What 160 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Cadillac ATS

I’m writing here to state that the Cadillac with this VIN [XXX] IS A FRAUDULENT SALE my husband and I have experienced. The car show no damages on CarFax but when we took the car to a certified Cadillac dealership they said they were shocked we could even drive it. The catalytic Converter is completely missing along with several other computer systems issues. The car jumps up and down when you drive it, feels like horseback riding more than a car ride. Cadillac denied working on the car and advised us not to drive it at all Every single warning light that could be on the dash/odometer lit up approx 5mins of being on the highway. Throw the car in the junkyard where it belongs! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11644330

Breaks are not working properly, once the car sits for a few hours, then once I start it and put it into gear (reverse/drive) as I press the breaks(new break pads) the car continues to roll. This could be the abs module or the calipers but these should be good for the life of the vehicle. No dealer has the abs module. So now I'm stuck putting myself and others in danger.

NHTSA ODI 11591239

TAKATA RECALL THERE HAS BEEN NO "INCIDENT" RE THE 2013 ATS. THE ISSUE ORIGINATED WITH RECALL NOTICES TO MY DEALER AND TO ME RE (1) STEERING (2) AIR BAGS (3) BRAKES. THE AIRBAG ISSUE INVOLVES CONTINUAL WARNING BY LIGHT AND BY SOUND RE THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG. DEALER SECRETARY STATES THAT SHE HAS NOTICES FOR ALL THREE (ABOVE) TO BE RECALLED. DEALER GARAGE, HOWEVER, STATES THAT THE ONLY RECALL WAS STEERING AND HAVE RECENTLY REPAIRED THE STEERING. I RECALL RECEIVING RECALL NOTICES AT MY HOME BUT NO LONGER HAVE THEM. AND SO, COMPLAINANT IS SEEKING TO LEARN WHETHER THE BRAKES AND THE AIR BAG WARNING NEED ADDRESSING.

NHTSA ODI 11255602

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

NHTSA ODI 11255814

TAKATA RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR MY AIRBAGS. NOTHING HAPPENED. MY AIRBAGS WERE DEEMED TO BE DANGEROUS/RECALLED/ SAME WITH MY STEERING WHEEL (2).. SAME FOR REAR BRAKES. YOUR QUESTIONS ARE NOT RELEVANT. NOTHING HAPPENED. RATHER RECALL WAS ANNOUNCED ON AIRBAGS, STEERING WHEEL (2) AND ON MY REAR BRAKES.

NHTSA ODI 11232942

FROM 3/2013 TO 3/2019 A 3 YEAR PERIOD I HAVE REPLACED ALL TIRES 3 TIMES DUE TO IRREGULAR WEAR INSIDE, NOW EXPERIENCING ROARING NOISE FROM READ WHEEL. TIRES WERE CONTINUALLY ROTATED DURING REGULAR SERVICES WITH THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE LIGHT ILLUMINATED SHOWING LOW PRESSURE LOW, DEALER WAS ADVISED ON EACH OCCURRENCE PRIOR TO RECEIVING SERVICE . THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE DISENGAGED ON 8/31/2018 THE DEALER CHARGED ME FOR REPAIRS WHEN THIS WAS PART OF A RECALL PRIOR TO MY OWNING THE CAR, AND WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO ME AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE CARFAX DID NOT DISCLOSE

NHTSA ODI 11219857

CADILLAC ATS 2013 CONTINUES TO STALL AND TURN OFF CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING OF VEHICLE. THIS HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 4 TIMES FOR REPAIR, AND VEHICLE HAS STILL BEEN STALLING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10691265

