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2021 Cadillac CT5: 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.

vehicle2021 / cadillac / ct5
known issues5 clusters (reviewed 2026-08-21)
complaints25 on file (2021-08-29 → 2026-09-17)
recalls4
investigations1
fars3 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexedyes
licenseCC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Exterior door handle switch failure preventing entryELECTRICAL SYSTEM11 complaints2024-12-28 → 2026-08-08ct5-2021-exterior-door-handle-failure
  • 11680213 The exterior door handle latch release switch fails to open the door. This issue happened to all 4 exterior doors. The problem starts with intermittently, then progresses to complete failure. Once it fails, the entire door handle needs to be replaced
  • 11748689 All 4 of my door handles suddenly stopped working and they will start working from time to time. Most of the time it’s 3-4 days where i cant open my door’s from the outside. I have looked into this and have found that MANY other CT5 users have had the same experience
  • 11738510 Then in March of this year, both rear doors completely failed. Neither rear door will open from the inside or the outside, and they are still that way today. We took the vehicle back to the dealer, and they performed a software update and sent us a service video
Air bag non-deployment in crash eventsAIR BAGS2 complaints2021-08-29 → 2025-07-26ct5-2021-airbag-non-deployment
  • 11676354 My 2025 Cadillac CT5 was stationary at a red light behind a red truck when a black truck traveling in the opposite direction struck the truck head-on. The red truck was pushed backward into the front of my CT5 with enough force to cause major front-end damage. Despite this, no…
  • 11430956 There was no indication that the Automatic Braking System, Air Bags and Seatbelts were not working properly. In August 12, 2021, I was in an auto accident where I rear-ended another dodge car. The air bags did not deploy and Onstar was not notified
Powertrain shudder and transmission shift faultPOWER TRAIN2 complaints2025-01-15 → 2025-08-19ct5-2021-powertrain-shudder-shift
  • 11681668 The contact stated that while driving approximately 42 MPH – 66 MPH, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and shuddered while shifting gears. The cause of the failure was not yet determined
  • 11636164 Service transmission message showed up on dash. Dealer stated after performance test found P17A5 code for shift control. The dealer stated that the gear shift assembly needed to be replaced and if not, that the car could get stuck in gear which I feel is a safety risk
Engine seizure and shutdown while drivingENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, WHEELS1 complaints2026-02-12 → 2026-02-12ct5-2021-engine-seizure
  • 11717706 While driving on a very busy highway going downhill when suddenly the vehicle started feeling abnormal like it was going to turn off automatically, heard an abnormal grinding noise coming from the engine the vehicle dropped speed drastically and the check engine light turned on
Sunroof spontaneous shattering while drivingVISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1 complaints2024-07-26 → 2024-07-26ct5-2021-sunroof-shattering
  • 11604820 The contact stated while driving at approximately 72 MPH, there was a loud noise inside the cabin. The contact became aware that the sunroof had shattered without impact. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

countearliest_datelatest_datecrash_flaggedfire_flaggedtop_components
252021-08-292026-09-1730ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:10; STRUCTURE:6; POWER TRAIN:3; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:2; AIR BAGS:2

Recalls all years →

campaign_numberreport_received_datecomponentsummaryconsequenceremedy
21V61100005/08/2021AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAINGeneral Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Cadillac CT4 and CT5 vehicles. The roof rail side-curtain air bags may not have been installed correctly, which could result in an improper air bag deployment during a crash.Air bags that do not deploy properly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.Dealers will inspect both left and right-side roof rail air bags and reinstall the air bags, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 30, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212342780.
21V42100010/06/2021AIR BAGS:SRS MALFUNCTION WARNING LAMP/LIGHTGeneral Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag malfunction indicator light to inconsistently illuminate.The air bag malfunction indicator light may fail to warn the driver of a problem with the air bag, increasing the risk of injury.The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212338110.
22V90300008/12/2022EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWAREGeneral Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Cadillac CT4 and CT5; 2021-2023 Buick Envision; and 2022-2023 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."DRLs that do not deactivate as intended may result in a glare, reducing visibility, and increasing the risk of a crash.The body control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2023. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N222386380. This recall expands previous recall number 22V-827.
25V14800006/03/2025POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Cadillac CT6, 2020-2021 CT4, CT5, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles equipped with a 10-speed transmission. The transmission may become damaged internally and cause the wheels to lock-up.Wheel lock-up while driving increases the risk of a crash.Dealers will install transmission control module monitoring software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 7, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242480630.

Investigations all years →

action_numberstatussubjectcomponentsopenedclosedrecall_campaignsummary
PE21010closedAir Bag MalfunctionAIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE2021-04-092023-08-24·On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The vehicles included model year (MY) 2020 through 2021 CT4 and CT5 passenger cars, Sierra and Silverado trucks (1500/2500/3500 models), XT4 and MY 2021 Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon SUVs.Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 21-NA-005, issued in March 2021, addresses air bag MIL illumination with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) B0001

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_yearsoccupant_deathsmatch_typevpic_recovered
2010-20243legacy-code0

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). 2021 Cadillac CT5 vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/cadillac/ct5
@misc{wrenchpro_2021_cadillac_ct5_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2021 Cadillac CT5},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/cadillac/ct5}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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