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What 108 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Cadillac Cts-v

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (108)Crash / fire / injury (16)Airbags (25)Transmission & drivetrain (25)Electrical system (20)Engine (13)Steering (11)Body & structure (9)Lights (8)Brakes (6)Speed control (6)Seats (4)

2 of 108 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 7, 2019Electrical systemEngineFuel systemFire

AFTER A 45 MINUTE DRIVE AND RETURNING HOME I PARKED MY CAR ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF MY HOME. THE CAR DROVE PERFECTLY NORMAL AS ALWAYS AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ANYTHING ELSE TO INDICATE A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I ENTERED MY HOUSE AND AS I WALKED PASTED MY KITCHEN WINDOW I COULD SEE FLAMES COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE IT WAS ONLY A COUPLE OF MINUTES SINCE FROM THE TIME I ENTERED MY HOUSE. WITHIN 5 MINUTES THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ENGULFED WITH FLAMES. AFTER THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THEN FIRE I ASKED WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSE THE FIRE. I WAS TOLD IT WAS PROBABLY AN ELECTRICAL OR A FUEL MALFUNCTION.

NHTSA ODI 11287619

Nov 20, 2014EngineCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE SEIZED AND THE BRAKES FAILED. AS A RESULT THE CAR CRASHED INTO AN EMBANKMENT. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED HEAD AND CHEST INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V394000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,500.

NHTSA ODI 10659647

Working with the data? Download all 108 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Cadillac Cts-v verdict →