TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CADILLAC CTS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE SQUEAKING; HOWEVER, THEY WERE OPERATING NORMALLY. THE DEALER WAS BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE SINCE JANUARY 2009. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 13,100 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000. UPDATED 12/10/09. *LJ UPDATED 12/10/09*JB
2008 Cadillac Cts
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2008 Cadillac Cts do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 101.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cts years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
126 reports with mileage · 49 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
175 reports2008 CADILLAC CTS..GAS PEDAL IS TO CLOSE TOO BRAKE PEDAL. IT IS VERY EASY TO HIT BOTH PEDALS AT THE SAME TIME. NO ACCIDENTS WITH THE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. *TR
PURCHASED 2008 CTS UPON DRIVING CAR HOME I NOTICED A VIBRATION. TOOK BACK TO DEALER NEXT DAY. HAD TO WAIT 3 WEEKS TO GET SERVICE ON VEHICLE AND FOUND OUT AT THAT TIME THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS CAR AND THE DEALER IS NOT TO TRY TO FIX CAR. WENT TO GM AND THEY AGREED TO CHANGE TIRES BUT THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, TH…
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PURCHASED 2008 CTS UPON DRIVING CAR HOME I NOTICED A VIBRATION. TOOK BACK TO DEALER NEXT DAY. HAD TO WAIT 3 WEEKS TO GET SERVICE ON VEHICLE AND FOUND OUT AT THAT TIME THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS CAR AND THE DEALER IS NOT TO TRY TO FIX CAR. WENT TO GM AND THEY AGREED TO CHANGE TIRES BUT THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, THE VIBRATION CONTINUED. TRYING TO COME TO SOME SORT OF AGREEMENT WITH GM AND AFTER 9 MONTHS, NOTHING. TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALER FOR TIRE ROTATION AND REQUESTED "ROAD FORCE BALANCE" AND THE PROBLEM GOT WORSE. THE VIBRATION STARTS AT 40MPH AND THE STEERING WHEEL IS SHAKING. THE PROBLEM IS EITHER WITH THE WHEELS OR THE TIRES. *TR
I HAVE A CADILLAC 2008 CTS WITH 24,000 MILES ON IT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL CADILLAC DEALER. THEY STATED THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND I HAD TO TAKE IT TO THE SELLING DEALER, DON MASSEY CADILLAC. PROBLEM: THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR IN. MY LOCAL DEALER,…
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I HAVE A CADILLAC 2008 CTS WITH 24,000 MILES ON IT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL CADILLAC DEALER. THEY STATED THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND I HAD TO TAKE IT TO THE SELLING DEALER, DON MASSEY CADILLAC. PROBLEM: THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR IN. MY LOCAL DEALER, ALLEN CADILLAC IN MONROE MICHIGAN STATED THERE WERE TWO PROBLEMS. THE TIMING CHAIN WAS STRETCHED ACCORDING TO THEN AND THE CAM AND CRANK SHAFT WERE DEFECTIVE. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY IN SERVICE. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE TECH THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2008 CADILLAC CTS AND THAT DEALER HAD SEEN OVER A DOZEN CARS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. GM HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO DON MASSEY CADILLAC (SELLING DEALER), THERE WERE SIX OTHER CTS CARS IN FOR SERVICE AT THE SAME TIME AS MINE. ALTHOUGH GM IS SUPPOSED TO FIX THIS UNDER WARRANTY, WHY HAVE THEY NOT ISSUES A RECALL? THIS IS AN OVER $50,000 CAR WITH 24,000 MILES ON IT AND IT WILL HAVE TO HAVE THE ENGINE REBUILT. THIS IS THE SECOND MAJOR REPAIR TO THIS CAR. THIS PAST DECEMBER, A CLIP THAT HOLDS THE WIRING HARNESS IN PLACE SNALLED AND THE WIRING HARNESS GOT WOUND UP AROUND THE FAN AND WAS TORN TO SHREDS AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. WITH THIS MANY MAJOR PROBLEM ON A CAR WITH 24,000 MILES (I PUT ON ALL 24,000 OF THOSE MILES), WHAT IS IN STORE FOR BE WHEN THE CAR HAS 34,000, 44,000 AND BEYOND MILES ON IT?*TR
I OWN A 2008 CADILLAC CTS WITH AWD. I BOUGHT IT IN DECEMBER 2007. AT AROUND 7000 MILES IN MID-FEBRUARY 2009 MY CAR WOULD NOT START. THE ANTITHEFT DEVICE WAS ACTIVATED. A ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TECHNICIAN CAME OUT. HE SAID IT WAS A DEFECTIVE BATTERY WHICH HE REPLACED. THREE WEEKS LATER I TRIED TO START THE CAR & RECEIVED A DASHBOARD…
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I OWN A 2008 CADILLAC CTS WITH AWD. I BOUGHT IT IN DECEMBER 2007. AT AROUND 7000 MILES IN MID-FEBRUARY 2009 MY CAR WOULD NOT START. THE ANTITHEFT DEVICE WAS ACTIVATED. A ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TECHNICIAN CAME OUT. HE SAID IT WAS A DEFECTIVE BATTERY WHICH HE REPLACED. THREE WEEKS LATER I TRIED TO START THE CAR & RECEIVED A DASHBOARD ALERT THAT THE BATTERY REGISTERED LOW VOLTAGE AND COULD NOT BE STARTED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO WORKED ON IT FOR TWO DAYS. THEY TOLD ME THAT "MAYBE" THE COMPUTER WAS BEING TURNED ON WHEN THE CAR WAS SHUT OFF. THEIR "MAYBE" ANSWER MADE ME FEEL THEY WERE JUST GUESSING. THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD CORRECTED THE GLITCH, CHARGED THE BATTERY, TOLD ME THE BATTERY WAS FINE & THAT THE CAR SHOULD BE FINE NOW. LAST NIGHT, APRIL 15, 2009 AT 10:00PM MY DASHBOARD ALERTED ME THAT THE BATTERY WAS TOO LOW TO START. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WHO COULD NOT GET IT STARTED EITHER. ON APRIL 16, 2009 AT 8:30AM I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED INTO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AGAIN SAID MY BATTERY MUST HAVE A DEFECTIVE CELL. THIS IS THE SAME BATTERY THAT THEY PUT INTO THE CAR 6 WEEKS EARLIER THAT THEY SAID WAS "FINE". I AM NOW AWAITING THEIR "PROFESSIONAL" DIAGNOSIS. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS TYPE ON THIS VEHICLE? ALSO DO YOU KNOW IF THIS CAR CAN QUALIFY AS A LEMON UNDER FEDERAL & NJ LEMON LAWS? *TR
BRAKE SQUEAL ON MY 2008 CTS ALMOST FROM THE TIME IT LEFT THE DEALER SHOWROOM ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2008. DEALER STATES THAT CADILLAC IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THAT CADILLAC HAS YET TO AUTHORIZE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. DEALER INDICATES THAT CERAMIC BRAKES WOULD CORRECT THE SITUATION BUT ONCE AGAIN CADILLAC DOES NOT HAVE REPLACEMENT…
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BRAKE SQUEAL ON MY 2008 CTS ALMOST FROM THE TIME IT LEFT THE DEALER SHOWROOM ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2008. DEALER STATES THAT CADILLAC IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THAT CADILLAC HAS YET TO AUTHORIZE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. DEALER INDICATES THAT CERAMIC BRAKES WOULD CORRECT THE SITUATION BUT ONCE AGAIN CADILLAC DOES NOT HAVE REPLACEMENT CERAMIC BRAKES FOR THE CAR. THEY HAVE THEM FOR OTHER MODELS BUT NOT THE CTS ACCORDING TO THE DEALER. *TR
A FEW WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THE 2008 CADILLAC CTS THE BRAKES BEGAN SQUEAKING EVERY TIME THEY WERE APPLIED. SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID TO RIDE THE BRAKES WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY TO CLEAN OFF THE METAL FILINGS ON THE BRAKE ROTORS DUE TO BRAKE DUST. DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. BRAKES HAVE CONTINUED TO SQUEAK FOR MONTHS DESPITE RIDING BRAKES …
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A FEW WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THE 2008 CADILLAC CTS THE BRAKES BEGAN SQUEAKING EVERY TIME THEY WERE APPLIED. SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID TO RIDE THE BRAKES WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY TO CLEAN OFF THE METAL FILINGS ON THE BRAKE ROTORS DUE TO BRAKE DUST. DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. BRAKES HAVE CONTINUED TO SQUEAK FOR MONTHS DESPITE RIDING BRAKES ON OPEN HIGHWAYS. *TR
BRAKES SCREECH WHEN COMING TO A STOP. THEY HAVE DONE THIS SINCE SHORTLY AFTER DELIVERY OF CAR WHICH IS ALMOST ONE YEAR AGO. FIRST TIME THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THIS THE SERVICE WRITER INFORMED ME THIS WAS "NORMAL" AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. ANOTHER SERVICE WRITER VALIDATED THE COMPLAINT AND REPLACED REAR BRAKE PADS. SEEME…
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BRAKES SCREECH WHEN COMING TO A STOP. THEY HAVE DONE THIS SINCE SHORTLY AFTER DELIVERY OF CAR WHICH IS ALMOST ONE YEAR AGO. FIRST TIME THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THIS THE SERVICE WRITER INFORMED ME THIS WAS "NORMAL" AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. ANOTHER SERVICE WRITER VALIDATED THE COMPLAINT AND REPLACED REAR BRAKE PADS. SEEMED TO BE BETTER FOR A VERY SHORT TIME, BUT IT STARTED AGAIN AND CONTINUES. HAVE CONTINUED TO INFORM DEALER OF THIS EVERY TIME THE CAR IS SERVICED WITHOUT RESOLUTION. *TR
VIBRATION IN CAR ABOVE 62 MILES PER HOUR. STEERING WHEEL SHAKES IN YOUR HANDS. TAKEN TO DEALER TWICE THEY HAVE ROTATED AND BALANCED TIRES TWICE NO IMPROVEMENT. *TR
CAR FRONT DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK WITH AUTO OR MANUAL UNLOCK, ONCE UNLOCK DOOR WILL NOT LATCH LOCK AT ALL! HAD TO HOLD DOOR SHUT FOR 20 MILES AT 1AM IN THE MORNING AFTER GOING TO A WEDDING RECEPTION IN PHILADELPHIA, PA. *TR
Official recalls
214V394000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jul 2, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 2, 2014 that they are recalling 554,328 model year 2003-2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured August 16, 2001, to April 28, 2014, and 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX vehicles manufactured March 20, 2003, to August 11, 2006. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
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.
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 15, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14172.
10V240000 · Electrical System
Jun 4, 2010
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.
Consequence & remedy
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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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