2005 Cadillac CTS Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2005 Cadillac CTS has 277 NHTSA complaints and a complaint index of 93, the second-worst year of the 15 tracked. It ranks Avoid due to transmission/powertrain issues (30% of complaints) and airbag failures (27%), plus 6 recall campaigns.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 93/100
- #2 of 15 CTS years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 277
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 6
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 25
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 4
- Injuries
- 31
- Top issue
- Transmission & Powertrain
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 19
- 16 city / 24.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 31 / 2
Top 2005 Cadillac CTS problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Transmission & Powertrain82 (30%)
- Airbags74 (27%)
- Electrical System44 (16%)
- Brakes43 (16%)
- Engine40 (14%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires26 (9%)
- Fuel System15 (5%)
- Steering15 (5%)
- Structure & Body14 (5%)
- Other12 (4%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Some vehicles smoked from under the hood while driving at highway speed, including one case with a fire and burns to the owner.
- Airbags failed to deploy in multiple frontal and side-impact crashes, including one where the vehicle was totaled.
- Drivers reported sudden unintended lunging forward at low speed, including one incident going over an embankment.
- Steering was reported to fail suddenly at low speed, pulling hard to one side and causing the driver to lose control.
- The rear differential reportedly let loose at 50 mph, causing the wheels to lock and the vehicle to spin.
- Brakes reportedly failed to engage on wet roads at low speeds, leading to collisions with other vehicles.
2005 Cadillac CTS recalls
6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 14V542000Sep 9, 2014Fuel System10,005 vehicles
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V vehicles manufactured October 6, 2003, to March 15, 2007, and 2006-2007 Cadillac STS-V vehicles manufactured June 23, 2005, to March 15, 2007. In the affected vehicles, the electrical terminals of the fuel pump module may overheat resulting in the melting of the flange material.
Risk: If the flange melts, a hole may be created allowing the fuel pump to leak fuel, causing the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, leaking fuel in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel module and fuel tank jumper harness, free of charge. GM sent out interim notices in late October. The recall began on March 12, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14405.
- NHTSA 14V394000Jul 2, 2014Electrical System554,328 vehicles
Electrical system:ignition
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.
Remedy: 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.
- NHTSA 10V644000Dec 17, 2010Airbags95,927 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
General motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 cadillac cts vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which repeated flexing of the passenger sensing system mat in the front passenger seat may cause the mat to kink, bend, or fold. This flexing can break the connections in the mat. If this occurs, the sensor may not detect the presence of a front seat passenger and will disable the air bag.
Risk: Non-deployment of the front passenger air bag in the event of a crash necessitating that air bag's deployment may reduce protection of the passenger and increase the risk or severity of injury to them.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger sensing system free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about march 15, 2011. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
2005 Cadillac CTS fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 16 MPG
- Highway
- 24.5 MPG
- Combined
- 19 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $3,400
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2005 compared with other CTS years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2005 Cadillac CTS a good year to buy?
- No. NHTSA data gives it a complaint index of 93, the second-worst among the 15 CTS model years tracked, and it carries an Avoid verdict.
- What are the most common problems with the 2005 Cadillac CTS?
- Transmission and powertrain issues make up 30% of complaints, followed by airbag problems at 27%, electrical system issues at 16%, and brakes at 16%.
- Does the 2005 Cadillac CTS have recalls?
- NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2005 CTS covering fuel system, electrical, airbag, brake, and transmission components, none of them do-not-drive recalls.
- At what mileage do problems typically show up on the 2005 CTS?
- The median mileage at failure across all complaints is 67,581 miles, though transmission and powertrain complaints median much earlier at 28,085.5 miles.
- Which CTS years are better than 2005?
- Later years rank much lower on complaints; 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 all earn a Best verdict, with complaint indexes at or near 0.