Your vehicle report
2009 Cadillac CTS
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 167
- Received Jan 2009 to Mar 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Timing chain fails and destroys engine31 complaints · 19% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline9 complaints · 5.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking8 complaints · 4.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #14V394000This 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.
- Recall #11V089000General 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 10 crashes, 0 fires, 7 people injured, 3 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 18 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 8 |
| 2010 | 19 |
| 2011 | 9 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 21 |
| 2015 | 21 |
| 2016 | 22 |
| 2017 | 11 |
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 17 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 167 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timing chain fails and destroys engine | 31 | 19% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 9 | 5.4% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 8 | 4.8% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 6 | 3.6% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 5 | 3.0% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 5 | 3.0% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 5 | 3.0% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 4 | 2.4% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 4 | 2.4% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 4 | 2.4% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 3 | 1.8% | – | NHTSA recall #10V414000 |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 3 | 1.8% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #14V394000July 2, 2014554,328 vehicles affected
electrical system: ignition
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.
If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
NHTSA recall #11V089000February 11, 201144,147 vehicles affected
suspension: rear
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.
The driver may experience sudden changes with vehicle handling and may not be able to control the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
NHTSA recall #10V414000September 13, 201020,224 vehicles affected
equipment
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."
In the event of a crash, the front passenger may be at an increased risk of leg injury.
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.
NHTSA recall #10V240000June 4, 20101,365,070 vehicles affected
electrical system
Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Buick, lucerne; Cadillac dts; Hummer H2; model year 2008-2009 Buick enclave; Cadillac Cts; model year 2007-2009 Cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; Gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 Chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Remedy
Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080, Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, Gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and Hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
NHTSA recall #08V582000November 5, 200812,662 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal
Gm is recalling 12,662 my 2009 Cadillac Cts vehicles for failing to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' under certain conditions, a software condition within the passenger sensing system may disable the front passenger air bag when it should be enabled or enable it when it should be disabled.
In a vehicle crash, if the front passenger air bag does not operate as designed, increased personal injury could occur.
Remedy
Dealers will reprogram the passenger sensing system module free of charge. The recall began on november 18, 2008. Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2009 Cadillac CTS.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN