2015 Cadillac Cts Problems: Transmission / driveline (46 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2015 Cadillac Cts is Transmission / driveline (37% of 46 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 46 complaints · 3 recalls

What problems show up on the 2015 Cadillac Cts?

17 of 46 filings named Transmission / driveline (37% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Electrical (4 reports).

There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Brakes and Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2014 has 145 reports on file; this year has 46. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2015 Cadillac Cts

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
  2. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  3. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  4. Suspension. Listen for clunks over bumps and look at tire wear for alignment issues.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Transmission / driveline. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Transmission / driveline 17 complaints · 37.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 2
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
All Cadillac Cts years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) appears in 17 of 46 owner complaints (37.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 17 complaints, 37.0% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 17 · 37.0% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 4 complaints, 8.7% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 4 · 8.7% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 3 complaints, 6.5% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 3 · 6.5% Wheels (WHEELS): 3 complaints, 6.5% of reports Wheels (WHEELS) 3 · 6.5% Engine (ENGINE): 2 complaints, 4.4% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 2 · 4.4% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 2 complaints, 4.4% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 · 4.4% Steering (STEERING): 2 complaints, 4.4% of reports Steering (STEERING) 2 · 4.4% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 2 complaints, 4.4% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 2 crash reports 2 · 4.4% Tires (TIRES): 1 complaints, 2.2% of reports Tires (TIRES) 1 · 2.2% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 17 complaints, 37.0% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 fire reports 17 · 37.0% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 17 37.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 4 8.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 3 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Wheels (WHEELS) 3 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 2 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 2 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 2 4.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Tires (TIRES) 1 2.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 17 37.0% 0 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2015; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2015. 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jun 2015 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 15V358000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V358000 Recall campaign 18V595000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V595000 Recall campaign 26V329000 ◆ Recall campaign 26V329000
  • Campaign 18V595000 was reported 444 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 3
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 3
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 3
2022-Q2 Owner reports 3
2022-Q3 Owner reports 3
2022-Q4 Owner reports 2
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 2
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 15V358000
Recall campaign 1 18V595000
Recall campaign 1 26V329000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (3)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Brakes and Airbags.

  1. Recall campaign 15V358000

    Brakes

    Report date
    Component:
    Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
    Consequence:
    If the bracket fractures, the driver would not be able to apply the brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any affected bracket, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15352.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 18V595000

    Safety recall 18V595000

    Report date
    Component:
    Unclassified NHTSA leftover
    Consequence:
    In cold ambient temperatures, the seat heaters in these vehicles can turn on automatically when the vehicle is remotely started. If a damaged seat heater is turned on while no one is inside the vehicle, the damaged seat heater can overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the body control module, disabling the automatic activation of the heated seat when the vehicle is remotely started, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for the recall is 18286.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 26V329000

    Airbags

    Report date
    Component:
    Airbags (AIR BAGS)
    Consequence:
    An inflator rupture may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the front-driver air bag module, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 19, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N262555870. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 6 of 46 complaints · page 1 of 2
2026-08-28Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11760517
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Dash board message power steering service message hard to steer traction assist light is on.
2025-07-25Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11676097
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was a loud grinding and squeaking sounds coming from the vehicle. Additionally, there was a high-pitched sound coming from the vehicle. The contact also stated that the water pump was inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced, and the rear differential was leaking. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The water pump was replaced under the warranty. The contact stated that the brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced every two months. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
2025-07-16Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11673962
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and made an abnormally loud sound. The contact exited the highway and drove to the nearest mechanic shop at a gas station. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the rear differential was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V038000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
2025-05-02Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11658541
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various slow speeds, the message "Driver Assist Unavailable" and the steering wheel was abnormally firm, requiring excess effort to drive the vehicle until the power steering functionality returned. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed; however, the contact was advised that there was no failure found with the vehicle, and the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V175000 (STEERING); as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.
2024-10-04Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11618015
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that there was an abnormal loud clunking sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle while the vehicle was shifting into gears. The vehicle was taken to AMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care, where it was diagnosed that the rear differential had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under the NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V038000(Power Train); however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.
2024-09-22Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11615828
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The primary issue with the vehicle is the failure of the front transmission pump seal (part #24225543) and the torque converter seal ( part #242337534 ) which caused a significant transmission fluid leak. THe original repair of the torque converter seal was done in Jan 2024 by Andrews Cadillac In Mt Juliet Tn. Failure to properly repair the torque converter seal led to internal damage within the transmission, resulting in the need for a full transmission replacement. THe front pump seal was not replaced as recommended by the service repair manual at the time of the torque converter seal replacement. The faulty component is available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself and others was put at risk due to the vehicle's hesitation to accelerate after stopping, a direct consequence of the low transmission fluid. This hesitation causes a sudden loss of power while driving, increasing the likelihood of an accident. THere is a delay and then a hard shift when off , a significant bump when shifting from first to second gear and when I stop it feels like I've been rear ended by another car. The issue has been confirmed by multiple service centers, including Parker Cadillac, ORR Cadillac, and Christian Brothers Automotive, all of which identified the transmission pump seal as the source of the leak and the resulting damage to the transmission. Additionally, Christian Brothers Automotive found that the torque converter seal was also leaking, further contributing to the vehicle's transmission problems. Despite efforts to have GM engineers inspect the vehicle at ORR Cadillac, they declined. However, Christian Brothers Automotive has provided a thorough inspection and diagnostic of the .There were no warning lamps or error codes indicating the issue, as it was a mechanical failure rather than an electronic one. The symptoms became apparent when the vehicle began hesitating after coming to a stop, and a transmission fluid leak was discovered during the inspection​

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2015 Cadillac Cts?

Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 17 of 46 reports (37%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2015 Cadillac Cts?

NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Brakes and Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2015 Cadillac Cts?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources