2009 Cadillac Dts Problems and Recalls (35 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2009 Cadillac Dts is Electrical (26% of 35 owner reports). There are 2 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Electrical — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 35 complaints · 2 recalls

What problems show up on the 2009 Cadillac Dts?

9 of 35 filings named Electrical (26% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Brakes (5 reports).

There are 2 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 2008 has 86 reports on file; this year has 35. 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 2009 Cadillac Dts

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 2 campaigns on file below.
  2. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  3. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  4. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Electrical. 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: Electrical 9 complaints · 25.7% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 1
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 3
  • Deaths 0
All Cadillac Dts 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 Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) appears in 9 of 35 owner complaints (25.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 9 complaints, 25.7% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 9 · 25.7% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 5 complaints, 14.3% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 5 · 14.3% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 4 complaints, 11.4% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 4 · 11.4% Engine (ENGINE): 3 complaints, 8.6% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 3 · 8.6% Steering (STEERING): 3 complaints, 8.6% of reports Steering (STEERING) 3 · 8.6% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 2 complaints, 5.7% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 2 · 5.7% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 2 complaints, 5.7% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 2 · 5.7% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 1 complaints, 2.9% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 crash reports 1 · 2.9% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 13 complaints, 37.1% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 fire reports 13 · 37.1% 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)
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 9 25.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 5 14.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 4 11.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 3 8.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 3 8.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 2 5.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 2 5.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 2.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 13 37.1% 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 2009; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2010. 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2009 Jul 2024 Recall campaign 10V240000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V240000 Recall campaign 14V355000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V355000
  • Campaign 14V355000 was reported 1,419 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 2
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 3
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 10V240000
Recall campaign 1 14V355000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (2)

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.

