10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
39,986 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Cadillac CTS electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Cadillac CTS Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #36

Feb 252024

CTS

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Ever since I purchased this 2008 CTS vehicle, I have dumped thousands of dollars to repair the vehicle even after the "recall repairs". Problems persist and the car has become more dangerous than ever. The vehicle had inspected by the dealership a number of times the first 5 years of ownership the first 3, listed below, were the replaced recalls from dealership, the rest are known safety issues that gm denies to admit to faults and recalls. *Ignition starter replacement (still have starter failure issues after 2 repairs from gm) *washer fluid warmer removal (they just snipped the wires and removed the component but left hot wires exposed in vehicle) *motherboard ecm replacement recall(ecm is still faulty and has caused dozens of electrical issues. **************** battery drains over night. On my 6th battery (just bought new one 3 days ago) gauge cluster never recalibrated and is completely disabled. Don't know how fast im going how much gas or any other info related to. sunroof constantly leaking, flooding vehicle and destroying the electrical components which fried many relays including the door lock and power window components vehicle refuses to turn but cranks on fuel often will not allow a fill up ecm throwing irrelevant codes headlight failure due to seal defect that allows moisture into headlight casing frequent oil loss. 2018: vehicle engine failure whilst driving on freeway with zero warning nearly causing a fatal crash. Purchased new alternator (Shade tree auto in san Clemente) and had to pay 2000 for tow and alternator transmission failure and near miss collision into another vehicle on a steep incline road I have taken this vehicle to a multitude of repair shops and auto supply to get a diagnosis. Even the dealership didn't have any answers. Now I am out of a car. and money. These issues had been confirmed by Rorick Cadillac, Shade tree auto, oreily, s and s auto, auto zone.

- Oceanside , CA, USA

problem #35

Jul 182023

CTS

  • miles
Car went crazy one day while behind the wheel everything malfunctioned then car shut off and won't start again. I could of easily got into an accident had there been any other vehicles around. Kids were scared. Codes come up as U0100, U0140, U0101, C0242, B0081-0F, B0081-71, B1370-01, B1370-06, U0155-00, U0170-00, P0856-00.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #34

Feb 102023

CTS 6-cyl

  • miles
I was pulled over by the Police because my 2008 Cadillac CTS license plate lights were not working and my rear brake lights were not working. These light failures were caused by a known design flaw with the wiring harness in the trunk lid near the right trunk lid hinge in where the wires inside the harness that go to the brake lights break in half after repeated opening and closing of the trunk lid because of the poor design of the wiring harness and it-??s mounting brackets. There should have been a safety recall from GM as I could have been killed if a car in back of me did not stop because my brake lights were not going on when I would step on my cars brake peddle! Now the car dealership service center wants to charge me $335 to replace the broken wires that were caused by GM/Cadillac-??s poor and unsafe design of this wiring harness. Regards [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Elk Grove Village , IL, USA

problem #33

Mar 152021

CTS

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After it rains water leaks from sunroof (not sure) down onto floorboard near the petal.and also into trunk. Electrical device inside car does not open trunk even after having it repaired.

- North Chesterfield, VA, USA

problem #32

May 172019

CTS

  • 92,000 miles
While driving maybe 6 minutes my center console display would no longer function preventing me from being able to control the radio or air, which both remained functioning and the air bag light came on at the same time. The radio no longer plays but the air still blows. At the time this happened I was driving on a paved road at night going approx. 50 mph.

- Orange, VA, USA

problem #31

Jul 012018

CTS

  • 98,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac Cts. While the vehicle was stationary, the electrical system failed and the control panel became inoperative. In addition, the power steering failed and the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn left or right. Kuni Chevrolet Cadillac (2449 fulton avenue, sacramento, California 95825, (916) 538-7217) diagnosed that the power steering pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall for the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #30

Jan 062018

CTS

  • 0 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car has been in the shop due to engine issues, now that engine is replaced I'm seeing stabilitrak, service ac, and brake assist lights appear. Also when driving the speedometer is not engaged and car won't shift gears. Codes will not appear when hooked up to diagnostic reader and their is moisture that gets inside my car through the sunroof.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #29

Apr 052017

CTS

  • miles
My car won't hold a charge. I buy a new battery and the car says battery saver mode activated. The battery will be dead by morning or if I take it down the road the voltage will start dropping before I get home. When I say down the road I mean less then a 2 miles. After I turn my car off it won't start because the battery voltage will be to low. I've had the battery and alternator check both are fine. Checked to see if their might be lights left on, but nope not even the truck light. So I'm at my end with the car, it's a $30,000 car that I can't even drive. That's a lot of money for a yard ornament.

- Sulphur, LA, USA

problem #28

Aug 292017

CTS

  • miles
Our vehicle was stationary in the driveway of our home. In the middle of the night the vehicle caught on fire and exploded multiple times. Fire report/investigation list cause as unknown.

