2008 Cadillac DTS Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other DTS years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 86 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Cadillac DTS. That ranks 3rd out of 8 DTS model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (39 complaints, 45%), typically at around 88,500 miles. Complaints mention 6 crashes, 6 fires, 7 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 86owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 6complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Cadillac DTS 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 39 | 45% | 88,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 14 | 16% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 9% | 88,877 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 8% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 6 | 7% | 100,865 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 7% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 7% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 6% | 91,307 | — | — |
| Structure | 5 | 6% | 70,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 3% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 3% | 86,382 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 3% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 2% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 2 | 2% | 46,652 | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 2% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 2% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 2% | 184,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 2% | 49,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% | 34,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 1% | 5,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Cadillac DTS recalls (3)
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) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and 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. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
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 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), and 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
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.
Electrical system
Problem: Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
Risk: This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; cadillac at 1-800-982-2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1-866-996-9436; or hummer at 1-800-732-5493; 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.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Non-crash engine compartment fires (EA08010) — opened Jun 12, 2008, closed Sep 8, 2008, led to recall 08V441000.
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 contact owns a 2008 Cadillac DTS. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for an oil change, the vehicle was diagnosed with an oil leak from the oil pan. The contact was informed that the oil pan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Tire size: 235/55R17 99H In February 2022, I purchased a set of 4 Yokahama tires from Discount Tire Co., located at 2707 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78230. The mileage on the car was approx. 89,000. In February of 2024, my mechanic notice tread lifting on the tires, so I took the car to Discount…
I have a very bad oil leak in my vehicle, which Is creating a mess and alot of smoke.
The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac DTS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Alternator Not Charging" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that oil was leaking onto the alternator and exhaust manifold. The alternator…
The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac DTS. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle there was smoke coming from under the hood. Upon inspection, it was discovered that engine oil had leaked onto the hot surface in the engine compartment. The leaking oil also caused damage to the alternator…
Other Cadillac DTS years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 DTS | 16 | 2 |
| 2010 DTS | 22 | 3 |
| 2009 DTS | 35 | 2 |
| 2008 | 86 | 3 |
| 2007 DTS | 97 | 3 |
| 2006 DTS | 255 | 4 |
| 2005 DTS | 9 | 0 |
| 2004 DTS | 7 | 0 |
See all Cadillac DTS problems by year, every Cadillac model, or the Cadillac VIN decoder.
Similar Cadillac models
Embed this 2008 Cadillac DTS badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Cadillac DTS?
Owners most often report electrical system, engine, fuel/propulsion system problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 39 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Cadillac DTS?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Cadillac DTS a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other DTS model years, the 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.