Home · 2016 Cadillac Ats-v · Complaints

What 31 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Cadillac Ats-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 (31)Crash / fire / injury (5)Transmission & drivetrain (9)Electrical system (6)Airbags (4)Engine (4)Steering (3)Wheels (3)Brakes (2)Speed control (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Backup camera & sensors (1)

6 of 31 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters

Mar 5, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

Transmission drags. When stopping the car jerks bad and sometimes proceeds to accelerate. When at a stop auto start has a hard jerk I reported this problem to Cadillac dealership when I first got the car. They claim they couldn't find an issue. The touch pad goes out frequently.

NHTSA ODI 11575697

Aug 23, 2022Electrical system

CUE screen cracked and is unresponsive and now handsfree safety options don't work.

NHTSA ODI 11480821

Apr 22, 2021Electrical systemFuel systemBackup camera & sensors

THE GAS FUEL TANK CONTINUOUSLY STOPS EVERY TIME YOU ARE PUMPING GAS. SO IT TAKES VERY LONG TO FILL UP THE TANK. MY CENTER ELECTRICAL SCREEN FOR THE RADIO, BLUETOOTH, ETC DOESN'T WORK. I PAID EXTRA FOR THE FEATURE AND IT DOESN'T WORK.

NHTSA ODI 11413323

Dec 15, 2020Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

WHILE ARRIVING AT STOP LIGHTS THE CADDILLAC ROUGHLY SHIFTS DOWN JOLTING THE WHOLE VEHICLE. AROUND 1500 RPMS WHETHER ITS SITTING OR JUST PASSING 1500 RPMS THE WHOLE VEHICLE SHUTTERS AND VIBRATES AGGRESIVELY UNTIL AROUND 2000 RPM. RPMS JUMP UP AND DOWN BETWEEN 1000 AND 3000 RPMS

NHTSA ODI 11383582

Aug 11, 2020Electrical system

THE RADIO SCREEN IS CRACKING FROM THE INSIDE OF THE SCREEN I'M GETTING A SPIDERWEB EFFECT THAT IS NOT ALLOWING ME TO SEE THE SCREEN. CAN'T SEE THE SPEED OF MY AC FAN BECASUE I CAN'T SEE THE SCREEN, CAN'T CHANGE TO BLUETOOTH BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE THE SCREEN, CAN'T USE MY NAVIGATION SYSTEM THAT I PAID EXTRA FOR BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE THE SCREEN DUE TO THE SPIDERWEB EFFECT. THIS IS A DEFECT AS I HAVE USED THE RADIO UNDER NORMAL USE AND IT SHOULD NOT CRACK FROM THE INSIDE. I CAN'T USE ANY OF THE RADIO FEATURES DUE TO THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11348530

Dec 25, 2018Electrical systemSeatsFire

ON SATURDAY DECEMBER 22ND I WAS GOING TO A CAR MEET. ON MY WAY TO THE MEET I WAS HAVING SOME ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH MY CAR. THE RADIO AND MY SEATS WERE ACTING WEIRD. THE RADIO WOULD TURN UP AND DOWN BY ITSELF AND THE HEATED SEATS WOULD TURN ON AND OFF. I GOT TO THE MEET AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. ON MY WAY HOME I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR WAS DOING THE SAME THING AND ABOUT A FEW MILES FROM MY HOUSE I STARTED TO SMELL ELECTRICAL BURNING. I WAS PULLING OVER WHEN SMOKE STARTED BILLOWING FROM UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT. WHEN I GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THERE WHERE FLAMES SHOOTING FROM THE PASSENGER SEAT. I SLAMMED THE CAR IN PARK AND JUMPED OUT JUST IN TIME AS THE CAR WAS CONSUMED IN FLAMES. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED 911 AND BEDFORD FIRE AND POLICE RESPONDED WITHIN MINUTES. THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. I BELIEVE THERE WAS AN ISSUE IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OR THE HEATED SEAT ELEMENT. I'M JUST HAPPY I DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT.

NHTSA ODI 11163386

Working with the data? Download all 31 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 27, 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 2016 Cadillac Ats-v verdict →