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What 103 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Cadillac XTS

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 (103)Crash / fire / injury (2)Electrical system (41)Suspension (25)Engine (12)Brakes (9)Lights (9)Speed control (6)Wheels (6)Seats (4)Airbags (3)Driver assistance (3)

3 of 103 complaints match · Airbags · clear filters

Aug 9, 2020Electrical systemAirbags

WHILE DRIVING THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECK THEY SAID THE PASSENGER AIRBAG NEED A NEW MODULE AND ALSO WHILE DRIVING THE HAZARDS LIGHT CAME ON AND ALSO CAME ON WHILE PARK IN MY DRIVEWAY

NHTSA ODI 11344235

Sep 9, 2019SuspensionAirbags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CADILLAC XTS. AFTER EXITING THE DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO OPERATE ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SUSPENSION WAS OFF BALANCE. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG FELL FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AS AN UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT DROVE BACK HOME AND INSPECTED THE VEHICLE HIMSELF, BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH HAWK CADILLAC OF JOLIET (2001 W JEFFERSON ST, JOLIET, IL 60435, 815-600-7027) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000.

NHTSA ODI 11254181

Feb 9, 2013Airbags

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WILL NOT ACTIVATE. SHE WEIGHS 115 LBS, IS 5'1". SHE SITS ON 3 INCH MEMORY FOAM CUSHION FOR BACK FOR EIGHT YEARS, NO STRUCTURE, ONLY FOAM. IN EIGHT YEARS SHE HAS USED CUSHION, WE HAVE OWNED 5 CARS AND HAVE RENTED OVER 40 CARS AND SHE HAS NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG ACTIVATION. CADILLAC SAYS THE SYSTEM IS OK. I ASKED TO TRY ON ANOTHER XTS AND IT STILL DID NOT ACTIVATE. THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM. I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME CUSHIONS MIGHT INTERFERE WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM, BUT THIS THIN CUSHION DOES NOT. I SHOULD SAY IT WORKS IN CORVETTES AND WORKED IN THE LOANER 2013 CTS CADILLAC. THE SEAT IN THE XTS IS A NEW DESIGN AND I BELIEVE IT IS DEFECTIVE. THE SEAT IS NOT FLAT AND REQUIRES A MUCH HEAVIER PERSON TO ACTIVATE THE AIRBAG. I BELIEVE THIS IS UNSAFE. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT MANY OLDER PEOPLE, SUCH AS WOULD PURCHASE A CADILLAC, DO USE CUSHIONS AND WILL EITHER NOT BE AWARE OF OR WILL IGNORE THE FACT THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT WORK. I RETURNED MY CADILLAC (AND LOST $14,000) AS I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN MY WIFE OR THE CAR. I PURCHASED A LEXUS LS460 AND THE AIRBAG WORKED PERFECTLY WITH HER CUSHION. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10497591

Working with the data? Download all 103 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 23, 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 2013 Cadillac XTS verdict →