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What 35 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Cadillac ATS

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 (35)Crash / fire / injury (5)Transmission & drivetrain (11)Electrical system (7)Airbags (5)Engine (4)Steering (4)Wheels (4)Brakes (2)Speed control (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Backup camera & sensors (1)

1 of 35 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

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 35 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 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 verdict →