Cadillac CT5 Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability
Year-by-year breakdown of safety recalls, NHTSA owner complaints, reported deaths, injuries, crashes, and worst problem areas. Updated daily from federal databases.
Recent Safety Incidents — Last 5 Model Years
Own a Cadillac CT5? Check your specific VIN for a full history report.
Cadillac CT5 — Year-by-Year Problem Comparison
| Year | Verdict | Recalls | Complaints | Crashes | Injuries | Deaths | Top Issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Best | Excellent | — | 3 | — | — | — | Engine | Full report → |
| 2025 | Good | — | 6 | — | — | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2024 | Good | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2023 | Good | — | 9 | 3 | 1 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2022 | Good | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2021 | Avoid | 3 | 19 | 4 | 1 | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2020Worst | Avoid | 2 | 27 | 1 | — | — | Power Train | Full report → |
7 model years shown. Crashes, injuries, and deaths from NHTSA complaint filings. Click any year for full details.
Most Common Cadillac CT5 Problems
Based on 70 owner complaints filed with NHTSA across all model years.
Recent Safety Recalls — Cadillac CT5 (2022–2026)
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Cadillac CT4 and CT5; 2021-2023 Buick Envision; and 2022-2023 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: The body control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2023. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N222386380. This recall expands previous recall number 22V-827.
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Cadillac CT4 and CT5 vehicles. The roof rail side-curtain air bags may not have been installed correctly, which could result in an improper air bag deployment during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect both left and right-side roof rail air bags and reinstall the air bags, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 30, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212342780.
General Motors has decided that certain 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2025-2026 Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox EV, GMC Canyon, 2026 Buick Enclave, Envision, Cadillac CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade IQ, Escalade IQL, LYRIQ, VISTIQ, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Corvette Convertible, Corvette Coupe, Corvette Convertible E-Ray, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, Silverado EV, Suburban 1500, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Hummer EV Pickup, Hummer EV SUV, Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, Sierra EV, Terrain, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The radio may not have been set to the correct status to download the electronic owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Protection.”
Remedy: Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-467-9700, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N252540430. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 26, 2026.
Showing 3 recalls from 2022–2026 model years. See the full year-specific pages for older recalls.
Recent Owner Complaints
Direct reports filed with NHTSA by Cadillac CT5 owners — 2022–2026 model years.
Incident Overview: A Continental Control Contact Sport SRS tire (DOT 5323) experienced a catastrophic internal structural failure during normal driving on a wet roadway. The tire had approximately 50% tread remaining and was 1–1.5 years old. Failure Description: Inspection indicates internal belt/carcass separation originating within the tire structure, leading to rapid pressure loss and rupture. No road hazard or external impact was present. Crash Sequence: The failure caused immediate loss of control, vehicle yaw, roadway departure, and multiple impacts (frontal and lateral). The driver airbag deployed, confirming measurable crash force. Injuries: - Aggravation of pre-existing back condition (surgery required) - Hip labral tear and bone spur (surgery required) - Neck and shoulder pain Conclusion: The initiating event was a premature internal structural tire failure, not driver negligence or external hazard.
Catastrophic engine failure within 700 miles Requires full engine replacement Problems began around 150 miles on odometer Message: Reduced accelerated speed Check engine light Service transmission system Service variable valve timing system
I put up a rubber stop to test the emergency stop feature the car is equipped with. With car moving either forward in drive or backwards in reverse the car would not automatically stop before hitting this two foot high aid. A warning vibration is felt just before the car struck the device but the way I understand it in the owners manual the car should come to a complete emergency stop. This could endanger anyone or anything that the driver did not see while moving the car, i.e., a child on a tricycle for example.
Front driver side door unable to open from the outside. Faulty door handle pad. Initially randomly wouldn’t work, would have to press the pressure pad multiple times or press on specific part of the pad. Eventually, stopped working all together. It’s a safety issue if unable to open the door during an emergency. Pretty common issue on Cadillac CT5s regardless of trim. Affects all 4 doors, just happen to be the driver side is the most used.
Driver Door continue to not open. You must remove key cover off handle and manually open door with key or roll down all windows with Keyfob to reach in to open doors
Air bags did not deploy in bad car accident. Safety issue.
