2016 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	2016 / cadillac / cts
known issues	5 clusters (reviewed 2026-07-31)
complaints	31 on file (2016-06-01 → 2025-12-08)
recalls	4
investigations	0
fars	13 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Rear differential failurePOWER TRAIN5 complaints2020-02 → 2024-01cts-2016-rear-differential-failure

11563267 Rear differential failed @ 44,600 miles. Dealer said car was unsafe to drive. Dealer unable to obtain replacement after 30 days. Internet search shows this to be a known issue
11468827 The component that failed on my vehicle is the rear differential. My safety was put at risk by my vehicle hesitating on the highway where I lost speed and was almost rear ended
11461848 The component that failed was the rear differential. I had to pull over on a grassy area on the merrit parkway which put my safety at risk. The component has been inspected by the dealer. No warning lamps appeared. I heard a whining sound and a grinding noise

Transmission harsh shifting and shudderPOWER TRAIN5 complaints2017-06 → 2022-10cts-2016-transmission-harsh-shift-shudder

11487639 Torque converter shudders and jerks abruptly. There’s trouble slowing down at times and it has a difficult time shifting up or shifting down i gears
11424320 A known issue. “Clutch slow to fill” is a defect of the 8 speed transmission that causes the vehicle to violently buck and surge at low speeds and is dangerous as it makes it unreliable when driving at low speeds since it can randomly lunge forward dangerously
11373601 WHEN I ACCELERATED THE TRANSMISSION FELT LIKE IT GOT STUCK AND CONTINUED TO REV WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE AND FELT LIKE I WAS NOT MOVING. RPM CONTINUED TO GO UP BUT NO POWER

CUE touchscreen cracking and failureELECTRICAL SYSTEM4 complaints2020-09 → 2024-08cts-2016-cue-screen-crack-failure

11430899 CUE screen is “cracked”. Can no longer see about 1/2 of back up camera screen. Barely missed backing into my neighbors car
11423114 Cracked CUE screen dealership states not covered under warranty and requesting $1700.00 to replace. My 2016 CTS has only 28,500 miles and has always been kept in the garage since I purchased it new in 2016
11611649 Center console screen again has stopped working, no access to settings for the car nor any way to correct settings at this point. Many of the settings can be critical to safe driving of the car and have no manual alternative. This is the second screen in 50k miles

Battery failure and loss of electrical powerELECTRICAL SYSTEM4 complaints2017-09 → 2020-12cts-2016-battery-electrical-power-loss

11043114 I BOUGHT THE CAR AS NEW WITH 6711 MILES. AROUND 12000 MILES THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FROM 6-28-17 TO 8-19-17. THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DOWN,NO CELLS, CAN'T BE CHARGED
11385311 WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, MY VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER TEMPORARILY. THROTTLE MODULATION DOES NOT INCREASE RPM. AT TIMES THE VEHICLE WILL JERK FORWARD AND BACK AS IF POWER IS BEING PUT DOWN THEN STOPPED ABRUPTLY

Passenger air bag warning light illuminationAIR BAGS2 complaints2025-02 → 2025-03cts-2016-passenger-airbag-warning-light

11645750 The passenger side airbag stays illuminated after the vehicle is started and continues to stay on as the vehicle is driven, never going off. General Motors have not issued a recall on this safety problem with the 2016 Cadillac CTS
11645131 The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side air bag inflator needed to be replaced

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
31	2016-06-01	2025-12-08	0	1	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:10; POWER TRAIN:9; STEERING:4; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:4; SUSPENSION:4

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
18V595000	07/09/2018	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER	General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Cadillac CTS vehicles, equipped with heated front seats. The flexible heating mats in the front seats may be damaged over time, resulting in the seat heaters producing excessive heat.	In cold ambient temperatures, the seat heaters in these vehicles can turn on automatically when the vehicle is remotely started. If a damaged seat heater is turned on while no one is inside the vehicle, the damaged seat heater can overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.	GM will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the body control module, disabling the automatic activation of the heated seat when the vehicle is remotely started, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for the recall is 18286.
19V086000	07/02/2019	STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM	General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, and 2017 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist system may fail.	Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.	GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. GM' number for this recall is N182182760.
25V175000	20/03/2025	STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM	General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, 2017-2018 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist may fail.	A loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.	Dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2025. Owners may contact Cadilac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252497020.
26V329000	21/05/2026	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.	An inflator rupture may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.	Dealers will replace the front-driver air bag module, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 19, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N262555870. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	13	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). 2016 Cadillac CTS vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2016/cadillac/cts

@misc{wrenchpro_2016_cadillac_cts_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2016 Cadillac CTS},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2016/cadillac/cts}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

hub · known-issues · methodology · license · research (interpretation)