Your vehicle report
2013 Cadillac XTS
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
- 103
- Received Jul 2012 to May 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Suspension struts and shocks wear out early14 complaints · 14% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own8 complaints · 7.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Seat belt fails to latch or retract4 complaints · 3.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #14V541000General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Cadillac XTS vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to August 22, 2014, and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured November 5, 2012, to September 2, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the electronic parking brake piston actuation arm may not fully retract causing the brake pads to stay partially engaged.
- Recall #14V518000General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac XTS vehicles manufactured April 11, 2013, to June 27, 2013, and 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured May 13, 2013, to November 5, 2013. The affected vehicles may have left the factory with the sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) set to "manufacturing mode."
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: 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 people injured, 0 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 8 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
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 |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 8 |
| 2015 | 8 |
| 2016 | 12 |
| 2017 | 10 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2019 | 15 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 2 |
| Total | 103 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension struts and shocks wear out early | 14 | 14% | – | |
| Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own | 8 | 7.8% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 4 | 3.9% | – | |
| Alloy wheel rims crack and lose air | 4 | 3.9% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 4 | 3.9% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 3 | 2.9% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 2.9% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 3 | 2.9% | – |
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 #14V541000September 9, 2014205,309 vehicles affected
parking brake
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Cadillac XTS vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to August 22, 2014, and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured November 5, 2012, to September 2, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the electronic parking brake piston actuation arm may not fully retract causing the brake pads to stay partially engaged.
Brake pads that remain partially engaged with the rotors may cause excessive brake heat that may result in a fire.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic parking brake software, free of charge. The recall began on October 28, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14471.
NHTSA recall #14V518000August 28, 20145 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac XTS vehicles manufactured April 11, 2013, to June 27, 2013, and 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured May 13, 2013, to November 5, 2013. The affected vehicles may have left the factory with the sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) set to "manufacturing mode."
In manufacturing mode, the vehicle's air bags will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers are to reprogram the SDM to the correct mode, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in September 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14532.
NHTSA recall #14V116000March 17, 201463,903 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac XTS vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, through March 7, 2014. In the affected vehicles, a cavity plug on the brake booster pump connector may dislodge allowing corrosion of the brake booster pump relay connector.
The corrosion of the brake booster pump relay connector may cause a resistive short and melt the connector, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will apply sealant to the connector cavity plugs, re-route the vacuum pump vent hose and replace the front body wiring harnesses as needed, free of charge. The recall began on April 7, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339. GM's number for this recall is 14062.
NHTSA recall #13V220000May 24, 201310,210 vehicles affected
electrical system; exterior lighting: brake lights
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala; and 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. Originally, in May 2013, GM recalled 1,627 model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; and model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. In October 2013, GM informed the agency that it was adding model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles to this campaign , representing an additional 8,050 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 9,677. On the affected vehicles, the brake lamps may intermittently flash without the brakes being applied and the cruise control may disengage. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
If the brake lamps flash when the vehicle is not slowing, a following driver may not adjust vehicle speed when the vehicle is in fact braking, and the brake lamps are illuminating as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module. The recall began on June 13, 2013. Owner's may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339. GM's recall number is 13158.
NHTSA recall #12V525000October 31, 201212,626 vehicles affected
seats: mid/rear assembly
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac XTS vehicles manufactured from October 12, 2011, through August 30, 2012, for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 202, "Head Restraints." The rear seat head restraints may not lock in the upright position after being folded forward. If the head restriant is at its lowest position and it falls forward, it will not meet the height required by the standard.
In the event of a vehicle crash, the lowered head restraint may increase the occupant's risk of neck injury.
Remedy
General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace the head restraints, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2012. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-458-8006.
Other model years
- 2013
- 2014 50
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 2013 Cadillac XTS.
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