2004 Cadillac Cts
The Verdict
The 2004 Cadillac Cts has 229 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (60 complaints) and electrical (55 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 50/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Cadillac Cts, consider the 2018 model year which has 96% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2018 has 96% fewer complaints
View the 2018 Cadillac Cts dashboard →
Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution
About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 4
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 207, "SEATING SYSTEMS." ONE OR BOTH FRONT ANCHOR TABS FOR THE FRONT ...
Risk
IN SOME CRASH CONDITIONS, THE SEAT COULD PIVOT REARWARD AND ITS OCCUPANT OR A REAR SEAT OCCUPANT COULD BE INJURED MORE SEVERELY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL ENSURE THAT BOTH FRONT ANCHOR TABS ARE FULLY SEATED IN THE FLOOR PAN REINFORCEMENT SLOTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 19, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT GM AT 1-800-458-8006.
Reported Apr 10, 2026
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, AN INTERACTION BETWEEN THE SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE AND VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MAY CAUSE THE DRIVER'S FRONTAL AIR BAG AND/OR ROOF-MOUNTED SIDE IMPACT AIR BA...
Risk
A PERSON POSITIONED FOR DRIVING MAY RECEIVE MINOR INJURIES, SUCH AS ABRASIONS, FROM CONTACT WITH A DEPLOYING AIR BAG.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 20, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339.
Reported Apr 10, 2026
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V vehicles manufactured October 6, 2003, to March 15, 2007, and 2006-2007 Cadillac STS-V vehicles manufactured June 23...
Risk
If the flange melts, a hole may be created allowing the fuel pump to leak fuel, causing the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, leaking fuel in the presence of ...
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel module and fuel tank jumper harness, free of charge. GM sent out interim notices in late October. The recall began on March 12, 2015. Own...
Reported Sep 9, 2014
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN, THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL STUD NUT/WASHER ASSEMBLIES WITH WASHERS WERE MADE OF THE WRONG MATERIAL. THE WASHERS MAY FRACTURE AND BECOME LOO...
Risk
IF THE CONTROL ARM SEPARATES FROM THE KNUCKLE, THE AFFECTED CORNER OF THE VEHICLE WILL DROP AND THE CONTROL ARM WOULD BE FORCED DOWNWARD, CONTACTING THE WHEEL. THE AFFECTED WHEEL COULD TILT OUTWA...
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BALL STUD JOINTS AND MEASURE THE TORQUE OF THE NUT FOR ALL FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS IN ALL MODELS AFFECTED AS WELL AS THE REAR LOWER CONTROL ARMS ON THE XLR AND CORVETTE. ...
Reported Sep 6, 2004
Get notified if a recall hits this car.
We email you when NHTSA issues a new recall on the 2004 Cadillac Cts. No spam, no marketing.
Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
The output shaft flange for the transmission that mounts to the driveshaft coupler the flange starts to break away and then breaks . I can provide photos but the metal on the part is close the the end and if I did not find this problem by mistake the drive shaft would have came free
I am writing regarding a recent incident regarding the left front control arm of our 2004 CTS Cadillac. There was a recall for the lower control arm ball nut/washer attaching the control arm, which could lead to disengagement of the control arm, disengagement of the wheel and tire, and possible crash. We purchased the car in 2015. The Cadillac Service Center in Beverly Hills confirmed that they have records showing the car was inspected, and the recalled piece replaced in 2006. The dealer at that time was named Martin Cadillac. The night of [XXX], my son was driving the CTS on the freeway at about 50 mph, when the front left tire and wheel suddenly twisted out of place and rendered the car undrivable. Fortunately, he was not injured or worse, but he was stranded in the middle of a busy freeway for more than 30 minutes until AAA arrived. The car was then towed to our home and towed to our mechanic the following day. The repair needed and done was to replace the left front control arm, precisely the area noted in the recall notice. Also, it was necessary to repair the undercarriage that was damaged by the dislocated wheel and tire. The left front fender was also damaged by the action of the detached tire and wheel. The total repair cost we paid was $793.13 for the control arm and undercarriage. We are not currently driving the car, as we are concerned that the car is still unsafe. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Recent incident regarding the left front control arm of our 2004 CTS Cadillac. There was a recall for the lower control arm ball nut/washer attaching the control arm, which could lead to disengagement of the control arm, disengagement of the wheel and tire, and possible crash. We purchased the car in 2015. The Cadillac Service Center in Beverly Hills confirmed that they have records showing the car was inspected, and the recalled piece replaced in 2006. The dealer at that time was named Martin Cadillac. The night of [XXX], my son was driving the CTS on the freeway at about 50 mph, when the front left tire and wheel suddenly twisted out of place, impairing the steering and motion, rendering the car undrivable. He was stranded in the middle of a busy freeway for more than 30 minutes until AAA arrived. The car was then towed on a flatbed to our home and towed on a flatbed to our mechanic the following day. The repairs needed and done were to replace the left front control arm, precisely the area noted in the recall notice. Also, it was necessary to repair the undercarriage that was damaged by the dislocated wheel and tire. The left front fender was also damaged by the action of the detached tire and wheel. The total repair cost we paid was $793.13 for the control arm and undercarriage. We are not currently driving the car, as we are concerned that the car is still unsafe, and we are renting a car meanwhile. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
fuel pump was failed replaced under recall back in 2016. Now again the fuel pump has failed again vehicle stalled. Please have GM repair it again under previous recall remedy. Please see attached photo
The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the vehicle would not restart. The contact stated that the ignition failure required her to contact roadside assistance to jump start the battery. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The contact had an independent mechanic diagnose the vehicle and determined that there was an unknown electrical issue. The contact researched the failure online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V394000 (Electrical System). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.
VEHICLE GOES INTO THEFT MODE WHILE DRIVING, LOCKING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS INSIDE THE CAR. WINDOWS CANNOT BE ROLLED DOWN AND DOORS CANNOT BE UNLOCKED. CAR STOPS SHOWING SPEED, FUEL LEVEL, ETC. IN MOTION ON CITY STREETS. ALSO HAPPENS WHEN PARKED.
AT ABOUT 100K I NOTICED THE AXLE SEALS ON THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL IS LEAKING. THERE ARE RECALLS ON THIS BUT NOT BASED ON MY VIN NUMBER. WHEN I NOTICED THIS THE CAR WAS ON A LIFT IN THE AIR BEING INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC.
I HAVE A CTS AND I'VE GOTTEN IT SERVICE THINKING IT WAS A TUNE UP DO TO IT WAS MISFIRING. COME TO FIND OUT THAT IT WAS MY CYLINDERS GOTTEN THEN FIXED AND IT HAS DONE THE SAME. DID RESEARCH ON CTS AND COME TO FIND OUT THAT IS A MAJOR ISSUE FOR THESE CARS. WHAT KIND OF SOLUTION CAN BE MADE TO STOP THESE ISSUES
THE TIMING BELT COVER LEAKING OIL CREATING FIRE HAZARD
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V024000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. *TT *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CADILLAC CTS. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CLOSE THE TRUNK MANUALLY, IT RAPIDLY CLOSED DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED FOR THEIR SAFETY AND STATED THAT IT COULD CAUSE INJURIES. DUE TO THE DISTANCE AND THE CONTACT'S HANDICAP, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,500.
I GOT THE CAR TOOKEN BUT THEY DONT WANT GAVE IT BACK I DONT NOW THE RESON CAN U GUYS GET IT BK THANK U WITH MY FULL RESPECT GOING OUT TO U N UR WORKERS
MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME AND THE BRAKES WENT OUT AND HE HAD TO PUMP THEM TO BE ABLE TO STOP. UPON REASEARCHING THE CAMPAIGN NUMBER CAME UP. HIS BRAKE LIGHT CAME AND AND UPON INSPECTING THE BRAKE LINES AND CHECKING THE FLUID IT WAS LOW AND THE LINES APPEAR TO BE CORRODED. CADILLAC STATED THERE IS NOT ACTIVE RECALL.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, AND WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE BRAKE FAILED. THE CONTACT HAD TO ENGAGE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE AT LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS. THE BRAKE AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS FAILED, THE BALL JOINT WAS CRACKED AND BOTH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO CENTRAL HOUSTON CADILLAC DEALER (2520 MAIN ST, HOUSTON, TX 77002, (832) 431-5697) BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED DUE TO THE DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR FEES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: 84781603741. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.
AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, AT 60 MPH, MY SUNROOF, WHICH WAS CLOSED, FLEW OFF OF MY CAR! NO WARNING. NO REASON TO DO SO. IT JUST FLEW RIGHT OFF. THANKFULLY, NO-ONE WAS HURT AND EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. I WAS DRIVING WEST ON 90 RIGHT BEFORE THE LAGRANGE RD/301 EXIT IN OHIO.
IN BACK SEAT ON LEFT AIRBAG IS REALLY COMING OUT. IM AFRAID IT WILL EXPLODE WHEN I HAVE A CHILD OR FAMILY MEMBER IN THE SEAT. THE AIRBAG SITS RIGHT OVER THE PERSON THAT SITS UNDER IT. I HAPPEN TO NOTICE IT WHEN I WAS HELPING MY ELDER MOTHER OUT OF THE CAR. HELP PLEASE 🙏🏼 WE JUST HOME FROM DOCTORS APPOINTMENT.
ON MAY 18TH, 2018 I PURCHASED A 2004 CADILLAC CTS FROM TOP NOTCH AUTO. THE GAS GAUGE, BRAKES, A/C, BLINKERS DASH BUTTONS ALL WERE NOT WORKING. HE SAID TO BRING IT THE NEXT DAY AND THEY WOULD FIX IT ALL. I RAN OUT OF GAS GETTING THERE THE NEXT DAY DUE TO NOT HAVING A WORKING GAS GAUGE. I SPENT THE ENTIRE DAY THERE AND THEY DID NOTHING TO FIX THE CAR. THE NEXT DAY THE COMPUTER (ECM) WENT OUT ON THE CAR AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SAYING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS BAD. I TOOK THE CAR BACK AND ASKED FOR MY MONEY BACK AND THEY SAID NO BUT WOULD FIX IT AND THEY HAD THE CAR FOR OVER TWO WEEKS. THEY SAID EVERYTHING WAS FIXED BUT I NOTICED THE CAR WENT FROM 176000 MILES TO 101000 MILES (ODOMETER ROLLED BACK). I ASKED ABOUT THIS AND HE SAID IT WAS LEGAL AND NECESSARY TO FIX THE CAR. THE DAY AFTER GETTING IT BACK THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 20MPH ON THE ROAD. THE CODES READ PO121, PO23 AND THIS TIME IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY AND WIRING THAT WERE BAD. THE DEALER WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT. I PAID $498 OUT OF POCKET AND ANOTHER 3 DAYS WITHOUT THE CAR. I TOLD HIM THE BRAKES WERE STILL BAD AND THE CAR BARELY STOPS AND PULLS HARD TO THE RIGHT. ON FRIDAY JUNE 22ND THEY TOLD ME TO COME IN TO GET THE CARS VIN CHECKED OUT FOR MY REGISTRATION AND SO THEY CAN LOOK AT THE BRAKES. THEY SAID THEY BRAKES ARE FINE (THEY ARE NOT) AND HE TOOK MY KEYS AND WOULD NOT RETURN THEM UNTIL I SIGNED DOCUMENTATION SAYING I WOULD NOT COMPLAIN OR TAKE HIM TO COURT. IT IS NOW JULY 9TH, 2018 AND THEY WILL NOT GIVE ME MY PLATES OR REGISTRATION AND SAY I AM STUCK PAYING FOR THIS DEATH TRAP OF A CAR.
WHEN YOU ENGAGE THE WINDSHIELD WASHER, THE WIPERS CONTINUE TO RUN AND WILL NOT TURN OFF. AT TIMES THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE WIPERS IS TO PULL THE FUSE. OTHER TIMES, SIMPLY TURNING OFF THE IGNITION AND LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES ALSO WORKS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CADILLAC CTS. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CHECK ENGINE, SERVICE AIR BAG, AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE MADE NOISES. PATRIOT AUTO SALES IN CLEVELAND, OHIO WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES AND SCHEDULED A SERVICE APPOINTMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
MY CAR WAS IN MOTION ON THE INTERSTATE. THE CAR IS USED BUT EXCELLENT CONDITION AND RECENTLY PURCHASED. I FELT A JOLT GOT OFF THE NEXT EXIT AND CAR WILL NOT START, ALL BATTERIES COME ON, EVERYTHING ELSE WORKS
229 total