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2013 Cadillac CTS recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 2 US recalls for the 2013 Cadillac CTS, and 1 in Canada. Owners filed 73 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 5 stars.

2US recalls
0urgent recalls
73owner complaints
5★overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the exact model and see every recall for it.

Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.

US recalls (2)

Electrical system

2014-10-01 · campaign 14V614000 · 106,307 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM’s number for this recall is 14515.

Electrical system: ignition

2014-07-02 · campaign 14V394000 · 554,328 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Canadian recalls (1)

Show 1 Canadian recall

Electrical

2014-07-02 · campaign 2014-273

On certain vehicles, there is a risk that some drivers may bump the ignition key with their knee and unintentionally move the key from out of the "run" position. If this were to occur, engine power, power braking and power steering would be affected, which would unexpectedly increase steering and brake pedal effort, potentially increasing stopping distances and the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. The timing of the key movement out of the "run" position, relative to the activation of the sensing algorithm of the crash event, may also result in the airbags not deploying in a subsequent collision, increasing the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers are to remove the key blade from the original flip key/transmitter assemblies provided with the vehicle, and provide two new keys and two key rings for every original key. Important note: Until the correction is performed, drivers should adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.

Owner complaints (73)

Owners filed 73 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Cadillac CTS (10 crashes, 8 injuries reported). Among 17 model years of this model, it ranks #10 for the most complaints (median 101).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Electrical system26
Power train13
Air bags11
Steering10
Suspension7
Engine7
Unknown or other7
Service brakes6

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2013 Cadillac CTS.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2013 Cadillac CTS 4 DR RWD5★5★5★4★
2013 Cadillac CTS 4 DR AWD5★5★5★4★
2013 Cadillac CTS SW RWD5★5★5★4★
2013 Cadillac CTS SW AWD5★5★5★4★
2013 Cadillac CTS 2 DR RWD––––
2013 Cadillac CTS 2 DR AWD––––

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2013 Cadillac CTS version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
CTS 3.0 L Manual 6-spd162619$3,550
CTS 3.0 L Automatic (S6)182721$3,200
CTS 3.6 L Automatic (S6)182621$3,200
CTS 6.2 L Manual 6-spd141916$5,150
CTS 6.2 L Automatic (S6)121814$4,800
CTS AWD 3.0 L Automatic (S6)182621$3,200
CTS AWD 3.6 L Automatic (S6)182621$3,200
CTS Wagon 3.0 L Automatic (S6)182621$3,200
CTS Wagon 3.6 L Automatic (S6)182621$3,200
CTS Wagon 6.2 L Manual 6-spd141916$5,150
CTS Wagon 6.2 L Automatic (S6)121814$5,850
CTS Wagon AWD 3.0 L Automatic (S6)182621$3,200
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Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada). Recalls updated 2026-10-30.