I HAVE HAD 4 RECALLS ON MY ATS SINCE PURCHASE JUNE 2013. STARTING 2/5/14 WITH ONLY 3308MI TAKEN THE CAR IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR SQUEAKING SOUND WHEN BACKING OUT OF MY GARAGE COMPLAINED AFTER FOURTH VISIT WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AND LISTENING TO THE DEALER TO SAY THAT WAS NORMAL FINAL ON 5TH VISIT ON 12/10/14 7960MI FINAL SOLVE THE PROBLEM. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT WHEN BACK WINDOWS ARE ROLL DOWN THERE IS A LOUD SQUEALING SOUND THAT HURTS YOUR EAR AND DISTRACT YOUR DRIVING AGAIN I WAS TOLD THAT WAS NORMAL HOW CAN THAT BE NORMAL WHEN YOU CAN'T ROLL BACK WINDOW DOWN FOR FRESH AIR. ALL SO COMPLAINED ABOUT LOSING RADIO SIGNAL ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS PENSKE REPROGRAMMED. REPLACED WEATHER STRIP AROUND FRONT DOORS DRIVER& PASS SIDE 8/20/14 6521MI. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT HOW ROUGH THE ENGINE RUNS WHEN STOP AT RED LIGHT ON 12/10/14 REPROGRAMMED ENGINE. IS THERE ANY SAFETY STATION I CAN TAKE MY CAR FOR SAFETY CHECK. I AM AFRAID TO EVEN DRIVE THIS CAR ON THE FREEWAY AT HIGH SPEED. I PAID OVER $37,000 THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS CAR I WAS DRIVING WHICH WAS 2001 BUICK LESABRE. I DON'T FEEL THAT PENSKE CADILLAC IS BEING HONEST WITH PROBLEM I WAS TOLD THAT THE LOUD NOISE FROM DRIVING IS COMING FROM EXHAUST SYSTEM. PLEASE ADVISE ON WHERE I CAN GO TO GET A SECOND OPINION WITHOUT VOIDING MY WARRANTY. WHAT IS THE LEMON LAW REGARDING THESE ISSUES? I REALLY DON'T FEEL THAT I BROUGHT A NEW CAR BY ALL THE TROUBLE THIS CAR IS GIVING ME. BACK AND FORTH FOR REPAIRS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10672783

TURNED CAR OFF. STARTED 5 MINS LATER MOVED JUST A COUPLE MILES AND HOUR AND POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WENT OUT. TURNED CAR OFF AND WORKED AFTER THAT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10598875

THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM ACTIVATED WHILE AT FREEWAY SPEED, HOWEVER THERE WERE NO CARS OR OBSTRUCTIONS AHEAD OF MY CAR. THE BRAKES WERE AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED, THE COLLISION WARNING APPEARED ON THE HUD, AND THE CAR RAPIDLY DECELERATED. HAD THERE BEEN A VEHICLE BEHIND ME, THERE WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS COLLISION. I HAD JUST PASSED A SEMI-TRUCK AND THOUGHT MAYBE A REFLECTION FROM THE TRUCK MAY HAVE ACTIVATED THE SYSTEM, BUT I HAD COMPLETED THE PASSING MANEUVER BEFORE THE CAR BRAKING ACTIVATED. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER ON 4/4 BUT THEY REPORTED NO PROBLEMS WITH THE SYSTEM. THIS SEEMS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10593499

ON FEBRUARY 22ND AND 27TH 2014, WHILE TRAVELING AT 75MPH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SLAMMED THE BRAKES ON THEN RELEASED. I THOUGHT THE SYSTEM HAD MISS-READ THE SHADOW OF AN OVERPASS AS A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY THING IN SIGHT WHEN THE BRAKES LOCKED, THERE WERE NO VEHICLES PRESENT. ROADS WERE DRY. IT WAS REPORTED TO CADILLAC VIA THEIR 800 NUMBER AND THEN BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP 4 MARCH 2014,FOR ANALYSIS. THE DEALER IMPLEMENTED AN UPDATE TO THE ACTIVE SAFETY CONTROL MODULE. CADILLAC STATED THEY WOULD SEND AN E-MAIL TO MY DEALER ABOUT THE PROBLEM, BUT DEALER STATED THEY NEVER RECEIVED THE E-MAIL. NO FURTHER PROBLEM NOTED UNTIL 1 APRIL 2014, FOUR WEEKS LATER, DURING A TRIP THE SAME ACTION HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN A MILE OF TRAVEL. BRAKES WERE ABRUPTLY APPLIED, RED SCREEN ON DASH WITH CRASH IMMANENT. AGAIN AT 70MPH AND NO BRIDGES OR OTHER VEHICLES IN PATH. THE ROAD CONDITION WAS WET. THIS IS A LARGE SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME IF THE BREAKS SHOULD LOCK AT 70+ MPH AND NOT RELEASE AND I HAVE TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10577322