- Covington, GA, USA

problem #27

Jul 312017

CTS

  • 122,600 miles
The vehicle will stall while cruising to a stop light, while at idle and sometime while accelerating. I've read a lot of posts online about this issue but no one has a solution. I got stranded on the highway in the middle lane once too. GM will not do anything about it. The vehicle is in the shop right now and my diagnosis fee its over $750 and there is still no resolution for this issue!!! this issue is an ongoing issue for years now!!!

- Chesterfield, MI, USA

problem #26

Jul 222017

CTS

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passenger side rear window rolls down on its own in rain, car wash. Sunroof has loud wind noise. Window goes down while on and driving.

- Salinas, CA, USA

problem #25

Feb 012016

CTS 6-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac Cts. The contact stated that there were several electrical failures, such as the turn signals failed to function and the middle console electric functions failed to illuminate. After several repairs, the failures continued. The contact had three batteries replaced and the alternator assembly replaced, but the failures continued. The vent controls also failed to function for the heater and air conditioner. The manufacturer stated that there were no recalls pertaining to the failures. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. Updated 08/29/17

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #24

Mar 152017

CTS

  • 82,000 miles
Randomly when I go to start my vehicle it won't start but the battery is good, which leaves me stranded....and also randomly while driving the traction control lights up saying traction control off along with every light in the dash displayed and making the chiming sound.it reduces the engine power suddenly while at a high speed causing me to swerve in freeway traffic.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #23

Jun 042016

CTS

  • miles
My sunroof drain is often clogged resulting in the interior being soaked during slight or heavy rain fall. Maintenance has been done several times to no avail. Also whenever the weather is warm outside, the back doors will not unlock from the outside or when exiting the car. I always have to manually lock the doors upon leaving the vehicle. These problems have been virtually present since the car was purchased and have become a nightmare. The water log inside the vehicle almost always happen when the car is stationary.

- East Hartford, CT, USA

problem #22

May 252016

CTS

  • 147,000 miles
The D/S door will not unlock or open from the outside. Read numerous complaints on same issue and no recall issued

- Lancaster, PA, USA

problem #21

Oct 102015

CTS

  • 174,000 miles
The problem started with the timing chain, which led to coil issues and catalytic converters issues which led to low head beams constantly burning out. Everytime work is done it causes a chain reaction to other parts in the car that requires more and more money. Now the engine light is still on and I am told that since the first catalytic converter was repaired, the second one now needs replacing and the low head beam on the passenger side has wiring issues that will not allow the new bulb to burn, I am told that the wiring appears to be spliced. The catalytic converter was replaced in April and so was the low beam bulb. Headlight was replaced in April, 2015 it is not working today and was told by dealership that the wiring had been spliced or burned out. Radio speakers do not work and all was centered around issues with coils and catalytic coverters.

- Reidsville, NC, USA

problem #20

Mar 022015

CTS

  • 67,000 miles
Intermittently, the door locks do not lock/unlock with the remote. The safety concern is ingress/egress from the vehicle.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #19

Sep 212011

CTS 6-cyl

  • miles
There is a water leak occurring from the sunroof. The sunroof drains continuously get clogged. In result, the interior of the car gets extremely wet. This occurred on September 21, 2011 then has now happened in the same exact drain on May 05, 2015. When I started the car after discovering the water for the second time the passenger rear window rolled down on its own and will no longer operate. Who knows what other electrical issues will occur" does this put me at harm" also, now with all the moisture inside the car, this is ruining the interior of my car! the worst part is that due to the moisture in the vehicle the inside of the windows fog up while driving. This is definitely putting me and other drivers on the road in harms way because it is interrupting my visibility while driving and I don't feel safe when this occurs. I don't understand how the drains are getting clogged, I don't park under trees and my car is covered almost year round. This is not acceptable and I feel like there needs to be change.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #18

Nov 062014

CTS

  • 74,000 miles
I was driving in a parking garage so my speed was about 5-10mph when the whole system shut down. The car stopped moving and all of the system warnings popped off (ABS, stabiltrack, engine). The car would not turn back on. I had it towed to the shop where I was told that it was an electrical problem. The PCM was replaced and I was told that the problem was fixed. Cost was approx $200. After the original system shut down, I was driving on an exit ramp to the interstate when once again the whole system shut down. All of the system warnings popped up and the car would not turn back on. The car was towed once again to the dealership where I was told that it wasn't the PCM and that they would have to charge me $265 to investigate the problem. The problem was said to be the electrical wiring on the drivers side from the front of the car to the back of the car. It was fixed for approx $800. Each of the system shut downs happened within 6 months of each other while operating the vehicle. This is very dangerous and makes me feel very unsafe about operating the vehicle. This needs to be investigated for the safety of drivers.

- Norwood , PA, USA

problem #17

Mar 022015

CTS 6-cyl

  • miles
2008 Cadillac Cts. Consumer writes in regards to recall parts are unavailable to complete recall #14V394000.

- Marshallville, GA, USA

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