Reliable Auto DB

2013 Cadillac ATS reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Cadillac ATS holds 160 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 20 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 7 ATS years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Defroster and HVAC, Sunroof, and Front.

2013 Cadillac ATS
Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

160

Per year

20

Recalls

6

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (48 of 160), then Powertrain (45) and Electrical system (36). Those filings include 9 that report a crash and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2014

The 2014 ATS has 104 complaints, 12 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Cadillac ATS. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall visibility, defroster and HVAC 2015-09-03 · NHTSA campaign 15V558000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS sedan vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to September 2, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the coil antenna module that powers the rear defogger system may generate excessive heat due to excessive cycling or continuous operation.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the Electronic Climate Control module to remove the automatic rear defogger "on" function, free of charge. The recall began on October 16, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15299.
Recall visibility, sunroof 2015-07-24 · NHTSA campaign 15V463000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to June 25, 2015. The affected vehicles may experience the roof panel closing automatically when the non-recessed switches are pressed and the roof panel is open. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."
Remedy GM will notify owners and dealers will replace the roof console accessory switch trim plate, free of charge. The recall began on August 19, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15568. Note this recall supersedes 15V-106.
Recall seat belts, front 2014-08-08 · NHTSA campaign 14V488000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to March 1, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to May 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the driver and passenger lap belt pretensioner cables may not lock in a retracted position, allowing the seat belts to extend when pulled upon.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front the driver's and the passenger's lap belt pretensioners, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. GM sent interim notifications on October 7, 2014 and will send a second notification when remedy parts are available. The recall began on November 20, 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14171.
Recall Seats 2014-07-23 · NHTSA campaign 14V446000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore and Cadillac ATS; 2014 Cadillac CTS, ELR, Chevrolet Caprice and SS vehicles; and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Trucks. Due to an incomplete weld on the seat hook bracket assembly, the front seats in the affected vehicles may not stay secured in place during a high load condition such as a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat hook bracket assembly weld and replace the lower seat track, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14340.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2014-06-19 · NHTSA campaign 14V338000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to March 20, 2014, and 2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured June 10, 2013, to March 20, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable may detach from either the bracket on the transmission shifter or the bracket on the transmission.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure the cable is properly seated at the transmission and shifter brackets, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in early August 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14179.
Recall Electrical system 2013-05-24 · NHTSA campaign 13V220000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala; and 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. Originally, in May 2013, GM recalled 1,627 model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; and model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. In October 2013, GM informed the agency that it was adding model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles to this campaign , representing an additional 8,050 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 9,677. On the affected vehicles, the brake lamps may intermittently flash without the brakes being applied and the cruise control may disengage. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module. The recall began on June 13, 2013. Owner's may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339. GM's recall number is 13158.

Complaints by component (160 total)

Engine
48
Powertrain
45
Electrical system
36
Steering
25
Service brakes
14
Speed control
10
Air bags
9
Exterior lighting
7
Electronic stability control (ESC)
5
Suspension
5
Wheels
5
Equipment
3
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Hydraulic brakes
3
Seat belts
3
Seats
3
Tires
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Adaptive and mobility equipment
2
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Visibility
2
Engine and engine cooling
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

9

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

1201223201326201411201512201672017112018162019122020112021720221020234202492025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I was in a vehicle accident on 9-26-25 and was t-boned. The other driver hit me at 35-45 after she blew the stopping, I was hit on the driver side pillar and back driver door. My air bags never deployed and I was…"
    Air bags · filed 2025-09-30
  • "Vehicle would not steer lost power steering and loud noise. Had the vehicle towed to a mechanic. The mechanic informed me that the bolts for the electronic power steering had corroded causing the electronic steering…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2025-08-18
  • "Found metal shavings in oil after 13 visits to 3 different dealerships. Engine had to be replaced. Under 100,000 mikes with a service contract"
    Engine · filed 2025-06-02
  • "Air bag lights came on."
    Air bags · filed 2025-04-11
  • "Car has a shudder at acceleration acting as if it's in the wrong gear or shifts too soon seems like failing TCC in tge transmission not sure this issue could cause accidents due to car not accelerating fast enough with…"
    Powertrain · filed 2025-03-24

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Cadillac ATS 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2013 Cadillac ATS 4 DR RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
ATS 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 19 29 23 MPG $2800
ATS 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950
ATS 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 21 31 24 MPG $2700
ATS 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950
ATS 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 22 32 26 MPG $2500
ATS all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100
ATS all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 20 29 23 MPG $2800
ATS all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2013–2019
Body styles Sedan, Coupe
Oil 5W-30 (2.0L/3.6L all temps); 0W-20/5W-20 (2.5L) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 225/40R18, 225/45R17, 255/35R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 25V-175 covers certain 2017-2018 Cadillac ATS vehicles among other GM models: electric power steering assist may fail, requiring greater steering effort especially at low speeds. Dealers replace the power steering gear assembly. Recall 18V-358 covers certain 2018 ATS vehicles among other GM models: the high-pressure fuel pump may detach and damage a fuel line, creating a leak and fire risk; dealers replace the pump and high-pressure pipe.

Compare

Next year 2014 Cadillac ATS See every Cadillac ATS model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Cadillac ATS reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Cadillac ATS holds 160 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 20 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 7 ATS years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Defroster and HVAC, Sunroof, and Front.

What are common problems with a 2013 Cadillac ATS?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (48 of 160), then Powertrain (45) and Electrical system (36). Those filings include 9 that report a crash and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 Cadillac ATS more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 ATS has 104 complaints, 12 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Cadillac ATS been recalled?

The 2013 Cadillac ATS has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Cadillac ATS?

Owners have filed 160 complaints about the 2013 Cadillac ATS with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Cadillac ATS get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Cadillac ATS is 22.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Cadillac ATS take?

US notes list 5W-30 for 2.0L/3.6L (all temps) and 0W-20/5W-20 for the 2.5L (about 5.0 qt with filter on common fills).

Does recall 25V-175 cover the Cadillac ATS?

It covers certain 2017-2018 ATS vehicles among other GM models: electric power steering assist may fail, requiring greater steering effort at low speeds; dealers replace the EPS parts named in the campaign.

What generation is the Cadillac ATS?

1st generation for the US years this site tracks (2013-2019).