2008 Cadillac DTS Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2008 Cadillac DTS ranks second-worst of 7 model years with a complaint index of 83 and 86 complaints, earning an Avoid verdict. Electrical System problems dominate, making up 52% of complaints, with a median failure mileage of 86,691 miles, alongside 3 recall campaigns.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 83/100
- #2 of 7 DTS years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 86
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 3
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 6
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 6
- Injuries
- 7
- Top issue
- Electrical System
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 18
- 15 city / 22.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 7 / 0
Top 2008 Cadillac DTS problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Electrical System45 (52%)
- Engine17 (20%)
- Fuel System11 (13%)
- Airbags6 (7%)
- Brakes6 (7%)
- Other6 (7%)
- Seat Belts6 (7%)
- Steering5 (6%)
- Structure & Body5 (6%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires5 (6%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Vehicles reportedly start on their own with the key removed, in one case leading to a fire that spread to the garage.
- Owners describe smoke or burning smells from under the back seat traced to overheated or melted relays in the fuse box.
- Steering wheel reportedly seizes without warning at low speed, causing loss of control and collision with a fixed object.
- Airbags reportedly fail to deploy during moderate-speed crashes, including rear-end and head-on collisions.
- Engine oil has leaked onto hot surfaces under the hood, producing smoke and damaging the alternator.
- A fuel pump relay failure reportedly caused intermittent no-start conditions before being diagnosed.
2008 Cadillac DTS recalls
3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 14V355000Jun 23, 2014Electrical System3,141,731 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) 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.
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 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.
- NHTSA 10V240000Jun 4, 2010Electrical System1,365,070 vehicles
Electrical system
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.
Remedy: 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.
- NHTSA 08V441000Aug 28, 2008Electrical System857,735 vehicles
Electrical system
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.
Remedy: 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> .
2008 Cadillac DTS fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 15 MPG
- Highway
- 22.5 MPG
- Combined
- 18 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $3,600
- 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.
2008 compared with other DTS years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2008 Cadillac DTS reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2008 DTS ranks second-worst among 7 model years, with a complaint index of 83 and an Avoid verdict. Electrical System issues account for 52% of its 86 complaints.
- What is the main problem with the 2008 Cadillac DTS?
- The top problem area is the Electrical System, with 45 complaints (52% share), including reports of fires and a median failure mileage of 86,691 miles.
- Does the 2008 Cadillac DTS have any recalls?
- Yes, NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2008 DTS, all involving the Electrical System, including a wire harness fix and a heated washer fluid module removal.
- How does the 2008 DTS compare to other DTS years?
- The 2008 DTS has a complaint index of 83, worse than 2007 (67, Caution) and 2009 (50, Caution), but better than 2006 (100, Avoid). The 2011 model is the Best year with an index of 17.