DASHBOARD SAYING TO "SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM" I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC SO SENSORS WERE BAD AND HE COULD NOT FIND THE ISSUE, WHEN THIS MESSAGE APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD AT HIGH SPEEDS IT FEELS LIKE ABS KICKS IN WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE BRAKES AT ALL, SO THE CAR WILL BRAKE ON ITS OWN AND ALMOST CAUSED A MULTI-CAR PILE UP BECAUSE MY CAR STARTED BRAKING ON ITS OWN OUT OF MY CONTROL
WE OWN A 2003 CADILLAC CTS THAT WE BOUGHT NEW BACK IN LATE 2002. IT CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 85,000 LIGHTLY DRIVEN MILES. ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS AGO, THE ENGINE BECOME STUCK AT HIGH REVOLUTIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, THE CAR ACCELERATED TO HIGH SPEED AND WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN. HAD TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE TO REGAIN CONTROL. WE REFERRED TO THIS AS A "THROTTLE CONTROL" PROBLEM--ALTHOUGH THAT MAY NOT BE THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY. IT WAS REPAIRED BY THE CADILLAC DEALER AT THAT TIME (AT CONSIDERABLE COST). SINCE THEN, THE SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TWO MORE TIMES. IT WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALER ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO BUT THE PROBLEM HAS NOW RETURNED FOR A THIRD TIME.THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION MAY OCCUR AT ANY MOMENT. MOST RECENTLY, THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (COMPUTER)--BUT IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN IF THAT WILL INDEED REPAIR THE PROBLEM. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, WHILE ON A SHORT TRIP ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN EXTREMELY UNEVENLY--BARELY FUNCTIONING. WE LIMPED INTO A CADILLAC DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS TWO FAULTY COILS. THEY REPLACED THOSE (AGAIN AS CONSIDERABLE COST) AND THE CAR RAN WELL AGAIN--UNTIL THIS LATEST EPISODE OF UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION WHERE THE ENGINE BECOMES STUCK AT EXTREMELY HIGH REVOLUTIONS. *TR
I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN NOVEMBER 2011 WITH APPROX. 97,000 MILES SHOWING ON THE ODOMETER. DURING A THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY TRIP OF SOME 1600 MILES, CONSISTING MOSTLY OF HIGHWAY DRIVING WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON, THE ASC (AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL) WOULD DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL, "TUG" THE VEHICLE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT SLIGHTLY, SEEMED TO HAVE A SLIGHT BRAKING EFFECT (ALTHOUGH IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE SUDDEN DECELERATION THAT CAUSED THE SENSE OF BRAKING) AND WOULD DISPLAY " STABILITY CONTROL ENGAGED". THIS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. ALSO, ON THIS SAME TRIP, THE "TRACTION CONTROL" WOULD ENGAGE, WITHOUT WARNING OR NEED, AND DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL CAUSING SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED, DECELERATION. THIS TOO HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES. ALTHOUGH I DID NOTICE THAT THE "TRACTION CONTROL" SEEMED TO ENGAGE WHEN IN A CURVE ON ROUGH OR BUMPY ROADS. I CONCLUDED THAT THIS WAS THE RESULT OF A SUDDEN "WHEEL HOP" OR "SPIN" AS A RESULT OF LOSING TRACTION FROM THE "BOUNCE" WHEN HITTING A BUMP OR ROUGH SPOT. I'VE RUN THE "ONBOARD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM" SEVERAL TIMES AND NO CODES PERTAINING TO THESE EVENTS ARE DISPLAYED. *TR
I HAVE A 2003 CADILLAC CTS WITH 52,000. MILES ..I BOUGHT IT NEW /DEMO WITH 4,000. MILES ON IT. IN THE LAST TWO YEARS I HAVE HAD THE CAR IN THE REPAIR SHOP AT THE DEALERSHIP 4X. THE STABILITY ENGAGED SYSTEM LIGHT APPEARS AND THE CAR PULLS TO THE LEFT AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL VIBRATES. THEY CAN NOT FIX AND HAVE REPLACED SEVERAL AREAS OF FRONT END. SSE LIGHT STILL APPEARS AND IS NOW MORE FREQUENT. YESTERDAY IT HAPPENED 6X IN 20 MIN. I GOT OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT AND THEN UPON BRAKE PRESSURE, VIBRATING PEDAL, ABS ENGAGED. I HAVE BEEN TO MANY FORUMS TO TRY TO FIND A FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM TO NO AVAIL. THIS PROBLEM IS INCREASING AND THE CAR PULLING AND VIBRATING IS GOING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. IS THAT WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO DEMAND THIS PROBLEM BE REPAIRED?YOU HAVE TO LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM. IT IS VERY NUMEROUS AND GM IS IGNORING THE PROBLEM OR WORSE YET THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT...PLEASE HELP! *TR
WE HAVE A 2003 CADILLAC'S CTS WITH ABOUT 77K MILES. ON 7-5-2010 AS WE WERE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT IN A SHOPPING PLAZA AT LESS THAN 5 MPH, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR WENT TO FULL THROTTLE, JUMPED THE CURB, THRU BUSHES, AND ONTO THE HOOD OF THE CAR FACING US. WITHIN A FEW WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS, WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT WITH OUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE, WE NOTICE WHAT SEEMED TO BE THE ENGINE REVVING UP. THE CAR IS IN THE SHOP NOW. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH THE REDUCED POWER WARNING MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE LED SCREEN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD NO THROTTLE RESPONSE AND BEGAN TO DECELERATE INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF. ONCE RESTARTED, THE ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE DEFECT HAD RECENTLY RECURRED BUT HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE VEHICLE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.
DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THE GAS PEDAL BECAME STUCK WHICH CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO HIT A MAIL BOX. *AK *JB
WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. CONSUMER DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND PULLED OVER. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT ACCELERATOR PEDAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
THERE WAS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED INTO WADRIVE. *MR THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TO BE PLACED IN NEUTRAL TO STOP OR SLOW THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE FIXED OR HIS MONEY BACK. *SC *JB
CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING AT MODERATE SPEEDS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, T HE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING ACCELERATED. THE DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKES, BUT IT WAS INEFFECTIVE. *AK THE CONSUMER HAD TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *SC *JB
THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT BACK UP WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE. *NM WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED, THE VEHICLE WOULD ALL OF A SUDDEN COME TO A JOLTING HALT, THE ENGINE WOULD REV FROM THE GAS PEDAL AND STILL BE DEPRESSED. THE SOLENOID WOULD BE REPLACED WHICH DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM AND THEN THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED. *SC
PULLING TO A PARKING PLACE, SLOWLY, FOOT ON BRAKE, HALF WAY INTO THE PARKING SPACE WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE HITTING A CEMENT POLE. NO INJURIES. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE LEFT FRONT. HAD TO EXIT THE PASSENGER SIDE CAR. *NLM
WHILE PARKING AND SHIFTING VEHICLE INTO PARK AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VEHICLE TOOK OFF, RESULTING IN A CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHR INFORMATION.*AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026