Cadillac
Cadillac CTS years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2014. Best years: 2019.
The 2014 Cadillac CTS draws the most owner complaints for its age: 138, or 11 for each year on the road, against a median of 3 a year across the 5 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is drivetrain problems (66 reports).
- 138complaints
- 6recall campaigns
- 1model years with a page
Newest report Aug 19, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2014
Most reported: drivetrain problems (66 reports, median 70,000 miles) and suspension (17 reports, median 60,000 miles).
Best years
2019
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 has the most complaints of any Cadillac CTS year here: 138 of 138 (100%).
- Problem across the years
- Drivetrain problems is the top problem in every model year with a page, 66 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 46 owners who gave a mileage for drivetrain problems were under about 70,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 3% of Cadillac CTS complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
- Recalls on the top problem
- Every model year where owners report drivetrain problems also has a recall on the same system. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2020 at 27 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 4. So far in 2026, 6 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: MichalPL, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2015 (47), 2016 (31), 2017 (27), 2019 (10).
Year by year
2014 Cadillac CTS avoid
138 owner complaints, 11 for each year on the road (3.8 times the model median). Most reported: drivetrain problems (66 reports, median 70,000 miles), suspension (17 reports, median 60,000 miles) and wheels (11 reports, median 44,800 miles). 4 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 6 recalls, including 14V-338 on the transmission and drivetrain and 18V-595 on the seats.
Questions
What Cadillac CTS years should you avoid?
The 2014 Cadillac CTS draws the most owner complaints for its age: 138, or 11 for each year on the road, against a median of 3 a year across the 5 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is drivetrain problems (66 reports).
What are the best years for the Cadillac CTS?
The 2019 draws the fewest complaints for its age: 10, or 1 for each year on the road. Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Cadillac CTS?
Drivetrain problems, with 66 reports across the 1 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014.
How many recalls does the Cadillac CTS have?
6 recall campaigns cover the Cadillac CTS model years 2014 on this site.
How many Cadillac CTS complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
3% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
Is there a recall for drivetrain problems on the Cadillac CTS?
Yes, on every model year where owners report it.