2016 CADILLAC CTS — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
47
Owner Complaints
3
Recalls
77
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2016 CADILLAC CTS
The 2016 CADILLAC CTS has received a total of 47 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 4 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM. 77 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Electrical System (10 complaints), Power Train (9 complaints), and Engine (4 complaints).
Recalls for the 2016 CADILLAC CTS
NHTSA has recorded 4 recalls for the 2016 CADILLAC CTS, potentially affecting up to 81,507 vehicles.
Recall 25V175000 — STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
| 934 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, 2017-2018 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist may fail.
Consequence: A loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2025. Owners may contact Cadilac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252497020.
View full details →Recall 25V175000 — STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
| 934 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, 2017-2018 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist may fail.
Consequence: A loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 15, 2025. Owners may contact Cadilac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252497020.
View full details →Recall 19V086000 — STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
| 26,772 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Cadillac CTS, and 2017 Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Camaro, and Chevrolet Corvette vehicles. The electric power steering (EPS) assist system may fail.
Consequence: Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. GM' number for this recall is N182182760.
View full details →Recall 18V595000 — SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
| 52,867 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Cadillac CTS vehicles, equipped with heated front seats. The flexible heating mats in the front seats may be damaged over time, resulting in the seat heaters producing excessive heat.
Consequence: In cold ambient temperatures, the seat heaters in these vehicles can turn on automatically when the vehicle is remotely started. If a damaged seat heater is turned on while no one is inside the vehicle, the damaged seat heater can overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the body control module, disabling the automatic activation of the heated seat when the vehicle is remotely started, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer...
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2016 CADILLAC CTS
47 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2016 CADILLAC CTS. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Train | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebodydoor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebodydoorhandleinterior | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
The contact owns 2016 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V175000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 93,942.
Message "Shift to Park" even though the car is already in Park, preventing shutting down the car.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the carbon fiber-optic piece on the rear passenger door was fractured. The contact stated the occupant was exiting the rear passenger's door when the occupant was stabbed by the carbon fiber-optic piece. The contact stated that the occupant was stabbed in the back of the right arm. No medical attention was needed. The contact stated that the carbon fiber optic pieces on all four of the door panels and the glove compartment had been replaced several times. The contact stated the glove compartment carbon fiber optic piece was replaced three times. In addition, the contact stated that the carbon fiber optic pieces on each door panel had been replaced twice. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and several cases were filed. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
The passenger side airbag stays illuminated after the vehicle is started and continues to stay on as the vehicle is driven, never going off. General Motors have not issued a recall on this safety problem with the 2016 Cadillac CTS. My [XXX] address [XXX] . My phone number is [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact's relative owns a 2016 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side air bag inflator needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall and provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 49,790.
Safety Rating for the 2016 CADILLAC CTS
The 2016 CADILLAC CTS received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2016 CADILLAC CTS
General Motors, LLC has issued 77 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2016 CADILLAC CTS. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
PIP6088 — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This PI Addresses a possible solenoid wiring fault and how to inspect the build date to identify
22-NA-246 — POWER TRAIN
This service bulletin advises the technician that the possible cause may not be from a faulty clutch piston or extension housing and to perform testing on transmission for possible other issues, but it still may be possible on high mile vehicles that orifices in housing may have come dislodged, causing...
PIP5730B — ENGINE
This Preliminary information communicates additional diagnostic information for DTC's P0016 and P0018.
PIP5545C — ENGINE
This Preliminary information communicates a possible noise from the water pump causing a DTC and the diagnostics for the repair.
PIE0540A — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This engineering Information (EI) ends the need for information from the field for a condition of oil leaking from the valve rocker arm oil control valve. If a vehicle is encountered with this condition, refer to SI for further diagnosis.
PIC6123E — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician for the adaptive cruise control or lane keep assist unavailable message in the driver?s information center after the vehicle has been parked in direct sunlight and high ambient temperatures. The cameras electronic control unit?s internal operating temperature range is -40 degrees...
17NA082 — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to replace the front and rear brake pads if the front brake pads are found the cause of the squealing or squeaking.
17NA087 — WHEELS
This informational bulletin provides information on Characteristics of Wide Low Aspect Ratio Tires, Vehicle Pulls Left or Right, Wanders, Follows Depressions in Road Surface, Tramlining.
150601002H — EQUIPMENT
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to repair the valve lifter oil manifold and/or lifters to correct the customers concern of engine misfire, ticking noise and/or MIL on.
18NA374 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to re-position a clip and repair the oil level sensor wiring harness if contacting the driveshaft.
Showing 10 of 77 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2016 CADILLAC CTS
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the CADILLAC CTS
- 2011 CADILLAC CTS — 148 complaints
- 2012 CADILLAC CTS — 81 complaints
- 2013 CADILLAC CTS — 106 complaints
- 2014 CADILLAC CTS — 192 complaints
- 2015 CADILLAC CTS — 65 complaints
- 2016 CADILLAC CTS (current)
- 2017 CADILLAC CTS — 32 complaints
- 2018 CADILLAC CTS — 10 complaints
- 2019 CADILLAC CTS — 16 complaints
Other CADILLAC Models
- CADILLAC SRX — 4,131 total complaints
- CADILLAC DEVILLE — 3,659 total complaints
- CADILLAC ESCALADE — 2,120 total complaints
- CADILLAC SEVILLE — 1,049 total complaints
- CADILLAC CATERA — 826 total complaints
- CADILLAC DTS — 725 total complaints
- CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV — 633 total complaints
- CADILLAC STS — 609 total complaints