  1. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. 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.
    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 7 of 35 complaints · page 1 of 2
2024-09-23Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11616020
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Fuse box got push on by seat clamp shorted out my fuel pump relay and burnt up my fuse box
2022-02-23Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11453689
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2009 Cadillac DTS. The contact was driving at 55mph on the highway and the vehicle slowed down independently and the screens went blank. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was shut off but would not restart. The contact called the police and the officer called a tow truck. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic on 3 occasions replaced the same relay fuse however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
2019-10-04Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11266121
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I FILED A COMPLAINT IN 2016 (COMPLAINT NO. 10823262) RELATED CORROSION OF THE REAR BRAKE LINES. THIS COMPLAINT IS SIMILAR BUT RELATED TO CORROSION OF THE FRONT BRAKE LINES IN WHICH I AGAIN HAD A SIMILAR LIFE THREATENING EXPERIENCE. THE ORDINARY "CORRODED" STEEL LINES WERE REPLACED WITH "VINYL COATED" LINES. I NEVER HEARD BACK ON THE 2016 COMPLAINT; WHAT IS GM DOING TO PROTECT CADDY OWNERS OR ALERTING THEM OF THIS SITUATION?
2019-10-02Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11265795
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CANT BRING DRIVER OR PASSENGER SEATS UP OR DOWN RESULTING IN UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING POSITION IN DRIVE, NEUTRAL, PARK, ALL GEARS. DISTANCE SENSORS MALFUNCTION FREQUENTLY WHEN GOING INTO REVERSE.
2019-03-11Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11185728
CrashFireInjuryDeath
VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WHEN ATVTRAIN STATION. HAD TO LEAVE OVERNIGHT AND HAD IT TROUBLESHOT IN AM. A FAULTY FUEL PUMP RELAY WAS THE SUPPOSED CAUSE. CHANGED THE RELAY ON A WEDNESDAY MORNING AND CAR WAS GOOD TILL SATURDAY AFTERNOON WHEN IT STALLED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF ROUTE 9 IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. AT THE TIME MY WIFE AND GRANDSON WERE IN THE CAR. I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD LUCKILY INTO A STRIP MALL WITH AN AUTO PARTS STORE. REMOVED GRANDSON AND CAR SEAT FROM VEHICLE TO ACCESS THE RELAY IN REAR CIRCUIT BOARD. VERY HOT. I WENT IN AND GOT NEW RELAY AND HAD TO CHANGE IT IN THE PARKING LOT. WENT STRAIGHT HOME TO DROP OFF WIFE AND GRANDSON. WENT BACK OUT TO TEST DRIVE AND SEE IF PROBLEM WAS FIXED. WORKED FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND STALLED OUT AGAIN. AGAIN RELAY BURNING HOT. HAD SON GET A NEW RELAY AND CHANGED IT AGAIN AND BROUGHT VEHICLE HOME. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS NOW COME ON SO I TESTED VEHICLE WITH IBD MINISTER AND GAVE ME A P0230 CODE WHICH IS FOR A BAD FUEL PUMP RELAY WHICH I ALREADY KNOW. I AM GOING TO CALL CADILLAC DEALERSHIP AND HAVE IT LOOKED AT. I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT THERE ISN'T A RECALL ON THIS AS IT IS A LIFE AND SAFETY HAZARD.
2018-11-26Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11154126
CrashFireInjuryDeath
MY 2009 CADILLAC DTS RECENTLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING, IT WAS STEERING HARD WHEN MAKING RIGHT OR LEFT TURNS AND EVENTUALLY BEGAN MAKING NOISES. I TOOK IT TO MY GM DEALER AND THEY CHECKED THE HOSES AND FLUID RECEPTACLE. ALL THEY FOUND WAS THE RECEPTACLE WAS LOW ON POWER STEERING FLUID AND I PICKED UP A BOTTLE AT AN AUTO PARTS STORE AND THEN MY STEERING WAS OK. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER MY STEERING GOT VERY HARD AND I HAD TROUBLE STEERING IT SO I STOPPED AND ADDED MORE FLUID. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD MY POWER STEERING LINE WAS LEAKING AT ONE END WHERE IT WAS ATTACHED TO SOME METAL. MY COST WAS $402 TO REPLACE THE ONE HOSE. THIS LEAKY HOSE MADE MY CAR VERY HARD TO STEER AND I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY A STRONG HOSE LIKE THIS ONE WOULD EVER LEAK ESPECIALLY ON A VEHICLE WITH BELOW AVERAGE ANNUAL MILEAGES. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AROUND 61,700 MILES AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A BAD ACCIDENT
2018-11-26Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11154119
CrashFireInjuryDeath
HAVE BEEN SMELLING GAS AFTER FILL UPS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. EACH TIME I FILL IT AND PARK IT IN MY GARAGE IT FILLS WITH GAS FUMES THAT COULD EXPLODE AND KILL SOMEONE UNAWARE. ODOR LEAVES AFTER DRIVING 30 MILES OR SO. GOT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND O'REILY AUTO PARTS CHECK AND SAID IT SHOWED FUEL ISSUES. TOOK CAR TO MY GM DEALER AND THEY SAY NEED A NEW GAS TANK, A NEW GAS CAP AND NEW EVAPORATIVE LINES BECAUSE I HAVE A LEAKING GAS TANK LEAKING AT OR NEAR FILLING AREA, AND GAS CAP IS NOT GOOD AND LINES ARE LEAKING ACCORDING TO A "SMOKE" TEST. REPAIRS ARE $2,800. I AM 75 YRS OLD AND HAVE NEVER HAD A GAS TANK LEAK AT THE "NECK" AREA AFTER OWNING SOME 40 DIFFERENT CARS, SOME OF THEM VERY OLD. I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A FACTORY DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND A DANGEROUS ONE AT THAT. IT IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER AND TOMORROW I WILL PAY $175 FOR THE SMOKE TEST BUT I CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX IT SO I WILL ONLY FILL IT TO THE 12 GALLON POINT INSTEAD OF FULL. PLEASE ADVISE IF THERE IS A RECALL OR PERHAPS OTHER CADILLAC DTS OWNERS WITH THIS OR A SIMILAR PROBLEM

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2009 Cadillac Dts?

Owners named Electrical most often — 9 of 35 reports (26%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2009 Cadillac Dts?

NHTSA lists 2 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 2009 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.

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