IllustrationCANT 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.
2009 Cadillac Dts
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Cadillac Dts do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 28.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Dts 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
50–25K
725–50K
650–75K
375–100K
4100–150K
0150K+
25 reports with mileage · 10 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 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seats. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
Seats complaints
5 reportsFRONT SEAT HEAD RESTRAINTS CAUSE A VERY LARGE OBSTRUCTION IN TRYING TO SEE A VEHICLE YOU ARE PASSING, SO AS TO KNOW WHEN TO GET BACK IN TO THE TRAVEL LANE. ALSO THE HEAD RESTRAINTS POSE A LARGE BLIND SPOT WHEN TRYING TO MERGE IN TRAFFIC. *TR
WE HAVE A 2010 CADILLAC DTS. I AM 5 FEET 5 INCHES TALL AND THE HEADREST ON THE PASSENGER SIDE LEANS SO FAR FORWARD THAT I COULD NOT RIDE COMFORTABLY IN THE CAR. THE HEADREST IS TILTED FORWARD AND I COULD NOT SIT ALL THE WAY BACK IN THE SEAT AS THE HEADREST WOULD BE PUSHING ON MY HEAD. I TRIED ADJUSTING THE SEAT'S POSITION TO…
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WE HAVE A 2010 CADILLAC DTS. I AM 5 FEET 5 INCHES TALL AND THE HEADREST ON THE PASSENGER SIDE LEANS SO FAR FORWARD THAT I COULD NOT RIDE COMFORTABLY IN THE CAR. THE HEADREST IS TILTED FORWARD AND I COULD NOT SIT ALL THE WAY BACK IN THE SEAT AS THE HEADREST WOULD BE PUSHING ON MY HEAD. I TRIED ADJUSTING THE SEAT'S POSITION TO NO AVAIL. I HAD TO SIT WITH MY BACK NOT RESTING ON THE SEATBACK. THE DEALER'S ANSWER TO FIXING THE PROBLEM WAS TO TURN THE HEADREST BACKWARDS BUT NOW IT IS NOT SECURED IN ITS HOLDER. THE BACK SEATBELTS WERE SO POORLY DESIGNED THAT ONLY A SKINNY PERSON COULD FASTEN THEM. WE DISCOVEDRED THAT MOST OF OUR FRIENDS FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO FASTEN THOSE SEATBELTS. AFTER STRUGGLING TO FASTEN THE SEATBELTS SOME FRIENDS JUST DECIDED TO LEAVE THE SEATBELTS UNFASTENED. THE DEALER'S ANSWER TO THIS WAS TO GIVE US BLACK SEATBELT EXTENDERS TO FASTEN TO THE TAN SEATBELTS. ALL OUR PASSENGERS WANT TO KNOW WHY WE HAVE THE TWO COLORS OF SEATBELTS. IT IS RATHER EMBARRASSING TO SAY IT IS A DESIGN FLAW OF THE CADILLAC! THE CAR LOOKS DOWDY WITH THE TWO COLORED SEATBELTS! A SALESMAN IN THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR INFERRED THAT THE BACK SEATBELTS COULD BE FIXED IF HE COULD WELD A LONGER MOUNTING BRACKET TO WHICH THE SEATBELTS ARE ATTACHED. HOWEVER, THE CADILLAC COMPANY WOULD NOT ALLOW THE DEALERSHIP TO DO SO AS THE DESIGN OF THE SEATBELTS CANNOT BE CHANGED EVEN THOUGH IT HAS AN OBVIOUS FLAW. WE TRIED THE BACK SEATBELTS IN A SHOWROOM CAR AND THE SAME PROBLEM WAS NOTICED. EVEN THE SERVICEMAN HAD A DIFFICULT TIME FASTENING THE BACK SEATBELTS. *TR
HEADRESTS TOO LARGE AND BLOCK VISIBILITY FOR DRIVER LOOKING TO HIS RIGHT. *TR
2009 CADILLAC DTS HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN OF HEAD RESTRAINTS. *NJ THE CONSUMER AND HIS WIFE WERE UNABLE TO RELAX THEIR SHOULDERS AGAINST THE BACK REST OF THE SEAT, BECAUSE THE HEAD REST WAS POSITIONED AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE WHICH CAUSED THEIR HEADS TO BECOME CRUNCHED. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE WINDOWS CAN'T BE RAISED OR…
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2009 CADILLAC DTS HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN OF HEAD RESTRAINTS. *NJ THE CONSUMER AND HIS WIFE WERE UNABLE TO RELAX THEIR SHOULDERS AGAINST THE BACK REST OF THE SEAT, BECAUSE THE HEAD REST WAS POSITIONED AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE WHICH CAUSED THEIR HEADS TO BECOME CRUNCHED. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE WINDOWS CAN'T BE RAISED OR LOWERED MIDWAY WITHOUT THEM GOING ALL THE WAY UP OR DOWN, THEY CAN'T BE STOPPED. *JB
Official recalls
214V355000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jun 23, 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) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and 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. 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.
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.