Cadillac · CTS · 2016
3
Recalls
31
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2016 Cadillac CTS has 3 recalls and 31 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: power train (6 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
10.1% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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.
Remedy Status
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.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Cadillac CTS vehicles, equipped with heated front seats. The flexible heating mats in the front seats may be damaged over time, resulting in the seat heaters producing excessive heat.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the body control module, disabling the automatic activation of the heated seat when the vehicle is remotely started, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for the recall is 18286.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
The contact owns 2016 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V175000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 93,942.
Message "Shift to Park" even though the car is already in Park, preventing shutting down the car.
The passenger side airbag stays illuminated after the vehicle is started and continues to stay on as the vehicle is driven, never going off. General Motors have not issued a recall on this safety problem with the 2016 Cadillac CTS. My [XXX] address [XXX] . My phone number is [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact's relative owns a 2016 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side air bag inflator needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall and provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 49,790.
Center console screen again has stopped working, no access to settings for the car nor any way to correct settings at this point. Many of the settings can be critical to safe driving of the car and have no manual alternative. This is the second screen in 50k miles.
Rear differential failed @ 44,600 miles. Dealer said car was unsafe to drive. Dealer unable to obtain replacement after 30 days. Internet search shows this to be a known issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds the rear end of the vehicle lowered. There was an abnormal roaring noise detected from the wheels. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that the failure was due to the run flat tires. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the differential was not properly lubricated; and informed him not to drive the vehicle. The parts to repair the vehicle was on back order. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
I have 2 complaints. #1 The transmission shifts extremely hard in and out of gear 1. This issue a known issue, but GM has no resolution. There is a bulletin. The problem is, my car is no shifting poorly in all gears and causing a serious safety issue at all speeds and gears. It won't go into gear causing safety concerns. I have reported the transmission issue multiple times while under warranty and it is now worse outside of warranty! #2 Adaptive cruise has also been reported multiple times and I have paid to get both front sensors replaced. Only to have the issue continue. The dash will show a car is in the path, but there is a 2-3 second delay before car starts to slow down. Often brakes do not engage and the alarms just go off. I have driven a loaner car of similar years and they do not operate the same. This car is an outlier.
The component that failed was the rear differential. I had to pull over on a grassy area on the merrit parkway which put my safety at risk. The component has been inspected by the dealer. No warning lamps appeared. I heard a whining sound and a grinding noise.
The component that failed on my vehicle is the rear differential. My safety was put at risk by my vehicle hesitating on the highway where I lost speed and was almost rear ended. At that point I had to pull over onto a shoulder with grass to wait on the side of the highway for a tow. My vehicle has been with the dealer for the past 2 months. No warning lights or signals.
Torque converter shudders and jerks abruptly. There’s trouble slowing down at times and it has a difficult time shifting up or shifting down i gears.
The side detection light in both side mirrors stays on even when the vehicle is turned off. This may cause an accident while driving The problem is confirmed by the dealer No No
CUE screen is “cracked”. Can no longer see about 1/2 of back up camera screen. Barely missed backing into my neighbors car.
A known issue. “Clutch slow to fill” is a defect of the 8 speed transmission that causes the vehicle to violently buck and surge at low speeds and is dangerous as it makes it unreliable when driving at low speeds since it can randomly lunge forward dangerously. Dealership replaced transmission valve body under warranty and flushed transmission twice but problem remains. Dealership claims it can be fixed with an “update” but tried to charge over $300 for the “update” when it is a defect that should have been fixed under warranty for free or have a recall.
Cracked CUE screen dealership states not covered under warranty and requesting $1700.00 to replace. My 2016 CTS has only 28,500 miles and has always been kept in the garage since I purchased it new in 2016. I truly feel GM should being covering the cost of replacement on this system on a vehicle that had a $64,000 price tag.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the carbon fiber-optic piece on the rear passenger door was fractured. The contact stated the occupant was exiting the rear passenger's door when the occupant was stabbed by the carbon fiber-optic piece. The contact stated that the occupant was stabbed in the back of the right arm. No medical attention was needed. The contact stated that the carbon fiber optic pieces on all four of the door panels and the glove compartment had been replaced several times. The contact stated the glove compartment carbon fiber optic piece was replaced three times. In addition, the contact stated that the carbon fiber optic pieces on each door panel had been replaced twice. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and several cases were filed. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, MY VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER TEMPORARILY. THROTTLE MODULATION DOES NOT INCREASE RPM. AT TIMES THE VEHICLE WILL JERK FORWARD AND BACK AS IF POWER IS BEING PUT DOWN THEN STOPPED ABRUPTLY. ONE TIME I HAD THIS HAPPEN, MY LIGHTS, GAUGES, POWER STEERING, AND ENGINE POWER ALL WENT AWAY. IT FIXED ITSELF AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY EXPERIENCE WHEN THIS HAPPENS ON THE ROAD.
WHEN I ACCELERATED THE TRANSMISSION FELT LIKE IT GOT STUCK AND CONTINUED TO REV WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE AND FELT LIKE I WAS NOT MOVING. RPM CONTINUED TO GO UP BUT NO POWER. OTHER TIMES A VIG BUMP IS FELT WHEN I TAKE FOOT OFF GAS FOR A KOMENT AND WHEN I PLACE IT BACK ON TO ACCELERATE THE BIG BUMP IS FELT. HAVE TAKEN IT TO CADILLAC SEVICE TWICE AND BOTH TIMES TRANSMISSION WAS REPROGRAMMED BUT IT DID NOT DIX THE PROBLEM.
THE CADILLAC CUE DISPLAY FOR RADIO, INFO, HVAC, NAV, ETC. HAS BEGUN TO CRACK (AKA SPIDERWEB CRACKS) WHICH HAS NO MADE THE TOUCH SCREEN UNUSABLE AND BEGUN TO DEGRADE VEHICLE CA0PABILITY. THE DISPLAY FREQUENTLY BLINKS AND MAKES EMITS RANDOM AUDIO TONES BOTH OF WHICH ARE VERY DISTRACTING WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD.
AT 45MPH THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL SHUDDERS. IT ONLY HAPPENS OCCASIONALLY. I'VE CHECKED IT ON VERY SMOOTH ROADS TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T THE CONDITON OF THE ROAD CAUSING THE SHUDDER. SOMETIMES, WHEN THE CAR SHIFTS, IT SHIFTS VERY HARD AS IF BEING BUMPED IN THE REAR. I HAD IT CHECKED AND I'M TOLD IT MAY BE A TRANSMISSION ISSUE BUT NOT SURE. THE ORIGINAL TIRES ARE ON THE CAR AND AT 48 THOUSAND MILES THEY HAVE WORN EVEN. I'VE HAD THE FRONT END CHECKED FOR ALIGNMENT AND THE FRONT WHEELS BALANCED. THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2016 Cadillac CTS has 3 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 31 owner-reported complaints for the 2016 Cadillac CTS.
The 2016 Cadillac CTS received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2016 Cadillac CTS are power train (6 reports), electrical system (4 reports), unknown or other (3 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 3 recalls on record for the 2016 Cadillac CTS. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.