THE AUTOMATIC COLLISION AVOIDANCE BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVATED AT FREEWAY SPEEDS WITH NOTHING IN FRONT OF THE CAR FOR OVER A MILE AND FULLY SLAMMED THE BRAKES AND FLASHED THE HEADS UP DISPLAY COLLISION WARNING. THIS SYSTEM FAILED MULTIPLE WAYS, ONE IT THOUGHT THERE WAS AN EMINENT COLLISION WHEN THERE WASN'T AND TWO IT ISN'T SUPPOSED TO APPLY BRAKES AT THOSE SPEEDS. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AND THE MOST RECENT WAS AFTER A "FIX" BY THE DEALER. IF THERE HAD BEEN AN 18 WHEELER BEHIND ME WHEN THE CAR SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES THAT COULDN'T STOP AS FAST AS MY CAR THERE WOULD'VE BEEN AN ACCIDENT WITH POSSIBLE FATALITY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10574726

HELLO, I HAVE A 2013 CADILLAC ATS 2.0T AWD AND I HAVE BEEN HAVING SERIOUS ISSUES WITH THE CAR STALLING AND IDLING ROUGHLY. IT HAS STALLED ON MY THREE TIMES ALREADY SINCE I GOT THE CAR IN OCTOBER, AND I HAVE TAKEN IT IN FOR SERVICE ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR THAT SAME ISSUE. EACH TIME THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR THREE DAYS TO TRY AND REPLICATE THE ISSUE WITH NO ANSWERS FOR ME EXCEPT "MAKE SURE YOU BRING IT IN NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS". I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR ESPECIALLY SINCE THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS DRIVING 25MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, AND I NARROWLY AVOIDED GETTING REAR-ENDED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10572744

I HAVE TWO ISSUES TO REPORT THAT MAY BE A SAFETY CONCERN: 1) THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN DRIVING IN WET CONDITIONS (RAIN/SNOW) WHERE I WILL GET A 'POWER STEERING FAILURE' WARNING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE POWER STEERING DOES ONE OF TWO THINGS. IT EITHER ALMOST LOCKS UP AND BECOMES EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN THE WHEEL, OR IT WILL STILL MOVE EASILY, BUT IT WON'T AUTO CENTER WHEN MAKING TURNS. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS A BAD STEERING ANGLE SENSOR. THEY REPLACED THE SENSOR BUT THE ISSUE IS NOT RESOLVED AND NOW THAT IT'S SNOWING IT'S HAPPENING MORE AND MORE CONSISTENTLY. 2) THERE HAVE BEEN 3 CASES WHERE I WAS DRIVING AND COMING TO A STOP AND THE CAR WILL JUST RANDOMLY SHUT DOWN. I LOSE ALL ABILITY TO STEER (SINCE IT'S ELECTRIC STEERING) AND BRAKE. THIS STALL IS DIFFERENT THEN A STALL ASSOCIATED MISUSE OF THE CLUTCH. THE CLUTCH HAS BEEN PRESSED IN ALL THE WAY IN WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND THE CAR DOESN'T SHUTTER LIKE A CLUTCH STALL, JUST TOTALLY SHUTS DOWN QUIETLY. LUCKILY THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN ACCIDENT YET, BUT IF THIS HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE MULTIPLE CARS AROUND ME IT WILL BE DIFFICULTY TO AVOID ONE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10555555

WHILE DECELERATING TO MAKE VARIOUS TURNS OR STOP AT AN INTERSECTION THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF WITH NO WARNING. ALSO THE STEERING AND BRAKES BECOME HARD. ON ONE OCCASION WHILE MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY IT OCCURRED AGAIN, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO CRASH INTO A VEHICLE THEN LOSE CONTROL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10555123

I WAS PULLING IN TO A PARKING SPOT BEHIND A CAR AT A VERY LOW SPEED WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKES FOR THE CAR TO STOP, INSTEAD IT ACCELERATED AND SMASHED IN TO A CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I TRIED PRESSING THE BRAKES HARDER IN ORDER TO AVOID THE IMPACT AND THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10553831

THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL ARE SO CLOSE TOGETHER THAT WHEN BRAKING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IT IS POSSIBLE TO DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL WHILE BRAKING RESULTING IN AN ENGINE SURGE CONDITION. THIS ONLY HAPPENS IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC OR WHEN STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10551766