Front subframe crack around lower control arm bushing area. Common problem that’s going to end up killing someone when it completely separates
2012 Cadillac Cts
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2012 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
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When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
49 reports with mileage · 16 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 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 7 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
65 reports"service air bag" light is illuminated. Deal states the replacement part is out of production. Apparently, this is a relative common problem with this vehicle. The illumination of the warning light indicates the air bag system is not working.
A combination of the lower control arm alignment adjustment bolt, it is just a slot and standard bolt. The alignment becomes loose over time and begins to work side to side in the slot, so retightening the bolt is the only solution to keep it from moving. The main issue is the subframe being made from aluminum and the machined s…
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A combination of the lower control arm alignment adjustment bolt, it is just a slot and standard bolt. The alignment becomes loose over time and begins to work side to side in the slot, so retightening the bolt is the only solution to keep it from moving. The main issue is the subframe being made from aluminum and the machined slots for the lower arms, the "ears" for the lower arms are not machined or reenforced correctly which lead to severe fatigue cracks in the machined radius of the subframe. These cracks will cause the lower control arm to break free of the mounts and causing the front suspension to shift to the left or right and causing a crash. All it will take to break them off is a large enough bump and this WILL kill or injure someone.
There have been a collection of other Vin numbers for this year make and model for the symptoms I have been experiencing since taking ownership in 2019. The vehicle will stall while running and randomly disable ALL WHEEL drive, Traction Control, ABS, and send Check engine light on causing me amdy son on infinite number of times…
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There have been a collection of other Vin numbers for this year make and model for the symptoms I have been experiencing since taking ownership in 2019. The vehicle will stall while running and randomly disable ALL WHEEL drive, Traction Control, ABS, and send Check engine light on causing me amdy son on infinite number of times to almost be hit In the middle of amd intersection, after a stop sign at low speeds, upon turning the wheels into or put of driveway, parking spaces and worst off at 60 mph on a freeway. This has resulted in multiple near accidents as the vehicle randomly disables itself. It occurs mostly after pressing the brakes to shift gears and almost always causes the vehicle to become inoperable for over an hour where it sits as there is no option to disable AWD or choose from FWD OR RWD. It happens in manual mode (or called performance mode) as well as automatic mode and has been occurring for 5 and a half years. I have been charged an exorbitant amount for supposed repairs from.dealers and mechanics who have claimed to fix it and I have severe autoimmune disease, a foot prosthetic, AND a minor child I have to transport to and from.school in the car. My issue and warning lights and symptoms mirror the recall of the Vin numbers the manufacturer has performed the recall repair on exactly and yet I have been sent from dealers who refuse to check the part that's defective which is I believe the hydrolic brake rod to the brake petal. The bold needs to be simply retorqued to the proper torque to fix the problem as it was either assembled improperly torqued and or can loosen over time resulting in dangerous and immediate and unexpected complete loss of power to the vehicle allowing people to slam into you at any time. I have had it towed numerous times after these incidents. All features, climate control, locks, entertainment, windows and everything functions when this happens. I have replaced batteries, brakes, oil changes etc. Unresolved.
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed and the AWD inadvertently deactivated, causing the vehicle to lose motive power. The service brake assist, check engine, traction control, ABS, and stabili-trak warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle…
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The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed and the AWD inadvertently deactivated, causing the vehicle to lose motive power. The service brake assist, check engine, traction control, ABS, and stabili-trak warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to two independent mechanics; however, no failure was found. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V536000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The Sub frame has a crack where it connects with the control arm I posted a picture in the forum group for Cadillac owners of the same vehicle and over 20 owners I’ve counted have the same crack in the same location it has unfortunately failed for some members already. I fear that this was an engineering flaw that needs to be t…
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The Sub frame has a crack where it connects with the control arm I posted a picture in the forum group for Cadillac owners of the same vehicle and over 20 owners I’ve counted have the same crack in the same location it has unfortunately failed for some members already. I fear that this was an engineering flaw that needs to be taken care of or examined before some one can get seriously hurt or lose there life by having the sub frame fail causing the control arm of the front wheel to fall off I have multiple pictures of separate vehicles that have the same crack and even one that fully broke apart at the same location. Please take a look at this as this I fear could break at any time and I fear many Cadillacs are driving around with this same engineering flaw
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for servicing, he was informed that the front passenger's side air bag had failed. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was …
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The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for servicing, he was informed that the front passenger's side air bag had failed. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,273.
Recaro seat sensor failure, causing passenger air bag system inoperable for the passenger side, it appears this a very common problem, the dealer states that they have replaced a lot of these in the past, but GM no longer has any available, cannot find one anywhere in the country (USA), the safety concern is if involved in an ac…
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Recaro seat sensor failure, causing passenger air bag system inoperable for the passenger side, it appears this a very common problem, the dealer states that they have replaced a lot of these in the past, but GM no longer has any available, cannot find one anywhere in the country (USA), the safety concern is if involved in an accident the passenger is not protected, the dealer has confirmed this is the problem thru diagnostics, have contacted manufacture and they have confirmed no parts available for a repair, service air bag system message and air bag light on intermittently numerous time while driving, first appeared within approx. 2 days after purchased used on 03-17-2022
The driver’s seat latch to access the backseat started to work only sometimes. Now it doesn’t work at all
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control and ABS warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the traction control was off. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. …
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The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control and ABS warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the traction control was off. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
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.
11V536000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum
Nov 2, 2011
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CADILLAC CTS VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 21, 2011, THROUGH OCTOBER 26, 2011. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH THE POWER VACUUM BRAKE BOOST PUSHROD RETENTION NUT MAY NOT BE TORQUED TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION. IF THE NUT IS NOT TORQUED TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION, THE NUT COULD LOOSEN AND ALLOW THE PUSHROD TO SEPARATE FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF ABILITY TO BRAKE AND a vehicle CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy: CADILLAC DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE POWER VACUUM BRAKE BOOST PUSHROD RETENTION NUT, AND IF NECESSARY, TORQUE THE NUT TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 1, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-800-458-8006.
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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