Reliable Auto DB

2013 Cadillac CTS reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Cadillac CTS over 14 years — 11 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 8 CTS years on this site. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Electrical system and Ignition.

2012 Cadillac CTS
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

73

Per year

11

Recalls

2

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (26 of 73), then Powertrain (13) and Air bags (11). Those filings include 10 that report a crash and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 CTS has 67 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2014 has 146 complaints, 8 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. 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 CTS. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall Electrical system 2014-10-01 · NHTSA campaign 14V614000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM’s number for this recall is 14515.
Recall electrical system, ignition 2014-07-02 · NHTSA campaign 14V394000
Summary 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) notified the agency on July 2, 2014 that they are recalling 554,328 model year 2003-2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured August 16, 2001, to April 28, 2014, and 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX vehicles manufactured March 20, 2003, to August 11, 2006. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
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 15, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14172.

Complaints by component (73 total)

Electrical system
26
Powertrain
13
Air bags
11
Steering
10
Engine
7
Suspension
7
Service brakes
6
Electronic stability control (ESC)
5
Exterior lighting
5
Seats
3
Speed control
2
Structure
2
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Wheels
1
Show 7 more Show less
Crash-flagged

10

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

520132020148201562016820174201882019320202202122022420242202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I went to get my car checked at the mechanic because the suspension was making noise. I thought it was the struts which I coudnt change because Cadillac does not make the parts any longer. They found my frame is…"
    Suspension · filed 2026-09-16
  • "My 2013 has only 75k miles on it and all the dash lights flash and the car fails every couple of days. It has a brand new battery but the gauges on the dash continue to dance. I’m not sure what the problem is but it’s a…"
    Suspension, Electrical system · filed 2025-03-11
  • "driving to work on very busy highway. The engine light and Service Battery charging system came on, then went to battery saver almost instantly. Radio cut off, heat cutt off and the Car cut off in the middle of the…"
    Powertrain, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2025-02-28
  • "I noticed that on the dash a message that service is needed on one of the airbags. I then scheduled appointment to have the problem corrected. I was informed by the dealership’ service department that I need a passenger…"
    Air bags · filed 2024-12-29
  • "The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that the transmission fluid was leaking, and the vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed…"
    Powertrain · filed 2024-04-22

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Cadillac CTS 2 DR AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2013 Cadillac CTS 2 DR RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2013 Cadillac CTS 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 Cadillac CTS 4 DR RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 Cadillac CTS SW AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 Cadillac CTS SW RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 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
CTS 6.2L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 14 19 16 MPG $5000
CTS 3L, 6-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 16 26 19 MPG $3400
CTS 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 18 27 21 MPG $3100
CTS 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100
CTS 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 12 18 14 MPG $4650
CTS all-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100
CTS all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100
CTS Wagon 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 12 18 14 MPG $5700
CTS Wagon 6.2L, 8-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 14 19 16 MPG $5000
CTS Wagon 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100
CTS Wagon 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100
CTS Wagon all-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100
CTS Wagon all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100

Specs and fitment

2nd generation, 2012–2013
Body styles Sedan, Coupe, Wagon
Oil 5W-30 (all temps); 0W-30 below -29°C , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 235/55R17, 235/50R18, 245/45R19 (sedan/wagon); coupe/V staggered fronts 235/50R18–255/40R19 front / 235/55R17, 235/50R18, 245/45R19 (sedan/wagon); coupe/V staggered rears 265/45R18–285/35R19 rear

Compare

Previous year 2012 Cadillac CTS Next year 2014 Cadillac CTS See every Cadillac CTS model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Cadillac CTS reliable?

Owners have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Cadillac CTS over 14 years — 11 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 8 CTS years on this site. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Electrical system and Ignition.

What are common problems with a 2013 Cadillac CTS?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (26 of 73), then Powertrain (13) and Air bags (11). Those filings include 10 that report a crash and 7 that report an injury.

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

The 2012 CTS has 67 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2014 has 146 complaints, 8 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Cadillac CTS been recalled?

The 2013 Cadillac CTS has 2 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 CTS?

Owners have filed 73 complaints about the 2013 Cadillac CTS with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Cadillac CTS get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Cadillac CTS is 19 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Cadillac CTS take?

US notes list 5W-30 for all temperatures, with 0W-30 as an alternative below -29°C (about 6.0 qt with filter).

Does recall 19V-086 cover the Cadillac CTS?

It covers certain 2016-2018 CTS vehicles (and ATS/Camaro/Corvette years named in the campaign): electric power steering assist may fail; dealers replace the EPS assembly as directed.

What generation is a 2015 Cadillac CTS?

3rd generation (2014-2019). Model years 2012-2013 are 2nd generation in this catalog.