2005 Cadillac CTS
Complaints about this year name air bag far more often than the model's other years — 17% of them, about 5× the usual rate of 3.4%.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 284 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 93 |
| Involving a crash | 25 |
| Involving a fire | 4 |
| Recalls | 6 |
| EPA combined | 19 mpg |
Also unusual this year
- bag warning — 9% of complaints, 22× usual
- sensor — 10% of complaints, 6× usual
- oil — 10% of complaints, 4× usual
What owners wrote
WHILE STATIONARY, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSORS DO NOT RECOGNIZE WHEN AN OCCUPANT WAS IN THE SEAT AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINED OFF INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE [VIN] WAS MADE A…
THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE STATING THE AIR BAG WAS INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V644000, (AIR BAGS: FRONTAL: SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE) AND STATED THAT THE [VIN] ADVISED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUD…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 14V542000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Fixed free of charge.
- 14V394000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Fixed free of charge.
- 10V644000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 10V105000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Fixed free of charge.
- 07V589000 POWER TRAIN Fixed free of charge.
- 06V020000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Fixed free of charge.
How this was worked out
Every year of the Cadillac CTS was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2005 Cadillac CTS? What happened to yours?
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