2009 Cadillac CTS Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other CTS years
- More complaints than other years 7th of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 167 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Cadillac CTS. That ranks 7th out of 17 CTS model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (49 complaints, 29%), typically at around 87,500 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 7 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 167owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 49 | 29% | 87,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 28 | 17% | 59,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 26 | 16% | 65,153 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 13 | 8% | 60,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 12 | 7% | 46,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 7% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 7% | 16,900 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 10 | 6% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 9 | 5% | 82,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 9 | 5% | 30,334 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 8 | 5% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 6 | 4% | 62,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 4% | 525 | — | — |
| Tires | 5 | 3% | 22,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 2% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 2% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 2% | 31,124 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 2% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 43,974 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 1% | 13,187 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 17,948 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 1,286 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Cadillac CTS recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
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.
Suspension:rear
Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 cadillac cts vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which a wax coating on the rear suspension toe link jam nuts may allow the nut(s) to loosen. If a nut sufficiently loosens, the toe link could separate and the rear wheel would be able to turn inboard or outboard. Owners may hear a metallic clanking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle that may warn of a loosening nut.
Risk: The driver may experience sudden changes with vehicle handling and may not be able to control the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will clean all wax residue from the rear suspension toe link and install two new jam nuts. If necessary the rear suspension toe link may be replaced. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2011. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Equipment
Problem: Gm is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 cadillac cts all wheel drive and cts-v vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash, the front passenger may be at an increased risk of leg injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the glove compartment assembly and, in some vehicles modify the instrument panel structure. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 20, 2010. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339.
Electrical system
Problem: 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.
Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: Gm is recalling 12,662 my 2009 cadillac cts vehicles for failing to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' under certain conditions, a software condition within the passenger sensing system may disable the front passenger air bag when it should be enabled or enable it when it should be disabled.
Risk: In a vehicle crash, if the front passenger air bag does not operate as designed, increased personal injury could occur.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the passenger sensing system module free of charge. The recall began on november 18, 2008. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .
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.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
To whom it may concern, My name is [XXX] . I am writing this correspondence with regard to a purchase of a 2009 Cadillac CTS . I purchased the vehicle for my mother in Missouri December 2022. I reside in California and had the vehicle shipped to California when my mother relocated to California…
The contact owns a 2009 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was swaying to the left or the far right without the contact moving the steering wheel. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, the vehicle was easier to control. The contact…
Gas leaking from above gas tank took car in for service 5/6/24. they could not duplicate issue on 5/24 engine light comes on. On 5/26/24 code indicated fuel pump issue. Several months before all of this, I would notice a strong gas smell after driving
Severe and sudden malfunction of the ABS/Stabilitrak system at 45MPH causing loss of directional control of the vehicle. Failure caused by disintegration/cracking of ABS/HUB RELUCTOR RINGS, feeding incorrect wheel speeds to stability system. This failure caused a total loss of power, vehicle…
The all wheel drive link is not working. This causes the stabilitrac and abs to go out leaving only rear wheel drive. With very little weight in the rear of the car, it is very difficult to drive in snow or rain conditions as the car slides very easily. This is the 2nd time it's happened.
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 | 167 | 5 |
| 2008 CTS | 175 | 2 |
| 2007 CTS | 217 | 6 |
| 2006 CTS | 269 | 6 |
| 2005 CTS | 277 | 6 |
| 2004 CTS | 224 | 6 |
| 2003 CTS | 313 | 4 |
See all Cadillac CTS problems by year, every Cadillac model, or the Cadillac VIN decoder.
Similar Cadillac models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Cadillac CTS?
Owners most often report engine, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 49 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Cadillac CTS?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 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 2009 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.