2004 Cadillac CTS Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other CTS years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 224 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Cadillac CTS. That ranks 4th out of 17 CTS model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (52 complaints, 23%), typically at around 20,050 miles. Complaints mention 25 crashes, 1 fire, 25 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

- 224owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 25complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Cadillac CTS problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 52 | 23% | 20,050 | “rear differential” (40%) | — |
| Electrical System | 34 | 15% | 91,438 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 26 | 12% | 41,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 21 | 9% | 95,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 17 | 8% | 47,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 16 | 7% | 47,750 | — | — |
| Suspension | 16 | 7% | 17,572 | — | — |
| Steering | 14 | 6% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 12 | 5% | 61,971 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 5% | 54,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 8 | 4% | 35,524 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 3% | 82,325 | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 3% | 31,005 | — | — |
| Engine | 5 | 2% | 109,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 5 | 2% | 24,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 2% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 2% | 91,014 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 2% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 2% | 78,547 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 4 | 2% | 87,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 1% | 74,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control | 2 | 1% | 7,400 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 37,176 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 2 | 1% | 75,500 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 1% | 62,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 11,750 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Cadillac CTS recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V vehicles manufactured October 6, 2003, to March 15, 2007, and 2006-2007 Cadillac STS-V vehicles manufactured June 23, 2005, to March 15, 2007. In the affected vehicles, the electrical terminals of the fuel pump module may overheat resulting in the melting of the flange material.
Risk: If the flange melts, a hole may be created allowing the fuel pump to leak fuel, causing the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, leaking fuel in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel module and fuel tank jumper harness, free of charge. GM sent out interim notices in late October. The recall began on March 12, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14405.
Electrical system:ignition
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Problem: General motors has notified nhtsa of a defect in certain model year 2003-2007 cadillac cts vehicles currently registered in or originally sold in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the front brake hose fitting at the caliper may corrode due to snow or water, containing road salt or other contaminants, entering and being retained in the routing sleeve. If the fitting corrodes significantly, the brake hose-tube interface may develop a leak.
Risk: The brake hose-tube interface may rupture suddenly without prior warning and increase vehicle stopping distance may occur increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers are to replace both front brake hose assemblies free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during may 2010. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Air bags
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, an interaction between the sensing and diagnostic module and vehicle's electrical system may cause the driver's frontal air bag and/or roof-mounted side impact air bag to deploy when the ignition key is turned to the "on" position.
Risk: A person positioned for driving may receive minor injuries, such as abrasions, from contact with a deploying air bag.
Fix: Dealers will replace the sensing and diagnostic module free of charge. The recall began on may 20, 2005. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339.
Steering:linkages
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles involved in this campaign, the lower control arm ball stud nut/washer assemblies with washers were made of the wrong material. The washers may fracture and become loose or fall away from the vehicle, reducing clamp load. Separation of the control arm ball stud and steering knuckle, due to disengagement of the tapered attachment and retaining nut, is possible.
Risk: If the control arm separates from the knuckle, the affected corner of the vehicle will drop and the control arm would be forced downward, contacting the wheel. The affected wheel could tilt outward and create a dragging action that would tend to slow the vehicle and create a tendency for the vehicle to turn in the direction of the affected wheel. In extreme situations, the affected wheel assembly could separate from the vehicle. Separation of the wheel assembly would also sever that wheel;s hydraulic brake hose and result in diminished braking performance of the vehicle, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the ball stud joints and measure the torque of the nut for all front lower control arms in all models affected as well as the rear lower control arms on the xlr and corvette. If the torque is not at specification, the dealers will replace the ball stud, the knuckle, and the nut. If the torque is at specification, the dealers will replace the nut/washer assembly only. The recall will begin on august 25, 2004. Owners should contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
Seats
Problem: Certain passenger and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207, "seating systems." one or both front anchor tabs for the front bucket seats are not engaged in the floor pan reinforcement slots. A seat with only one tab engaged or neither engaged would not meet the static rearward loading test requirements of the standard.
Risk: In some crash conditions, the seat could pivot rearward and its occupant or a rear seat occupant could be injured more severely.
Fix: Dealers will ensure that both front anchor tabs are fully seated in the floor pan reinforcement slots. Owner notification began september 19, 2003. Owners should contact gm at 1-800-458-8006.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Rear drivetrain component failure (EA07017) — opened Dec 7, 2007, closed Jul 16, 2008.
- Failure of the rear differential (PE07037) — opened Jul 17, 2007, closed Dec 27, 2007, led to recall 07V589000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The output shaft flange for the transmission that mounts to the driveshaft coupler the flange starts to break away and then breaks . I can provide photos but the metal on the part is close the the end and if I did not find this problem by mistake the drive shaft would have came free
I am writing regarding a recent incident regarding the left front control arm of our 2004 CTS Cadillac. There was a recall for the lower control arm ball nut/washer attaching the control arm, which could lead to disengagement of the control arm, disengagement of the wheel and tire, and possible…
Recent incident regarding the left front control arm of our 2004 CTS Cadillac. There was a recall for the lower control arm ball nut/washer attaching the control arm, which could lead to disengagement of the control arm, disengagement of the wheel and tire, and possible crash. We purchased the car…
fuel pump was failed replaced under recall back in 2016. Now again the fuel pump has failed again vehicle stalled. Please have GM repair it again under previous recall remedy. Please see attached photo
The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the vehicle would not restart. The contact stated that the ignition failure required her to contact roadside assistance to jump start the battery. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The…
Other Cadillac CTS years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 CTS | 10 | 0 |
| 2018 CTS | 8 | 2 |
| 2017 CTS | 27 | 2 |
| 2016 CTS | 31 | 4 |
| 2015 CTS | 48 | 3 |
| 2014 CTS | 146 | 6 |
| 2013 CTS | 73 | 2 |
| 2012 CTS | 65 | 2 |
| 2011 CTS | 101 | 2 |
| 2010 CTS | 67 | 3 |
| 2009 CTS | 167 | 5 |
| 2008 CTS | 175 | 2 |
| 2007 CTS | 217 | 6 |
| 2006 CTS | 269 | 6 |
| 2005 CTS | 277 | 6 |
| 2004 | 224 | 6 |
| 2003 CTS | 313 | 4 |
See all Cadillac CTS problems by year, every Cadillac model, or the Cadillac VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Cadillac CTS?
Owners most often report power train, electrical system, air bags problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 52 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Cadillac CTS?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Cadillac CTS a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other CTS model years, the 2004 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.