Vehicle would not steer lost power steering and loud noise. Had the vehicle towed to a mechanic. The mechanic informed me that the bolts for the electronic power steering had corroded causing the electronic steering motor to fall. He told me that it is a problem with these cars and gave me a reference number (N202301950) I called GM and they said it was not a recall it was a service bulletin which I never received and is now expired. The vehicle needs a whole new Electric Power Steering Rack and Pinion Assembly due to the faulty corroded GM Bolts not to mention that I could have died or someone else could have been killed due to losing the ability to steer the vehicle because of the faulty GM parts. GM said it is my responsibility to pay for repairs which is thousands of dollars again due to their faulty parts and no fault of my own also not normal wear and tear.
Cadillac Ats loss of power problems
18 of the 384 owner complaints about the Cadillac Ats describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 2013 model year.
- owner complaints
- 18
- worst model year
- 2013
- typical mileage
- 27,500
By model year
Often reported together
Trouble codes mentioned
C0545 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing intermittent loss of power steering functionality. The vehicle was taken to Auto Repair Garage, where a routine inspection was performed, and the contact was informed that no failure was found. The contact stated that the failure progressively increased. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, and while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the infotainment system screen was frozen. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V175000 (Steering). An appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.
I had a total loss of steering about two weeks ago, scariest thing ever in my 50 years of driving. A local automotive shop inspected the car and found one steering motor bolt missing and two broken/sheared laying in their casting holes.General Motors issued a Customer Satisfaction Program 18207 – Loss of Power Steering Assist directive for steering rack inspection and repair and/or replacement. My 2013 Cadillac ATS had the bolt failure exactly as described in the directive but is not covered as the directive program was in effect until November 30, 2020 and has expired. It was and is still a poor engineering design by GM engineering and it still effects those of us operating the models listed in GM CSP 18207. This should have been a recall and not have had an end date of 11/30/2020. I'm sure there are many owners like myself that were never notified by General Motors of this design flaw as it was never a formal recall. I would ask that the federal safety agency review Customer Satisfaction Program 18207 as the loss of electric steering due to poor engineering design along with the safety of owners driving the affected vehicles still poses a danger and could seriously injure or kill someone. I do not understand why GM ended the program 11/30/2020. I would like to see either a CSP 18207 with no end date or preferably a recall to ensure owners are notified. I had never heard of an issue with my 2013 Cadillac ATS steering until I had this total steering failure. I only found out about Customer Satisfaction Program 18207 – Loss of Power Steering Assist because I searched the Web to see if other owners had experienced this failure. The repair cost to fix this is around $3,000 dollars. General Motors knows it was a poor design and in my opinion they should continue their 18207 Customer Satisfaction Program and not expect owners to pay. Thank you.
Reporting a case for GM recall N182161890. I bought my vehicle in 2022. I was informed that my car had all the recalls completed on that vehicle. My vehicle had exactly what this recall was for happen to it on 10/20/23. After contacting Cadillac, they informed me that this recall was never completed on my vehicle. Cadillac then told me that this recall was expired so it can no longer be completed. They said that the recall expired on 11/30/2020. I was under the impression that recalls do not expire, especially ones that can cause lose of power steering and could lead to collision or injury. Cadillac told me it expired because it was a "Customer Satisfaction Program" recall and not a "Product Safety" recall. I'm confused on how the lose of steering is not a product safety issue. Cadillac is unwilling to fix the recall at this time, even though they have confirmed it had never been completed.
Unexpected shutter of vehicle, loss of power, unpredictable forward motion, erratic movement, delayed acceleration.
The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated while driving 30-40 MPH, the power steering warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact decelerated and pulled into the driveway of a business. However, the contact was able to park on the side of the driveway. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering gear motor bolts were fractured. Additionally, the independent mechanic diagnosed that the failure was associated with GM Campaign Number: N202301950 (Loss of Power Assist, Steering-Gear Motor Bolts Broken). The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 49,500.
The contact’s son owns a 2015 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that while his son was exiting his driveway, the vehicle lost power steering assist with the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the bolts holding the steering motor had corroded and fallen out of the rack and pinion. The contact called the dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle; the dealer referred him to the manufacturer for assistance. The contact immediately called the manufacturer and was informed that there was a warranty on the vehicle for the rack and pinion; however, the vehicle no longer qualified under the warranty. The contact’s son had the vehicle repaired by an independent mechanic. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
The vehicle has an issue with loss of power steering. It has happened and returned but it gone out totally now and I believe it should be part of the cadillac power steering recall, but my VIN is not listed as vehicle that is affected.
Driving on highway approximately 70mph. Vehicle suddenly bucked twice, a few seconds later a check engine light appeared and reduced power appeared in the message center. The vehicle started to slow its speed. I had three miles until next off ramp. Vehicle continued to slow as I got it off he highway. Once off the highway I pulled over and the vehicle stalled. I noticed fuel gauge was reading empty, before problem was approx. 1/4 tank. Vehicle know had a heavy fuel smell. I had vehicle towed home. The following day I investigated the problem. ( I am a professional mechanic with over 30 years of experience. ) the fuel gauge read empty and vehicle would not start. I added approx. 1 gallon of fuel and tried to start the vehicle. Gasoline immediately poured from a fuel line at the rear of the engine. I removed the engine cover and noticed the high pressure fuel pump was loose from the engine. I checked the supply fuel line and it was very loose or broken. Realizing damage was comprehensive and should be covered under warranty I towed car to dealership for repair. The dealership was very uncooperative and charged me for the replacement of a broken fuel line. I asked the dealership to investigate why the pump came loose from the cylinder head. They said it just happens and it was retorqued to factory specs. That vehicle was not test driven after repairs were made, I was told it was but it had no gas registering on the gauge and the mileage had not changed from time of drop off. I picked up vehicle from dealership, put a half a tank of fuel in vehicle at the closest fuel station and drove it home cautiously. I will not be driving vehicle again until I get more answers. I believe a serious fire is possible if the fuel line breaks again very lucky it did not happen the first time because of the fuel pump coming loose from the engine.
On 3/17/2019 I received notification stating a recall for loss of power steering. I contacted the dealership, and they concluded that there was no remedy available. I contacted gm and was told there was no remedy available at this time, and that this was not a safety issue. I am concerned though as the documentation I have provided states the following: "a loss of power steering while driving slow speeds or around curves can easily cause a crash".
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Cadillac Ats loss of power
Which Cadillac Ats years have sudden loss of power problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2013 (6 complaints), 2014 (5 complaints) and 2015 (2 complaints).
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