Are Cadillacs Reliable? Cadillac Reliability by Model
Cadillac reliability varies significantly by model year. Among the 6 Cadillac models analyzed, the XTS has the fewest flagged years at 2, while the Escalade has the most at 8. The sharpest single-year spike belongs to the Escalade, whose worst year logged up to 8× its own median complaint rate. Because complaint totals are not adjusted for vehicle sales, this analysis identifies strong and weak years within each model — it does not rank Cadillac models against one another.
Analysis by CarWhere Research · Updated August 28, 2026 · Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall campaigns · Data as of July 2026 · How we rate model years · Download the dataset (CSV)
6,267 NHTSA complaints
model years flagged on federal data
every model carries at least one
Cadillac problem areas by service-bulletin volume
The vehicle systems drawing the most federal service-bulletin (TSB) filings across the 6 Cadillac models we analyze — a volume signal of where the manufacturer issues the most fix guidance. These are TSB counts by NHTSA component category, not owner-complaint counts.
Cadillac reliability by model
| Model | Complaints | Years to avoid | Best years | Worst year vs. its avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac Escalade | 1,060 | 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 | 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019 | 8× |
| Cadillac Escalade ESV | 955 | 2021, 2022 and 2023 | 2010, 2012, 2018 and 2019 | 3.4× |
| Cadillac CTS | 855 | 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014 | 2017 | 3.2× |
| Cadillac SRX | 2,801 | 2010 and 2011 | 2008 and 2009 | 1.9× |
| Cadillac ATS | 380 | 2013 and 2014 | — | 4.4× |
| Cadillac XTS | 216 | 2013 and 2014 | 2016 and 2017 | 2.8× |
Counts are raw federal filings (NHTSA owner complaints), not adjusted for sales volume. A model year is flagged when its severity-weighted complaint rate is among the highest within that model's own history — never a comparison against other brands. Follow any model for its full year-by-year verdict. Full methodology.
Where Cadillac owners report the most trouble
Cadillac Escalade: 8 model years flagged to avoid (2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024) — the worst logged up to 8× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Cadillac ATS: 2 model years flagged to avoid (2013 and 2014) — the worst logged up to 4.4× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Cadillac Escalade ESV: 3 model years flagged to avoid (2021, 2022 and 2023) — the worst logged up to 3.4× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
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FAQ
Are Cadillacs reliable?
Cadillac reliability varies sharply by model year, not by badge. Among the 6 most-documented Cadillac models, 6 carry at least one model year we flag to avoid on NHTSA complaint and recall data — the XTS has the fewest flagged years (2) and the Escalade the most (8). These are raw federal complaint counts, not adjusted for how many vehicles Cadillac sold, so they can't be read as a single cross-brand reliability score — use the per-model, per-year verdicts below.
Which Cadillac model years should I avoid?
The Cadillac models carrying the most flagged years are the Escalade (8 flagged years: 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024); the CTS (4 flagged years: 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014); the Escalade ESV (3 flagged years: 2021, 2022 and 2023). A flag means that model year's severity-weighted complaint rate is among the highest within that model's own history — it is not a comparison against other models or brands. See each model's page for the full year-by-year verdict.
Which Cadillac models have the fewest flagged years?
Among Cadillac models with enough federal complaint history to rate, the XTS carries the fewest flagged years (2). That is not a cross-model reliability ranking — complaint counts are not sales-adjusted — and a thin record is never counted as a clean one: model years with too little data rate "insufficient" instead.
How do I check a specific Cadillac before buying?
Start with the free Cadillac window sticker lookup at carwhere.com/window-sticker/cadillac to confirm the exact trim and factory options, then run the $9.99 CarWhere Full VIN Report for that VIN — it includes the recall, complaint, and service-bulletin record for the exact model year plus a market price check from verified buyers. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Sources & data notes
All figures are drawn from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Defects Investigation — the public NHTSA owner-complaints data and safety recall campaigns — across the 6 most-documented Cadillac models and every model year on record for each. Retrieved July 2026. Counts are raw federal filings and are not adjusted for the number of vehicles sold or registered, so they cannot be read as a single cross-brand reliability ranking; each model year's verdict compares it only against the rest of that model's own history. Full scoring at the methodology page.
Suggested citation
CarWhere Research. "Cadillac Reliability by Model & Year: NHTSA Complaint and Recall Analysis." Based on 6,267 NHTSA owner complaints across 6 Cadillac models, model years 2008–2025. Updated August 28, 2026. https://www.carwhere.com/research/reliability/cadillac
This dataset is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to CarWhere Research and a link to this page.
Download the dataset (CSV) — per-model complaint totals, flagged years and verdict counts for every brand we cover (version 2026-08-28).