2009 Cadillac DTS Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other DTS years
- More complaints than other years 4th of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 35 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Cadillac DTS. That ranks 4th out of 8 DTS model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (12 complaints, 34%), typically at around 66,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 fire, 3 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 35owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 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 | 12 | 34% | 66,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 17% | 69,571 | — | — |
| Seats | 5 | 14% | 25,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 4 | 11% | 66,503 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 9% | 48,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 9% | 7,280 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 9% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 6% | 94,200 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 6% | 30,750 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 6% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% | 1,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 3% | 10 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 3% | 43,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Cadillac DTS recalls (2)
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.
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.
Fuse box got push on by seat clamp shorted out my fuel pump relay and burnt up my fuse box
The contact owns a 2009 Cadillac DTS. The contact was driving at 55mph on the highway and the vehicle slowed down independently and the screens went blank. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was shut off but would not restart. The contact called the police and the…
I filed a complaint in 2016 (complaint no. 10823262) related corrosion of the rear brake lines. This complaint is similar but related to corrosion of the front brake lines in which i again had a similar life threatening experience. The ordinary "corroded" steel lines were replaced with "vinyl…
Cant bring driver or passenger seats up or down resulting in uncomfortable driving position in drive, neutral, park, all gears. Distance sensors malfunction frequently when going into reverse.
Vehicle would not start when atvtrain station. Had to leave overnight and had it troubleshot in am. A faulty fuel pump relay was the supposed cause. Changed the relay on a wednesday morning and car was good till saturday afternoon when it stalled out in the middle of route 9 in heavy traffic. At…
Other Cadillac DTS years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 DTS | 16 | 2 |
| 2010 DTS | 22 | 3 |
| 2009 | 35 | 2 |
| 2008 DTS | 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
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Cadillac DTS?
Owners most often report electrical system, service brakes, seats problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 12 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Cadillac DTS?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 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 2009 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.