2011 Cadillac CTS: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle	2011 / cadillac / cts
known issues	6 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-08)
complaints	108 on file (2010-12-30 → 2025-05-28)
recalls	2
investigations	0
fars	57 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Rear differential and drive shaft failurePOWER TRAIN16 complaints2010-12 → 2022-04cts-2011-rear-differential-driveshaft

10373523 I PURCHASED A NEW 2011 CADILLAC CTS COUPE. IT CONTINUOUSLY MAKES A GROANING SOUND WHICH APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM THE REAR PART OF THE DRIVE TRAIN. THE DEALER CHANGED THE DIFFERENTIAL FLUID TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM REMAINS
11118828 MY CTS-V CURRENTLY HAS 56,000 MILES AND VERY WELL CARED FOR. MY PROBLEM STARTED AT 25,XXX MILES WITH A REAR SEAL LEAK, IT WAS REPLACED BY DEALER AND 9 MONTHS LATER STARTED LEAKING AGAIN
11462739 Under previous GM Safety Recall Bulletin 14233, loss of grease from the center constant velocity (CV) joint over time results in vibrations of the propeller shaft that are transferred to the roll over sensor located on the floor above it

Water intrusion into cabin and wiringELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE4 complaints2015-01 → 2024-10cts-2011-water-intrusion-cabin-wiring

11617805 Water leaking in car like raining in car. The car radio and air conditioner panel wouldn’t turn off . It was draining batter after car would be turned off. Then after that water continues to leak
11617576 The contact owns a 2011 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing a water leak. The contact noticed that the front driver's side seat, door arm rest and floor were significantly wet after rainfall
10672085 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WATER WAS LEAKING INTO THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE REAR WINDOW. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE

Passenger air bag sensor and warning lightAIR BAGS14 complaints2015-03 → 2023-11cts-2011-airbag-sensor-warning-light

11556532 My air bag light is on. I brought it to the dealer for repair. The dealer told me the airbag is unfixable due to the fact that the "Passenger seat presence sensor is broken and no longer manufactured"
10875548 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE PASSENGER PRESENCE SENSING MODULE MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE "SERVICE AIR BAG" LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE

Air bag non-deployment in crashAIR BAGS5 complaints2016-06 → 2020-08cts-2011-airbag-non-deployment-crash

11289844 ON 12-2-19 AT 730AM EASTERN TIME, I WAS INVOLVED IN A 55 MPH SIDE IMPACT CRASH TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE BY A SEMI TRUCK ON INTERSTATE 475 NORTH IN TOLEDO, OHIO, MILE MARKER 10, NEAR HOLLAND, OHIO. NO SIDE IMPACT AIRBAGS DEPLOYED
10881263 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 TO 30 MPH, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A POST. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY
11039819 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY

Headlight dimming and condensationEXTERIOR LIGHTING4 complaints2018-02 → 2019-01cts-2011-headlight-dimming-condensation

11129174 HEADLIGHTS DIMMING OVER TIME. CAR IS BARELY DRIVABLE AT NIGHT. DEALER SAYS I NEED TO REPLACE HEADLIGHTS AND WIRING HARNESS. STATED THAT WIRING HARNESS WAS LIKELY MELTED
11139127 PURCHASED THIS CAR BRAND NEW IN 2012 FROM CAMARGO CADILLAC IN CINCINNATI,OHIO VECHILE HAS 41,000 MILES AND WELL TAKEN CARE,IN 2015 NOTICED HEADLIGHT ON PASSENGER SIDE HAVING A LOT OF CONDENSATION
11073878 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. WHILE DRIVING, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO RESPOND WITHOUT WARNING

Engine stall without warningENGINE5 complaints2011-10 → 2015-03cts-2011-engine-stall-without-warning

10691920 TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING
10432519 VEHICLE STALLED OR TRIED TO STALL IN TRAFFIC WHILE IN MOTION AT APPROXIMATE SPEEDS OF 25-35 MPH APPROXIMATELY 10 TIMES OVER A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 6-8 MILES. WAS TOWED TO DEALER
10583019 DUE TO THE RECENT GM PROBLEMS WITH IGNITION SWITCH I WANTED TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT ON MY 2011 CADILLAC CTS AS I AM NOT HEARING MY CAR MENTIONED FOR RECALL

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
108	2010-12-30	2025-05-28	11	3	AIR BAGS:25; POWER TRAIN:25; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:20; ENGINE:13; STEERING:11

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
14V341000	19/06/2014	AIR BAGS	General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured October 18, 2010, to June 2, 2011. In the affected vehicles, vibrations from the drive shaft may cause the vehicle's roll over sensor to command the roof rail air bags to deploy.	If the roof rail air bags deploy unexpectedly, there is an increased risk of crash and injury to the occupants.	GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear drive shaft assembly, free of charge. General Motors distributed an interim letter to owners on August 27, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14233.
14V394000	02/07/2014	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.	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.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	57	legacy-code	0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2011 Cadillac CTS vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2011/cadillac/cts

@misc{wrenchpro_2011_cadillac_cts_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2011 Cadillac CTS},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2011/cadillac/cts}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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