Reliable Auto DB

2015 Cadillac ATS reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Cadillac ATS over 12 years — 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most ATS years here — under the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Defroster and HVAC, and Sunroof.

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

29

Per year

1

Recalls

4

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (6 of 29), then Steering (6) and Powertrain (5). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 ATS has 104 complaints, 12 per year, and the 2016 has 35 complaints, 2 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

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 2015 Cadillac ATS. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2026-05-21 · NHTSA campaign 26V329000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
Remedy Dealers will replace the front-driver air bag module, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 19, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N262555870. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026.
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 hydraulic brakes, pedals and linkages 2015-06-09 · NHTSA campaign 15V358000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cadillac ATS and CTS vehicles. The affected vehicles have a bracket between the brake pedal assembly and the rod that actuates the brakes that may fracture during normal brake pedal operation.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any affected bracket, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15352.

Complaints by component (29 total)

Electrical system
6
Steering
6
Powertrain
5
Exterior lighting
4
Air bags
2
Fuel and propulsion system
2
Service brakes
2
Suspension
2
Tires
2
Engine
1
Equipment
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Speed control
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 7 more Show less
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

120151201622017120182201942020220214202232023320243202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac ATS. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V329000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown dealer was contacted.…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-07-21
  • "Fuel and/or combustion problem leading to excessive emissions at unpredictable times. I mean so much smoke suddenly comes out that the driver behind can't see, and it seems the car may be on fire."
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-04-24
  • "I bought my car from a dealership. Owned it for 2yrs 2mo. 107k miles First issue came up after 3-4 months. Faulty power steering. Took it to service at a dealership they said I would need my wire harness assembly…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2026-02-06
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac ATS equipped with Firestone Tires, Tire Line: Fire Hawk A5V2, Tire Size: 225/45/R18, DOT Number: 17X4F9J46. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH in rain, the vehicle hydroplaned.…"
    Tires · filed 2025-09-23
  • "We have owned the 2015 ATS Cadillac since August 31, 2016 . The rear glass is blurry when looking back from the front seat. We replaced the rear view mirror thought that was the problem but didn’t correct. I checked on…"
    Unknown or other, Visibility and wipers · filed 2025-07-06

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Cadillac ATS 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2015 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 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 18 27 22 MPG $2950
ATS 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 21 29 24 MPG $2700
ATS 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 21 32 25 MPG $2600
ATS 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 19 29 23 MPG $2800
ATS all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 20 27 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

Previous year 2014 Cadillac ATS Next year 2016 Cadillac ATS See every Cadillac ATS model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Cadillac ATS reliable?

Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Cadillac ATS over 12 years — 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most ATS years here — under the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Defroster and HVAC, and Sunroof.

What are common problems with a 2015 Cadillac ATS?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (6 of 29), then Steering (6) and Powertrain (5). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2015 Cadillac ATS more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 ATS has 104 complaints, 12 per year, and the 2016 has 35 complaints, 2 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Cadillac ATS been recalled?

The 2015 Cadillac ATS has 4 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 2015 Cadillac ATS?

Owners have filed 29 complaints about the 2015 Cadillac ATS with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Cadillac ATS get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Cadillac ATS is 23 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).