Rough idle, reduced acceleration, engine failure requires engine/motor to be replaced. Only 4300 miles on car. Purchase date 6/21/2025. Failure10/25/2025.
I went to test drive this car on Saturday 9/27, and noticed that the rear view mirror--the actual mirror, not the video screen inside it--was vibrating/shaking immensely as I drove it. I told them I'd buy the car, but they have to fix the mirror. Tuesday 9/30 I bought the car, with the assurance that the mirror had been fixed. Apparently there's a screw that was loose. Upon leaving the dealership, I discovered that the shaking/vibrating hadn't gone away--it was merely diminished. I took the car back. We discovered another identical model and year of the car on the lot, and it exhibited the exact same problems. Initially the same screw was loose, but after fixing it that mirror also gave the same shaking/vibrating. We determined that this looks like an overall problem with this model and year, at the least, and the dealership didn't know what to do. I declined the car. This is a serious issue with rear visibility. The rear view mirror is almost unusable, and it's almost illness-inducing to see in action.
The contact owns a 2026 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle with the Super Cruise feature activated, the message indicated a road construction zone, and the brakes independently activated. The contact stated that there was no road construction nearby. The contact reset the super cruise control feature. The contact stated that while the super cruise control was set at 75 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 100 MPH within seconds. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was awaiting scheduling information. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to cease using the cruise control feature until the vehicle was inspected by the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.
The valve body in the ten speed transmission failed while driving. The transmission did a rough shift and a message popped up on the display saying that power has been reduced along with the check engine light illuminating. The transmission reduced usable gears to prevent damage. I was a hazard on the road way due to not being able to get up to the posted speed limit. The car is at Harvey Cadillac (the dealership I purchased the car from) and I have been told GM is going to replace the transmission under warranty.
I purchased a 2023 Cadillac CT5 from a Cadillac dealership in Cleveland, Ohio on June 24th, 2025 with slightly under 18K miles. On July 30th, I took the car to a local Cadillac dealer due to on a few occasions, while driving down the highway, the car went into "decreased acceleration, drive with care". The service department said the Cadillac had over 90k recalls for the transmission body valve and the backlog for the part was significant, in some cases I read over a year. I hadn't even made one payment yet, and now it's in the shop for who knows how long. Shouldn't the consumer be protected? I was not made aware of any recalls, and the dealership is denying any wrong doing since the carfax report was clean. This is not ok. I am requesting a buy back, but may need to involve legal counsel.
The lane departure didn’t work as expected to avoid a crash. I was hurt and bruised due to the air bags never deployed after hit on right wheel number flew off causing my to go into 5 guard rails . The whole front end was destroyed into pieces “no airbags” I’m lucky to be alive. It was inspected by police and my insurance company consider it total loss.nothing before or after the impact
29 total complaints retrieved from NHTSA for 2022–2026. For older model years, see individual year pages.
CT5 Years to Avoid
Best CT5 Years to Buy
Cadillac CT5 Problems by Year
Frequently Asked Questions — Cadillac CT5 Reliability
What year CT5 has the most problems?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2020 Cadillac CT5 had the highest combined complaint and recall count — 27 complaints and 2 safety recalls. See the full 2020 report for specific defects.
Is the Cadillac CT5 reliable?
The Cadillac CT5 has accumulated 70 owner-filed complaints and 6 safety recalls across all model years in NHTSA's database. There have been 1 reported deaths associated with complaints. The 2026 model year shows the fewest reported issues. Always run a VIN check before purchasing any used CT5.
What are the most common CT5 problems?
The most frequently cited problem areas are: Power Train (14 reports), Electrical System (9 reports), Engine (7 reports), Unknown Or Other (7 reports). Based on NHTSA complaints across all model years.
How do I check if my CT5 has an open recall?
Use the vehicle's 17-character VIN at VinCheckEngine.com. Our free VIN report pulls the latest NHTSA recall data along with auction history, odometer records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
Check a Specific Cadillac CT5 VIN
Model-level data shows what can go wrong. A VIN-specific report shows what has gone wrong with a particular vehicle — including auction history, odometer discrepancies, open recalls, accident records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
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