2008 Cadillac CTS: complaints, problems and recalls

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON MY 2008 CADILLAC CTS. VEHICLE BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP. ISSUE APPEARS TO BE A CYLINDER HEAD AND CAM FAILURE. STILL NOT REPAIRED. VEHICLE STILL IN SHOP SINCE 2/26,VEHICLE HAS 2600 MILES ON IT. 4MONTHS OLD. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 2,645 miles reported. Look up ODI 10220331 at NHTSA ↗

@ 6,000 MILES ON MY 2008 CADILLIAC THE VEH.'S ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE TOOK IT DIRECTLY TO THE SERVICE CENTER & THEY STATED THAT THE CYLINDER HEAD AND CAM SHAFT WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE NEW CTS'S. I HAVE NOT HEARD OR READ ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. CAN YOU ADVISE IF THERE IS A RECALL? THANKS... *TR

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10222451 at NHTSA ↗

2008 CADILLAC CTS BLIND SPOT IN SIDE MIRRORS. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE SIDE MIRRORS CREATE A BLIND SPOT. HE STATES THAT THE A PILLAR MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO SEE IF THERE IS SOMEONE IN THE CROSSWALK WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A TURN. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE FLAW IS A BLIND SPOT RESULTING FROM THE PLACEMENT AND SIZE OF THE SIDE MIRRORS AND THE SIZE OF THE A PILLAR. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10222855 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CADILLAC CTS. WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT STRUCK THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE FRONT BUMPER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 1,500.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10222933 at NHTSA ↗

I TOOK THE CAR IN AND THEY LET ME GO WITH THE ABS LIGHT ON AND THE STABILITY TRACK LIGHT ON. IF I KNEW THE THAT THIS CAR WAS UNDRIVABLE WITH THESE SAFETY FIXTURES OUT I WOULD HAVE NEVER PICKED UP THE CAR. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 120,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10232458 at NHTSA ↗

MY 2008 CADILLAC CTS V6 DI AWD HAS A DANGEROUS ACCELERATION LAG WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS TO PASS OR GET OUT OF THE WAY OF A HAZARD IN ROAD. THERE IS ABOUT A 1-2 SEC LAG BETWEEN STEPPING ON PEDAL AND RPMS MOVING, AND ABOUT ANOTHER SECOND OR SO BEFORE ANY PICK UP HAPPENS. DOESN'T SOUND LIKE MUCH, BUT NO OTHER CAR I HAVE HAD, DID THIS. AT THE SPEED OF ONCOMING VEHICLES, A 1-2 SECOND LAG CAN MEAN A 30 - 60 YARDS OF DISTANCE BEING TRAVELED BY AN ONCOMING CAR OR TRUCK. THAT SIGHT FILLS UP REAR VIEW MIRROR FAST. IN MY OPINION, THIS IS A SERIOUS DESIG…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10234780 at NHTSA ↗

BRAKES SQUEALING. TECHNICIAN SAYS IT'S DEFECTIVE BRAKE PADS AND GM IS AWARE. NO GET WELL DATE. RIGHT FRONT STRUT HAD TO BE REPLACED, STILL MAKES THE SAME CREAKING NOISE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10234882 at NHTSA ↗

DRIVING UP A HILL IN PA. WE WERE ON STATE HIGHWAY 118 NEAR SWEET VALLEY PA. CAR BUCKED AND JERKED VIOLENTLY. CAR STOPPED RUNNING IN MIDDLE OF ROADWAY WITH TRAFFIC BACKED UP BEHIND ME. EVENTUALLY CARS WORKED THEIR WAY BY ME AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT CAR BACK TO A PLACE WHERE I COULD GET IT OFF THE ROAD AND OUT OF THE WAY. VERY HARROWING EXPERIENCE. VERY UNSAFE. CAR WAS TOWED IN AS IT WOULD NOT RESTART. TOW TRUCK DRIVER ALSO TRIED TO RESTART TO MOVE CAR TO OPTIMUM PLACE TO PUT CAR ON FLATBED. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. AFTER DIAGNOSIS THE D…

Owner-reported narrative. 7,239 miles reported. Look up ODI 10242736 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2010-06-04 (June 4, 2010)

GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.

Consequence: IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Reported: 2014-07-02 (July 2, 2014)

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.

Consequence: 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.