2008 Cadillac Dts Problems and Recalls (86 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2008 Cadillac Dts is Electrical (30% of 86 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Electrical — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2008 Cadillac Dts?
26 of 86 filings named Electrical (30% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Engine (14 reports).
There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2007 has 95 reports on file; this year has 86. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
- Crashes 6
- Fires 6
- Injuries 7
- Deaths 0
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.
“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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 26 | 30.2% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 14 | 16.3% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 7 | 8.1% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) | 6 | 7.0% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 5 | 5.8% | 0 crashes · 2 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 4 | 4.7% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 4 | 4.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 3 | 3.5% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 3 | 3.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 23 | 26.7% | 0 crashes · 2 fires |
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.
- Campaign 14V355000 was reported 2,107 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08V441000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V240000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V355000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA08010 |
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 Electrical.
-
Recall campaign 08V441000
Safety recall 08V441000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- THIS MAY CAUSE OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES TO MALFUNCTION, CREATE AN ODOR, OR CAUSE SMOKE INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 10V240000
Safety recall 10V240000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 14V355000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy:
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), and 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2008 Cadillac Dts?
Owners named Electrical most often — 26 of 86 reports (30%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2008 Cadillac Dts?
NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Electrical. 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 2008 Cadillac Dts?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on. 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.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
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.