Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 21,483 complaints for CADILLAC
Incident date: May 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2010 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the vehicle was recently taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension). The vehicle was repaired however, the failure occurred. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
Brake light system failed and had to be replaced. Infotainment screen failure.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
Brake light system failed and had to be replaced. Infotainment screen failure.
Incident date: Nov 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the stability warning light was illuminated. There was a rattling and knocking sound detected under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension). The contact was informed that there was a charge for the repair. The vehicle was repaired however t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
Class action lawsuit was file for headlights that go dim after life of the vehicle. I never received letter in regards to lawsuit and dealer will not help to replace headlights. This should be a recall headlights are very important dealer and manufacture are aware of this headlight issue because of the class action lawsuit they settled. PLEASE MAKE THIS A RECALL HEADLIGHTS GO DIM NO VISIABILITY AT... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
Class action lawsuit was file for headlights that go dim after life of the vehicle. I never received letter in regards to lawsuit and dealer will not help to replace headlights. This should be a recall headlights are very important dealer and manufacture are aware of this headlight issue because of the class action lawsuit they settled. PLEASE MAKE THIS A RECALL HEADLIGHTS GO DIM NO VISIABILITY AT... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights dimmed, causing the contact to not see the road ahead. The contact was pulled over by the police on three separate occasions because the headlights failed to illuminate as needed. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the electronic stability control and an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic cleaned the transmission; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
Rear air suspension gave out while driving and will not air/raise back up. Air springs and suspension compressor are working but the car still will not rise. Very dangerous. This is a common problem with these car but Cadillac won’t acknowledge.
Incident date: Jan 19, 2022
Headlights have become so dim over the last year that I can longer see more than 10 ft in front of my car at night. There is a known headlight problem that Cadillac will not recall or offer a solution to. The dim headlights are very dangerous and will certainly result in fatal accidents.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2016
el carro se bloquea tanto en direccion como en velocidades. pareciera ser que pierde brake fluid and gasoline
Crash
Incident date: Jan 13, 2016
el carro se bloquea tanto en direccion como en velocidades. pareciera ser que pierde brake fluid and gasoline
Crash
Incident date: Jan 13, 2016
el carro se bloquea tanto en direccion como en velocidades. pareciera ser que pierde brake fluid and gasoline
Crash
Incident date: Jan 18, 2018
The contact owns a 2010 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights failed to illuminate as needed. Additionally, water would seep into the headlights. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and diagnosed that the headlights needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that he had to pay out of pocket for the headlight replacement and to contact... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle started making abnormal loud popping sounds, and the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The contact's husband was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with assistance. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that one of the driver’s side ... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2017) - TIRES:SIDEWALL
Jan 17, 2022
Incident date: Jan 16, 2022
Purchased a new set of 4 in May of 2020 with 50,000 miles on the vehicle - just one year, 8 months ago and only 10k miles on the new set. Walked out yesterday morning and the RR tire was flat. Tried to add air and heard a rushing sound coming from the outside sidewall from a 3-4" broken, jagged slit. The car was driven yesterday and all was fine until it just blew. And no it was not cut by a n... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
The original factory headlights (low beams specifically) are not bright enough to safely drive at night. We have attempted to just replace the bulbs to stronger LEDs but it resulted in such a minimal change - indicating a larger issue. There are several online accounts of the same issue with no sort of recall.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2021
Rear differential failure at low mileage
Incident date: Nov 25, 2021
[ ] I had purchased my car used. I found that there was a recall on this model. I went online and ran the vin # and confirmed that. I called the dealership and explained they looked it up and confirmed it needed to have the original plastic fuel rail replaced with a new stainless steel fuel rail. They informed me that they had to order the parts from Michigan an it would be 2 weeks for the parts... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 25, 2021
[ ] I had purchased my car used. I found that there was a recall on this model. I went online and ran the vin # and confirmed that. I called the dealership and explained they looked it up and confirmed it needed to have the original plastic fuel rail replaced with a new stainless steel fuel rail. They informed me that they had to order the parts from Michigan an it would be 2 weeks for the parts... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 25, 2021
[ ] I had purchased my car used. I found that there was a recall on this model. I went online and ran the vin # and confirmed that. I called the dealership and explained they looked it up and confirmed it needed to have the original plastic fuel rail replaced with a new stainless steel fuel rail. They informed me that they had to order the parts from Michigan an it would be 2 weeks for the parts... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
Safety restraint warning light came on. Took to dealership. They had for 3 days claimed it was repaired. Light came back on 2 days later. Dealership has now had my vehicle 10 days, stating I need a new side drivers airbag. They do not know when it will arrive. I have seen other complaints in this model for faulty airbag sensors/units.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension) however, immediately after the repair she noticed that the vehicle had been fishtailing while driving. The contact called the dealer who completed the recall repair and was informed to bring the vehicle back for further review. There were no further repairs per... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
HEADLIGHTS: It is available for inspection upon request. There have been no accident so far, however you cannot drive at night due to low beam of headlights are so very dim that it is an absolute hazard to be out on the road and deal with oncoming vehicles because you cant see. When asking a dealer representative about my headlight issue, he stated it would cost around $1500, as these were very... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2022
Due to the deterioration of the headlight assembly and the reflectors, my headlights do not give me enough light to safely see after dark without using the bright lights. I have to drive with them on bright all the time, even in oncoming traffic, or risk incident or accident. To date I have experienced only minor, thankfully, incident. I have missed turns and even missed the road and drove off the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2022
Headlight low-beam bulbs are too dim for safe night time driving. I have had numerous safety incidents arise during night time driving, do to the dim factory installed low-beam bulbs on the automobile. GM should assume responsibility for the in-effective low-beam bulbs used for the CADILLAC SRX 2013 and initiate a SAFETY RECALL concerning the low-beam bulbs installed in all model CADILLAC affecte... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the illumination from the headlights was inadequate for safe nighttime driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that the failure was related to how the headlights were manufactured and could not be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure milea... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
I noticed while driving at night, my headlights are extremely dim. After researching the problem, I discovered that there is a problem with the headlights having to do with moisture and corrosion and that Cadillac is aware of the problem, but will not issue a recall. There are several lawsuits pending including a Class Action filed in Detroit, MI. I contacted the dealership who informed me that ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2020
The driver’s seat latch to access the backseat started to work only sometimes. Now it doesn’t work at all
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
2015 CADILLAC SRX. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO EXTREMELY DIM HEADLIGHTS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED TO REIMBURSE 500.00 OF TH 1,800.00 REPAIR COST. THE CONSUMER ACCEPTED THE REIMBURSEMENT, BUT HAD NOT RECEIVED IT. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A FULL REIMBURSEMENT SINCE THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD 43,000 MILES.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the headlights appeared too dim obstructing the view to the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the headlights needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer had authorized a recall for the headlights however, the recall had expired. The vehicle was not repaired.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
JUST INFORMED BY MY DEALERSHIP WHILE WORKING ON RECALL , THAT MY HEADLIGHTS ARE DEFECTIVE AND NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF 2400.00. IF NOT DONE MY CAR WILL NOT PAST INSPECTION DUE FEB 2022
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2010 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the brakes failed to operate as needed. The brake failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the brake lines were rusted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The evaporator purge valve has went bad on my 2015 Cadillac srx performance. I know this is a recall on alot of gm models.
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2021) - ENGINE
Jan 6, 2022
Incident date: Nov 29, 2021
On November 29th 2021, I cranked up my ESV headed to work. To my surprise, I heard which to me sounds like metal hammers clanking together. I immediately turn off the truck. In my experience it sounded like lifters and pistons out of sync. If I had been traveling to work this would have left me stranded on the freeway. I called roadside to set an appt to flatbed the truck to the dealership where I... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
Exterior headlights are almost non existent. The vehicle can not be driven safely at night. I must use high beams to safely drive at night.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2021
Backup Camera issues. I have had my 2020 XT6 Cadillac in for service three times. They have not been able to fix the issue. This is an intermittent issue at times and other times it stays off for a long period of time. I have a black screen with a camera with a red circle and slash showing along with a triangle with an exclamation mark in the center of the triangle. These vehicles have multip... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
engine light comes on, brake assist service light comes on when transmission idles down at stop signs, stabilitrak service light comes on after transmission idles down after a stop. This has happened twice and I had to get it repaired.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
engine light comes on, brake assist service light comes on when transmission idles down at stop signs, stabilitrak service light comes on after transmission idles down after a stop. This has happened twice and I had to get it repaired.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact’s son owns a 2015 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that while his son was exiting his driveway, the vehicle lost power steering assist with the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the bolts holding the steering motor had corroded and fallen out of the rack and pinion. The contact called the dealer and... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
Loss of all electical power to vehicle as though battery failure. Dashboard goes out at times and I am unable to see how fast I am going or if the car is even in drive. Service Stabilitrack light comes on, but goes away. While driving my car door locks. They would lock, unlock. DVD/Nav and Radio shuts off.Air bag light comes on. Driver seat was not working , took it to a mechanic and it read bad... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
Loss of all electical power to vehicle as though battery failure. Dashboard goes out at times and I am unable to see how fast I am going or if the car is even in drive. Service Stabilitrack light comes on, but goes away. While driving my car door locks. They would lock, unlock. DVD/Nav and Radio shuts off.Air bag light comes on. Driver seat was not working , took it to a mechanic and it read bad... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 25, 2021
When driving at night with my headlights on regular low beam, I can't see a [XXX] thing! It is beyond dangerous to drive with low beams on. Unfortunately it has resulted in me driving with my brights on causing oncoming motorists to deal with being vision impaired, making it another dangerous situation! This is completely ridiculous that Cadillac will not recall these headlamps. I am not able to a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2021
My 2014 (bought 2017) Cadillac SRX headlights are inadequate for night vision. I don't want to drive at night. The lights are too dim to be safe. When I went on online, I found about 30 people with the same problem on CarComplaint.com and GM is not helping us.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to operate as designed. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
While driving down the road the sunroof detached causing me to have to grab it to stop from flying off while going 75mph down the highway. And then hold it on while I operated the vehicle to a safer place to duck tape it back down. This caused the sunroof to obviously not operate properly any longer as well obviously...
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 27, 2021
Cadillac Escalade was struck in a rear end collision in Georgia. Driver of trailing car stated that the Escalade "suddenly stopped". After reviewing dash cam footage from the trailing car it can be seen that the Escalade was very slowly decelerating for ~4 seconds before suddenly stopping, the trailing driver did not react to the initial deceleration, only the sudden stop. Closer inspection of th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
In the last several months I have noticed a dimenished light output of the low beam headlights. It has gotten to the point where the light emitted is not adequate to drive at night and is unsafe. The only way to safely drive at night is with the high beam headlights.
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
The low beam lights on our 2016 Cadillac SRX are extremely dim and very dangerous to drive at night. This is a know issue and there have been numerous class action Law suits regarding the issue. P.lease help to make my wife's commute to work safer Thanks
Incident date: Apr 2, 2014
I have has headlight problems since 2014. Replaced bulbs, no difference. I have to drive with high beam on at night. Dealer can only replace with same problem type lights. GMC knows of the problem. There is no permanent repair for the issue.