2005 Cadillac CTS Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Nov 19, 2025 · 277 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other CTS years
Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 17 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 277 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Cadillac CTS. That ranks 2nd out of 17 CTS model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (82 complaints, 30%), typically at around 28,086 miles. Complaints mention 25 crashes, 4 fires, 31 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.

Cadillac CTS
2014 Cadillac CTS photographed in Pointe-Claire , Quebec , Canada .. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Bull-Doser, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2005 Cadillac CTS problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Power Train82 · ~28,086 mi
Air Bags74 · ~88,500 mi
Electrical System39 · ~69,008 mi
Engine24 · ~86,176 mi
Service Brakes22 · ~92,569 mi
Suspension16 · ~23,086 mi
Steering15 · ~71,080 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling14 · ~62,500 mi
Service Brakes, Hydraulic11 · ~53,000 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)10 · ~85,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Power Train problems8230%28,086“rear differential” (38%)$2,650
Air Bags problems7427%88,500“air bag” (62%)—
Electrical System3914%69,008——
Engine249%86,176——
Service Brakes228%92,569——
Suspension166%23,086——
Steering155%71,080——
Engine and Engine Cooling145%62,500——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic114%53,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)104%85,000——
Tires93%12,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline83%47,000——
Structure73%51,000——
Unknown or Other62%67,581——
Visibility62%24,176——
Equipment52%12,000——
Exterior Lighting52%90,000——
Fuel/propulsion System52%180,000——
Seat Belts41%112,000——
Seats41%53,600——
Wheels41%73,075——
Latches/locks/linkages31%3,500——
Vehicle Speed Control31%———
Visibility/wiper31%195,000——
Fuel System, Other21%14,370——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility10%78,000——
Parking Brake10%27,171——
Service Brakes, Electric10%30,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2006, with 34 complaints
2005: 1920052006: 34342007: 1620072008: 82009: 1020092010: 202011: 1820112012: 172013: 1520132014: 302015: 2820152016: 172017: 1220172018: 102019: 920192020: 42021: 220212022: 42023: 220232024: 12025: 12025

n = 277 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2005 Cadillac CTS recalls (6)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pumpSep 9, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V542000 · 10,005 vehicles

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:ignitionJul 2, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V394000 · 554,328 vehicles

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.

Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactiveDec 17, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V644000 · 95,927 vehicles

Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 cadillac cts vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which repeated flexing of the passenger sensing system mat in the front passenger seat may cause the mat to kink, bend, or fold. This flexing can break the connections in the mat. If this occurs, the sensor may not detect the presence of a front seat passenger and will disable the air bag.

Risk: Non-deployment of the front passenger air bag in the event of a crash necessitating that air bag's deployment may reduce protection of the passenger and increase the risk or severity of injury to them.

Fix: Dealers will replace the passenger sensing system free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about march 15, 2011. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsMar 17, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V105000 · 139,131 vehicles

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.

Power train:axle assembly:axle shaft:sealDec 20, 2007 · NHTSA campaign 07V589000 · 275,936 vehicles

Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the rear axle pinion seal does not meet all of the specifications and may experience a fluid leak.

Risk: A rear differential failure may cause loss of motive power and possibly loss of control increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the pinion seal free of charge. The recall began on february 1, 2008. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-800-458-8006 or http://www.cadillac.com; pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 or http://www.pontiac.com; and saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or http://www.saturn.com.

Fuel system, gasoline:deliveryJan 25, 2006 · NHTSA campaign 06V020000 · 17,462 vehicles

Problem: Certain vehicles equipped with v6 engines may have a condition where fuel is no longer supplied to the engine. This condition occurs without the illumination of the fuel level low indicator light or the warning chime.

Risk: If the engine stops running, the operator will not be able to restart the vehicle which could increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will reprogram the electronic control module (ecm) with new software free of charge. Owners were notified in december 2005 and asked to maintain at least 1/4 of a tank fuel level to avoid this condition until the parts are available. The parts are now available, owner renotification began on march 23, 2006. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339.

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

  • IEE Passenger Sensing System Mats (EQ11001) — opened Feb 7, 2011, closed Jul 19, 2011.
  • 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.

Steering wheel turns but no steering at wheels ,steering wheel just spins

Steering · received Nov 19, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11700248

The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that failure was intermittent at first but became persistent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a…

Air Bags · received Nov 8, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11624272

The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake warning light illuminated on the instrument panel with an abnormal hissing sound while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where brake fluid…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic · received Nov 6, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11553853

Oil leaks from unknown location. Also make a grinding noise when accelerating.

Engine · received Apr 22, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11518442

Air bag light is on saying the passenger side buckle tensioner not working when there never a accident on this car, Fuel level low illuminates when there is fuel in the tank still, fuel level goes down fast after a short drive when fuel just been put in

Air Bags · received May 27, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11466418

Other Cadillac CTS years

← 2004 CTS · 2006 CTS →

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 2005 Cadillac CTS?

Owners most often report power train, air bags, electrical system problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 82 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2005 Cadillac CTS?

Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2005 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 2005 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.